Listener Poll: Your Favorite Albums of 2025

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Songs Considered – Listener Poll: Your Favorite Albums of 2025

Host: Robin Hilton & Sheldon Pierce (NPR Music)
Date: December 19, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode of All Songs Considered with Robin Hilton and NPR Music editor Sheldon Pierce continues NPR Music’s annual tradition: revealing the results of the listener poll for the best albums of the year. Rather than focusing on staff picks or critics’ lists, this episode counts down the top 10 albums voted by listeners, highlighting what resonated in a tumultuous year and exploring why fans connected with these releases.

The tone is candid, celebratory, and occasionally surprised, as both hosts reflect on the trends the poll revealed: the return of big pop stars, rock’s persistent presence, cross-genre surprises, and the albums that served as sources of catharsis and escape in 2025.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Year-End Reflections and Listener Involvement

• Hosts discuss the overlap between year-end work stress and the joy of immersing themselves in new music.
• Robin sets the stage for a fan-centric episode, emphasizing the unique perspective listeners provide versus critics’ lists.

  “This episode, we're gonna share the albums that listeners picked as the year's best.” (Robin Hilton, 00:51)

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The Countdown: Listener Top 10 Albums of 2025

10. Bon Iver – Sable Fable

Notes:

• Both hosts express mild surprise at Bon Iver’s continued impact and cultural relevance.
• Sable Fable is described as straddling Bon Iver’s classic sound and newer pop/R&B territory, potentially explaining its appeal.
• Listener Molly in Seattle:

  “This album brought me a load of joy and happiness when I needed it most this year. This album's overall tone is just such a good vibe and perfect to be played on a sunny day.” (03:19)

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9. Taylor Swift – The Life of a Showgirl

Notes:

• Robin is surprised the album isn’t higher (“any other year I would have expected this one to be much higher, if not number one”—06:09).
• Sheldon admits surprise it made the list at all, noting the power and pervasiveness of Taylor’s fandom:

  “Maybe there's a way to look at it where, like the cross section of the Taylor fandom is just larger than ... a lot of other fandoms put together.” (06:21)

• They discuss how Swift’s musical evolution allows her to keep connecting with fans new and old.
• Listener Lauren in St. Louis:

  “While not without its problems, The Life of a Showgirl is pure pop at its best... This album is like candy for the brain, and it just feels good to listen to it.” (08:48–09:01)

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8. Hayley Williams – Ego Death at the Bachelorette Party

Notes:

• The album’s warmth, existential themes, and cathartic power resonate widely; described as Williams’ true break-out as a solo star.
• Sheldon points out Hayley's expanded appeal beyond her Paramore roots.

  “She has become like a kind of voice of a generation... her breakout record in terms of, like, star power.” (11:01)

• Listener Joey in Utah:

  “This album covers the full range of emotions, from heartache from a breakup to horror from the current political landscape. Hailee makes us feel less alone.” (12:09)

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7. Clipse – Let God Sort Him Out

Notes:

• Celebrated as the “consensus rap record of the year,” marking Clipse’s return after 16 years.
• Hosts emphasize maturity and emotional depth, especially given the brothers' personal losses.

  “People marveled at them making this level of music so late in their career and after such a long break... people also talked a lot about really making a deep emotional connection with this record.” (15:55)

• Listener Ivan in Tucson:

  “[The album] speaks to those who've lost, to those whose friends have lost, and puts into perspective the time you have left for the lucky remainder of us.” (16:37)

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6. Wet Leg – Moisturizer

Notes:

• Robin and Sheldon both adore the band’s energy, humor, and the album’s cathartic quality for dealing with anxiety or frustration.
• Robin shares an anecdote about mispronouncing the track “Mange 2,” adding levity.
• Listener Kate in New Jersey:

  “No skips. Great energy. Something unique in every song. And this raging undercurrent that is just really satisfying when you need to release some anxiety or frustration.” (21:37–21:44)

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5. Wednesday – Bleeds

Notes:

• Viewed as a genre-defining rock record for 2025, acclaimed for blending rock, country, and shoegaze with emotional songwriting.
• Sheldon credits lead singer Carly Hartman as “one of the great rock songwriters of her generation.” (23:13)
• Listener Peter in New York:

  “The song [‘Elderberry Wine’] is a beautiful encapsulation of the roots that bind to meaningful rural communities... No better feeling than canoeing down the Shenandoah river with this song on repeat.” (24:29)

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4. Lady Gaga – Mayhem

Notes:

• Robin and Sheldon are surprised at the high placement, especially for an early-year release.

