You nominated, you voted. Thanks again for the participation, support, and love over all the years. We look forward to keeping this alive as long as you are all still out there to keep it along with us.
Wishing you the best for 2026.
Without further adieu.
Album of the Year
- Swans, "Birthing" (Young God)
"Damn near every single song on this album builds up to a crescendo in which Swans sound like the most locked in and absolutely volcanic band on the planet." - Anthony D'Amico
"I am surprised and not surprised on so many aspects. First of all that Gira has orchestrated this current ensemble into such a massive force with an exceptional amount of discipline and restrain on display. This album, clocking in just under two hours, may be very demanding to give attention to but the readers have returned Swans to the top of their list once again. Also, what amazes me is going to their shows to see an incredible bimodal distribution: the sold out crowd I saw was full of young eager fans tossing their hair and fists hypnotically drenched in sweat, joy and rage, with back of the crowd consisting of the survivors soaking in all the joy, caring less if they heard the "old hits" or not. Swans put on a massive show, and my friend Little Annie was welcomed, adored, admired, and loved by the gathering. I don't think there was anyone there between the ages of 30 and 50 and frankly, we didn't miss the millennials and their entitlements! Swans owe you nothing." - Jon Whitney - Stereolab, "Instant Holograms On Metal Film" (Duophonic)
"A beautiful return by the groop after years of absece, however I think Laetitia has been saving her better songs for her solo records. I do find much of her solo albums getting stronger and catchier while the 'Lab albums have become more slick yet the songs are harder to hold onto. It still is a fantastic album and I have given it many spins over the last year." - Jon Whitney
"I love anything LS does but am underwhelmed by this record." - Duncan Edwards - The Necks, "Disquiet" (Northern Spy)
- Matmos, "Metallic Life Review" (Thrill Jockey)
"Their greatest concept since the one about surgeries, quite beautifully executed." - Duncan Edwards
"A characteristically wild and weird trip through Matmos history told exclusively through the sounds of metal (nitrous oxide canisters, the gates of a crypt, pots and pans from childhood homes, tape canisters from INA/GRM, etc.). As usual, the execution is stellar. Quite possibly my favorite Matmos album." - Anthony D'Amico - Lucrecia Dalt, "A Danger to Ourselves" (RVNG Intl.)
"Just when you think you know what to expect from Lucrecia Dalt, she unleashes an album like this, defying classifications, breaking through boundaries, and giving us an album that will take years to understand and unpack. But it's too late, she has already moved on and has likely recorded a few more albums and soundtracks that have blown this one out of the water. I'm here for the ride." - Jon Whitney - The Bug vs Ghost Dubs, "Implosion" (Pressure)
"A seismic, slow-motion sound clash of bass, space, and dub-wise sorcery from two masters of the form." - Anthony D'Amico
"Friends I have played this for have just sat in stunned silence. Impressively unlovable." - Duncan Edwards - Alan Sparhawk, "With Trampled by Turtles" (Sub Pop)
"Long may he run." - Duncan Edwards
"My heart continues to sink every time I listen to this album. It's such a powerful expression from the heart. It was wonderful to see this performance live with Cyrus on bass guitar and to hear Hollis singing on the album. The spirit lives on and I look forward to hearing more beautiful music. We need this." - Jon Whitney - loscil, "Lake Fire" (Kranky)
