Best of 2025 - KAOS DJs Pick Their Favorites
/DJ Paul Pearson - The Music Show
Allbarone, Baxter Dury
Armageddon in a Summer Dress, Sunny War
City of Clowns, Marie Davidson
A City of Ladies, Domenica Diavoleria
Getting Killed, Geese
GIANT OPENING MOUTH ON THE GROUND, Phil Elverum & Arrington de Dionyso
hexed!, Aya
If You Asked for a Picture, Blondshell
It's Only a Love Song, C. Duncan
MAD!, Sparks
Mirrored Daughters, Mirrored Daughters
Musical Chairs, Artificial Go
Playin' Dumb, Tchotchke
Rainy Sunday Afternoon, The Divine Comedy
ROOMERS, Egg Girl Girl
Songs in the Key of Yikes, Superchunk
Sounds Made by Humans, Brian Bilston & the Catenary Wires
Through This Fire Across From Peter Balkan, The Mountain Goats
Twilight Override, JeF Tweedy
The Villager's Companion, Califone
Who Let the Dogs Out, Lambrini Girls
DJ Kiku - Boken Bite
Jahnah Camille - close to heaven (Indie/Alternative Rock)
First track on her EP, a sensitively sweet introduction to the album. One that has sat in my mind for a majority of the time since its release this year.
DNC - ariibabii (R&B)
Definitely newer to the scene but she shines brightly. "Momma you a star". If you're like me and enjoy that R&B, Her flow and rhythm are not unfamiliar but very welcome.
3s A Crowd - ZaeFyeHunnitt (R&B)
This song I find absolutely hilarious and 'cereal' but, it is vile... Dark humor if you please?
One More - Nippa (R&B/Soul)
Last song off the album it's upbeat but feels like its a drag through the words and vocals. One of my favorite contrasts in music.
TRUMP THE BILL - SUNSHINE (Rap/Hip-Hop)
A girl coming for the crown Nicki Minaj let get away. This ones done some numbers online.
CHANCE - GioFromDaBlock (Hip-Hop/Rap)
The energy of this one is defintely wavy. I could just put this one on and just relax even though he's feeling a little cocky here.
fine lil shit - coop (Rap/Hip-Hip)
You are sleeping on coop if you like rap. She's making her come up though with a recent release with Flo Milli. I've enjoyed many of her tracks.
Meeting You Once - Natanya (Pop/R&B)
An artist after my own heart. First album and EP released this year of 'Feline's Return'. Her beats ARE POP and fun.
FACE - BLESS (House/Funk/Ballroom)
This track is a hit, its groovy, funky, and gets that pump in your step. One i cant wait to come up in my playlist when im at the gym so i can strut~
ATE - Tiacorine (Drill/Hip-hop/Rap)
This one boost's the ego INDEFINITELY, lifts the spirits and gets you moving immediately spoiler:(the music video will go there)
DJ Mason - Call Me Up
Madrone - Eponymous Debut Masterpiece
If rock is to still live in the year of our lord 2026, I want it to sound like Madrone. This is slacker rock with emotion. This is real dirt, real struggle, real life. A bit opaque but with clear emotion. Crashing and chaotic until poignant silence. Something Honest is 11 minutes that keep effecting me.
Girljockey - Girljockey
Girljockey makes gripping emotional rock, echoing grunge onward, confessing feelings and promising vengeance. Mega heavy.
Yung Whurlin & Melik - The Book Of James Hampton
Visionary rap with beats that are a midpoint between glitch & boom bap
Los Thuthanaka
Chuquimamani-Condori & Joshua Chuquimia Crampton merging sonic walls to form angelic clouded latin electronic speaker thumpers.
Jeremy Field - Soaring 2
Friend & fave Jeremy Field returns to Soaring with indie pop love ballads
Zack Villere - SNOEY
Insanely catchy indie rap / pop with a wild cast of features (Papo2oo4, Doris, Rockie Rode??)
Nick Brobak - Voice At Dawn
Indie rock and roll produced with clouds in view. Vocals drenched in reverb, as they always should be. Guitars shredded in the way the lord intended them to be.
Shearling - Motherfucker, I Am Both: "Amen" and "Hallelujah"...
Pure emotional noise rock, keeping it weird in a way I can highly commend. Halle motherfuckin lujah.