  “You don't often see records make their way all the way through the year and just, like, really stick to the public consciousness in the way that this record apparently has.” (27:12)

• Record praised as a “return to form—classic meat dress Gaga.”
• Listener Scott in Indianapolis:

  “In a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year, this song wants you to dance even if the floor is on fire.” (28:10)

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3. Bad Bunny – Dabi Tarah

Notes:

• Hosts agree it could easily have been the number one album, with Bad Bunny’s fusion of reggaeton, urbano, and Puerto Rican roots considered “seismic.”

  “I would not have been surprised if this was number one.” (32:09, Sheldon)

• Listener John in Michigan:

  “Bad Bunny is already a superstar. He did not have to go this hard. It's eclectic, emotional and inspired... I don't even speak Spanish.” (32:39)

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2. Geese – Getting Killed

Notes:

• Surprised at its high rank due to the band’s experimental, “out there” rock sound, but acknowledge that its strangeness, word-of-mouth momentum, and groove hooks drove its appeal.
• Robin on Geese:

  “If you can have in that weirdness, real great grooves and it's still hooky and grabby, which this album is, then I'm even more into the music.” (36:10)

• Listener Dan in New Jersey:

  “It finally feels like we're getting a new wave of artists who are expanding the sound, taking risks, and bringing back the energy the genre has been missing. Geese is right at the center of that shift.” (38:24)

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1. Rosalía – Lux

Notes:

• The clear winner with overwhelming support; described by hosts and listeners as a landmark album—a “grand, sweeping, cohesive work of art.”

  “It is an album that clearly makes a statement for the album as an artifact.” (41:51, Sheldon)
  “This was an album meant to be heard in its entirety...” (41:23, Robin)

• Hosts reflect on the album’s transformative power and how it challenges what pop music can be.

  “It's a statement... reimagining what pop music can be and like pushing back against the idea of it as a sort of like middle brow experience. It's saying, like, what if pop were as sort of theatrical and stage ready as opera.” (42:24, Sheldon)

• Listener comments (Robin, 43:17):

  “Nothing else like it out there. Grand, sweeping, cohesive work of art. A staggering achievement, a masterpiece... It changed my life. I heard real reactions like that, very strong emotional, deep emotional reactions from listeners.”

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Robin on the shape of 2025’s music landscape

  “People just wanted to feel good in 2025, and, you know, a lot of people talking about needing an escape. And I feel like this. This album offered both those things.” (Haley Williams, 10:43)

• Sheldon on Taylor Swift fandom:

  “The cross section of the Taylor fandom is just larger than... a lot of other fandoms put together.” (06:21)

• Listener Ivan (re: Clipse):

  “The Gravity of the Moment... puts into perspective the time you have left for the lucky remainder of us.” (16:37)

• Listener Scott (re: Gaga’s ‘Mayhem’):

  “This song wants you to dance even if the floor is on fire.” (28:10)

• Sheldon on Geese’s “Getting Killed” success:

  “I think it's a testament to, like, word of mouth still mattering. People on the ground being like, I'm really into this band. You should be into this band too.” (37:25)

• Listener Jamie in Washington (re: Rosalia):

  “I had never listened to Rosalia before this album and on paper none of it should have interested me. But one song in and I was hooked.” (43:22)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:19] – Robin and Sheldon introduce the poll concept
• [01:18] – Announcing countdown format (top 10, top 50 online)
• [03:17] – Listener feedback on Bon Iver
• [08:48] – Listener feedback on Taylor Swift
• [12:09] – Listener feedback on Hayley Williams
• [16:37] – Listener feedback on Clipse
• [21:37] – Listener feedback on Wet Leg
• [24:29] – Listener feedback on Wednesday
• [28:10] – Listener feedback on Lady Gaga
• [32:39] – Listener feedback on Bad Bunny
• [38:24] – Listener feedback on Geese
• [43:17] – Listener feedback on Rosalía

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Final Thoughts

The episode celebrates the breadth of music listeners loved in 2025, showing renewed interest in diverse genres and highlighting both massive pop stars and boundary-pushing rock bands. Many listeners sought comfort, catharsis, and connection in music during a difficult year, reflected in their passionate responses and sometimes surprising picks.

The hosts encourage listeners to check out the full top 50 list and tease their upcoming 2026 preview.

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For more: Visit NPR Music’s year-end coverage for the expanded list, and catch prior episodes for critic picks and deeper dives into individual album highlights.

Transcript

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[Robin Hilton]

Sheldon Pierce, how you holding up?

[Sheldon Pierce]

I'm, I'm doing all right, Robin.

[Robin Hilton]

We're almost done. Yeah, we are almost done. We're getting near the end of NPR Music's month long celebration of the songs and albums and artists of 2025. That's what I was talking about. Is that what you were talking thinking of when I said, are you?

[Sheldon Pierce]

I think the stress level and year end workload kind of overlap for the both of us. It's like a mad dash till the end. But you know, one of the benefits is we get to listen to a lot of great music.