- claire rousay, "a little death" (Thrill Jockey)
- Jules Reidy, "Ghost/Spirit" (Thrill Jockey)
"I've always enjoyed Reidy's unusual and inventive guitar playing, but this vocal-centered Thrill Jockey debut felt like a massive creative leap forward as post-modern blues collide with autotuned hooks, spasmodic beats, and abstract electronics to impressively delirious effect." Anthony D'Amico - FACS, "Wish Defense" (Trouble In Mind)
"The personnel may have switched around a bit, but FACS continue to be the finest spiritual descendent of all my favorite post-punk and post-hardcore bands." - Anthony D'Amico - The Tear Garden, "Astral Elevator" (Artoffact)
"'War Crier' totally stole the show on this one. Instant classic." - Anthony D'Amico - The Legendary Pink Dots, "So Lonely in Heaven" (Metropolis)
- Cosey Fanni Tutti, "2t2" (Conspiracy International)
- more eaze & claire rousay, "no floor" (Thrill Jockey)
- Tortoise, "Touch" (International Anthem)
- The Ex, "If Your Mirror Breaks" (Ex Records)
- Park Jiha, "All Living Things" (Glitterbeat)
"Performed entirely on acoustic Korean instruments before being recorded/processed, this is possibly my vote for the most beautiful album of the year. In a year where we need to take some time to be meditative, this has been an amazing soundtrack." - Jon Whitney - Kali Malone + Drew McDowall, "Magnetism" (Ideologic Organ)
"A mesmerizingly psychotropic mindbomb of otherworldly textures and harmonies from start to finish." - Anthony D'Amico
"Seriously impressive. But his seriously impressive solo record from 2024 deserves much more praise!" - Duncan Edwards - Gwenifer Raymond, "Last Night I Heard The Dog Star Bark" (We Are Busy Bodies)
"Gorgeous playing from Gwenifer on the latest album." - Jon Whitney - Kara-Lis Coverdale, "From Where You Came" (Smalltown Supersound)
- Maria Somerville, "Luster" (4AD)
"Loosely inspired by This Mortal Coil, Somerville's sensuous second album ascends to pure dreampop heaven on at least three occasions." - Anthony D'Amico
"Seven years since her debut, her second album was well worth the wait. It is absolutely magnificent." - Jon Whitney - Pan•American & Kramer, "Interior of an Edifice Under the Sea" (Shimmy-Disc)
- Adrian Sherwood, "The Collapse of Everything" (On-U Sound)
- Bitchin Bajas, "Inland See" (Drag City)
- The Legendary Pink Dots, "Chemical Playschool Volume 25" (Terminal Kaleidoscope)
- Kara-Lis Coverdale, "A Series of Actions in a Sphere of Forever" (Smalltown Supersound)
"I like the first two of her 2025 albums but more than anything just want her to be related to David Coverdale." - Duncan Edwards
"Don't pay any attention to dad humor. All three of her albums this year are fantastic, including the third one of piano pieces." - Jon Whitney - loscil, "Ash" (Frond)
- Pye Corner Audio, "Lake Deep Memory" (Quiet Details)
"Sublime and immersive ambient soundscapes inspired by field recordings made around a volcanic crater lake in Guatemala. Great headphone album." - Anthony D'Amico - Kara-Lis Coverdale, "Changes In Air" (Smalltown Supersound)
- Cate Le Bon, "Michelangelo Dying" (Mexican Summer)
- Horsegirl, "Phonetics On And On" (Matador)
- Edward Ka-Spel, "A Monument to Wasted Tears" ([self-released])
- Sandwell District, "End Beginnings" (Point of Departure)
- Matt Jencik & Midwife, "Never Die" (Relapse)
- Oren Ambarchi / Johan Berthling / Andreas Werliin, "Ghosted III" (Drag City)
- Cross Record, "Crush Me" (Ba Da Bing!)
