Thurston Moore names his top 350 albums of 2025

The Sonic Youth co-founder's Substack debut is relatively straightforward. Headed as "350 Best Records of 2025 by Thurston Moore", it details an extensive list of his picks for this year. It includes a handful of familiar releases, like Clipse's Let God Sort Em Out and Armand Hammer and The Alchemist's Mercy sitting in the Top 50, as well as caroline's caroline 2, Kara-Lis Coverdale's Changes in Air , and Water From Your Eyes' It’s A Beautiful Place among the ranks.

In the comments, Moore notes: "These are definitely the best ones I heard. There were quite a few others but I had to draw the line somewhere. It’s not that difficult to listen to so many records and to personally evaluate them. Some days I’ll listen to nothing and some days I’ll listen to ten or more records or CDs or whatever. It’s amazing how much good music is being released outside the mainstream the last few years, experimental or otherwise. I super enjoy parsing through it all. You should see my book and film list."

Check out Moore's Top 50 below, and visit his Substack for the full list.

1. Laura De Jongh - Fundus 10” EP (Klankhaven)
2. Faith Coloccia and Daniel Menche - Smelter CD (Room40)
3. Manja Ristić - Sargassum Aeterna LP (Rekem)
4. Zeena Parkins - Modesty of the Magic Thing CD (Tzadik)
5. Attawalpa - Experience LP (Attawalpa)
6. Láz - Lassan Átjáró Zavar cassette (Urban Lurk / Szégyen Kazetták / Pizza Days Rekordz)
7. S_B_B - shinjirutowa? cassette (Fanalstatt)
8. Camila Nebbia, Gonçalo Almeida and Sylvain Darrifourcq - Hypomaniac LP (Defkaz)
9. Fred Moten and Brandon Lopez - Revision LP (Tao Forms)
10. Maria Ja Marsialaiset - Hevikuiskaaja LP (Full Contact / Ektro / Fonal)
11. Armand Hammer and The Alchemist - Mercy album LP (Backwoodz Studioz)
12. Gwenifer Raymond - Last Night I Heard the Dog Star Bark LP (We Are Busy Bodies)
13. Fred Frith and Mariá Portugal - Matter (Intakt)
14. Lee Ranaldo and Michael Vallera - Early New York Silver LP (Amish)
15. Karen Willems - A Fool’s Guide to Reality LP (Permanent Draft)
16. Luke Stewart and Silt Remembrance Ensemble - The Order CD (Cuneiform)
17. Brunhild Ferrari - Errant Ear CD (Persistence of Sound)
18. Orcutt, Shelley, Miller LP (Silver Current)
19. Lila Meretzky - Simultaneous Contrast CD (Sawyer Editions)
20. Parasite Nurse - Lack CD (self-released)
21. Clipse - Let God Sort Em Out LP (Roc Nation)
22. @xcrswx - Moodboard LP (Feedback Moves)
23. John Glacier - Like A Ribbon LP (Young)
24. Cosey Fanni Tutti - 2t2 LP (Conspiracy International)
25. Francesca Gemmo and Magda Mayas - Tides in the Mirror CD (ezz-thetics / Hat Hut)
26. Nels Cline - Consentrik Quartet 2xLP (Blue Note / The Alstro Imprint)
27. Jim Shepard - Panties & Perfume LP (Siltbreeze)
28. F.G.S. - Tinker Bell’s Cough LP (Scenic Route)
29. Scotch Broom Collective - Insects & Water cassette (Feeding Tube)
30. Red Brut ‎- On Bare Ground LP (Coherent States / Dead Mind Records ‎/ Econore)
31. Drumloop and The Rita - Eyelines cassette (Deathbed Tapes)
32. Liar, Flower - ornamental gardens LP (Sleep Like Wolves)
33. Meilt - Gwall cassette (Molt Fluid)
34. The Royal Arctic Institute LP (Centripetal Force)
35. Bonner Kramer - “...and the crimson moon whispers goodbye” LP (Shimmy-Disc)
36. Karen Constance and Dylan Nyoukis - The Final Fumes from the Soup Bowls cassette (New Forces)
37. Monster CD (Klanggalerie)
38. Michael R. Bernstein - The Perfect Radio Station of the Mind cassette (self-released)
39. The Ex - If Your Mirror Breaks LP (Ex)
40. Brahja - Infinity Zero LP (RR GEMS)
41. Deison and Mingle - Everything Collapse(d) piano version CD (13 (3) / sps25107 / Loud! / FinalMuzik)
42. Misaki Motofuji - Evoke CD (Hittori)
43. Shifa - Ecliptic CD (Discus)
44. Judith Wegmann - Le Souffle du Temps II – Réflexion CD (ezz-thetics / Hat Hut)
45. Julia, Julia - Sugaring A Strawberry LP (Suicide Squeeze / Happy Sunday)
46. Lana Del Rey - Bluebird CDr single (Minos-EMI / Universal Music Greece)
47. Sun Ra - U.F.O. & The Place of Five Points 10” lathe (Bar/None / People In A Position To Know)
48. The Cabanists LP (Watusi)
49. Escape-Ism - Charge of the Love Brigade LP (Radical Elite)
50. Swans - Birthing 3xLP (Young God)