[Robin Hilton]

I just, I just love show business, man.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Man. It's just the best.

[Robin Hilton]

It is really the best. It's All Songs Considered. I'm Robin Hilton. I'm here with NPR music editor Sheldon Pierce. Ed, if you haven't checked them out yet, we've got a whole bunch of lists online and we've talked a good bit about them on the show with all of our picks for the best songs and albums, the most defining moments of the past year. But on this episode, we're gonna share the albums that listeners picked as the year's best. We put up a poll a few weeks ago for people to vote for their favorite albums. And the results are in.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yes. Drum roll, please.

[Robin Hilton]

We're gonna count down the top 10 most mentioned albums. But if you look online, you'll find a longer list of the top 50 albums that listeners picked. Sheldon, were you surprised at all when you saw these results?

[Sheldon Pierce]

There were some surprises to me. And also the order was interesting. I think once you get to the top three, I figured the top three was gonna be what it was. But outside of that, there was an interesting sort of mix up of things.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah, I'm kind of with you. I would say, though, even with the top three, I think it could still have gone any number of ways. There was at least one surprise there. And we'll get to it. But let's talk about the album that came in at number 10, Bon Iver and the album Sable Fable.

[Sheldon Pierce]

If only I could wait. But before me is a ways out. Can I live inside this state where the summer's out?

[Robin Hilton]

Serge, now can I incur the way?

[Sheldon Pierce]

Am I really least afraid now.

[Guest Artist or Musician]

For what's at stake?

[Robin Hilton]

So this is an example of one that I was kind of surprised by, maybe only because, I don't know, I've kind of lost the thread of Bony Bear and whether or not, you know, how much he's connecting with listeners anymore. I mean, like, 10 years ago, not a surprise at all. Maybe even in the top five or number one. But it was good to see this at number 10.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah. I think I also have no sense of the Bon Iver cultural footprint in this moment. Who the listeners are, like, where they are.

[Robin Hilton]

Right.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Why they are still invested. But I do think this record is kind of a cool place to be with him. Like, obviously, Sable, we featured some music on the show from that last year. Fable is very different. Like, Sable is, like, classic Bon Iver, and then Fable is more in the, like, pop, R and B, like, soul realm. So it's like, maybe there's, like, Bon Ivere pivot that is drawing people to this record. But it is nice to see there's still people really invested in this.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah. I think this record straddles the two different worlds that he has inhabited. Well, I mean, he's. He's kind of moved through a lot of different worlds, but, you know, one of the first singles was Speyside, which is. Oh, okay. He's gonna. It's a return to his. His root sound. But then he didn't stay there for very long.

[Sheldon Pierce]

There's a very clear departure from this on the second half.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah. Well, this year, we asked listeners to tell us why they loved the albums that they picked. Overall, people just talked about how much hope and beauty and serenity they found in this album. Molly in Seattle wrote, and I'm quoting her here, she said, this album brought me a load of joy and happiness when I needed it most this year. This album's overall tone is just such a good vibe and perfect to be played on a sunny day. So that one came in at number 10 from Bon Iver Sable. Fable in at number 9. Another surprise for me. Taylor Swift. The life of a showgirl.

[Guest Artist or Musician]

I heard you calling on the megaphone? You want to see me all alone? As legend has it, you are quite the pyro. You light the match to wash it blow and if you'd never come for me I might have drowned in the mountains and calling I swore my loyalty to me, myself and I Right before you lit my sky all that time alone in my tower? You were just honing your powers Now I can see it all now you duck me out of my grave and save my heart from the fade of keep it 100 on the land, May the sea, the sky. Put your legions to your hands, your team, your vibes don't care where the hell you been? Is now your sleepless night you've been dreaming?

[Robin Hilton]

I don't know. I mean, I think any other year I would have expected this one to be much higher, if not even number one.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Oh, interesting.

[Robin Hilton]

I don't know. What do you think?

[Sheldon Pierce]

I was surprised to see it, to be honest.

[Robin Hilton]

I guess at all.

[Sheldon Pierce]

At all. I was not expecting to see it on this list. I do think maybe there's a way to look at it where, like the cross section of the Taylor fandom is just larger than any other. A lot of other fandoms put together.

[Robin Hilton]

Big to fail.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

It just doesn't matter. Maybe.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah. I think given the, like, the reception of this record, once it first dropped, I would have not felt people like really sat with it and. And allowed it to become one of their favorite records of the year. But I do think that there are so many people so deeply invested in the Taylor Machine that it shouldn't be too surprising to see her just jump the list.

[Robin Hilton]

Reviews certainly mixed, but for fans who did love it and picked it in our poll, most people just noted they liked the bangers on it.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Okay.

