2025: The Final Quarter - Albums

Originally posted Dec 2025

Marking Key at bottom

Richard Ashcroft “Lovin’ You”

This album, from the legendary Verve front man, has me confused. I really like the addictive opening track “Lover”. There’s something about its simplicity (built around the familiar ‘lover ooo hoo’ line from Joan Armatrading’s “Love & Affection”) juxtaposed with its hint of mystery – given to us by the thickly textured ambient backdrop of the track, a trait of Ashcroft both with the Verve and solo. Its got a ‘pop’ vibe to it. The next track “Out Of The Blues” goes for a more standard ‘soft rock’ approach with vocals, guitars, drums. There is a nod towards country in there, presumably jumping on the current trend to help the streaming platform algorithms. Everyone’s at it. And who can blame them? It continues this way for a few tracks and at that point it seemed to me that “Lover”, good as it is, was something of a poor set up to the album as it sounded completely out of place. However, when we get to “I’m a Rebel” we have a hard and fast modern disco-pop sounding number complete with falsetto. Promoted correctly, it would give the likes of Dua Lipa a run for their money. Sell it to someone like her and you’d have a guaranteed smash on your hands. The album proceeds to flip flop in this manner. Its like there’s 2 albums running parallel. So, its feels somewhat incoherent. Or is it? Because, there’s only two sides to the coin here. Its a flip flop between the two........ so the ‘flip flop’ is consistent. Maybe that’s the point. But, I don’t know. I'm not sure. I can’t decide if it works. I’m confused.  Those more ‘band’ sounding tracks are OK but frankly a little dull. An album full of those would be borderline 4-5 for me. However, the pop-ier offerings are more interesting. An album full of that might be a borderline 6-7. But, this is neither of those things. And its both. Ashcroft has actually got me questioning my views on how I hear an ‘album’ – so well done there. 6

James Morrison “Fight Another Day”

So. Generally.. Good singer. Good sing writer. Good performer. On a technical front, there’s not much wrong with this. However, its very middle of the road. Take it or leave it. No flare. No soul. And. Then its all topped off by a final track with a disco-style edge that’s totally out of keeping with the rest of the album. 4

The Last Dinner Party “From The Pyre”

This was a very difficult one. This is the act that totally turned my head and forced me to think very differently about modern popular music. They did that by releasing an album shortly after I began the GWIM Project that was so superb that I rate it as one of the greatest records of all time. I gave it a cautious 8, believing I would probably promote it to a 9........ which I have. You can read my very detailed review of that album in the 'Lengthier Reviews' section

Obviously, following this was going to he very difficult. I wasn’t particularly filled with confidence by the singles they released in the months leading up to the album. It seemed like they were doing more of the same..... but making it a little kitsch. Thankfully, that’s not turned out to be the case. I would like to point out before I do a mini-review (so so so much shorter than my review of their first album) of this album that I think it is superb. But I do have feelings of disappointment -  the problem being that they set the bar so high.

The album is 10 tracks long. It isn’t until we get to track 5 that I’m getting really impressed. For the 1^st 4 tracks, I felt that this album lacked the hint of creativity and innovation of the 1^st. The band are excellent and a force to be reckoned with. However, it was very ‘classic’ sounding rock music. It felt sort of like ‘look we can do rock basics too – we’re not always trying to be sophisticated’. I was thinking the album could be a 7. “Rifle” begins to break free of this and plays around with the band format and song structure in a way that was present on their 1^st album and is pushed a little further here. It has the impression of a track going on a journey and being quite ‘epic’ despite its short length. This is followed by “Woman Is A Tree” a very innovative piece, particularly the vocal work, which is my favourite on this album. It may very well be my favourite across the 2 albums. The vocal bending performed by some of the voices over the static harmony of the others creates a dissonant tension. Vocal chanting and tribal-like percussion creates a feeling of the ‘ancient’ – which may depict the tree, a fascinating example of nature that can give is a glimpse of something in the present that existed many centuries ago. “I Hold Your Anger” keeps the interest up with open-fifth harmonies and a percussion section that is held back for much of the track. There’s also a lot of distant haunting vocals that seem to have carried over from “Woman Is A Tree”.

I’m a little unsure about the close of the album. “Inferno” is a decent enough track. However, compared to those that proceed it, it feels a little ‘so so’. Although, I like the way it abruptly ends. Overall, the album is definitely brilliant..... and possibly outstanding. I can’t ignore the fact that for the 1^st 40% of the album I was ‘only’ very impressed. I wasn’t very very very impressed until later on. Whereas the 1^st album was a very clear 8 - that I knew I would probably promote to a 9 – this one is a borderline 7-8. So, despite loving the album, I’m still a little disappointed. 8

Pa Salieu “Afrikan Alien”

