(Sketch and Graphic by VA)
This year, I am borrowing the title of Mavis Staples’ great 2025 album along with using a sketch I did at 17 for my high school art class.
I came upon this long-forgotten sketch/pad and immediately felt that this image perfectly expresses the way the world feels right now.
Then there’s Mavis’ Sad and Beautiful World, with those words reflecting the year and times as well. The sad part is easy in this dumpster-fire world of rising fascism, evil, horror, and lies. But then there is not just the beauty of those fighting back, organizing, saying “No”, and showing hope for decency, community and humanity, there is also the joy of creative worlds as a respite.
To get through the darkness sanely, we all need levity and release. And music, books, art, film, tv, and other facets of the arts offer that balm, escape, and shelter for the soul. The power of art and expression is that it can inspire, recharge, and realign, giving us the nourishment to fight the good fight another day.
Certainly, the media listed below helped make 2025 a lighter and better year for me. There’s nothing like discovering new music, film, tv, books, etc to feel joy and curiosity amid the darkness.
As I am still working hard on the next two EPS (I swear I’m never going to do anymore EPs with so many moving parts ever again) and the continuation of my SNAPSHOTS series looking at recent shows, I am keeping everything easy and minimalistic with this year’s recap.
I have only provided comments for a few entries but no vids. I might update the contents as time goes along. This year will tell.
As for my music pics, they span the range from older to newer artists, encompassing R&B, indie rock, and roots music and Americana. A related playlist is embedded below.
2026: let’s stay strong and hope for the best. Cheers to all of you for continuing to support, read, and listen to mylifeinconcert.com. Cheers!
TOP 10 LPs OF 2025
- SHARON VAN ETTEN & THE ATTACHMENT THEORY Self-titled Sharon’s new goth group project steals the show for me this year.
- STEREOLAB Instant Holograms on Metal Film
- DURAND JONES & THE INDICATIONS Flowers
- ROBERT PLANT WITH SUZI DIAN Saving Grace
- GEESE Getting Killed
- MAVIS STAPLES Sad & Beautiful World
- THE WATERBOYS Life, Death & Dennis Hopper
- MARGO PRICE Hard Headed Woman
- CHRISSIE HYNDE & PALS Duets Special
- KATHLEEN EDWARDS Billionaire
TOP 10 SINGLES/EPs/TRACKS OF 2025
Durand Jones & The Indications celebrate the sweet ’70s Philadelphia International soul and knock it out of the park again. It’s like Gamble & Huff are right there with them on Flowers and Lovers’ Holiday.
- Lovers’ Holiday DURAND JONES & THE INDICATIONS Durand & Co. celebrate the sweet ’70s sounds of Philadelphia International soul and knock it out of the park again. It’s like Gamble & Huff are right there with them on Flowers and Lovers’ Holiday.
- I Made It ANNIE & THE CALDWELLS
- Andy (A Guy Like You) THE WATERBOYS
- Burning Moonlight EP MARIANNE FAITHFULL
- I’ve Got a Broken Heart THE LEMON TWIGS
- Break Open Your Head & Let the Presents Fall Out EP THE WABI SABIS
- Idiot Box SHARON VAN ETTEN & THE ATTACHMENT THEORY
- Me & Mrs. Jones CHRISSIE HYNDE & k.d. lang
- Le Coeur et la Force STEREOLAB
- Old Friends ERIN COSTELO
Great music from 2025. It also features tracks related to purchases and rediscoveries from the past, live acts I saw, Spotify favourites, and other tracks relating to various other media that I loved in ’25.
Hit PLAY and have it on while you are working, running, puttering around, doing your workout, yelling at other drivers in traffic, arranging your stamp collection, beekeeping, being a nosy neighbour, or whatever tickles your fancy. Enjoy!
Sharon Van Etten and the Attachment Theory, Durand Jones & the Indications, Geese, Stereolab, Robert Plant, The Waterboys, The Wabi Sabis, Marianne Faithfull, and more.
BEST 5 LIVE SHOWS
- THE GANG OF FOUR, playing Entertainment!, The Opera House, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Wednesday April 23, 2025
- THE B-52s / DEVO / LENE LOVICH Budweiser Stage, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Wednesday September 24, 2025
- KEVIN KANE & TOM HOOPER from THE GRAPES OF WRATH, Aeolian Hall, London, Ontario, Canada, October 16, 2025
- 54-40 with KANDLE, London Music Hall, London, Ontario, Canada, Thursday November 27, 2025
- MAC DeMARCO with TEX CRICK, Massey Hall, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Monday December 8, 2025
BEST ARCHIVAL/REISSUE SETS
The Return of the DURUTTI COLUMN (Expanded and Remastered)
THE BEATLES Anthology 4 (Nowhere near as good as the first three, but I enjoyed it anyway)
PATTI SMITH Horses (50th Anniversary Edition)
BOB DYLAN Through The Open Window, 1956-1963
MARIANNE FAITHFULL Cast Your Fate to the Wind: Her Complete UK Decca Catalogue
OLDER ARTISTS OR ALBUMS FROM THE PAST THAT I DISCOVERED IN 2024
DORY PREVIN, especially MYTHICAL KINGS & IGUANAS (1971) Had known about her since the 70s but didn’t get around to checking her out until this year and, Wow! Incredible, and incredibly insightful and detailed, songwriting. Beautiful music usually about very dark stuff. She was a good 20 years older than her 70s singer-songwriter contemporaries, and so she saw things and wrote with zero nostalgia and naïveté as she’d lived through plenty of life’s hard knocks.