DJ Domenica - Glamorous Baubles
Josh Martin - Western Mind
Somesurprises - Year Without Spring EP
Space Dimension Controller - Six Beginnings
Laura Cannell - LYRELYRELYRE
Christina Giannone - The Opal Amulet
Sextile - Yes, Please
Strategy - A Cooler World
Saint Etienne - International
Rochelle Jordan - Through the Wall
Various Artists - Night City Life Volume 2 (Spacetalk Records)
Sally Shapiro - “Rent”
Eli Escobar - “I’ll Wait All Day (4 U)”
System Olympia - “In the Heat of the Night”
Amarcord fr. The Archivist - “Italo Disco”
Fort Romeau - “U R My Love”
Cerrone, Christine and the Queens & Purple Disco Machine- “Supernature”
Fiero - “Vuela Vuela”
DJ Tom Dyer - Freeform Northwest
Brittany Davis - Black Thunder
This album is a total killer. Singer and pianist Ms. Davis hooked up with half of the late, great band Industrial Revelation, D’Vonne Lewis (drums) and Evan Flory-Barnes (bass). They went into the studio and improvised this mighty album in two days. It is beautiful, hip and heartbreaking. It is the children of Nina Simone at her best, boldly. This album is way more than the sum of its parts - breathtaking!
https://brittany-davis.bandcamp.com/album/black-thunder
Reggie Garrett and Christine Gunne - The Road Taken
Achingly gorgeous duet record. “A Place In This World” is nearly unbearable in its desperate longing for home. Two people making beautiful music in this time of uncertainty - nothing else included or needed.
https://garrett-gunn.bandcamp.com/album/the-road-taken
The Cosmic Tone Research Trio - The Cosmic Tone Research Trio
Portland's finest practitioners of Great Black Music - a phrase coined by the Art Ensemble of Chicago and the AACM way back in the 60’s, so that tells you something about where they are coming from. There is something in their sound that’s a bit Alice Coltrane as well. Their first album was coined slow music, this one is simply great music. https://mississippirecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-cosmic-tones-research-trio
Eric Apoe - Embryo
Eric’s 13th album is finally released! “Batmobile” kicks off the slow and glorious gravel parade so new I have barely heard it, but the magnificent “Tacoma”, hidden away here at #15, is so great it has instantly vaulted “Embryo” to the #4 spot!
https://ericapoeandthey.bandcamp.com/album/spectator
Selector Dub Narcotic - When Boys Cry
King Calvin and the mighty Smoke M206 get to throwin’ down - what more do you need to know? Thump! 12” vinyl - D/L comes with instrumental versions of all 4 songs on the bandcamp.
https://selectordubnarcotic.bandcamp.com/album/when-boys-cry
Bad Scene - Room Without a Light
The Bloch Bros.’ Bad Scene is always Top 10, right? See them in Seattle this spring. They will rock! (if ya need an FCC clean version, just ask Kurt!) As a bonus we have Kurt’s mighty The “No” 3 (Kurt, Jim Sangster from Young Fresh Fellows and Dan Peters of Mudhoney) doing the Groundhogs’ “Cherry Red”. Heaven!
Ural Thomas - Natural
Another great release from MIssissippi Records in Portland. I first knew of Ural from “Wheedle's Groove: Seattle's Finest In Funk & Soul 1965-75”. From Bandcamp: These 8-track recordings are from the early 90s - possibly some begun as early as late 80s. There are synthesizers, drum machines, a chorus of vocal overdubs, guitars, bass, drums...a full band all Ural, recorded at home and now for the first time on LP. Totally cool - Ural is still playing out in Portland on occasion.
https://mississippirecords.bandcamp.com/album/nat-ural
Golden West - Kansas b/w Hallelujah. The Great Kathy Moore wrote a couple new tunes that she thought needed another singer - enter the legendary Kim Virant of Lazy Susan fame. So bad ass! Streaming now, fancy yellow 7” vinyl soon. Oh my yes!
https://too.fm/gw-kansas
Warren Dunes - Beauty Comes of Everything (single) : I’m kinda late to the party here with this trendy three piece, but what the heck? Super catchy upbeat pop. I think I shall be doing some digging in their catalog!
https://warrendunes.bandcamp.com/track/beauty-comes-of-everything
Briarfinch - Briarfinch
Tight Olympia newgrass crew featuring the high level chops of Josh Grice on an impressive debut.
https://briarfinch.bandcamp.com/album/briarfinch
Mettlelark - Love Letter To The Future
Gretta Harley and crew laying down five slabs of epic rock. The shortest song is 3:52 so you can surmise some self-expression is happening here.
