The Best of 2025 from KXSF Deejays

DJ Melodia (Just Gazin, Sundays at Noon)

Best Releases – Alternative/Shoegaze/Hardcore Punk/Emo

• Glare – Sunset Funeral – (Deathwish Inc., Sunday Drive)
• Teethe – Magic of the Sale – (Winspear)
• she’s green – Chrysalis EP – (Photo Finish Records) 
• killmilky – 生きたい – (self-released)
• New Dad – Altar – (Fair Youth, Atlantic Records)
• nabeel (نبيل) – ghayoom (غيوم) – (self-released)
• Nation of Language – Dance Called Memory – (Sub Pop Records)
• Die Spitz – Something to Consume – (Third Man Records)
• Wednesday – Bleeds – (Dead Oceans)
• Spite House – Desertion – (Pure Noise Records)
• Ben Quad – Wisher – (Pure Noise Records)
• End It – Wrong Side of Heaven – (FlatSpot Records)

Best Local Releases

• Spiritual Cramp – RUDE – (Blue Grape Music)
• Pocket Full of Crumbs – KAN KAN/POCKET FULL OF CRUMBS EP – (Cherub Dream Records)
• Slake – Let’s Get Married – (Cherub Dream Records)

Scratched My Brain – Songs on Repeat

• They Are Gutting a Body of Water – sour diesel – LOTTO – (Julia’s War, ATO Records)
• Water From Your Eyes – Born 2 – It’s a Beautiful Place – (Matador Records)
• Double Virgo – due dilettante – Shakedown – (YEAR0001)
• After – 300 dreams (single) – (Ultraworld)
• She’s In Parties – Are You Dreaming? EP – (Submarine Cat Records)
• Greet Death – Emptiness is Everywhere – Die In Love – (Deathwish)
• Chipped Nail Polish – Where You Look – After Ankeny – (Better Company Records)

Best Live Shows

• Alison’s Halo – February 1 – Bottom of the Hill
• DIIV – February 23 – Gray Area (Noise Pop)
• she’s green, Glixen, After – February 25 – Bottom of the Hill
• Ringo Deathstarr – June 7 – Bottom of the Hill
• Mannequin Pussy – August 8 – Outside Lands Festival 
• Swervedriver – September 29 – Great American Music Hall
• Wolf Alice – October 10 – Fox Theater
• Die Spitz – October 14 – Bottom of the Hill
• Wednesday, Sasami – October 18 – Fox Theater
• Drop Nineteens – November 7 – UC Theatre 

Mitch Rocket (Mitches Brew – Sunday, 3 pm)

Albums of the Year 2025

• Spellling – Portrait of My Heart
• Indigo Elephant – The Art of Erosion
• Madison Cunningham – Ace
• Seal Party – Circles Headed to the Sky
• Lorde – Virgin
• Dark Satellite – Splitting Image
• Bon Iver – Sable, Fable
• The Beths – Straight Line Was a Lie
• Beafsteek – U Get What U Pay For
• Slow Coast – Home of the Restless

EPs of the year:

• Miss Hits – Miss Hits
• Rainbow City Park – Fruitless
• Medscool – Learning How To Fall
• Caleb Pepp – Until They Turn the Bar Lights On
• Mitch Rocket – Live at the Retro Future Revue 😛

Andy Chaos (Shenanigans – Sunday, 11 pm)

KXSF Top 20 based on Spins

1. Viagra Boys – viagr aboys – Shrimptech
2. Ty Segall – Possession – Drag City
3. Snooper – Worldwide – Third Man
4. Lambrini Girls – Who Let The Dogs Out – City Slang
5. Wet Leg – moisturizer – Domino
6. The Beths – Straight Line Was A Lie – Anti
7. Teen Mortgage – Devil Ultrasonic Dream
8. The Sure Fire Soul Ensemble – Gemini – Colemine
9. Anika – Abyss – Sacred Bones
10. Civic – Chrome Dipped – ATO
11. Emma-Jean Thackray – Weirdo – Parlophone
12. Mitch Rocket- Brain Stew – NASA Peepo
13. Kamasi Washington – Lazarus (Adult Swim Original Series Soundtrack) – Milan
14. WITCH – Sogolo – Desert Daze Sound
15. Everything Is Psychadelic – The Beautiful Malaise
16. The Convenience – Like Cartoon Vampires – Winspear
17. Surprise Chef – Superb – Big Crown
18. The Budos Band – VII – Diamond West
19. SPELLLING – Portrait of My Heart – Sacred Bones

Top Locals

• Mitch Rocket – Brain Stew – NASA Peepo
• M.U.T.T.  – Toughest Street in Town – Quiet Panic
• Thee Oh Sees – Abomination Revealed At Last – Deathgod (now based in LA)
• Spiritual Cramp – RUDE – Blue Grape
• Pinoles – The Short 6

My Top Albums of 2025

1. Spiritual Cramp – Rude (Blue Grape)
2. Agnostic Front – Echoes In Eternity (Reigning Phoenix)
3. Snooper – Worldwide (Third Man)
4. End It – Wrong Side of Heaven (Flatspot)
5. Scowl – Are We All Angels (Dead Oceans)
6. Planet On A Chain – Ritual Routine (Revelation)
7. Die Spitz – Something To Consume (Third Man)
8. Beton Arme – Renaissance (La Vida Es Un Mus)
9. Turnstile – Never Enough (Roadrunner)
10. Dark Thoughts – Highway to the End (Stupid Bag)
11. Teen Mortgage – Devil Ultrasonic Dream (Roadrunner)

Gage Kenady (Off the Hook, Fridays, 1-4 p.m.)

