What is going on, friends? Welcome to My Weekly
Mixtape, a show that takes the classic mixtape
approach to building a modern playlist. I'm your
host, Brian Colburn, and we are finally at that
point that we are rounding down the top songs
of 2025. Yes, as quickly as it feels like we
were just talking about the best songs of 2024,
here we are rounding up another year's worth
of music. For the third time in a row, who better
to join me for that discussion because we did
it in 2023 as well as 2024 is my friend DT Carell
of Space Castle. DT, welcome back to the show,
my friend. Thanks, man. At this point, I'm just
having myself cryogenically frozen in between
doing these. So the years go by super fast and
I just wake myself up just to do this every year.
So I love it. So thanks for having me back, man.
Well, it's glad to see you've thought out in
time for this. And I'm curious. What do you think
2025, if you had to sum up the year in music,
how would you do that? Oh, man. So just going
off of my playlist that I've selected tonight,
it's revival and looking back and resurrection
of a lot of things and a lot of like reflection
and introspective thoughts and whatnot. So that'll
make a lot more sense once we get into the list.
It's a lot of looking back, but also looking
forward to the future in a lot of ways, too.
Awesome. And for mine, I consider it to be more
of a cyclical nature. I feel like a lot of the
newer bands that are out now are borrowing from
bands of the past. And I don't mean borrowing
like Copycat. I mean the sounds and the style.
What's old is new again. This happens in waves.
It happens so many times over the decades. There
are bands that... A couple of years ago when
Greta Van Fleet came out, you're like, oh, that's
a throwback to the 70s. And bands like Rival
Sons and stuff like that, I feel like it's happening
in a lot of other genres now. Oh, yeah, in a
big way. And I think that's okay because it touches
on nostalgia for the older audience, but it also
touches on a quote -unquote new sound for the
young audience, which is their target demographic.
100%, yeah. Like I said, we're going to see a
lot of that in my playlist tonight where it's
a marriage of what people our age are listening
to and what kids that like our kids, basically.
I don't have kids, but kids of the generation
of like your kids are listening to as well. A
lot of the shows I went to this year were a lot
of the bands on this list. And it was parents
bringing their kids and both the parents and
the kids knowing all the words of the songs and
rocking out and having something to relate to
on both those levels. It was a really cool year,
honestly. And of course, it wouldn't be a My
Weekly Mixtape episode if I didn't include some
of the Patreon mixtapers into this fold. And
a few of them chimed in with some of their top
songs to give you and I some food for thought
as we dive into 2025. So I want to give a quick
shout out to a few of them. Starting off with
Chad LaMassa, who chimed in with Weekend Friends.
He's been all about them this year. They are
a great band. His Album of the Year and Song
of the Year both came from them. The album feels
like hell. and the song Smoke Mirrors. I have
to say this album is absolutely amazing. And
as far as cover songs, they do a killer version
of Natalie Imbruglia's Torn. It's one of my top
cover songs of the year. So I love this pick.
I do too. That guy is awesome. I've gotten to
know that guy on your Discord, which is just
a banging place to learn about music. He turned
me on to Weekend Friends and he told me about
the fact that they're going to be playing in
my neck of the woods, Colorado. I think next
year in the spring. And I'm going to go just
because he's had me listen to so much of the
music that I am in love with him now too. And
yes, that album is phenomenal. And so is the
track you picked. Well, with that, Tom Hutchison
chimed in for song of the year. It's birds by
turnstile saying the tiny desk performance was
epic and he can't stop listening to that song.
However, for album of the year, he's going with
tsunami sea by spirit box saying it's a heavy
album and Courtney's voice. is so beautiful throughout
the whole record. Spirit Box, I got to see them
with Shine Down and Papa Roach on that tour,
and it is such a 180. Every song goes from this
ethereal to the depths of hell in one song, and
it's so seamless. You'd think that that wouldn't
work. It's the devil and the angel kind of battling
it out in each song, and they've really honed
in on that sound and that style. And then for
Turnstile, I don't think there's really anything
that needs to be said. They are, over the last
several years, just really making this scene
their own. Love the pick. I love the turnstile
pick too, man. That band has exploded this year.
They're really good. Massive genre benders. Just
super fun to see them perform. And then Philip
Bergman chimed in saying, Brian, I know you want
to avoid politics. Well, I guess you know me
very well. But there's no denying that the political
scenes did give us some catchy tunes, saying
it'd be like discussing a mixtape of 1970 without
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's Ohio. So he has
to include the House of Evos mix of a gift from
Todd's hostile government takeover. And then
on the non -political side of the spectrum, he's
going with Sabrina Carpenter's When Did You Get
Hot and the paranoid styles tearing the ticket.
He then chimed in a couple of days later saying
he knows it's past the deadline, but he wanted
to try to squeeze in Olivia Dean's Man I Mean.
He just heard it for the first time today, and
it immediately jumped to the top of the year
list for him. Olivia Dean's a vibe, man. Dude,
100%. Yeah, and I will allow the deadline passing
because that is a worthy pick. That's an awesome
choice. And also my girl Sabrina, man. She's
just lighting it up. Everything she drops is
fire, man. It's crazy. I'll be shocked if we
get through this episode without talking about
her. But with that said, I don't want to give
any more spoilers. If you would like to join
the mixtaper community and chime in on future
episodes, you could do so over at patreon .com
forward slash my weekly mixtape. It's free to
join. And there's several tiers if you want to
pick up some extra goodies. If you want to chime
in on topics for future. My Weekly Mixtape episodes,
you can hit me up at myweeklymixtape at gmail
.com via this Patreon, like I just mentioned,
patreon .com forward slash myweeklymixtape on
all the social media haunts at myweeklymixtape
or via the contact page at myweeklymixtape .com.
All right, DT, the time is now 2025. We're looking
back. I cannot believe I'm saying this because
I feel like we just. Did the 2024 look back?