"A hauntingly beautiful and poetic album that feels like it is in a permanent state of collapse, as Cross's hushed and intimate songs often sound like they are happening while The Rapture unfolds, burning planes fall from the sky, and the earth rips itself open." - Anthony D'Amico - HAYWARDxDÄLEK, "HAYWARDxDÄLEK" (Relapse)
"This collaboration between This Heat's Charles Hayward and Dälek's Will Brooks was written/improvised over the span of just two whirlwind days in preparation for a festival performance, but sometimes extreme pressure creates diamonds. I absolutely loved Hayward's drumming on this one." - Anthony D'Amico - Jules Reidy & Sam Dunscombe, "Edge Games" (Futura Resistenza)
- Lea Bertucci, "The Oracle" (Cibachrome Editions)
"In one of the most audacious creative detours of the year, Lea Bertucci set aside her sax to record a deeply hallucinatory and fragmented mindfuck of reel-to-reel voice manipulations." - Anthony D'Amico - caroline, "caroline 2" (Rough Trade)
- Läuten der Seele, "Unterhaltungen mit Larven und Überresten" (World of Echo)
"This guy can do no wrong. All his albums are mysterious after repeated listens." - Duncan Edwards
"This project from Bavarian soundscape visionary Christian Schoppik has been a perennial favorite of mine since it began, but this one ascended to an even higher plane with the addition of Novy Svet's Jota Solo on vocals." - Anthony D'Amico - Surgeon, "Shell Wave" (Tresor)
- Lawrence English, "Even The Horizon Knows Its Bounds" (Room40)
- Madeleine Cocolas, "Syndesis" (Room40)
- Sparks, "MAD!" (Transgressive)
- Rafael Toral, "Traveling Light" (Drag City)
"This one did not grab me quite as much as its predecessor (2024's Spectral Evolution), but making an album of smeared, stretched, and gently psychedelic ambient interpretation of jazz standards was a legitimately inspired idea." - Anthony D'Amico - Karate, Guns & Tanning, "Krisis Genre" ([self-released])
- Orcutt Shelley Miller, "Orcutt Shelley Miller" (Silver Current)
"Bill Orcutt is in a purple patch even by his high standards." - Duncan Edwards
"I didn't love this album quite as much as some of Orcutt's other recent work, but this trio absolutely blew me away when I caught them live. Three stone-cold killers in just one band, all at the height of their improvisatory powers." - Anthony D'Amico - Kieran Hebden + William Tyler, "41 Longfield Street Late ‘80s" (Temporary Residence)
- Eli Keszler, "Eli Keszler" (Lucky Me)
"This eclectic album delves into several intriguing and divergent directions, but the best moments are the ones where Keszler teams up with vocalist Sofie Royer to craft slinky, smoldering, and eerily hallucinatory vamps that feel like they were beamed in from a Twin Peaks strip club." - Anthony D'Amico - Bob Mould, "Here We Go Crazy" (Granary)
"Once again Bob seems to find a way to summarize what I'm feeling a lot of at the time." - Jon Whitney - Eiko Ishibashi, "Antigone" (Drag City)
"I'm bemused that this is in here when no one much cared a hoot about her great 2021 release 'For McCoy.'" - Duncan Edwards - Diamanda Galás, "De-formation: Second Piano Variations" (Intravenal Sound Operations)
- Andrew Chalk, "Small Wonder" (Distant Impression)
- Disiniblud, "Disiniblud" (Smugglers Way)
"Guest stars and tech-shenanigans cannot obscure the fine melodies and emotional resonance of this album." - Duncan Edwards - Throwing Muses, "Moonlight Concessions" (Fire)