[Robin Hilton]

I mean, I kind of. I liked it.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah. You have a. You have a hot take here that I would love to hear.

[Robin Hilton]

Well, if it's a hot take, it's just like I actually like this more.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

Than a lot of her stuff.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Definitely a hot take.

[Robin Hilton]

You know, we were talking before the show. I remember when I was a late fan to the music of Weezer, I think I started listening to them around the Red Album. Interesting.

[Sheldon Pierce]

The Red Album and a little bit of overlap there.

[Robin Hilton]

But by then the. The old time Weezer fans that, you know, who were there for the band in the beginning hated it. I was like, I don't know. I think this kind of rocks. And I had none of the baggage and I. I wasn't listening to Taylor Swift when I was a tween and I've seen her music kind of grow up and mature over the last several records and I feel like she has aged into a really great sound and I like it. It works for me.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Can I ask what your favorite Taylor record was before this?

[Robin Hilton]

Maybe 1989.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Okay.

[Robin Hilton]

I don't know.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah, that tracks for me. Yeah, this does sort of track as. I mean, they were selling it as a big return to pop proper in the 1989 vein. So if that is your bag, then this makes Sense. And I think to that point, there is. There is something about this record where Taylor is inhabiting a version of herself that we haven't heard on any other records. And if you're an artist who's been in it as long as she has, that can be a refreshing place for people to land with your music. So I guess it makes a lot of sense that it is here.

[Robin Hilton]

Well, one listener, Lauren in St. Louis, wrote in saying, while not without its problems, the Life of a Showgirl is pure pop at its best. To your boys.

[Sheldon Pierce]

There you go. Perfect. Perfect encapsulation of this record.

[Robin Hilton]

The record came at a time when we all needed a distraction from the reality of our country. Each song shines brighter than a rhinestone on a showgirl's costume. Good job. This album is like candy for the brain, and it just feels good to listen to it. So Taylor Swift, enter number nine, the Life of a Showgirl. Let's go to the record that came in at number eight. It's Haley Williams and the album Ego Death at the bachelorette party.

[Guest Artist or Musician]

Yes, I saw her her spiraled hair and I could see it Our life in a movie and now I'm spinning a web up in the air My spider senses Rain's gonna fall Wash away the life I'm leaving I thought you were gonna catch me I never stopped falling for you Now I know better Never let me leave home without a parachute I thought you were gonna ca. I never stop falling for you.

[Robin Hilton]

I think kind of what we heard from the listener talking about the Taylor Swift album, what I heard in listener comments across a lot of these records is that people just wanted to feel good in 2025, and, you know, a lot of people talking about needing an escape. And I feel like this. This album offered both those things.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah, I think there's really. I mean, there's 20 songs on this record. There's something for any kind of listener on this record. It goes a lot of different directions. It is sort of interesting. It's a very existential record to the point of the title, but also it is very light. It's very warm. She uses her voices in a lot of interesting ways on these tracks. I was not surprised to see it because people really love Hayley Williams. I think she's. She's grown as a sort of cult star. Like, even outside of Paramore proper. She has become like a kind of voice of a generation. And this record, to me, was like her voice. Breakout record in terms of, like, star power.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah.

[Sheldon Pierce]

So it totally makes sense to me. That she's here. Maybe a bit of a surprise that she pops up over Taylor. We were talking about. There's probably a bit of a cross section between those fandoms. I mean, Paramore was the opener for the first night of the ERAS tour. So, I mean, there is some overlap there. So it's surprising to see her ahead of Taylor. But, I mean, this record is just such a fun listen.

[Robin Hilton]

Well, a lot of listeners also talked about. About needing catharsis and needing, like, in the age of AI, a real deep and human connection with the art and the music and everything that they engaged with. And they found that in the Hayley Williams album. Joey in Utah said, this album covers the full range of emotions, from heartache, from a breakup to horror, from the current political landscape. Hailee makes us feel less alone. And that was sort of what you were saying. There's a lot in here for people to connect with.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah, a full range of the human experience. A true cross section and also very personal, which is, I think, what people are looking for out of their stars in this moment. Somebody who they can see themselves reflected in. And she did a great job of that across this record.

[Robin Hilton]

If I'm going just by what I see online, and I'm not terribly online, but if I just go by what I see online and clips and everything. Hayley Williams was everywhere.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

I mean, so many cool clips of her performing live and showing up at other people's shows and surprise appearances, not to mention her own shows. So, like, I. I could feel it in the air.

[Sheldon Pierce]

There's a. I mean, in this age of, like, wanting to see stars, be sort of, like, more casual, like, crossover into, like, regular human life. She represents that sort of like, oh, I think there's a. You could create a parasocial relationship with Hayley Williams. Like, she just seems like a fun hang, and I think a lot of that comes through in her music, too.