But what do you have to kick things off tonight?
We're going to kick things off in what's been
kind of a weird and tumultuous year for a lot
of people with just an absolute ray of joy and
sunshine. And that is Bender by The Paradox featuring
Travis Barker. Nice. This is a band based out
of Atlanta that formed just last year, if you
can believe it. They started putting their videos
and their music on social media and they just
went viral and exploded. They got invited by
Green Day to come open for them. They got invited
by Jack White to come open for them. They just
got on everybody's radar right off the bat. And
they were playing shows like Warped Tour and
the When We Were Young Festival and going to
all these big, huge tours with these big musicians
before they even had a full catalog of songs
for an LP or an EP. So I actually got to see
them live previously earlier this year. This
is just before they released the album, so I
can actually say they were on their first tour
before the big album was released. And they had
to play a lot of cover songs because they only
had a handful of their own songs. But all those
songs are phenomenal bangers. And it is just
an absolute joyful throwback to the early 2000s
pop punk scene. And that's why Travis Barker
noticed them while he jumped on board and he
guested on this track, which is insane. And yeah,
Bender is just, it's a song about partying too
hard when you're in your 20s. Maybe regretting
it the next day, but knowing you're going to
end up doing it again because you're 20 and nothing
really matters. But it's also done in such a
joyful and fun fashion. And these kids are just
full of energy. They're doing amazing things.
And when I saw them play in Denver, it was dads
and sons and mothers and daughters, generational
gaps who all knew the words to every song. And
we're all in the pit jumping around together
and having a great time. And if you haven't heard
this band, you're going to. It's inevitable.
They're going to take the world by storm. And
their new EP. NSFW, not safe for work, is just
amazing and super sweet and awesome and fun.
And I cannot wait to see where these boys go
next. I could not agree more. They are making
Atlanta proud in terms of punk rock. You don't
normally hear about the Atlanta punk rock scene.
If there wasn't one, there is one now. I read
a bunch of stuff online, you know, because people
on the Internet just want to ruin everything.
talking about, oh, their industry plant, stop
it. They just formed. They just have that magic.
They have that lightning in a bottle. They're
extremely talented. They know how to work the
social media algorithm because at the end of
the day, if their song sucked, it doesn't matter
how great their social media content was. Nobody
would care. Jack White invited them out to play
because there were songs there. They're touring
with All Time Low. Because there are good songs
there. They're going to be at Welcome to Rockville
in 2026 because there are good songs there. So
it doesn't matter how new or old of a band they
are. The foundation has been laid throughout
2025. I love this EP. And then just as a sidebar
question, has Travis Barker ever featured on
a shit song? Like, I don't think he's ever played
on a song where you go, man, that song kind of
sucks. No, Travis Barker's got a reputation uphold,
and Blink -182 has always been one of the mainstay
pillars of the pop punk genre. So for him to
buy in and fully endorse, to not only appear
in the video and hang out with these guys, he
actually jumped up on stage as a surprise thing
when they played Warped Tour this summer and
actually played a couple of songs with them.
So if that is not a resounding endorsement of
the quality of this band, I don't know what is.
And can we please get off of calling every new
band that makes it big like a studio plant? Like
this happened before with the last dinner party.
Those five girls just busted on the scene and
just made a huge splash and put out amazing music.
And because they were really successful out the
gate, all of a sudden, like it was just manufactured
and it was designed by, you know, the record
labels and whatnot. Like, can we stop tearing
each other down out of pure envy and just celebrate
the fact that we've got such really good music
from young artists out there? And the fact that
you can still make it as a musician in this atmosphere
and this economy and this environment. Please,
can we just support each other? Can't we all
just get along? Now, look, I immediately, my
brain wants to follow up Paradox and Travis Barker
combined with Goldfinger and Mark Hoppus on freaking
out a bit. However, as much as I love that song
and as much as I love the fact that ska punk
is still thriving in 2025. I have to go with
a song that I discovered literally the week after
you and I recorded the 2024 episode. It came
out in November of 2024. My buddy Drew sent it
to me and said, dude, this ska band I've been
into for a couple of years just dropped an absolute
banger. You need to check this out. And so the
song is from November of 2024. However, I'll
allow it. I don't care. There's no more rules
anymore on this show. I could put a song from
1971 if I feel like it. Hell yeah, damn right.
This EP dropped in 2025. It's called Better Safe
and Sorry. The band is called Millington. Yes.
And the song is called Radio. Ska punk is alive
and well in 2025. The full circle pop punk movement
is here. If you consider the paradox, to be a
25 year cycle of what pop punk was in the early
two thousands. Then Millington is what the third
wave ska sound was in the late nineties and early
two thousands. It's back again, full circle.
Could this be the fifth wave of ska? Who knows,
but I am here for it. These guys are talented.
I do hear hints of Jordan Pundit of newfound
glory in the vocals. But it's not a hat tip or
an homage to him. It is just the way this band
sounds. It's got a little bit of that pop punk,
but a lot of that ska. And ska is, I've always
been a huge fan of it. And I think coming out
of the paradox, you talked about a band that's
up and coming on the rise. I really hope that
Millington is one of those next up and coming
ska bands to blow up. I think the Interrupters
need to bring these guys out on tour with them.
Because The Interrupters were part of that fourth
wave of ska that everybody now accepts The Interrupters
as a top tier ska punk band. And I feel like
when I've seen them, they brought out bands like
The Devil Makes Three and Joey Valance and Bray.
Yeah. But they need to bring out more ska punk
because there's a big scene out there that's
still thriving and Millington is doing it with
radio. We just need more ska in the world. Ska
is so much fun and just about having a good time.
I cut my teeth going to ska shows when I was
a teenager. And it was just as much about dancing
and jumping around as it was like throwing your
arm around the person next to you and just singing
along with all the words. If we're headed for
a fifth wave of ska, now is the perfect time
for it because we just need more of that joy
and that beautiful, positive energy in the world.
