All Songs Considered: The Best Albums of 2025

Host: Stephen Thompson (with Anne Powers and Daoud Tyler Amin)
Date: December 12, 2025

Episode Overview

This special year-end episode gathers NPR's top music journalists to discuss their favorite albums of 2025, reflecting on trends, artists’ evolutions, and the emotional themes that shaped the year. The group delves into standout records across genres—pop, rock, R&B, hip hop, instrumental, and jazz—offering lively commentary, personal anecdotes, and heartfelt recommendations. Their goal is to champion discovery and encourage listeners to broaden their musical horizons.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Joy and Brutality of "List Season"

• Opening (00:26 – 02:30):
  The team discusses the paradoxical pleasure and pain of assembling year-end music lists, reminiscing about favorite records and the struggle of narrowing selections.
  • Anne Powers: “For me, it’s like… dropping the guillotine on stuff that I would like to include. But lists do have to have limits.” (01:24)
  • Stephen Thompson: On best-of lists as gifts: “If I see a list of new music and somebody says it’s great and I haven’t heard of a bunch of it, that’s a gift.” (02:22)

Major Album Highlights

Rosalía – Lux

• Segment (02:31 – 06:24)
  • Main Takeaways:
    • A multifaceted album blending high concept (collaborators like Björk, Eve Toomer) and accessibility.
    • Sings in over a dozen languages, merges orchestral grandeur with raw emotion.
    • Track “Rilikia” highlighted for its emotional impact.
  • Notable Quotes:
    • Stephen Thompson (on breakdown during “Rilikia”):
      “I just...involuntarily started crying. That is just, like, a rock emotional experience that...still went into making something so completely accessible that is just going directly for the center of your heart.” (04:11)
    • Anne Powers: “For me, I also heard...Celine Dion, Disney theme songs...Barbra Streisand. It’s pop in that way, because Rosalía has such a sense of how to please the ear.” (05:32)

Wednesday – Bleeds

• Segment (06:24 – 11:56)
  • Main Takeaways:
    • North Carolina band reaches new creative heights; literary songwriting and genre-blending (hardcore, country, rock).
    • Focuses on authentic, sometimes gritty small-town life.
  • Notable Quotes:
    • Anne Powers: “Their main songwriter and singer, Carly Hartsman, is such an incredible storyteller...the musicality completely matches her ambition as a writer. She is singing balls to the wall.” (07:14)
    • Stephen Thompson: “Small town life gets so endlessly glorified in our culture...sometimes growing up in a small town just means doing whippets in the Burger King parking lot.” (09:48)
    • Anne Powers: “It’s really like the freaks, the bohemians, the weirdos, the edgewalkers. And I love Carly Hartsman for capturing their stories.” (11:17)

Nourished By Time – The Passionate Ones

• Segment (11:56 – 16:13)
  • Main Takeaways:
    • Project of Marcus Brown—fuses 80s/Prince/MJ influences with experimental, modern R&B.
    • Explores themes of labor, artistic survival, and social isolation.
    • Distinct production blending live performance and electronic layering.
  • Notable Quotes:
    • Daoud Tyler Amin: “There are songs where...that instrumental part does not make any sense without the delay part that’s layered on top of it.” (13:42)
    • Stephen Thompson: “He’s also thinking deeply about online isolation and indoctrination, the epidemic of loneliness, all these things that we talk about...all of that is swirled together in a record that still finds space for dance pop jams.” (15:01)
    • Anne Powers (on thematic depth): “The theme of this album is labor...the work of making music...how hard it is for artists to survive and thrive and have lives.” (14:28)

Daniel Caesar – Son of Spurgey

• Segment (18:19 – 22:36)
  • Main Takeaways:
    • Builds on deconstructed R&B, infusing gospel, soul, and collaborations (Bon Iver, Yebba, Blood Orange).
    • Examines spirituality and religious wrestling.
    • A tapestry of R&B’s many strains: classic, experimental, alternative.
  • Notable Quotes:
    • Stephen Thompson: “Daniel Caesar really leaned into kind of his Bon Iver side on this record...part of kind of that deconstructed R&B sound that has become so enormously popular.” (19:25)
    • Daoud Tyler Amin: “RB is in this odd place where...there isn’t really a single dominant strain. And it seems like people like Daniel Caesar...want to do it all.” (20:39)
    • Anne Powers: “It’s definitely like a gospel or it’s a reckoning with religion. Definitely.” (21:51)