- Paul St. Hilaire, "w/ The Producers" (Kynant)
- Biosphere, "The Way of Time" (AD93)
"A truly haunting album quite unlike anything else that Geir Jenssen has previously released. Sampling this particular radio play (a 1951 adaption of Elizabeth Madox Roberts' "The Time Of Man" (1926)) was a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of genius. Actress Joan Lorring may have passed away in 2014, but she still managed to deliver some of the most emotionally devastating gut punches of 2025." - Anthony D'Amico
"An unexpected winner, juxtaposing seemingly polar opposite elements." - Duncan Edwards - Sir Richard Bishop, "Hillbilly Ragas" (Drag City)
- Death & Vanilla, "Whistle And I'll Come To You" (Fire)
"A gorgeously simmering and understated re-imagined soundtrack for the cult classic BBC ghost story from 1968. One of my personal favorites of the year." - Anthony D'Amico
"I watched this when it came on television in the late 1960s. Don't recall the music being so obtrusive, but hey ho." - Duncan Edwards - Public Enemy, "Black Sky Over The Projects: Apartment 2025" (Enemy)
- Immersion & Suss, "Nanocluster Vol. 3" (~Swim)
- Laura Cannell, "Brightly Shone The Moon" (Brawl)
- Sally Anne Morgan, "Second Circle The Horizon" (Thrill Jockey)
- Throwing Muses, "Moonlight Confessions" (Fire)
- µ-Ziq, "1979" (Balmat)
- µ-Ziq, "Manzana" (Balmat)
- Water Damage, "Reel LE" (Waveform Detritus)
- Sam Prekop, "Open Close" (Thrill Jockey)
- Pulp, "More" (Rough Trade)
- Water Damage, "Instruments" (12XU)
- Oneohtrix Point Never, "Tranquilizer" (Warp)
- Angel Bat Dawid & Naima Nefertari, "Journey to Nabta Playa" (Spiritmuse)
"This is probably my favorite album of the year. Probably a lot of unintentional parallels to Coil with opening gongs ('How to Destroy Angels') to the concept itself (much like 'Journey to Avebury', another ancient stone circle), the electronic pieces (which are reminiscent of the solstice/equinox singles), and even the lyrics from the 'Sea Priestess' from Astral Disaster (Egyptian Aztecs arriving, not from Norway, but Sweden, where this album was partially recorded, close)." - Jon Whitney - Marshall Allen, "New Dawn" (Mexican Summer)
"If he can release his debut album at 100, you've still got time." - Jon Whitney - Juana Molina, "Doga" (Sonamos)
"Will she ever top Segundo? I keep listening and hoping." - Duncan Edwards - Marie Davidson, "City Of Clowns" (Deewee)
"This is the direction I was hoping Ellen Allien would head towards following Berlinette. At least someone got there 22 years later." - Jon Whitney - Carrier, "Rhythm Immortal" (Modern Love)
- Celer, "Gems IV" (Room40)
- Celer, "Gems V" (Room40)
- Dead Pioneers, "Po$t American" (Hassle)
"Much stronger than their debut album but strangely only available through a UK label. The US needs this band to be more visible. Thanks for the powerful music and statements." - Jon Whitney - Madeleine Cocolas, "Häxan" ([self-released])
- Surya Botofasina, "RentParty77" ([self released])
- Cyrus Pireh, "Thank You, Guitar" (Palilalia)
"A freewheeling and often technically virtuosic tour de force from one of the most unique and compelling guitarists currently on the scene." - Anthony D'Amico - Whatever The Weather, "Whatever the Weather II" (Ghostly)
- Tape Loop Orchestra, "(Artefacts (Equations (Facsimiles)))" ([self-released])
- Foetus, "Halt!" (Ectopic Ents)