I love the pick. I love the band, dude. That
album is such a banger. And yeah, if Millington
is going to be one of those bands that leads
the fifth wave of ska into the world. bring it
on fellas like i'm ready for it let's go it makes
me a little melancholy feeling for the fact that
all the stuff that i love as a kid is now becoming
that weird sort of cool you know what i mean
like everything is cyclical like that 25 years
cycle like you said and i'm feeling a little
bit old that like ska punk and like pop punk
is cool again like what does that say about me
but if we're gonna bring back genres let's bring
back freaking ska punk and pop punk because they're
just so much fun i love it and i do want to say
As far as I'm concerned, Scott Punk and Pop Punk
never left. Hell yeah. But they left the mainstream
conversation. And I want it back in the mainstream
conversation. And I feel like The Paradox and
Millington are two bands that are worthy enough
to carry that torch. 100%. Love it. So where
do we go from here? Uh, instead of young kids
bringing up the old sound, we're just going to
go with some older dudes maintaining the same
sound for the last 25 years. It's my dudes, the
hives. They put out maybe their best album ever.
And that's not hyperbole because they're my favorite
band. The hives forever. The forever. The hives
is probably their best album since barely legal
in like the year 2000. The track is hooray, hooray,
hooray. And it was really difficult for me to
narrow down which track I wanted to throw on
this list because every track is a non -skip.
banger and these dudes are in their mid 40s early
50s and they're still jumping around on stage
and jumping into the crowd and crowd surfing
and just going berserk and playing some of their
best music ever this track just comes out swinging
and kicking and jumping and throwing itself onto
the stage and just acting a fool but with the
same discipline and incredible energy and just
razor sharp focus the hives have always brought
to the music If you haven't heard this album,
go check it out. If you haven't seen them live,
they're touring America again for the second
time in two years, which is unheard of for them.
Go see them live because I think they are still
the best live band in the world, as was foretold
by Spin Magazine in the 2000s. I love this band.
I love this album. I love this song. I would
have been shocked if this didn't make your list.
When the death of Randy Fitzsimmons came out
in 2023, there was that 11 year gap between Lex
hives and the death. And I said, well, I'm a
little concerned, you know, could they have lost
it? And that album was amazing. They didn't lose
a step. The hives forever. The hives makes it
sound like that album had lost a step. If that
makes any sense, I'm not putting it down. It's
so much better. It's so much better, but there's
nothing against the death of Randy Fitzsimmons.
I love that album, but the hives forever. The
hives makes me look at it differently. That's
how good it is. It's so wild that we get two
hives albums in two years and they almost kind
of go together as one singular album because
they're very, very different in tone. And I've,
I've come to, as a big fan of the band view,
the tube albums as sort of like an a side and
a B side of like the same sort of collection.
Because like you said, like the death of Randy
Fitzsimmons is a very good album, but it kind
of. It slows down in the back end and it doesn't
really maintain the same energy that it kicks
off with. And this album just kicks off and just
doesn't stop. Like it is, it has got the same
energy as one of the live shows where it just,
it just kicks off and it fills your ear with
just this noise, this sound, this wonderful chaos.
And it doesn't stop for 30, 40 minutes. And like
I said, I love the Randy, the death of Randy
Fitzsimmons, but the hives for over the hives
is one of the, best albums they put out ever.
Usually the best one they put out in 20 years.
So yeah, man, it's crazy, man. Like they're aging
like fine wine. Well, following that up, I'm
going to, I'm going to hop onto that energy you're
talking about. And I'm going to go with a song
that remember how I mentioned that songs I'm
going to be pulling maybe have not come out in
2025, but there's loopholes. This is the biggest
loophole I'm going to pull tonight. Because this
song was released as a single in 2023. I don't
know, man. I might be out. I'm kidding. Let's
see. I talked about it with Coco Kenan on the
90s Punk episode back in 2024. Okay. And at this
point, Winona Fighter was putting their first
studio album together. And early this year, in
2025, they released their first studio album,
My Apologies to the Chef. And as far as I'm concerned,
it's their debut album. So if this song is on
their debut album, I don't care when it came
out as a single, don't at me. It's on the 2025
album. And I am going to go with the track hams
in a glass. That is such a banger track, dude.
Oh my God. Oh my, it is unbelievable. And I've
been through a ton of stress this year. It has
been one of the most. single -handedly stressful
years of my life and this song has been an absolute
release for me this whole year and i love this
album from start to finish i should probably
mention the fact that there's now two versions
of the album because about six months after the
album dropped they put out a deluxe edition that
featured the entire album acoustically i want
to say that the label was behind that i hope
the label was behind that because I would have
loved to buy the deluxe edition on day one. It's
become a new trend. A lot of bands are doing
that, releasing deluxe editions within months
of the album coming out. And I understand there's
a good chance it's for the streaming numbers
and to try to make an impact on streaming sites.
But there are a lot of folks like me that like
to go out and buy and collect physical media.
And I feel like it punishes that circle of people,
that circle being your biggest. because at the
end of the day, one album sale, I'm sure benefits
the band a lot more than one album stream. So
I don't want to say it's not a diss. This is
one of the best albums to come out in 2025. And
I highly suggest you buy it. Grab the deluxe
edition because there's an entire, the entire
album done acoustically. There's some covers
on it. It's great stuff. And if you're not familiar
with Winona Fider. Go back to earlier this year,
there is a full album dive episode with Coco
Kinnan where we dive into all the tracks from
My Apologies to the Chef. Definitely one of the
albums of the year for me. And Female Pop Punk
is alive and thriving. They put on such an incredible
live show. You'll be thankful you go see them.
They are making a name for themselves from their
live show. Grassroots, no nonsense. Town to town,
just tearing it up. And I think they're going
to be one of the next big things in pop punk.