Dave – The Boy Who Played the Harp

• Segment (22:36 – 28:43)
  • Main Takeaways:
    • UK rap heavyweight dives into personal reflection and responsibility, referencing biblical narratives and the role of art.
    • Noted for lush production and intense introspection.
    • Track “Fairchild” praised for its narrative approach to sexual assault—duet storytelling with Nicole Black.
  • Notable Quotes:
    • Anne Powers: “Dave is thinking about the responsibilities an artist has. What does he owe his public? What does he owe himself, his family, his loved ones? What has he done wrong?” (24:06)
    • Daoud Tyler Amin (on Kano’s guest line): “All these SM7Bs aren’t for us. That is the name of the microphone that is an industry standard for podcasts. I am speaking into one right now.” (25:24)
    • Anne Powers (on “Fairchild”): “I have never heard a track in any genre like this before.” (26:46)
    • Stephen Thompson: “This record is so freaking good. It is so lavishly, beautifully produced. God, his lyrics are amazing. So introspective, so insightful, so reflective.” (27:06)

Clarice Jensen – In Holiday Clothing Out of the Great Darkness

• Segment (28:43 – 34:18)
  • Main Takeaways:
    • Innovative cellist merges classical tradition with subtle electronics and minimalism.
    • Instrumental “sound bath” that’s accessible and deeply textured.
    • Praised for serving as both focus-enhancing and meditative listening.
  • Notable Quotes:
    • Daoud Tyler Amin: “A record that I think teaches you how to listen to it. In its opening seconds, you will immediately recognize the strains of Bach’s cello suite number one...and then the sound starts to fold on top of itself.” (29:31)
    • Stephen Thompson: “Anything [Jensen] touches goes immediately onto that list...I just listen to it and I’m like, ah, it is just a beautiful sound bath.” (32:30)
    • Anne Powers (playfully): “I think we can call this an emo record, huh?” (33:40)

Gwennifer Raymond – Last Night I Heard the Dog Star Bark

• Segment (36:38 – 41:26)
  • Main Takeaways:
    • Solo Welsh guitarist with a PhD in astrophysics (!) and ties to both video game design and folk fingerstyle traditions.
    • Blends ragtime, blues, shredding, “Welsh primitive playing.”
    • Noted for virtuosic speed and a “muscular,” almost athletic style.
  • Notable Quotes:
    • Anne Powers: “To me, the scientific concept that Gwennifer Raymond's playing evokes the most is fusion. She blends so many different styles in this music.” (37:13)
    • Stephen Thompson: “You really hear a sense of athleticism. And I think that is remarkable in music that is also still extremely beautiful.” (40:07)
    • Lars Gottrich (as credited by Stephen): “I saw her on Friday night, and I felt like witches were in the room.” (40:46)

Cal Banks – Rhoda

• Segment (41:26 – 47:42)
  • Main Takeaways:
    • Known as a producer (TDE); steps forward as a rapper with an 81-minute, sprawling debut.
    • Themes of grief (especially loss of his mother), vulnerability, and “messy interiority.”
    • Eclectic features (Pink Siifu, Audrey Nuna, Maxo, Maxo Kream, Baby Tate) and a beat-forward, Southern-meets-LA sound.
  • Notable Quotes:
    • Daoud Tyler Amin: “I keep coming back to the word messy...It is sprawling, it is vulnerable...if you want to see the inside of my brain, this is it.” (43:28)
    • Anne Powers: “That kind of chaos is very much...the dissembling of a psyche under the pressure of grief.” (45:32)
    • Stephen Thompson (on K Pop Demon Hunters): “Which, let’s be honest, was the album I listened to the most in 2025.” (44:58)