"It's got so many layers that it's difficult to work through. I'm sure it would score higher if people had more time to digest it, but that's what happens I guess when you release your album around Christmas time! This is the third full-length release by Thirlwell of 2025 and just as magnificent and worthy of a listen as anything else he has done. - Joanne Robertson, "Blurrr" (AD93)
- James Blackshaw, "Unraveling In Your Hands" (Amish)
- Mogwai, "The Bad Fire" (Temporary Residence)
- Nina Nastasia, "Songs for a World of Trouble" ([self-released])
"After losing her significant other/co-writer she lost her recording engineer/partner of many years! So she did this herself and issued it without a label and it's strong as hell." - Jon Whitney - Rat Heart, "Dancin' In The Streets" (Shotta Tapes)
"Hushed, intimate, and stripped-down outsider soul magic from eclectic and enigmatic Tom Boogizm. "I Don't Know Yet" is easily one of my favorite songs of the year, but there are a few other killer would-be singles from this album that provided extremely fierce competition in that regard." - Anthony D'Amico - The Egyptian Lover, "1987" ([self-released])
- SAULT, "10" (Forever Living Originals)
- Thalia Zedek Band, "The Boat Outside Your Window" (Thrill Jockey)
- Sumac & Moor Mother, "The Film (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" (Thrill Jockey)
- Billy Woods, "Gollywog" (Backwoodz)
- Emptyset, "Dissever" (Thrill Jockey)
- Romance, "Love Is Colder Than Death" (Ecstatic)
"A haunting, seductive, and noir-inspired fever dream of Old Hollywood. One of my personal favorites of the year." - Anthony D'Amico - Rod Modell, "Northern Michigan Snowstorms" (13/Silentes)
Single of the Year
- The Bug vs Ghost Dubs, "Imploded Versions" (Pressure)
- Stereolab, "Fed Up With Your Job / Constant And Uniform Movement Unknown" (Duophonic)
"Honestly I think this single is a stronger statement than the LP!" - Jon Whitney - Mary Lattimore, "Evening Song" ([self-released])
- Mary Lattimore, "Morning Song" ([self-released])
- Factory Floor, "Between You" (Phantasy Sound)
- Factory Floor, "Tell Me" (Phantasy Sound)
"Great to hear the return of Factory Floor, looking forward to a full-length in 2026." - Jon Whitney - The Legendary Pink Dots, "Hallow'een Special 2025" (Terminal Kaleidoscope)
- Sugar, "House of Dead Memories" (Granary)
"Maybe not the song I was hoping for from Sugar but I'm definitely hoping to be able to see a show of theirs." - Jon Whitney - The Bug, "Burials / Mud" (Pressure)
- Stars of the Lid, "Edits For Nitrous Oxide" (Artificial Pine Arch Manufacturing)
- Loop, "BBC Radio Sessions" (Beggars Arkive)
"Their third and final Peel Session. Given Wolf Flow was my first exposure to Loop, I have always loved this version of 'From Centre to Wave.'" - Creaig Dunton - Four Tet, "Into Dust (Still Falling)" (Text)
"Can't go wrong when sampling and looping a glistening Mazzy Star melody like this. Chef's kiss." - Jon Whitney - Fennesz, "The Last Days Of May" (Longform Editions)
- Midwife, "Signs" (The Flenser)
- Soft Cell, "Ghost Rider 2025 with JG Thirlwell & Gary Barnacle" (Big Frock)
"I was there at the Soft Cell show in NYC when Thirlwell joined for the performance of this and the crowd ERUPTED. Such a massive version of this gem." - Jon Whitney - Stereolab, "Cloud Land / Flashes In The Afternoon" (Duophonic)
- Lucrecia Dalt, "cosa rara" (RVNG Intl.)