I think they're going to be one of the next big
things, period. This band is relentless. And
I mean that in the absolute best way possible,
both in terms of their sound and their music,
but their live shows too. This band is just firing
on all cylinders. They're so hungry, but so goddamn
rawly talented at the same time. There's no way
they're not going to hit the stratosphere and
just become one of the biggest bands on the planet.
This entire album is wonderful. I agree with
your sentiment that everybody should buy it immediately.
Don't just stream it. Don't just play it on Spotify
or Deezer or whatever your streaming platforms.
Go buy an album by a band like this that you
know is just doing it for the pure passion and
outlet of being this loud and this angry and
this badass. Like, that's a perfect word for
Winona Fighter. They are just badass, man. They
just get after it. And they just have boundless
energy and their music is so... freaking good
too love the pic love the album love the song
too man it's so wonderfully angry it's awesome
yeah that screaming it is so visceral it's it's
everything that yeah man all the pent -up frustration
i have in 2025 gets released every time i hear
that song it's it's goosebumps every time i get
to that point in the song every time yeah it's
wonderful so where do we go from here We're going
to keep representing the ladies, the front women
in rock and roll right now. And my next pick
is from a band that started just a couple of
years ago in LA. They're called Rocket. And they
just put out their first feature length album
this year. And the single off that album is a
song called Take Your Aim. So this is another
band kind of sort of like The Paradox, wherein
they kind of went viral before they actually
sort of started thinking about touring and putting
out like a feature length album. And this song
just grabbed everybody's attention, man. It's
another like throwback style song. And it's very
much a throwback style band and album. But I
don't want to pigeonhole them as being like,
you know, trying to ape or trying to capture
that old sound. But this band Rocket just effortlessly
captured the shoegaze sound of the early 90s.
I'm talking bands like My Bloody Valentine and
bands like that. And they just nail it. And I
actually got to see them live in Phoenix a couple
of months ago. And they were just flawless. like
if you told me that oh no they actually didn't
play their instruments they just played the song
live i'd be like you know what it was that perfectly
played that i'm not i'm gonna give them the benefit
of the doubt and say that yeah they played it
because obviously yeah they're that talented
but just one of the cleanest and just best produced
live shows i've ever seen and like the track
on the album is exactly the same take your aim
is just It's a dynamite track. It's the track
they opened their live shows with, and it's just
an absolute banger. This is not one of those
bands that are young and up and coming, and they're
just going to hit the stratosphere at any point
because they are just that talented and that
cool, and the sound is just that good. Another
one where I highly recommend not streaming it,
just go on their website and buy it and support
these young, hungry musicians who are just doing
some of the best music I've heard in decades,
honestly. Now, I need you to correct me if I'm
wrong here, but I have the CD of R is for Rocket
and Take Your Aim isn't on it. Maybe that's just
a streaming only thing. Shoot, you're right.
It's not on the album. It was released as a single
before it. You're right. I'm an idiot. Don't
edit this out. Roast me. You're right. No, it
was a single they released before. That's where
I want to go with this, because that song. It
whet your appetite for the album. And I was so
severely disappointed when it didn't make the
final cut because the album is phenomenal. Yeah.
Phenomenal. This is that 90s shoegaze alternative
rock sound. I don't know about you, but I even
hear some Smashing Pumpkins in their music. Yes.
Thank you. I've been saying the same thing to
people. It's very, very early Smashing Pumpkins.
Yeah. the sounds are cyclical. And that's becoming
the theme this year because we talked about the
paradox. We talked about Millington, Winona Fighter.
Rocket has that sound, but the thing is, it's
generating a buzz with people that are my age,
in their 40s, as well as the young crowd. So
you're hitting two different musical generations.
With a sound that if you told me, here's an undiscovered
album I found from 1994 and you put in R is for
Rocket, I would 100 % believe you that the album
came out in 1994. And then if you said to me,
in the same breath, it came out in 2025, I believe
you too. That is amazing that you can make an
album that sounds like it's 30 years old and
brand new all at the same time. Yeah. Dude, kudos
to their sound engineer because the album is
just crisp and clean. And along with the track
that I am a complete idiot for not recognizing,
I do now. It's just one of those weird things
where I listen to the album all the way through
and it's like, yeah, I'm also going to go back
and listen to Take Your Aim because it's such
a catchy banger of a track. And you're right.
This band is so talented and the album itself
is so good that they didn't even need to put
their biggest current hit on the album in order
for it to be successful. I'm scared that'll be
on the deluxe edition of ours for rocket that
comes out next week. Right. Right. Well, we're
talking about the sounds that are what's old
is new again. And I think I'm going to follow
up rocket with a band that is very uniquely 2025,
but also has a sound that you could say this
album came out in the nineties and make a good
argument for it. I was introduced to this band
in 2019 with their album Celebrity Mansions,
which I discovered as Dinosaur Pile Up was the
opening act for Shinedown on their summer tour
with Bad Flower. I immediately fell in love with
this band's style, this band's vibe, this band's
sound, and I'm going to go with, off their newest
album, I Felt Better, the track My Way, which
mixes in a... unique style of alternative rock
and hip hop and grunge all kind of thrown into
a blender. Kind of sounds like a little bit of
Beck thrown into the mix and a little bit of
punk rock. And it's just kind of a smorgasbord
of sounds. And the funny part about dinosaur
pileup is that song. The song my way is not indicative
of. the band's entire spectrum of music because
they also incorporate a lot of punk on the heavier
side, as well as metal. I think the easiest song
that I could go to is off of celebrity mansions,
which would be thrash metal cassette. That is
a purely thrash metal track done only the way
dinosaur pile up can do it. And this is a group
that I talked about when I had shine down on
the podcast, we talked about the fact that. They
were kind enough because at the time that we
saw them, the band's banner was draped over their
amps because it had broke. And the band saw this
and realized, and when I say band, I mean Shinedown
noticed this was happening. And the band paid
for a brand new banner for them to be up on stage
behind them. That's awesome. Because they wanted
them to get. the notoriety in the United States
that Shinedown felt they deserved because Dinosaur
Pileup is from the UK. And to me, that was one
of the coolest community things in music that
I've ever heard. And it's why I will always ring
the bell for Shinedown. They are just genuinely
good people. And I think I'm going to put a pin
in that because I'm sure I might have some more
to say about that later. But Dinosaur Pileup
is my way to follow up Rocket. I love that track.