[Robin Hilton]

Well, let's talk about the album that came in at number seven. This was another one I was happy to see on the list. It's from the band clips and it's the album Let God Sort Him Out.

[Guest Artist or Musician]

When I was born Grandmama could see it I be Bentley driven and very strategic. RM sleeve. No diamonds are needed Floors are heated so be it, so be it with pee get something to meet you youu soul don't like your body we help you free it Then we wait for TMZ to leak Ain't no secret so be it, so be it smoke so be it so be it smoke so be It CL I, P, S, E F, B A ball LV I could show you how to bust a brick if you let me I'm on like confetti switch is ready she leaning on Celine cause she ain't stepping into steppy catch up buck 50 like each Pirelli I got eight of them called me Andretti if I'm not in the telly selling the yeti then I'm twirling your like she in spaghetti heavy Circle back and come and get this Kelly and your ears too if you want them.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Blue like Belly I think this is probably the consensus rap record of the year, if there was one. The return of Clipse after 16 years. The brothers Pusha T and Malice finally joining together after, you know, separating to pursue solo careers. So having them reunite, having them sort of bring that old feeling back. I'm a Virginia boy so Clips is obviously very near and dear to my heart, so it was really refreshing to see this record pop up here. It's a bit of a throwback, I think, and it's also one of the really interesting things about it is it's sort of invested in its own mythology in a really interesting way. But I think that is paid off by the performances across this record, which sort of push to the side the idea that you, like, can't be a middle aged, accomplished rapper still in your prime past. They used to, like, want to send rappers out to pasture after like 29, and now you have a record like this. It's so great to see.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah. I mean, people marveled at them making this level of music so late in their career and after such a long break. But people also talked a lot about really making a deep emotional connection with this record and how moving it was. We did another call out separate from this one, asking people to tell us about a song that hit them hard. That episode was ran earlier this week in the All Songs Considered feed, and a number of people mentioned different tracks from the Clips album. So Be it was one of them. The Birds Don't Sing was another one. Just people talking about how not just how beautifully produced it was, but the balance it strikes between hitting really hard and having real emotion. One listener, Ivan, in Tucson, Arizona, wrote the Gravity of the Moment, where everyone's waiting with bated breath spinning Klipse's first album in so long, only to be hit with the beautiful gut punch that is these two men making art out of the loss of their parents. It speaks to those who've lost, to those whose friends have lost, and puts into perspective the time you have left for the lucky remainder of us.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah, I mean, Push's solo music, which really made him sort of a critical darling over the last 10 years, has always been so larger than life. So Tony Montana, in his exchanges with his brother, he is always far more grounded. His brother was always the one with a bit more pathos. And you can sort of hear like the resignation in these verses, like they are not necessarily regretful about their past, but they are weighed down by the trauma that has come with everything they've experienced. And they move into the future. But it's like we know what it cost them. And I think this record is really great about balancing the tragedy and the triumph of all that has come with their history.

[Robin Hilton]

So Clips, their first new album in 16 years. The album Let God Sort Them out, coming in at number seven in our listener poll.

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[Robin Hilton]

Let's do the album that came in at number six. It's from the band Wet Leg and the album is Moisturizer.

[Guest Artist or Musician]

Lost Forever. Girls Forever. Get Lost Forever. Get lost forever. You think I'm pretty? You think I'm pretty cool? You wanna f me? I know most people do. Here, take this packet. You read it. It says most too. I gave you magic beans. I hope you're gonna get out soon. Oh man, I hope you're gonna get out soon. I really hope you're gon.

[Robin Hilton]

This is an example, I think, of how wild this year was, at least for me, with albums, because, like, there was a time when this could have been album of the year for me easily. And then along came Rosalia or along came geese or, in my case, I really loved the Patrick Watson album. So many others that could have come in at number one for me, but, God, I love this album so much.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah, I mean, we. We played a song for contenders from this record, I think. I don't think there's an album that I spent more time listening to this year than this record, and it wasn't on my top 10, because to your point, that's just the kind of year this was for records. But, man, I love this band. I love the energy. I love the sort of quirkiness that they bring to all of their songs. There's a sort of rise sense of humor. I mean, but it also rips. There's just so much to like about it.

[Guest Artist or Musician]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

This song is Mange 2, which is spelled M a N G E T. It looks like man get out. Yeah, I actually thought it was man get out because I'd never heard the word manget before. And the band was in for their tiny desk, and I kept referring to the song in front of them as man get out there. What are you talking about? And then they said, oh, you mean manj ii. Do you not have. Do you not have manj II here? And I was like, I don't even.

[NPR Sponsor Announcer]

Know what that is.

