To make a list is immediately to begin second-guessing it. This year that’s especially true below the Top 10, in my list of 20 runner-up albums, for which I had double that many candidates I could easily substitute in. That feels representative: It was a year of almost endless abundance in the realm of worthy, small-to-medium, inspired, and well-crafted works by newcomers and veterans alike. Sometimes really veteran—the one that falls first alphabetically is by free-jazz stalwart Marshall Allen (of the Sun Ra Arkestra), who turned 101 this year and actually put out two 2025 albums brimming with life.

But on the big pop level, the action was much more muted. While 2024 saw the charts bubbling with exciting debuts and competition for space among young stars , there were only a few

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