I love that band too, man. And like you said,
one of my favorite things about music is the
community aspect of it. And that's not just between
fans. It's about bands too. And what you just
said about Shinedown really kind of taking them
under their wing and also like taking care of
them financially. It reminds me of like back
when like, like when 82 was first coming up and
they went on tour with Pennywise. And Pennywise
was like equal parts like mentoring them and
helping them grow and establishing them in front
of new audiences. And also like, tormenting him
and bullying the hell out of them at the same
time uh read mark hoppus's book it's wonderful
but no i love dinosaur pilot man and the whole
album is great but my way is just a great track
to get a little like maybe this is me being crazy
a little puddle of mud in there too kind of sort
of kind of i could hear that yeah just a little
bit yeah but it's very much got that like don't
give a f vibe to it from like the late 90s early
2000s of rock and sort of genre bending bands
like puddle of mud but i love the pick i love
the energy um i can't wait to see what these
guys do next like many of the bands on this list
this is an absolutely worthy addition to this
list all right where do we take it from here
are we staying with this 90s throwback vibe brian
you've known me for a number of years now and
you know at some point i was gonna get weird
and go off the rails with this and i feel like
this is the time i'm just gonna get weird i'm
gonna drop this on you we're gonna see what happens
It's Tyler, the creator, because if he would
just stop dropping bangers every year, I would
stop including him on these lists every year.
The track is Don't Tap That Glass slash Tweekin.
It's a twofer. It's almost like a double track
off of this year's Don't Tap The Glass album.
I didn't know how he was going to follow up Chromacopia,
which was one of the best hip hop albums of the
decade, maybe the last 20 years. He just came
out swinging once again with Don't Tap the Glass,
which is, dude, this is just literally like one
amazing rapper and like sound nerd, just like
recording stuff in his house and like putting
it together as an album. And it's just magic
every time he does it. This track is just so
much fun. And like I said, it's a double track.
So you get two different vibes for the price
of one here. You get like the straight up sort
of like go with the flow sort of rap track. And
then you get tweaking, which is. Kind of goes
off the rails like I am right now with this list.
But Tyler, the creator, just does all this weird
shit and stuff. And it shouldn't work cohesively,
but it does anyway. And I think the man is just
a genius. I think he's one of the most electric
rappers and performers in general of the last
couple of decades. The man is just amazing. He's
never going to stop. He's already hit legendary
status. And I feel like if he keeps releasing
a banger album every year like he has been, then
there's still hope for humanity. But yeah, no,
Don't Tap the Glass slash Tweekin is one of my
favorite rap songs of the year off of one of
my favorite rap albums of the year from one of
my favorite artists of all time. I think it absolutely
had to be on this list. And I apologize. And
I can't wait to see where you go from here. Well,
look, it was his fourth consecutive number one
album. So you cannot deny his impact. Now, I'm
familiar with this because I knew the song Big
Poe with Pharrell Williams. That's the opening
track on the album. And when I talk with my oldest,
she said to me, Tyler, the Creator's one of those
artists that's hot or cold. You're either all
in on the sound or you're not. She's never met
anybody who's mid on his music. No, you're either
fanatic or you're like, whatever. But I meet
way more people that are like, oh my God, Tyler,
the Creator's amazing. Because if you're not
a massive Tyler the Creator fan, I feel like
you just haven't heard of him yet, honestly.
Or you've only heard one or two tracks and you
haven't really dived full head first into his
music. Because once he grabs you, man, there's
no letting go. You're just along for the ride.
He's just incredible. As much as the song Big
Poe was fun, that New Orleans bounce style hip
hop that Don't Tap That Glass has, it's undeniable.
It drags you right in. And then there's tweaking,
which on paper should be nowhere near this track.
But for some unknown reason, it actually works.
He's a mad scientist. They are literally on opposite
sides of the spectrum, but they work so well
together. That's Tyler, man. He just does that
and he doesn't care. And somehow it's just amazing.
And it turns out to be like the best rap album
of that year every time. Well, I'm going to argue
one thing there. It's your favorite rap album
of the year. It's not my favorite rap album of
the year, so I am going to be able to follow
you up, but I'm going to follow you up with a
rap album that did come with some controversy,
especially for those who are creatives like you
and I. You got something good in the chamber.
I'm ready for it. Is it one of 36 chambers? I
guess my idea of controversy was not a tough
thing for you to guess, but 100 % I am going
with. Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman, Wu
-Tang, and Mathematics. And we are going with
Mandingo featuring Wei Kuan, Inspector Deck,
Method Man, and Capadonna, which I don't know
why they're featured on the track. Aren't they
part of Wu -Tang? Wu -Tang is weird anymore,
but yeah. The fact that Wu -Tang Clan is dropping
music that still hits as hard 32 years after
36 Chambers. speaks to the level of hip -hop
royalty that they're at. And I think that you
would never get a Tyler, the Creator, without
a Wu -Tang Clan. No, absolutely not. But for
Wu -Tang Clan, which is like your... I don't
want to say they're the grandfathers, but they've
been at this for three decades. They are pioneers.
They are some of the best to ever do it. And
to be able to put out an album that hits... Just
as hard in 2025 as some of the big names of this
year speaks to this band's longevity. The controversy
and the critique as a creator myself, I did not
like the video because it was done completely
with AI, but that's just my, I respect them as
artists. I respect them as musicians, as one
of the pioneering hip hop groups of all time.