[Robin Hilton]

It's apparently like peas or split peas or something like that. But Kate in New Jersey said, no skips. Great energy. Something unique in every song. And this raging undercurrent that is just really satisfying when you need to release some anxiety or frustration. Couldn't agree more. Well, the album moisturizer in at number six. All right, we're down to the final five. Sheldon.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

The top five albums in our listener poll in at number five from the band Wednesday. The album bleeds.

[Guest Artist or Musician]

Ticking the ticks off of you if you need me, I'll call you in Wino shoesy dresses feet and I crawled toward you unkillably. TV.

[Robin Hilton]

We played elderberry wine and townies from the album on the show already, so I thought we'd do this something different. This is the opening cut. Reality TV argument bleeds Rock record of the year for a lot of people.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah, I think probably for me, too.

[Robin Hilton]

Oh, really?

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

Over wet leg or Annie Derusso?

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah. I mean, it's tough it's tough, I think, you know, I try to make a distinction between things that are my favorites and things that I think are groundbreaking. And it just really felt like this was a Wednesday. Yeah, in a lot of ways. I mean, Carly Hartsman probably emerged as, like, one of the great rock songwriters of her generation on this record. And I think everything about the Wednesday sound was pushed to just a greater magnitude on Bleeds. And that's why I would say that it is the rock record. I mean, there's another rock record that we'll get into, that we'll get to it, that has sort of also taken the world by storm. But to me, this is the one that defines 2025.

[Robin Hilton]

Well, it seemed to be a lot of things to a lot of different people, because there's a real country thread through this record, too. Especially, like I said, if you just listen to Elderberry Wine, and that was the only thing you'd heard, you would not know that this album rocks as hard as it does. A listener named Peter in New York said specifically about the song Elderberry Wine, and I'm reading what he wrote. He said the song is a beautiful encapsulation of the roots that bind to meaningful rural communities and the culture that exists in them, while acknowledging the pull of more glamorous lifestyles. No better feeling than canoeing down the Shenandoah river with this song on repeat. So would you. If you think of the rock record of the year, would you think of the pastoral setting of canoeing down the Shenandoah River?

[Sheldon Pierce]

Maybe not the most rock and roll thing of all time, but I do think.

[Robin Hilton]

I mean, that's what I'm saying. It's like. I think this was a lot of things.

[Sheldon Pierce]

There's a. This band. I mean, since Rat Saw God, this band has sort of navigated the line between the slowness of not just, like, roots music, but also, like, shoegaze with, like, the thrash. I mean, we just heard some of it. Like, there's a very clear, like, push and pull, a very obvious tension that is occurring through a lot of their music. But I think at. At its heart of hearts, it is a rock band. It's a Southern rock band. And so there's obviously going to be, like, threads of the American south in whatever they do. But we just listened to something that is just full of life and thrash and energy, and I think that is what propels their music through everything that they do.

[Robin Hilton]

So Wednesday, the album Bleeds, that's the record that listeners picked as number five in our online poll. Let's go to number four. Lady Gaga. Lady Gaga's Mayhem in At number four.

[Guest Artist or Musician]

When the devil turns around, hold me in your heart tonight in the magic of the darkness moonlight save me from this empty fight in the game of life Like a poem said by a lady in red? You hear the last few words of your life with a haunting dance. Now you're both in a trance. It's time to cast your spell on the.

[Robin Hilton]

What'd you think of seeing this one at number four?

[Sheldon Pierce]

I could not believe it was so high for a lot of different reasons. I think part of that is because it was released so early in the year. This record came out in March. You don't often see records sort of like make their way all the way through the year and just like really stick to the public consciousness in the way that this record apparently has for a lot of people. But I think maybe, I mean, you listen to a song like Abracadabra, you listen to like Garden of Eden or Zombie Boy, it's like those records are like in your face pure, like undiluted pop records.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah.

[Sheldon Pierce]

That I. That you just feel and they kind of stick to you. I'm not shocked that it resonated with people, but I am shocked to see it this high up on this list.

[Robin Hilton]

I agree completely. Her first album in five years. Maybe people were just ready for a Lady Gaga record and it was sort.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Of pitched as a return to form. Like the classic meat dress. Gaga.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah, well, Guy with a smile, I think probably the biggest cut from the album. I went with Abracadabra because as one listener wrote, listener named Scott in Indianapolis, he said in a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year, this song wants you to dance even if the floor is on fire. And yeah, just across the board, listeners said this was the album they needed this year. Something just to make the rest of the world go away for a while.

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[Robin Hilton]

So we're down to the top three albums in our listener poll. And honestly, Sheldon, it was basically these three albums.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

And then everybody else.