- Lard, "Power of Lard" (Alternative Tentacles)
"I never actually listened to Lard until 2025 with this reissue, even though I have been a Ministry fan since the early 1990s. Only bummer with this is the already-excessive length of 'Hellfudge' is limited by vinyl (but the full version is on the download!)." - Creaig Dunton
"I had the cassette of this back when it was released and had very good memories to that B side. I can't imagine a truncated version would be even worth it." - Jon Whitney - Dustin O'Halloran, "The Chromatic Sessions" (Splinter)
- Dead Pioneers, "Freedom Means Something" (Hassle)
- Miki Berenyi Trio, "Doldrum Days" (Bella Union)
- Drop Nineteens, "White Dress" (Wharf Cat)
- Laika, "BBC Radio Sessions" (Beggars Arkive)
- Sparks, "MADDER!" (Transgressive)
- Andrew Chalk, "From the Poet's Dream" (Distant Impression)
Compilation of the Year
- "All the Young Droids: Junkshop Synth Pop 1978-1985" (Night School)
"Kudos to the curators of this masterpiece. Not a dud to be found on this collection." - Jon Whitney - "Arthur Russell's Disco Singles" (Mississippi)
- "Arthur Russell's Italian Pop Singles Collection" (Mississippi)
"Esteban Luis has made two fabulous mixtapes from the collections of Arthur Russell and I feel as if Arthur has made these mixtapes for me. Keep them coming! Or if they don't materialize, just send some more playlists." - Jon Whitney - "Disk Musik: A DD. Records Compilation" (Phantom Limb)
- "Music For Gaza Soup Kitchen" (Funds for Gaza)
- "Sitting on the Moon" (Mexican Summer)
- "String of Hearts (Songs of HTRK)" (Ghostly)
- "Pleasures and Treasures" (4AD)
- "Ghana Special: Highlife" (Soundway)
"I'm generally not a big fan of Highlife, but few labels can rival the curatorial talents of Soundway when it comes to international crate-digging. While not quite as great as some of their other African compilations, there are definitely some gems here that were new to me as well as one absolute classic that I am always happy to hear again (Honny and the Bees' "Psychedelic Woman")." - Anthony D'Amico - "When Worlds Collide" (Fourth Dimension)
- "Planet Mu 30" (Planet Mu)
- "TD10" (Timedance)
- "no pare, sigue sigue 4" (TraTraTrax)
- "Hope" (Sounds for the Soul)
- "Total 25" (Kompakt)
Vault/Reissue of the Year
- Seefeel, "Quique (Redux)" (Beggars Arkive)
- Stars of the Lid, "Music for Nitrous Oxide" (Artificial Pine Arch Manufacturing)
"As good as ever." - Duncan Edwards - Tim Hecker, "Shards" (Kranky)
- Seefeel, "Pure, Impure (Expanded EPs Edition)" (Beggars Arkive)
"FInally we are moving away from the LOUDNESS WARS era of remastering. Both of these Seefeel remasters sound amazing and make a perfect set together." - Jon Whitney - Low, "Things We Lost in the Fire (KONK40 edition)" (Konkurrent)
- Wire, "154+EP (KONK40 edition)" (Konkurrent)
"One of the few albums I would consider "perfect," so any means of it staying in print is fine by me. The inclusion of the bonus 7" is an excellent touch." - Creaig Dunton - Lush, "Gala" (4AD)
"Lush never made a bad album, but these early EPs make for some of their best work." - Creaig Dunton
"This always felt best as three separate EPs as opposed to a single release, although I don't like getting up and flipping the record as frequently." - Jon Whitney - Jan Jelinek, "Kosmischer Pitch" (Faitiche)
"Looked forward to this one, perhaps too much for it to live up to the expectations. Damn." - Duncan Edwards - Bark Psychosis, "Game Over" (Atlantic Motion)
- Bark Psychosis, "Independency" (Atlantic Motion)
- Clock DVA, "White Souls In Black Suits" (Mute)
"I don't remember this sounding as great as it does!" - Duncan Edwards - The Legendary Pink Dots, "Brighter Now (2025 Remaster)" (Terminal Kaleidoscope)
- cv313, "altering illusions [1 of 3]" (Echospace)
- Windy & Carl, "Antarctica: The Bliss Out, Vol. 2" (Darla)
- The Humble Bee, "Morning Music" (Dauw)
"One of the earliest releases from Craig Tattersall's solo tape loop project and still one of the best as well. An entire month's worth of quietly beautiful and meditative miniatures written and recorded before leaving for work each morning." - Anthony D'Amico - Bark Psychosis, "Replay" (Atlantic Motion)