Its a rap album that ditches a lot of hip hop constraints and goes for a soul/R&B/jazz sound. Its lyrical content is pretty good. However, I didn’t feel it was breaking any ground for 2025. The social commentary is fairly standard for this sort of thing and there’s plenty of hip hop/rap that is experimenting with genre-bending these days – and most of it does a better job than this. 5

Turnstile “NEVER ENOUGH”

I really enjoyed this one. The sound created is quite interesting – quite hard rock juxtaposed with a mellow/ambient backdrop........ and at other times vice versa. There are also little sections of instrumental and/or productive creativity sprinkled around. Those moments are really brilliant and the rest is very good too. 7  

Tame Impaler “Deadbeat”

This had my interest. It seems to have indie at its core but veers into other areas – psychedelic....... in fact the creative tone of the album is very reminiscent of this, synth pop, dance, house etc. I wasn’t sure about a lengthy club-beat section but then this returned as the backing for the closing track and it seemed to make sense.  I particularly like the tracks “Loser” and “Pieces Of Heaven” 7

Dave “The Boy Who Played The Harp” (#1)

This has seemingly divided opinion. Some critics have raved about it – others have been far from convinced. The success of this GWIM project of mine becomes apparent to me in little moments like when I was at work and 2 youngsters were discussing their own somewhat opposing opinions of this akbum..... and I was actually able to participate!! I really like it. Its quite creative and a really interesting listen. There’s quite a bit to sink your teeth into musically and production-wise. Take the tracks “175 Months” and “My 27^th Birthday”, for examples. What’s going on in those? Love it. Lyrically, I think the way some complex modern social situations are laid out starkly and simply is commendable and subtly genius. Here’s hoping this can dislodge Taylor Swift and hit the #1 spot. 7

Lily Allen “West End Girl”

I was a big fan of Lily Allen when she started out (nearly 20 years ago now..... eek). I was a fan of her both on record and off record. Although I remained a fan of her off record, I found her 2^nd album, “It’s Not Me, It’s You” (2009) (which I would give a 5) quite a disappointment following her fantastic debut “Alright, Still” (2006) (which I would give an 8) – although I’m aware there are many who disagree. To be honest, I’ve never heard the 3^rd or 4^th albums so I can’t really comment. This one? I approached with scepticism. Firstly, its something of a ‘comeback’ album and if the Lily Allen magic was lost as early as the 2^nd album then a brilliant 5^th album seemed unlikely. Secondly, its all about her relationship and break up from David Harbour (best known for the mighty “Stranger Things”). 9/10 times I find albums that are specifically about an artist ‘telling their story’ to be poor. Usually because they clearly focus on getting their story across, and because they have to skill to ‘blag’ writing a song if the need to, that’s exactly what they do. You probably know the kind of thing. Arguably honest and relatable lyrics (which is enough for some listeners, to be fair), but basic and predicable song structures and chord progressions with meandering melodies. A severe lack of musical inspiration.

However, Allen seems to pull it off. There are moments when the ‘personal account’ notion comes across a bit too strongly and that is my core criticism. However, the song writing is fairly strong, the melodies are good on the whole, the music has many interesting points, its quite varied, and the production is rousing. Its a worthy listen despite the self-indulgent nature of the project. 7

Zoe Ko “still not ur girlfriend”

At 8 tracks and 19 mins – its an EP, I guess? Its listed as an album, though. I dunno. Maybe old man Kev shouldn’t always be so keen to ‘label’ things, eh? Its that kind of pop that borrows from punk. This means it massively misrepresents punk, but is great fun nonetheless. This is ground that has been well trodden by numerous acts from the 80s to the present day. And this doesn’t particularly add anything to that ground. 6

Sigrid “There’s Always More That I Could Say”

Its electro-pop with an indie edge. I don’t really have a lot to say about it. Its good enough. 6

Florence + The Machine “Everybody Scream” (#1)

I absolutely loved “Lungs” (2009) and I thought “Ceremonials” was brilliant although there was a bit of ‘the same but not as good’ about it. My knowledge ends there. I don’t really know what I want from a Florence + The Machine album in 2025. I have similar thoughts as I did in my Pulp review earlier in the year. If this was the album that followed “Ceremonials” a few years later I’d probably be looking for something different. Development. Moving on. But in 2025 is that what I want or am I after familiarity and nostalgia...... even if its not that good? Well there seems to be a nice balance here. There’s a lot of innovation and creativity here but a lot of familiarity too. Its nowhere near as inspiring as those 1^st 2 albums. But, it is brilliant to be fair. I’d say the best tracks are “Witch Dance” with its flip-flopping of contrasting musical backdrops, “Drink Deep” which feels like it goes on an epic journey despite being of average track length, and the powerful and climatic “You Can Have It All”. 7

Cat Burns “How To Be Human”