[Sheldon Pierce]

I'm not shocked by this.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah, I mean, these, they, these three were all pretty close. But after the number three spot, then there was just a huge drop off in votes. And I'll be very curious to hear what you think of some of these. In at number three is Bad Bunny. Bad Bunny's Dabi Tarah. We just played the title cut DTMF on our songs that hit Hard Episode. So I wanted to go with this one. This is Nueva yolo. I mean, this album, if it had come in at number one, wouldn't have been surprised.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah, yeah, I think. I mean, this was on my list. Clearly one of the story of the year records for this year for sure. Just a perfect marriage of like the reggaeton and urbano that Bad Bunny has cut his teeth on with like classic Puerto Rican forms, bomba, plena. Just to like paint a picture of a place and how it can disappear from your memory and like trying to preserve that. I mean, there's just so many sounds on this record. The way they warp in and out of the past and the present and into the future is just so captivating. I would not have been surprised if this was number one.

[Robin Hilton]

Well, one listener in our poll had basically a one word review of the album. They called it Seismic, which I thought that is spot on. If you had to sum this album up in one word. Seismic. Is it? I think it's the record that sort of took him to the next level, reached a broader audience. Not just to mention him being part of the conversation all year long and getting picked for the super bowl next year. Another listener, John in Michigan, says, I never thought I'd be a Bad Bunny fan, but after hearing dtmf, I thought I should give him a try. From the first track, I was hooked. Bad Bunny is already a superstar. He did not have to go this hard. It's eclectic, emotional and inspired. Each track has changes that keep the listener engaged. I love how he's not afraid to lean into his influences and he's not afraid to be funny, sad, angry, fun. It's really impressive. When that whole debate about the super bowl came out, I was embarrassed for the why Bad Bunny crowd. Have you heard this album? I don't even speak Spanish. That's what John in Michigan says of this record. And, yeah, I mean, it's major crossover appeal.

[Sheldon Pierce]

I mean, to that point, it's just like, it's always refreshing. I mean, Bad Bunny is the superstar of superstars around the world. He's one of the biggest artists anywhere. And for him to still be as ambitious as he is on a record like this, we're lucky to have an artist with that kind of. Of seismic, outsized interest to take the stage on the biggest stage at the Super Bowl.

[Robin Hilton]

So Bad Bunny in at number three. Let's go to the number two album. Could it be Addison Rae? Or could it be Lorde or Haim or Sabrina Carpenter? Maybe FKA Twigs. Right. Maybe the K Pop Demon Hunters soundtrack, maybe? No. In at number two, the band Geese and the album getting killed.

[Guest Artist or Musician]

You can't keep running away from what.

[Robin Hilton]

Is real and what is fake.

[Guest Artist or Musician]

You carry the cave right away there.

[Sheldon Pierce]

From what is real.

[Robin Hilton]

You love we you have seen islands of land. This is my number two album of the year, and I want to know what you think, because even with all the buzz around this record, I was kind of surprised to see it at number two for a number of reasons. We can talk about. But what do you think?

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah, no, I was expecting Geese to be high up on this list. I think if there's one sort of like, outsider or maybe previously outsider property that has reached a, like, fever pitch in this moment in 2025, I think it's Geese. There was just something about their rise this year that really resonated with people. I am a bit surprised because the music can be so out there.

[Robin Hilton]

That's the thing. It's a very polarizing album, which is one of the reasons why I was surprised to see it.

[NPR Sponsor Announcer]

But.

[Sheldon Pierce]

But the people who do like it, really, really like it. And that's why I'm like, you're one of them.

[Robin Hilton]

I mean, I. I love it, but. I mean, I like my music a little weird and a little unpredictable, but if. If you can have in that weirdness, real great grooves and it's still hooky and grabby, which this album is, then I'm even more into the music. I don't know. The other reason I'm surprised to see it so high up is because it is. It's a rock album, and they're the band that you were referencing earlier. It's a rock album. And not only a rock album, but a rock album by a band. And rock bands have just not dominated the conversation that Much in recent years, to be fair.

[Sheldon Pierce]

I don't think there have been any that have really gone as viral as Geese went this year. I mean, there were. There were talks of Geese tickets going for, like thousands of dollars on the reseller market. Like, they. They really resonated with people. I think some of that is like coming off the back of the Cameron Winter solo album that was released at 2024 that people sort of grew into at the top of the year. And then there was interest to see what would happen next with him and Geese sort of launching their biggest record. Played into that already, sort of steamrolling momentum.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah.