https://mettlelark.bandcamp.com/album/love-letter-to-the-future
Tom Varner - Brass Trios Guitar Duos
Nothing confusing here. 12 tracks, Tom on French horn with trumpet and trombone, Tom on French horn with guitar. No overdubbing. No special electronic effects. There are no out-takes. Pretty damn great!
https://tomvarner.bandcamp.com/album/brass-trios-guitar-duos
Albumen
Experimental trumpeter Greg Kelley and stalwart punk/rock bassist Mike Watt, plus the improvisational mighty men of Hound Dog Taylor’s Hand. How can ya not like that?
https://eiderdownrecords.bandcamp.com/album/albumen
Also noteworthy from the mighty HDTH in 2025: https://hdth.bandcamp.com/track/fifth-of-march
River Scheuerell & Eros Faulk - Self titled
These young men have been playing together since they were wee ones, including their four-brothers band REDS and it shows. Both are stalwarts of the Oly traditional music scene and here they apply that to the world of contemporary traditional music. Super skilled, super tasteful, super good!
https://riveranderos.bandcamp.com/album/river-scheuerell-eros-faulk
Emi Pop - “No Te Voy a Extrañar” Emi is a Puerto Rican born, Seattle based musician doing super catchy Ramones-style rock and roll, all sung in Spanish and enthusiastically bashed out by her band. Very fun!
https://emipop.bandcamp.com/album/no-te-voy-a-extra-ar
They were recently on Band in Seattle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLJhwogqDk0
Zhonghu - Super Z Attack Team
Jon Davis is the only Chapman Stick player I know. He also puts on Prog festivals in Seattle. Zhonghu is his prog rock band. This is a paired down 3 piece band version of the Attack Team that Jon Davis had on his first album. When I say trio, Jon uses Chapman Stick, hardware and software synthesizers, guzheng, samples, field recordings, Otamatone, percussion, theremin, didgeridoo, toy piano, programming, so this is not exactly skinny. Pull out your mood ring and put on your headphones and get to trippin’!
https://yarrowtheband.bandcamp.com/album/live-in-the-crypt
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Axis Bold As Love Box Set
I have always loved this record. Half the Hendrix songs I have covered come from Axis. So wadya get? Disc 1. Original stereo mix Disc 2. Original mono mix - done separately, not just a flattened stereo mix Disc 3 & 4. 40 tracks or rarities, 27 of which are previously unreleased. Disc 5 is a trippin’ Dolby Atmos mix. Does the casual Hendrix listener need this? Nope. Does a true lover need this? Oh my yes!
DJ(redacted) - Breakfast Special
A dozen releases you can hold in your hand, in no particular order.
Wet Leg —moisturizer
Julien Baker and Torres—Send A Prayer My Way
Samantha Fish—Paper Doll
My Son The Hurricane—Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Luna Melt—Soul Glow
Evan Greer—AMAB/ACAB
Fishbone—Stockholm Syndrome
Fionn—scum
Ana Popovic— Dance To The Rhythm
tune yards—Better Dreaming
Chris Chandler and Paul Benoit—This Is Not You
Bootsy Collins—Album of the Year
Miss Melissa’s - I’m Still Not Here to Make Friends
1. Golden- hunter/x- K-pop demon hunters soundtrack
2. Kneecap- no comment(feat. Sub focus) -single
3. The neighborhood kids-life keeps moving- single 4.
4. Lola young- conceited- single
5. Kurt Lindsay& Erina McLaren- thunder in the clouds- single
6. The Olson bros band- I bleed evergreen- single
7. Sierra Ferrell- chittlin’ cooking time in Chatham county- trail of flowers
8. Bad bunny- alambre pua- single
9. The cure- I can never say goodbye( mental overdrive mix)-mixes of a lost world
10. Afrok- blvktop-single
Remy - Type II Era
1 Sharp Pins - Radio DDR
2 Open Mike Eagle - Neighborhood Gods Unlimited
3 Wednesday - Bleeds
4 Lazarus Lake - Family Tree
5 LL Burns - Hear I am (and other singles)
6 Little Simz - Lotus
7 Tahn Solo - Method Acting
8 Caroline - Caroline 2
9 Drive By Truckers - The Definitive Decoration Day (Reissue / Box set)
10 Jay Som - Belongs
11 Hayden Pedigo - I’ll Be Waving as You Drive Away
12 Wombo - Danger in Fives
13 Ryan Davis & the Roadhouse Band - New Threats From the Soul
14 The Pink Stones - Thank the Lord… it’s the Pink Stones
15 Heat miser - Mic City Sons (reissue)