"Mysteriously these Bark Psychosis releases surface and vanish. If you're quick enough you can snag them and they're absolutely worth hearing in full fidelity, even if tossed together, assembled out of order, with a little bit of overlap." - Jon Whitney - Galaxie 500, "CBGB 12.13.88" (Silver Current)
- Throbbing Gristle, "Live At The Volksbühne, Berlin. New Year's Eve 2005" (Mute)
- Sister Irene O’Connor, "Fire of God's Love" (Freedom to Spend)
"I was thrilled that this 1973 holy grail of outsider music finally got a reissue. A couple of Australian nuns armed with an electric organ and some effects set out to record some groovy songs of praise and wound up with something unlike anything else ever recorded. On highlights like "Fire," this album resembles nothing less than a private press Christian folk gem filtered through the sensibility of a cruise ship cocktail bar organist." - Anthony D'Amico
"The most bizarre thing I heard all year - by a country mile. Sincerely ludicrous, and ludicrously sincere." - Duncan Edwards - Wire, "Nine Sevens" (Pinkflag)
It might miss out on the individual sleeves, but there's something to be said for the convenience. Plus, since I missed out on the original box, this was a great opportunity for me to fill that gap. - Creaig Dunton - Spacemen 3, "Playing With Fire" (Space Age)
- Unrest, "Perfect Teeth (30th Anniversary Edition)" (4AD)
- Celer, "You and I Can't Ever Change (Expanded)" (Two Acorns)
- Monolake, "Gravity" (Field)
- Pale Saints, "Slow Buildings (30th Anniversary Remasters)" (4AD)
Boxed Set of the Year
- Hüsker Dü, "1985: The Miracle Year" (Numero Group)
"The sound restoration and presentation of the package is incredible. This release is truly top-notch and I'm not suprised this landed in the stop spot. I, however, hate listening to live shows on LP because they keep getting interrupted every 20 minutes to flip the record. Other option is the less expensive CD version but the pictures and booklet are so much smaller it's harder to read. (I guess it doesn't matter now because both are sold out at the source and who knows when or if they'll get re-pressed!) Hoping the studio recordings will get a proper remastering but I'm not holding my breath." - Jon Whitney - cv313, "Dimensional Space [Remastered by Pole]" (Echospace)
"Can't believe I missed out on this entire collective crew the first time around. Trying to right the wrong." - Jon Whitney - [V/A], "Classic Classic" (Classic Music Company)
"An absolutely overwhelming 30-year anniversary collection featuring some of the finest house cuts that I have ever heard in my life." - Anthony D'Amico - Susumu Yokota, "Skintone Edition Volume 1 - Albums 1-7" (Lo)
- Section 25, "From The Hip (Redux Edition)" (Factory Benelux)
- Dub Syndicate, "Out Here on the Perimeter 1989-1996" (On-U Sound)
- Test Dept, "Industrial Overture" (Artoffact)
- The Black Dog, "My Brutal Life 2" (Dust Science)
- Ida, "Will You Find Me (25th Anniversary Edition)" (Numero Group)
- X Mal Deutchland, "Gift" (4AD)
- Pye Corner Audio, "Where Things Are Hollow: No Tomorrow" (Lapsus)
- Loop, "Twelves" (Reactor)
Not sure why this was not called "The World in Your Eyes" since it features the same material as the 3CD expanded version of that from 2009, but it does not matter. My two absolute favorite Loop moments ("Sunburst" and the live version of "Burning World") are here, and that's all that matters. - Creaig Dunton - Laibach, "Alamut" (Mute)
- The Black Dog, "My Brutal Life: Ambient Mixes" (Dust Science)
- [V/A], "Kompakt 500" (Kompakt)
- Dianogah, "1995-2008" (Landland Colportage)
- Scratch Acid, "Scratch Acid" (Touch & Go)
- The Residents, "American Composers Series (1982-1987)" (Cherry Red)
- [V/A], "The Alien Territory Archives: A Collection of Radical, Experimental, & Irrelevant Music from 1970s San Diego" (Nyahh)