Mary Halvorson – About Ghost

• Segment (48:07 – 54:09)
  • Main Takeaways:
    • Leading jazz guitarist/composer with ensemble Amaryllis; adds two saxophonists for even denser textures.
    • Balances complex patterns and geometric compositions with a warm, generous, and engaging sound.
    • Praised for letting band members shine and for playful, confident, “additive” creativity.
  • Notable Quotes:
    • Anne Powers: “She is about patterns, systems...I always think of, like, a spirograph or...geometric shapes are changing and forming and reforming...” (48:45)
    • Stephen Thompson: “She keeps adding. She has such an additive mind...so ambitious and so confident and just welcoming.” (51:39)
    • Anne Powers: “She...does have that kind of generosity and, like, concern for equity in the band...” (52:21)
    • Daoud Tyler Amin: “There are moments...where it sounds like a tape machine breaking down, where there’s these sudden warps in pitch, and I don’t know if it’s effects or all in the fingers.” (53:24)

Lightning Round Favorites

(54:09 – 56:34)

• Annie DeRusso – Super Pedestrian
  • “Big fun summery rock record...one of my favorites of the year.” (Stephen)
• Coral Lahose
  • “Flamenco meets hip hop—don’t lose sight of her.” (Stephen)
• Patrick Watson – Uh Oh
  • “Went through a medical crisis, lost access to his singing voice...brings in collaborators for voice and texture.” (Stephen)

Overarching Themes and Reflections

• Genre Fluidity and Experimentation:
  Artists blend influences—electronic, classical, gospel, alt-R&B, hip hop—often with enveloping orchestration and genre-defying approaches.
• Introspection and Grief:
  Many albums feature a vulnerable reckoning with self, grief (especially loss and heartbreak), and existential societal themes.
• Collaboration and Generosity:
  The hosts emphasize the communal strength in today’s music, with artists elevating each other and inviting listeners into deep, personal spaces.
• Discovery as a Gift:
  The team encourages listeners to embrace unfamiliar names and genres, framing obscurity as an opportunity for delight rather than a deficit.

Notable Moments & Quotes

• On List Season:
  “Every time we publish a best of list...somebody chimes in: I’ve never heard of any of these artists...If I see a list of new music...that’s a gift.” – Stephen Thompson (02:22)

• On Artistic Vulnerability:
  “It is sprawling, it is vulnerable...if you want to see the inside of my brain, this is it.” – Daoud Tyler Amin on Cal Banks (43:28)

• On Grief as a Musical Theme:
  “It is about the breakup of [the artist’s] relationship...Grief was big this year in our best records.” – Anne Powers (45:32)

• On the Power of the Solo Instrumentalist:
  “There’s absolutely nothing to hide when you perform Alone. And so the listening relationship becomes really intimate.” – Daoud Tyler Amin on Gwennifer Raymond (37:54)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:31 — Rosalía – Lux
• 06:24 — Wednesday – Bleeds
• 11:56 — Nourished By Time – The Passionate Ones
• 18:19 — Daniel Caesar – Son of Spurgey
• 22:36 — Dave – The Boy Who Played the Harp
• 28:43 — Clarice Jensen – In Holiday Clothing Out of the Great Darkness
• 36:38 — Gwennifer Raymond – Last Night I Heard the Dog Star Bark
• 41:26 — Cal Banks – Rhoda
• 48:07 — Mary Halvorson – About Ghost
• 54:09 — Lightning Round (Annie DeRusso, Coral Lahose, Patrick Watson)
• 56:53 — Outro & recommendations for listeners

Tone and Closing

The episode maintains a warm, conversational, and deeply knowledgeable tone. The hosts weave personal connections, critical insights, and playful banter throughout. The energy is inviting—whether listeners are old friends of NPR Music or newcomers to the scene—and the episode serves as both a yearbook of musical excellence and an open invitation to explore further.

For more recommendations:
Check NPR Music’s full year-end list and the 125-song playlist for 2025. For deep dives on older songs, Ann and Daoud’s “Old Songs Considered” podcast is available via NPR Music+.

(“Take a moment to be well, reject the tyranny of Michael Bublé and treat yourself to lots of — [music].”) — Stephen Thompson (57:10)