[Sheldon Pierce]

And I. I think it's a testament to, like, word of mouth still mattering. People on the ground being like, I'm really into this band. You should be into this band too. I think that was a lot of the appeal as well. But, you know, the weirdness of it helps. I mean, I think when there's a lot of artists sort of painting by numbers, when, like, the algorithms are dictating a lot of what people hear it, you benefit from being a band as out there as Art Rocky, as sort of crazed as Geese is. I mean, the record is called Getting Killed, and that's. That's emblematic of kind of what they're after here. It's. It's chaos, but it's controlled chaos. It's groove focused, to your point. And it's just a lot of fun to listen to this band, to hear them play. I wouldn't be surprised to see them continue on to, like a stadium rock trajectory, honestly.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah. Well, everyone seems to have a different favorite song from At Mines, Islands of Men, the song that we've been listening to. But here are just some of the comments from listeners. Love the calculated cacophony of the songs. To your point, unique without being pretentious or difficult to listen to, but to the point of rock performing so well in this poll. Dan in New Jersey says, I felt like the past few years the state of rock music and the cultural zeitgeist has stagnated. But it finally feels like we're getting a new wave of artists who are expanding the sound, taking risks, and bringing back the energy the genre has been missing. Geese is right at the center of that shift. I had high expectations going into the release of Getting Killed, and when it finally dropped in September, I was floored. I mean, rock is well represented on this list. Wednesday, Wet Leg. There's a bunch more. When you look beyond the top 10 or the top 50 or even top 20. But Geese again coming in at number two with the album getting killed. All right, Sheldon. The album picked by listeners in our poll as the number one album for 2025 is. I usually get a drum roll here. Just a little. Okay, there we go. Could I get a spot? Just a little. Just a little single spot. All right.

[Guest Artist or Musician]

The number one album for 2025 is Rosalia Luke. And See the light Roost me up A little of my pride Know that I was made to de. Inside me, Outside me, inside me.

[Robin Hilton]

You know, when we did our best songs episode and when NPR Music posted its best songs of 2025 list, Rosalia wasn't on there anywhere, wasn't on the show, and some listeners weren't having it. They're like, where is Rosalia? And I mean, I think part of our thinking, and I'm not sure I personally agree with this, but I think the collective thinking was that that this was the quintessential album. Album?

[NPR Sponsor Announcer]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

You know, like, not a collection of one off singles or whatever. This was an album meant to be heard in its entirety. And it was overwhelmingly the number one album that of the year for the NPR Music team. And in the. The complete list that we did.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah, yeah. I mean, I, I think I am in that camp where I'm very much like, part of the reason that this is the top of this list as well is that it is an album that clearly makes a statement for the album as an artifact.

[Robin Hilton]

It's.

[Sheldon Pierce]

It's wanting you to pay your whole attention for the entire runtime, dedicate yourself to this and only this. And I think that is a statement that is only made by it as a whole body of work and not by the songs. There are obviously great songs on it. You can't have a great album without that.

[Robin Hilton]

Yeah. I mean, this song, like, this song that we're hearing, Divinize, to me, I don't know, it's a single. It's. To me, it's maybe not a top.

[Sheldon Pierce]

40 dance floor single, but, I mean, Bergheim is Titanic. That's. That's an incredible song.

[Guest Artist or Musician]

Yeah.

[Sheldon Pierce]

But the reason why it's number one here, the reason why it's on your list and on my list, is because it is such a grand gesture to like put this thing in the world, this complete whole vision of a brand new sound. Like it is reimagining what pop music can be and like pushing back against the idea of it as a sort of like middle brow experience. It's saying, like, what if pop were as sort of theatrical and stage ready as opera. I don't think it is opera. It's operatic, but it is sort of trying to envision something else. And it takes the whole record to do that. But I think the fact that it is here is reflected of the success of that mission.

[Robin Hilton]

Here are just some listener comments. I'm just going to run down a bunch of random ones here. Nothing else like it out there.

[NPR Sponsor Announcer]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

Grand, sweeping, cohesive work of art, A staggering achievement, a masterpiece, a tour de force unlike anything I've heard before. And then it makes me cry. It changed my life. I heard real reactions like that, very strong emotional, deep emotional reactions from listeners. Jamie in Washington says, I had never listened to Rosalia before this album and on paper none of it should have interested me. But one song in and I was hooked. Very transformative. I love that. It opened up my mind to new sounds. Every song is an immediate favorite and I've told all my friends to check it out. Rosalia Lux, number one in our listener poll. This was just the top 10. If you go online, you'll find the top 50 albums picked by listeners. It's a ranked list. Lots of other stuff to check out and catch up with in our year end coverage, if you haven't already. Best songs, best albums, our year in review. We did that at the top of the month. Sheldon Pierce, you will be back at the top of January.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Yeah.

[Robin Hilton]

To talk about our 2026 preview.

[Sheldon Pierce]

We get going all over again.

[Robin Hilton]

Round and round it goes, if you can believe it. All right. Thanks so much, Sheldon.

[Sheldon Pierce]

Thanks so much for having me, Robin.

[Robin Hilton]

And for NPR Music, I'm Robin Hilton. It's all songs considered.

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