#Top31DavidBowie 5 💿 ...Ziggy Stardust... 🎶 Moonage Daydream "I'm an alligator..." I don't think of Ziggy as anywhere near my favourite Bowie record, but it's the only one with two songs in my Top 5. This is such an addictive song, and absolutely top tier Bowie.

Wolf Alice | The Clearing Blue Weekend is one of my favourite albums of the 21st century, but the long-awaited follow-up wasn't to my liking on first listens And time has done nothing to dull that disappointment. Just doesn't do anything for me - won't be in my #5albums25.

Schafer would get his students to sing their tone of 'prime unity'. His European students sang at G-Sharp, while American students were at B Natural. This is because electrically powered items hum at these tones in the respective regions. The drone of western civilisation...

#ItsOnlyWords Today's lyric: "Then one fine mornin' she puts on a New York station You know, she couldn't believe what she heard at all She started shakin' to that fine fine music You know her life was saved by rock 'n' roll" youtu.be/1Dahqz-R49I?si…

bdrmm | Microtonic An absolutely fine effort, and it's good that the boys from Hull aren't resting on their laurels by keeping to a tried and tested formula. But it's desperately lacking something to take it above good for me. And in a great year, it won't make my #5albums25.

Chameleons | Arctic Moon Coming more than 40 years after their stellar debut, this isn't bad all things considered. But the brevity of their discography means it's a quick comedown from their greatest work, but still in contention for my #5albums25. #NowPlaying

#Top31NewToMeAlbums2025 4 🗣️ Joni Mitchell 💿 Hejira Choosing just one Joni album is a near-impossible task. But gun to my head, Hejira is the pinnacle of one of the most wonderful artists to ever exist. Favourite songs: - Amelia - Hejira - Refuge Of The Roads

#Top31DavidBowie 4 💿 Young Americans 🎶 Win One of his least celebrated 70s records, but when it's good, it's beyond brilliant. The soul on Win is anything but plastic. Rather, it is spine-tinglingly incredible, and those sax licks my favourite such of any Bowie song.

Andy Bell | Pinball Wanderer Another revisit for #5albums25, and conversely to how most of those have gone, this isn't quite as good as I remember. Genuinely exciting on release, it's still a sonic joy, but it can go on a bit too much at times. #NowPlaying #NP

#NowReading BBC Radiophonic Workshop | William L. Weir (33 1/3) One of the most fascinating 33 1/3s I've had the pleasure of reading, about so much more than the Retrospective album. A deep dive into the hugely influential Radiophonic Workshop - absolutely fascinating.

Mavis Staples | Sad And Beautiful World Without a shadow of a doubt, this will be in my #5Albums25. It's the final album of 2025 that I knew I needed to listen to, and I'm so glad I made the time. A wealth of brilliant artists help 86-year-old Staples to make a sublime record.

#Top30FirstAlbumFirstTrack Starts 1st January 2026.

#NowPlaying Tom Waits | At The Terminal The greatness of having family who know what you'd like for Christmas is counterbalanced by the need for an empty house before you can play it. My first live Waits record on vinyl, and it's Waits at his whisky-soaked best.

Squid | Cowards This is what Geese's 'Getting Killed' wants to be. Only joking, but the similarities are multiple. And for my money, this pulls them off better. Regardless, my #5albums25 is nearly closed off, so there's no room for this splendid sociopolitical album.

#Top31NewToMeAlbums2025 3 🗣️ The Velvet Underground 💿 The Velvet Underground & Nico One of the most important albums ever made. Beyond influential, a classic for very good reason. Favourite songs: - Venus In Furs - I'm Waiting For The Man - All Tomorrow's Parties

#Top31DavidBowie 3 💿 Low 🎶 Subterraneans The most ecliptic ending to one of the finest and bravest albums ever made. No actual words can do this masterpiece justice, so I'm just going to bathe in its glory for the umpteenth time.

#NowPlaying Cocteau Twins | Treasure One of the most appropriately named albums of all time. Each track is an ethereal gem, blinding the senses of every mortal being who dares open the chest. First spin of this ridiculous record, four whole days on from unwrapping it.

#Top31NewToMeAlbums2025 2 🗣️ John Cale 💿 Paris 1919 From The Velvet Underground to an incredible album from one of many insanely epic alumni. This is a baroque masterpiece, a genuinely perfect record. Favourite songs: - The Endless Plain Of Fortune - Paris 1919 - Andalucia

#Top31DavidBowie 2 💿 ...Ziggy Stardust... 🎶 Five Years One of the most affecting album openers of all time, this is a powerful song that builds and builds to an immense climax. It's Bowie at his absolute best. Well, nearly...

On Pink Moon, the only overdub is the staggered piano of the title track. Besides that, all the magic and melancholy comes from Nick Drake's vocals and his signature guitar sound. But that delicate piano is just as effective at evoking emotions from me. youtu.be/xqe6TF2y8i4?si…