THE DECENT

	Squid – Cowards  Off-kilter, abrasive British post-punk, with the creepiest lyrics of the year. Ollie Judge narrates a series of vignettes that leave serial-killer vibes, with religious fanatics, cannibals and killers taking up space alongside a rather cutting takedown of the U.S. Reduced to dogs and rats, Judge says; Roger Waters would be proud.
	Mogwai – The Bad Fire  This band has been around for three decades now, and this is a solid effort in a long line of them. Mogwai are pros at creating intricate worlds in each mostly-instrumental song (as on the Sonic Youth-esque “Hi Chaos”), at building up tension into release (as on “If You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some Of The Others”), and evoking atmosphere (as on “Fact Boy”). It’s not that dissimilar from the Cure’s excellent 2024 comeback album, although more fun and with better song titles.
	Yungblud – Idols  I wanted not to like this ambitious rock album, the fourth effort from the British pop-punk-dance star, but he won me over by the third track “Lovesick Lullaby.” It’s a conscious throwback to the Madchester scene of the late ’80s and the beginnings of Britpop, and it’s quite fun. Much of the album is the singer paying tribute to his British rock heroes on purpose, so strong influences from Radiohead, Elton John, U2 and the Stone Roses abound. It should be noted this is the first in a two-album set, so one must assume the second half will synthesize these influences into Yungblud’s previously-established sound. Based on strong tracks like “The Greatest Parade” and the nine-minute album opener “Hello Haven, Hello,” it should be his best work yet. As it stands, Idols now has that title.
	Mammoth – The End  Wolfgang Van Halen’s third album in five years is another solid rock album, not to mention a tour de force; the man plays every instrument, and considerably well. As usual, most of the music is modern rock inspired (Foo Fighters and late-period STP are noticed), though Wolf is not afraid to haul out his dad’s iconic Frankenstein guitar for the lightning-fast hammer fills of the title track.

MEH

Arcade Fire – Pink Elephant 
Public feuds are notoriously messy, especially when the artists work together and/or one of them has a microphone. You may end up with a Rumours or, more likely, a Here My Dear or Paula, and the latter is where this album ended up. Win Butler did some bad stuff, and though his wife tried to stand by him, as of late 2025 it seemed that both the band and the Butler/Regine Chassagne marriage was over. Much of this feels like a Butler solo album, but one that’s disjointed and facile, never letting the audience in.

Franz Ferdinand – The Human Fear 
I haven’t paid much attention to these guys since their 2004 debut, so to my ears, this newest offering isn’t that different from what they have been doing; breezy garage pop-rock but now with some electronica overtones (see: “Hooked”) and lyrics that have matured somewhat.

Alpaca Sports – Another Day 
Shiny, cheerful Swedish power-pop with ’80s overtones; it’s charming and a little too precious, though indie pop fans will probably enjoy it.

Jethro Tull – Curious Ruminant 
I honestly had no idea Tull was still a thing, but evidently Ian Anderson has released occasional albums under his old band’s name, though I don’t think any of them are around anymore. There’s nothing here even close to the band’s ’70s heyday, though that would be asking a lot for someone of Anderson’s age and health. Longtime fans of the signature Tull sound set to a pastoral feel, buffeted by plenty of flute, will like it; think Songs From The Wood era. Although kudos must be given to the multi-part, 17-minute piece “Drink From The Same Well,” proof that Anderson still has that prog-rock flame in there somewhere.

Robert Plant – Saving Grace 
Another slow-moving, folk/Americana collaboration, with a new cast of characters different from Plant’s previous bands in this vein. The restless artist is not afraid to collaborate, and there’s a Western expanse to some of the songs; you could picture them as background music in Yellowstone. But it rarely feels vital.

Neil Young & the Chrome Hearts –  Talkin’ to the Trees 
Billed as a new band for Young, the Chrome Hearts are actually three guys from Promise Of The Real and a keyboard player that Young has worked with since the ’70s. There’s nothing here that Young hasn’t already done many times over, but that ragged, ramshackle, iconoclastic approach is why his fans love him.

THE “SQUEEZE FANS FOR EVERY LAST DROP” SECTION

Oasis – (What’s The Story) Morning Glory 30th Anniversary 
The laziest excuse for a reissue that I have encountered in quite some time, this effort jacks up the price by expanding the original album to a double and then including only five songs on an entire third album. Worse: the reissue is of the 2014 remaster, while the five bonus acoustic tracks are the originals with Liam’s vocals intact and other instruments stripped away, making it a Frankenstein-like studio effort instead of something fans would actually want.

The Beatles – Anthology 4  
We did not need another Anthology, but to justify having some sort of Beatles product on the market, Apple decided to take a couple dozen previously-released tracks and slap them together with reissues of the “new” Beatles songs of the last 30 years (“Now and Then,” “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love”). They then raided the vaults for another 12 or tracks. This being the Anthology, all of these songs are outtakes, early takes and one-offs. I know it’s the Beatles and it’s fitfully entertaining, but you can’t spend the money on this, listen to the “orchestra-only” version of “I Am The Walrus” and the rehearsal for “Octopus’ Garden,” and feel like you’ve been had. (Saving grace: the studio patter/jokes are always welcome, as is the too-brief snippet of “You’re So Square Baby I Don’t Care.” Where was that energy during the rest of the White Album sessions?).

The Stooges – The Stooges and Van Halen – Fair Warning (MoFi reissues) 
If you’re going to pay $60 for a record, it needs to be worth it, and a raw rock album that’s originally 34 minutes long does not justify the price nor being stretched to a double album that you have to listen to at 45rpm. I’m not saying Van Halen’s fourth album is bad—it’s dark and driving—or about half of the Stooges’ debut is primal, raw Detroit rock that helped invent punk and grunge. I’m just saying I don’t have $120 to spend on just over an hour of music simply because it’s remastered very well. This kind of sonic treatment should be reserved for prog-rock epics, groundbreaking jazz efforts, Led Zeppelin and, of course, Sabrina Carpenter.  

Metallica –  Load (Deluxe Box Set)  
I stand by Load as being underrated. Stop expecting Master of Puppets every damn time and just experience a Metallica album as is, and you’ll find plenty of good songs. That said, the album isn’t that good as to warrant this absolutely massive box set, although it’s interesting to hear how the album develops (kind of like the Beatles’ Anthology 2) on some of the tracks, and live shows are always great to get.