I quite like this artist – who I listed in my top singles of 2023. I think I reviewed an album in early 2024 and gave it a 6. I like the concept of this. Its basically about the struggle of negotiating life. Its set up against the 1^st track, which is about the loss of a loved one who seemingly made the most of their life, and proceeds to take inspiration from that. My criticism of this would be that, although the album does cover a variety of relatable human experiences, the majority of the tracks focus on relationship breakups (or something in the same ballpark) which gets a little tiresome. The music is good. Its strong song-writing with decent melodic composition. Burn’s voice is warming and very ‘authentic’. She balances very strong singing (Adele, for example) with a more spoken-voice/vernacular presentation (Lily Allen, for example) in a way that most have failed to achieve quite as well. This makes it a very listenable and enjoyable experience with a little depth to it. However, its not absolutely outstanding stuff. I’d recommend most people at least give it the once over and see what they think, but would expect very few to be absolutely knocked off their feet. 6

The Charlatans “We Are Love”

I did really like the Charlatans back in the 90s. They were something of a ‘tier 2’ band for me but good nonetheless. They spent a little too much time trying to sound like the Stone Roses early on – then a little too much time trying to sound like Oasis later on. This continued through to the late 90s and then my knowledge ends. They’ve actually continued to release albums at a fairly regular rate since then........... and it seems like I probably haven’t missed much. Its alright. In fact, it starts brilliantly with an interesting number that switches between 7/8 and 8/8 (or 4/4) time. But it then veers quite quickly into middle of the road indie. I’m sure die-hard fans will be delighted to hear new music. But, I think you’ll have a much better experience just re-listening to a classic 90s Charlatans’ album. 6

Emma-Jean Thackray “Weirdo”

Although a little long, this is superb. There’s a bit of everything. Genre-wise we have classical, rock, pop, jazz, funk, soul........ and thats just the basics. Compositionally, there’s static fragmentation, standard song structures, and extended formats. There’s upbeat, ballad-style, uplifting, dark. You name it, basically. And, somehow, its not disjointed or uncomfortable – its seamless and unified. This one probably warrants deeper analysis. 8

Rosalía “Lux”

Utterly superb. Sadly, because I foolishly never tried with languages at school and beyond, I can’t comment on the lyrics here and I’m sure understanding them would heighten the listening experience further. This wonderfully navigates itself all over the place. Its mostly a big orchestral sound, but with large use of electronics – so at times its like listening to a key moment in a stage show and at others we are slipping into some sort of underground dance movement. At times the melodies are lengthy and shapely, at other they are monotone. At times the composition is developmental, at others static. At times the rhythms are complex, at others repetitive. At times its like we are listening to a classic Disney soundtrack. At others we have gone experimental and avant-garde. Genre? I would be silly to label it too confidently. Try something broad like ‘art-pop’. I know some would struggle to listen to this – the nature of its construction means we never settle onto one idea for any significant length of time before we zoom off somewhere else. My favourite tracks are “Pocelana” & “La Vugular”. I may be speaking too soon but this could end up being my album of the year. 8

Hayley Williams “Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party”

A solo project from the lead singer of Paramore. Its very good. Solid songs with fairly traditional rock song composition. Its kept fairly interesting with some quirky arrangements and quotations of tracks we are familiar with – but nothing particularly challenging. Its a little on the long side. 6

Jacob Alon “In Limerence”

It has a folk-rock feel to it. I think I can say everything else I need to say about it in one sentence. Its good and a very pleasant listen. 6

5 Seconds Of Summer “Everyone’s A Star” (#1)

I’m familiar with some 5 Seconds tracks (which I like) but not with their albums. I imagine they’ve done better albums than this but it is good enough. My comments are probably dated and show my age a bit but it rides that fine-line between rock and pop that used to be rare but is now much more common following the work of Scissor Sisters, Maroon 5 and others in the noughties and 2010s. Not pop-y enough to completely turn off the rocksters but pop enough to satisfy the popsters. The result? Double the audience. I describe this album as decent quality entertainment. The track “Evolve” is a good example. 6

Martin Carthy “Transform Me Then Into A Fish”

This is a great record from an old folk act who has always been small-scale commercially but massive in certain circles. I really like the exploration of open harmonies and modal scales which gives it a medieval feel - and pitch-bending chromaticism that has an Eastern feel to it (I think there’s some sitar in there). Not to take away from this but I can’t help but feel that the huge critical acclaim and award nominations for this album have ageism at their heart. Or Susan Boyle-ism if you like. Much like we looked at Boyle and were shocked at the voice that came out – here, we’re going ‘wow, look at that old guy making a record. Amazing, eh?’ which is massively insulting given that he’s been something of a legend for decades. 7

And so end 2025. All that’s left is my best of 2025 summary post in a few weeks.

Marking key (in a nutshell)

10 – Perfect (only 3 albums in history)

9 – Basically 10/10 (I just don’t quite view them in the same way as the 3 albums)

8 – Outstanding (possible nit-picking criticisms)

7 – Brilliant

6 – Good

5 – Average

4 – Has potential but below average

3 – Some good points but not very good overall

2 – Poor (possibly a few good points)

1 – Abysmal