Alive and Spaced and All So Beautiful: November 2025
phew, they’re gone now
Having an honest to God democratic socialist as the leader of the country’s biggest city feels like a win for society and sanity. But, I’m sure Cankles and the Couch Fucker will find a way to ruin that high in about one minute.
Spooky season is over and the only thing more depressing that realizing that you’ve ingested more Halloween candy than you gave out is how quickly Lowe’s replaced the giant skeletons with goddamn Christmas trees before it’s even Thanksgiving. It also means that we are rapidly winding down on this year’s qualifying window for the best albums. It’s okay though, there’s plenty of great music to check out this month.
The Listen List
An update about what’s out now and what people around the internet are talking about
October
Silver Bleeds the Black Sun by AFI - gothic rock
The Spiritual Sound by Agriculture - blackgaze
**ICONOCLATS by Anna von Hausswolff - post-rock
SickElixir by Blawan - deconstructed club
Rhythm Immortal by Carrier - ambient dub
Sanguivore II: Mistress of Death by Creeper - gothic rock
**The Boy Who Played the Harp by DAVE - conscious hip hop
Goodness by feeo - ambient
Everybody Scream by Florence + the Machine - art rock
Rock Doido by Gaby Amarantos - technofunk
Nested in Tangles by Hannah Frances - progressive folk
**Once Upon a Time… in Shropshire by Jerskin Fendrix - progressive pop
Ace by Madison Cunningham - chamber folk
**Off the Record by Makaya McCraven - jazz fusion
Femme fatale by Mon Laferte - canción melodica
**Through the Wall by Rochelle Jordan - alternative r&b
**In the Wind of the Night, Hard-Fallen Incantations Whisper by Širom - free folk
Worldwide by Snõõper - egg punk (I wish I was making it up…that’s a real genre)
THE BPM by Sudan Archives - alternative r&b
From the Pyre by The Last Dinner Party - pop rock
**Disquiet by The Necks - avant-garde jazz
** must-listen
The Rewind
A look back at a favorite from (at least five) years past
Dopes to Infinity
Monster Magnet
Stoner Rock | 1995
Ususally, I would start these Rewinds with a long explanation of why a band is great, how their sound came about, or where and when I first heard it. Waxing philosophical about music is…kinda my thing.
However, every once in a while, there’s an album so awesome, rad, and kick ass that it doesn’t need any of that. It just needs to be. And you just need to listen to it.
Thirty years ago, the New Jersey band Monster Magnet, having already redefined stoner rock once with their mind-bending Spine of God (considered one of the three pillars of stoner rock, along with Kyuss’ Blues for the Red Sun and Sleep’s Holy Mountain), would proceed to redefine it again with perhaps the greatest album of the genre, and one of the best albums of the 1990’s, Dopes to Infinity.
Dopes to Infinity
Negasonic Teenage Warhead
Look to Your Orb for the Warning
All Friends and Kingdom Come
Ego, the Living Planet
Blow ‘Em Off
I, personally, consider this their magnum opus. Sure, they would finally get a big, charting hit with “Space Lord,” but basically everything after this is less than. Some of it is still pretty good—and in the case of 2014’s Milking the Stars, genuinely excellent—but it’s not Dopes good.
But, to be honest, nothing is
Next month: wait, who wants to rule the world? Everybody?! This I gotta hear!
Now Playing
A quick look at my personal favorite recent release
Through the Wall
Rochelle Jordan
Alternative R&B
Let’s just start by saying, I was not familiar with Rochelle Jordan. I thought I’d hear a wannabe-Solange (not that Solange is a bad artist to aspire to) based purely on the cover art and how other outlets have described her.
She is not.
[mention how fun and dancy it is]
Ladida
The Boy
Doing It Too
Bite the Bait
Close 2 Me
[conclusion]
Up Next
What’s coming out in the next few weeks?
November will see a couple new releases I’m pretty excited about. Maybe you are too:
Armand Hammer & the Alchemist - Mercy
AVTT/PTTN - AVTT/PTTN
Blondshell - Another Picture
Danny Brown - Stardust
FKA twigs - EUSEXUA Afterglow [remixes]
Portugal. The Man - SHISH
Rosalía - Lux
The Mountain Goats - Through This Fire Across from Peter Balkan
The Neighbourhood - (((((ultraSOUND)))))
Whitney - Small Talk
Well, what releases did I miss? What’s coming out soon that you can’t wait for?
And as always, release the Epstein files.
I mean… Happy listening!
