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| Tortoise - Touch |
I've posted a list of my favorite albums of the year each year for at least the last 15 cycles, and at this point I'm definitely past my peak. I'm not listening to tons of new artists the way Trey Anastasio does. I didn't do a bunch of end of the year cramming. I mostly checked out new releases by artists I was already familiar with as they came out, including Mulatu Astatke, Big Thief, Béla Fleck, Page McConnell, Bill Frisell, Enda Scahill, Mary Halvorson, Circles Around the Sun, Thomas Morgan, and Andy Thorn. More on those later.
I did have two big-time standouts this year though. Albums that I couldn't stop listening to. One in the spring and one in the fall. Those were Phonetics On and On by Horsegirl (spring 2025) and Touch by Tortoise (fall 2025). Neither of these artists were new to me. I've been a fan of Horsegirl since their 2022 debut Versions of Modern Performance and my obsession with Tortoise goes back well over two decades, ever since I first heard TNT.
When the all-female rock trio Horsegirl first came on the scene they were still teenagers, and their slacker indie sound gained them comparisons to Pavement and Sonic Youth. On their 2nd album I still hear that, but I also hear the introduction of a mod, paisley-hued nature that made me think of The Shaggs. I know that's a lazy comparison but oh well. According to Spotify, Phonetics On and On was my most listened to album of the year. Despite being my most listened to, I think it was my 2nd favorite overall, with the number one slot going to Tortoise who won the race by a wide margin!
How do I describe Tortoise to those who don't know? First off, it's all instrumental, with elements of rock, jazz, classical, and film scores. Very heady. It's often drum forward although their guitarist Jeff Parker is one of the best jazz/experimental guitarists working today. Plus, I've always liked how Tortoise incorporates mallet instruments (vibraphone?) into their band. When I first listened to Touch, I would note the places or tracks where Tortoise sounded like Tortoise. It wasn't all the time. Now when I listen it is all the time. I might be biased because it's new, but if it's not the best Tortoise album of all time, it's at least on par with Standards and TNT.
Of the aforementioned names in the first paragraph, Life Lessons by Tim O'Brien, Bill Frisell and Dale Bruning is worth checking out, and is probably my 3rd favorite of the year. I think that one came out this year. The vinyl version is missing the Dylan cover Spanish is the Loving Tongue, which is a bummer. My 4th favorite might be BEATrio by Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda and Antonio Sánchez. I saw the first time that Béla and Edmar ever played together live at Big Ears in Knoxville in 2019. Now they've added a drummer and recorded an album together. Also worth noting is Banjo Dreams by Andy Thorn. Yes it's a banjo album, but it features some noticeably tasteful piano work by Erik Deutsch.
That's it for this year's list!