CHOCTAW RIDGE: NEW FABLES OF THE AMERICAN SOUTH 1968-1973 VARIOUS ARTISTS (2021) Dark, gothic country from the late ’60s/early 70s in the wake of Bobbie Gentry’s Ode to Billie Joe. Superb compilation.
See the CD entry below for more rediscoveries.
MY TOP 10 PLAYED SPOTIFY SONGS OF 2024
Looking at this list, I realize that everything on here is on one of a few playlists that I played the crap out of in 2025, either folky, acoustic or chill tunes. In a stressful year, chill tunes were seriously needed.
- Something on Your Mind KAREN DALTON (1971)
- The Lady with the Braid DORY PREVIN (1971)
- Sunday Best BOBBIE GENTRY (1967)
- We’ll Sing in the Sunshine GALE GARNETT (1964)
- The Last Thing on My Mind TOM PAXTON (1964)
- Emmie LAURA NYRO (1968)
- Try to Remember THE BROTHERS FOUR (1965)
- Green Is the Colour PINK FLOYD (1969)
- Landslide FLEETWOOD MAC (1975)
- The Desperate Kingdom of Love PJ HARVEY (2004)
MY SPOTIFY WRAPPED STATS
Apparently, Spotify thinks I am 78!! The artists and genres look bang-on, though.
FAVOURITE MUSIC DOCUMENTARIES OR FILMS OF 2024
CFNY: The Spirit of Radio
Becoming Led Zeppelin
Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan
Devo
Spinal Tap II
FAVOURITE DOCUMENTARIES
Pee-Wee as Himself
This Is the Tom Green Documentary
The New Yorker at 100
FAVOURITE TV SHOWS
The Top: Heated Rivalry
Runner-Up
Riot Women
And in No Particular Order:
Only Murders in the Building
The Gilded Age
The White Lotus
Eugene Levy: The Reluctant Traveller
Murdoch Mysteries
Bake Off/Great Baking Show: UK, Canada, & Australia
Andor
Lucy Worsley’s Victorian Murder Club
Wednesday
MY MUSIC READING 2023
THE DIY WORLD OF AL COLE Steven Frank
Steven poured his heart and energy into the 5-year project celebrating the life, art, and impact of Al Cole on the Oshawa, Toronto, and London, Ontario punk and underground music scenes. An excellent tome on the era which is a fest for the eyes as well via all the featured artwork. A must have.
WINGS: THE STORY OF A BAND ON THE RUN Paul McCartney (and an oral history)
BREAD OF ANGLES: A MEMOIR Patti Smith
FUN, PERSONAL MUSICAL HIGHLIGHT OF THE YEAR FOR ME: GOING BACK TO BEING A CD CONSUMER
“I bought you the album as a birthday gift / Now I’m showing my age, it was a compact disc.”
Kathleen Edwards’ “Little Pink Door” from Billionaire, my number 10 album choice.
This year, I re-embraced buying and listening to CDs and returning to great audio. I returned to doing so in 2024 to a degree but went all out in ’25.
Mostly I was (still) replacing LP and cassette versions of albums I love as well as picking up compilations for artists where I have most of their catalogue. I also got titles I hadn’t ever owned before, some of which I didn’t know in their entirety.
I love and use Spotify for its convenience and this blog, but the sound is still lossy. And I missed the superior audio. As of late, I have tended to be playing CDs in the background while I work, cook, etc. There’s no way around it, the sound is so much better and fuller than streaming.
It’s also fun to deal with physical media again. I’ve rediscovered the joy of artwork and liner notes.
Our 5-disc CD carousel has gotten quite a workout during the last year.
I guess I’m back in the CD business again. Here are the 44 I bought, new and used, or was gifted during the year.
SONIC MEMORIAM
A list of artists who resonated with me & passed away in 2025
Sadly, these lists just keep on getting longer.
- Dave Allen from The Gang of Four
- David Ball from Soft Cell
- Perry Bamonte from The Cure
- Rick Buckler from The Jam
- Jimmy Cliff
- Jesse Colin Young from The Youngbloods
- Steve Cropper from Booker T. & The M.G.’s
- D’Angelo
- Rick Derringer
- Marianne Faithfull
- Roberta Flack
- Connie Francis
- Garth Hudson from The Band
- Brian James from The Damned & Lords of the New Church
- David Johansen from the New York Dolls
- Howie Klein, a record executive who played a huge role in the success of alternative music
- Mani from The Stones Roses & Primal Scream
- Sam Moore from Sam & Dave
- Nick Panaseiko, music promoter in London, Toronto, & beyond
- Max Romeo
- Jill Sobule
- Kevan Staples from Rough Trade
- Angie Stone
- Sly Stone
- Larry Tamblyn from The Standells
- Dave Thomas from Pere Ubu
- Brian Wilson from The Beach Boys
- Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, & Mary
And With a Deep Breath, Here Goes 2026 …
NEXT SNAPSHOT: Broken Social Scene, probably my favourite band of the noughties, return to London. It was the 7th time I’d seen them, my first time seeing them here, and my first time in 15 years.
SNAPSHOTS 217. Broken Social Scene, London Music Hall, London, Ontario, Canada, Friday October 3, 2025
© 2026 mylifeinconcert.com