I would rather them just be sitting in a room
lip syncing. than have an ai video as much as
it was a fun concept as soon as i saw it was
all ai i kind of like because it has that shine
to it yeah it's hard to ignore as a creative
person myself it's definitely controversial in
the creative world i don't know if it's controversial
outside and because you're a creative like me
i knew you'd pick up on the controversy as soon
as i said it Well, it's, you know, first of all,
I love the pic. And let's let's touch on the
fact that the RZA is one of the most legendary
and greatest hip hop producers of all time. And
he produced this album. And that's a true testament
to, you know, Wu -Tang's longevity is the fact
that the RZA is such a mad scientist, incredible
producer. And like you said, people like Tyler,
the creator probably wouldn't be around if it
wasn't for RZA, because he really set the stage
for just doing whatever the F he wanted to do.
Sampling whatever he wanted to do, which is going
absolutely crazy berserk on the back end of tracks
after they'd recorded the vocals and just putting
up this incredible, amazing, legendary hip hop
that obviously clearly still influences everything
that comes out after today. The video pisses
me off because the RZA is such an eclectic and
incredible producer. And for them to just cop
out the video and just do like an AI thing. When
like Michael Jai White is still in amazing shape.
I mean, you basically have him in the video.
Just get him to show up on a green screen and
take his shirt off and do some badass martial
arts moves. And there you go. That would have
been a better video. But no, the track is incredible.
Wu -Tang is still for everybody. They're one
of the eternal hip hop slash rap groups. They
always will be. The RZA will forever be one of
the best producers of all time. And yeah, no,
it's like you said, every time Wu -Tang Clan
drops something. It's still awesome. It's still
phenomenal. It's still Wu -Tang. Like, yeah,
they're inescapable, and I hope we never, ever
have to escape them. All right, so we got a back
-to -back hip -hop duo of Tyler, the Creator,
and Wu -Tang plus Mathematics. Where do we go
from here? I'm going to get weird again. I don't
know. Of course, why not? I'm going to have to
go through a beer now. It's 2025. Everything's
weird anyway. I really fell in love with this
song over the late spring, early summer. and
it really kind of captured my imagination and
became for me the banger, like the hit track
of the summer. It's Maris and Caroline Kingsbury.
The track is called Give Me a Sign. It's another
one of those groups that went, or not groups,
but just performers that went viral online with
this track. It actually afforded them the ability
to go on a co -headlining tour that I caught
here in Denver. It was a true co -headlining
tour, which is really cool. They would both come
out and perform this song. stop halfway and then
it would switch off performing every like five
or six songs or so so you wouldn't just wait
and see one and then see the other or whatever
like you had to like wait and like get through
the entire show to see both of their sets and
in between they would do songs together and it
was just super cool but these are two immensely
talented women who are doing incredible 80s throwback
pop which is something i have always loved and
yeah i check out that the track on youtube the
video is phenomenal too And then go do a deep
dive on both of their catalogs because these
are just two immensely powerful, wonderful, passionate
women who are just having the time of their lives.
And we are just along for the ride. And I'm so
happy to be along for the ride. I'll be honest.
The first time I heard this song, I said, okay,
the Chapel Roan effect is real. Yeah, I won't
deny it. And I'm not saying in any way that they're
copying it. I'm saying that what Chapel Roan
did in 2023 and 2024 opened the door. For labels
and artists to realize that this sound is something
that people are craving and want more of. Totally.
So I want to be very clear. I am not saying that
Maris is going down like a copycat route. I am
not saying that at all. I am saying that every
now and then an artist will come out and it will
bring a sound back into the mainstream. And I
think we can go as far back as the weekend's
blinding lights. As with that 80s throwback sound
where, oh, the 80s can be cool again. It doesn't
sound dated. And I feel like that might have
been the song that was the tipping point for
the 80s to sound relevant in the 2020s now. I
could not agree more. I think you're spot on
with your choice of The Weeknd as being that
sort of gateway guy who used to be a rapper.
And then he was like, I'm going to try 80s style
pop. And that was what he was supposed to be
doing all along. Holy shit. Amazing. But yeah,
no. And I'm so grateful for artists that do that
type of thing. And for, you know, like we were
talking about before where like Shinedown was
bringing Dinosaur Pilip out with them on tour
and just introducing all these up and coming
bands that are recapturing that old sound, but
bringing their own modern and young and youthful
spirit to it. Yeah. Just check out Maris and
Carolyn Kingsbury. Like if you're a big fan of
big. bombastic 80s pop ballads and stuff like
that you'll totally dig them but there's also
that modern twist on it like they're they're
not just out there trying to you know recapture
the sound of the 80s they're putting their own
twist on it and just using it as an influence
to introduce this whole new wave of sound too
which is really cool and go see them live that
was one of the most like genuine and impassioned
and sweet and inclusive and just communal experiences
I've ever had at a show like that. And those
two just deserve to be massive stars. I think,
you know, the YouTube video going viral and that
song affording them the ability to go on a co
-headlining tour the first time is just the tip
of the iceberg for these two. Like you're gonna
have, I'm actually wearing a Marist t -shirt.
I just realized I did not put this shirt on on
purpose before we record this. I'm looking at
myself in my recording and I'm like, oh, I'm
wearing a Marist t -shirt. I'm normally a brewery
or a sports t -shirt guy, and I just now realized
I'm wearing this Popstars t -shirt because I
went to the show a couple months ago. Just go
check out the track, and if you love it, and
you probably will, I'm going to go out on a limb
and say you absolutely will. Go listen to everything
else they put out because they've been plugging
away for a few years now, but this is the first
time they've really broken out, and I hope that
this just does amazing things for them. Well,
I heard during that you brought up Shinedown,
so I think... I have to pull that pin when I
was talking about them before with Dinosaur Pile
Up and close out the side with a song. And I'm
going to get a little serious for a moment here.