BEST OF THE BAY, Bay-Bay (bébé) ! 2025

Top 10 + 3 ALL-LOCAL uplift (top picks from some slamming albums, and a few tracks that I couldn’t choose between, all over the map)

1. Orchestra Gold, ‘Dakan (Destiny)’, from Dakan, self-release
2. Meklit, ‘My Gold’ (ft. Camille Thurman), from A Piece of Infinity,  Smithsonian Folkways
3. Tongo Eisen-Martin, Damani Rhodes, Vadia (DVT), ‘No Resting Place’, from Travelling Shoes, brthright, inc./empi.re records 
4. Bululú, ‘Los Tornillos  (ft. Rafa Pino)’, self-released single
5. Ambrose Akinmusire, ‘MYanx’,  from honey from a winter stone, Nonesuch records
6. Camellia Boutros,  ‘Zareef Al Tool/يا ظريف الطول ’ (ft. Clarissa Bitar), from The Bootleg EP (cassette), self-release  
7. Skip The Needle,  ‘Until We Overcome’, from Wake Up Wake Up Wake Up
8. Idris Ackamoor Ankhestra, ‘Now!’   … or ’Tembeka’  from Artistic Being, Strut
9. Steve Adams, Lisa Mezzacappa, Jason Levis, ‘howling, soughing, moaning, sighing’, from never but dream the days, Queen Bee Records  … props to all 12 releases (!) this year
10. Miss Hits, ‘Faking It  (album version)…or ’MISS HITS’, from MISS HITS, self released debut 

     +3

11.  Russian Telegraph, ‘A Tua Presença Morena’, from Turnips, self-release ()
12.  Caroline Chung & Citizen’s Jazz,  ‘Haitian Fight Song’, from Earth Angels
13.  Funkwrench Blues, ‘Reflections From The Future’ (ft. Nduduzo Makhathini, Lenny White, David Boyce, David DR Robbins & Frank Swart), from Mischief In The Musitorium, self-released

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Top 10 + 3 International uplift! (incidentally, all women-fronted)  

1. Kokoroko (UK), ‘Sweetie’ , from Tuff Times Never Last,  Brownswood recordings 
2. Florence Adooni (Ghana) , ‘Vocalize My Luv’ ’, from A.O.E.I.U.  Philophon  
3. Funmilayo Afrobeat Orquestra (Brasil), ‘A Cidade é Um Espelho’, from De Ponta a Ponta EP, self-released 
4. Park Jiha (Korea), ‘Growth Ring’, from All Living Things, Glitterbeat Records 
5. Brìghde Chaimbeul (Scotland), ‘Duan’, from Sunwise. Anti- 
6. Perera Elsewhere (Colombia/London/Berlin), ‘Fountain (ft. Batila, Yaadikone)’ or ‘Time Will Tell’ (ft. Andy S), from Just Wanna Live Some. Friends of Friends records 
7. Star Feminine Band (Bénin), ‘Womens Rights’,  from Jusqu’au bout du monde
8. Anoushka Shankar (London), ‘Dancing on Scorched Earth’, from Chapter III: We Return to Light
9. Ganavya (Tamil Nadu/NYC) , ‘Song For Sad Times’, from Nilam, Leiter 
10.  Yazz Ahmed (Bahrain/UK), ‘Her Light’,  A Paradise In The Hold, Night Time Stories [ed. her own new label ! ] 

+3

11.  Rosa Brunello (Italy), ‘Uno Punto Uno’,  Women in Jazz compilation, Women in Jazz x New Soil   
12.  Noura Mint Seymali (Mauritania), ‘Guéreh’, from Yenbett, Glitterbeat Records
13.  Terri Lyne Carrington & Christie Dashiell (USA-in-exile), ‘Freedom Day 2’, from We Insist 2025!

Fuad (Turkish Cultural Program, Saturdays at 2:00 PM)

 Top 10 2025 songs I played on TCP are as follows:

1. Gaye Su Akyol “Hepsi Kafamda Memur Bey” from Hepsi Kafamda Memur Bey on Dunganga Records.
2. The Leavers “Light From The Dark” from We Are The Leavers on Hammer Müzik.
3. Son Feci Bisiklet “Fare” from Fare; Fare – Single on Son Feci Bisiklet.
4. Vega “Yıllar Sonra – Yıllar Sonra: Hümeyra” from Yıllar Sonra (Yıllar Sonra: Hümeyra) on PASAJ.
5. Kit Sebastian “Dehliz” from Dehliz on Brainfeeder.
6. Redd “Üşüyor İstanbul Bugün” from Simulakrum; Üşüyor İstanbul Bugün on RDD music.
7. Melike Şahin “Gönül (Live)” from Gönül (Live) on Gülbaba Records.
8. Nil Karaibrahimgil “Çık Buralardan” from Çık Buralardan on Nil Karaibrahimgil.
9. Nilüfer Yanya “Where To Look” from Where To Look on Ninja Tune.
10. Teoman “Yağmur 2025” from Yağmur 2025 on Bayhan Prodüksiyon.