"A sprawling document celebrating a unique and fascinating milieu that includes early work from artists like Diamanda Galas, Pauline Oliveros, and Robert Turman." - Anthony D'Amico
"Unfortunately few gems here: Partch, Galás, Yuasa, standing out." - Duncan Edwards - Current 93 dreamt by Andrew Liles, "Like Swallowing Eclipses" (Dirter)
- Kevin Drumm, "If Tomorrow Gets Here" (Ideal)
- Karate, "If You Can Hold Your Breath" (Numero Group)
- Brad Laner, "Scopaesthesia Parts 1-4" (No Holiday)
- Sun Ra, "Nuits de la Fondation Maeght" (Strut)
- Clikatat Ikatowi, "The Trials and Tribulations of..." (Numero Group)
"I haven't picked this one up yet, but I went to a hell of a lot of hardcore shows in the '90s and it warms my heart that Numero Group seem deeply committed to unearthing and reissuing all of the most unique, intense, and noise-damaged outliers from that era." - Anthony D'Amico
Artist of the Year
- The Legendary Pink Dots
- Stereolab
- Lucrecia Dalt
- Kara-Lis Coverdale
- The Bug vs Ghost Dubs
- Laura Cannell
- loscil
- Tape Loop Orchestra
- Swans
- Andrew Chalk
Label of the Year
- Thrill Jockey
- Drag City
- 4AD
- Beggars Arkive
- Room40
- Duophonic
- Mute
- Kranky
- Pressure
- RVNG Intl.
New Artist of the Year
Disiniblud
"I hope that the duo of Rachika Nayar & Nina Keith continues to record as an entity because together they seemed to be more than the sum of the parts. On album, I felt like they formed a band that was reminiscent of the electronic tail-end of the post-rock days of the early 2000s. Live, I was mesmerized, the experience was transcendent and otherworldly." - Jon Whitney
Lifetime Achievement Recognition
Edward Ka-Spel
"Amusingly, I felt like I was already very late to the party when my Skinny Puppy obsession first led me to Tear Garden and the Legendary Pink Dots in the mid-'90s, as it seemed like the golden age that began in the mid-'80s had finally started to dissipate a few years earlier. Thirty years later, I find myself eagerly awaiting every fresh holiday single or major new Legendary Pink Dots release and the one constant throughout it at all has been the singular mind and work ethic of Edward Ka-Spel. While his vast discography has admittedly felt both overwhelming and inconsistent at times, he has remained a creatively restless, wildly imaginative, and endearingly sardonic psychedelic visionary seemingly undeterred by shifting trends, catastrophic line-up changes, or the prospect of financial ruin. He may already have 200+ albums in his rearview mirror at this stage in his career, but I've never lost the sense that the next album or song still has the potential to be the best one yet." - Anthony D'Amico
"As I review the musical artists that have been recognized in years past I am both alarmed and ashamed that Edward has never been recognized, as I feel he's always been here, always been reliable. Maybe that's the problem. We can always count on a year full of plenty of music from The Prophet Qa'Spel aka Che Banana aka D'Archangel or The Legendary Pink Dots, and numerous extra curricular activities. This past year we were rewarded with not only two new Legendary Pink Dots full-length LPs and two holiday specials plus a tour, but an extensive new Tear Garden album and hopes of a tour in the works. He's the last Legendary Pink Dot remaining. At this point he has probably authored more songs than Prince, Paul McCartney, and Irving Berlin (but maybe not Dolly Parton yet). Ka-Spel can't be pigeonholed into a single genre, he continues to listen and share his love for new music, interact with listeners and engage with new fans alike, and keep things moving forward while keeping as much available of the past for everyone to continue to enjoy. Like Anthony aforementioned, I too felt late to the game when I discovered EKS and the Legendary Pink Dots by way of The Tear Garden (but this was back in 1987 when I was addicted to "You and Me and Rainbows" from Tired Eyes, Slowly Burning). Looking forward to the next year and more to come from one of the most prolific songwriters we have the fortune to share time and space with." - Jon Whitney