But this past July, I got to see the band at
their first ever headlining show at Madison Square
Garden in New York City. And the band was kind
enough to bring me and several of my friends
backstage to the show to meet them after both
Barry Kirch and... Eric Bass were on My Weekly
Mixtape earlier in the year. Now, I am a music
podcast. I do this from my home. I'm breaking
the fourth wall here a little bit. I don't have
a studio that I go off to and record every week.
I am an independent content producer. This band
had me backstage and I was back there with the
New York Post and WDHA, which is the rock in
New Jersey, Terry Carr, who is... Somebody I
am a she is a huge influence on me. She's been
a mainstay of the New Jersey rock scene for many,
many years. She is one of the best interviewers
out there. I got to shoot the breeze with her.
I've known her for many years. I'm a podcaster
and they treated me on the same level as the
professionals. And that's something I will never
forget. And I got a chance to talk to Brent Smith
and shake his hand. Because as I've talked about
on this show, my father passed away from pancreatic
cancer back in May. And I had to thank him for
the song 365. Because the lyrics, if I could
hitch a ride on a time machine, I would bring
you right back here with me. And I wouldn't have
to watch you disappear. Even though I said all
the things that mattered most, while I held on
tight to the end of the rope, I could keep you
close, but I couldn't keep you here. A lot can
happen in a year. I had to just shake his hand
and thank him because that song got me through
one of the hardest things I ever had to deal
with. And that's coming after one year. July
was one year from my open heart surgery. So I
had a back -to -back double whammy. So in one
year, I had my open heart surgery and I lost
my father. And somehow this stranger was able
to sum it up in this song. And I will tell you,
when they played this live, I just sat there
for three and a half minutes and cried my fucking
eyes out singing along with it. And it's a moment
I'll never forget. And it's a song that is very
important to me because it just reminds you to
hold on to every one of those special moments
because you never know when you're not going
to be able to again. So I know I'm ending Side
A on a... Little bit of a downer, but musically,
because I am the geek that I am, coming out of
Maris, this is the pop side of Shinedown. So
on a musical level, it does work. It's not a
180, but it is an introspective way to close
out Side A here. It's a beautiful song, man.
Like, Shinedown, they kick ass, man. And that's,
yeah, I don't know how to follow up what you
just said. with the song because the context
you bring to it, the personal context, the fact
that you got to meet them and really just kind
of share what that song meant to them is just
a beautiful thing. It's awesome. Yeah, it's okay
at the end of the year here when we're talking
about the best music of the year to be reflective
and also absorb some of the not so great things
that happened, some of the terrible things that
happened this year. And that's the beautiful
thing about music is it's there with us with
the best of times, but it's also there with us
for the worst of times. And it's healing and
it's empowering and it's strangers offering context
to what you're feeling and helping you process
it. And that's one of the coolest, most beautiful
things about music in general. That's why I love
music because it just touches you. And whether
or not it's the musician who wrote the song providing
their context or you just providing your own
context for it or your life inadvertently providing
certain context to a song for you. It's just
a magical, wonderful thing that music is able
to do that for us. I don't think it's a downer
that you're ending side A with this track. I
think what you went through this year made you
a stronger person. I'm very proud of the things
you've gone through this year. The fact that
you're back doing this podcast just fills me
with joy because I love you, man, and I love
your show. And if this song was something that
helped you cope and process and not be... washed
away by the emotions and all the things you were
feeling this year then maybe this song should
be the first track on this playlist because of
its meaning and its impact for you personally
and because it has an impact on you it has it
on me because you're such a good friend and i've
known you for so long now that now this song
takes on a very personal meaning for me as well
so hell yeah dude i love the pick love the band
i think this is a great way to end site a well
i really appreciate that man and nothing but
love for you as well coming back from me There
you have it, folks. Side A of the Ultimate 2025
playlist, which kicked off with The Paradox featuring
Travis Barker's Bender, followed up by Millington's
Radio, The Hive's Hooray, Hooray, Hooray, Winona
Fighters' Hams in a Glass, Rockets' Take Your
Aim, Dinosaur Pileup's My Way, Tyler the Creator's
Don't Tap That Glass Tweakin', Wu -Tang Clan
and Mathematics featuring Raekwon, Inspector
Deck, Method Man, and Capadonna Mandingo. Maris
featuring Carolyn Kingsbury, Give Me a Sign,
and Shinedown's 365. Head over to myweeklymixtape
.com to hear all the songs we've discussed in
this mix through the playlist embedded on the
episode page. And we are almost an hour into
this, and we are just getting to side B because...
There is no way we could do an end of the year
wrap up and have it be a short and sweet episode.
But I am going to follow. I'm going to cop what
you did to start off side A for how I started
off side B. You started off side A with your
favorite album of the year. You said The Paradox
was your album of the year. Yeah. NSFW is just
wonderful. It's so much fun. I am going to start
off side B with my album of the year. Okay. And
one of the songs from it. Now on this person's
first album, he avoided the guitar theatrics
that everybody assumed he would go with. Then
on his second album, he toyed with them a little
bit, but on the end mammoth, AKA Wolfgang Van
Halen blew the whole fucking thing up. And the
track I'm going with. Is the end to start off
side B. I know it's ironic. I probably should
have ended side a with the end because it's called
the end, but it's not my favorite album of the
year. And when I heard you say that the paradox
was your favorite album, I kind of said, okay,
well now I know where mammoth is going to sit
for side B. As far as I'm concerned, the opening
guitar pyrotechnics immediately grabbed my attention.
The music video is one of my favorite for the
year. On the opposite end of the spectrum of
what I criticized with the Wu -Tang Clan and
Mathematics AI produced video, Mammoth went out
and got Robert Rodriguez of the From Dusk Till
Dawn fame to present a musical hat tip to Michael
Jackson's thriller, including the card at the
beginning that's a direct nod to the original
video. Oh, it's the thing about his belief not
being reflected by the occult nature of it. Was
it what it was? Yeah. Love it. And the video
features Danny Trejo slash Miles Kennedy, who
he toured with this year, as well as his mom,
Valerie Bertinelli. The fact that Mammoth plays
every instrument on this song and every album
he's ever put out. Anybody that says he's a nepo
baby. Needs to check that at the door. Hell yes.
He would be famous without it. I am going to
say something here that might piss off non -fans
of Wolfgang Van Halen, but he is reaching near
Prince level of greatness when it comes to playing
every instrument on an album. If you listen to
the track, the end, he's doing slap bass. He's
doing. finger tapping, the drums are off the
hook, the vocals are on check. He is a one -man
band. The way Prince was in the 80s, recording
every instrument himself. Not many people can
do that and do that to the level that Wolfgang
Van Halen does it. Not only is he a chip off
of his father's block, he is not riding the coattails
of his father, but he's honing in his sound that
honors his father's legacy and brings it into
the future. This album is an absolute monster.
If you haven't heard it yet, Mamet's the end
to kick off Side B. So as soon as you mentioned
the name, I was already formulating in my head
how I was going to explain to people that anybody
who writes him off as being a nepo baby or just
sort of pigeonholes him as being his father's
son can't go take a flying leap because, oh my
God, this dude is immensely talented. yes he
plays guitar and he does the taps and stuff and
he's very very very very good at it but the dude
can fucking sing too that was the thing that
grabbed me because when you know when he came
up he was playing bass for van halen and he was
touring with his father and everybody's like
oh you know that's cute haha whatever oh he's
gonna do his own music oh okay whatever no f
all those people because the dude is an absolute
just genius and he can play every instrument
like you said and he can sing like a goddamn
angel And if he's a chip off the block, he's
a chip that's fallen off the block and has rolled
down a snowy mountain, has become this gigantic,
huge goddamn force in his own right. The album
is phenomenal. And I'm actually, like you said,
I'm glad that he stopped kind of shying away
from the guitar theatrics because who fucking
cares at this point? It's like, what, his third
album? And with every album, he's grown and become
this incredible musician. And who cares if he's
his father's son and he carries that last name
because guitar is just in a dude's blood. Like
how are you going to deny his DNA? And he's doing
something unique and interesting and fun and
different with it. He's not just like ripping
off his father's sound. Like he's taking what
he learned and what's in his own DNA, what he
got from his father. He's fusing it into something
new and interesting and hip and different. And
like I said, dude, the guy can fucking sing and
harmonize too. Like he's just this incredible
like. Not even dual threat. He's a triple, quadruple,
quintuple threat. Just an undeniable genius musician.
And yes, go listen to the album. Go listen to
this track, because honestly, I think this was
just like the quintessential track to be the
title track of the album, too, because I think
it just culminates. And the video is super dope,
too. It's Robert Rodriguez with like werewolves
and vampires and monsters. And it's just it's
just super fun. It's just awesome. We all need
to appreciate and love and recognize the talent
that is Wolfgang Van Halen and just stop treating
him like, oh, he's just there because his dad
was famous. He's doing things his dad never did.
And he's doing it really, really fucking well.
So see if that kid is due because he's only going
to get bigger and more popular and he's going
to keep doing more and more cool shit. And eventually
he's just going to be a household name like Van
Halen was. He's going to get there. He's that
good. And I'll tell you right now to put a stamp
on this. Even if his last name was Smith, he
is talented enough to carry it. Yeah. He does
not have to lean on the Van Halen name. He has
enough talent without it. Exactly. He could change
his name to Wolfgang Bertinelli if he wanted
to. And he would still make it because the dude
is just that talented. Just insanely talented.
All right. So now how do you follow that up?
Are we going to stay in this hard rock vein here?
Kind of, sort of. I mean, I've been a big fan
of genre -bending bands this year. And this is
another band that was actually discovered by
Jack White. And he signed them immediately to
Third Man Records when they started kind of gaining
some traction. It's a quartet of four young ladies,
and they are from the Austin area. And they are
called Die Spitz. And the album is Something
to Consume. And the track, this was another album
where it's like, this album is incredible and
diverse and crazy and awesome. where it took
me a while to actually pick out which track was
going to be on this list because all of them
are a banger. But this band is so eclectic and
so wild in their songwriting and their collaborative
efforts as a group that they will marry shoegay
sound and hardcore and metal effortlessly. And
it shouldn't work at all, very much in the same
vein of what Wu -Tang Clan and Tyler the Creator
do in their respective fields, where they're
just throwing everything on the wall. And for
some reason, everything just sticks and fits
perfectly together in this wild way. The track
is Throw Yourself to the Sword, which is one
of the more heavy metal tracks. And they're in
lead singer, and they switch out lead singers
for whatever song they're playing. The lead singer
on this one, Eleanor, is like this four -foot
-nothing redhead, but she is just the biggest
ball of primal energy. You will ever see on stage.
She's shredding guitars. She's screaming with
this visceral vocal style. And everybody in the
band is just going crazy and berserk. And there's
like circle pits forming in their shows and stuff.
And like this band is another one that's just
kind of sort of starting out. But they've already
got backing from these musicians that came before
them. And they're not only capturing the sound
of their forebears. They're also developing into
something entirely unique and putting their own
shift on it. And Dice Bits is just. like insurmountable
like force of energy it's the best way i can
describe it was just these four women just going
absolute goddamn insane bonkers crazy on stage
and on their album as well and they will shift
from a more melancholy slow shoegaze song right
into like borderline death metal and however
however it just works every single time and i
love the fact that it's not like them just trying
to hedge their bets and play a bunch of different
genres and see what sticks. This is just what
they want to do, and they don't give a shit if
you don't think it works or not, because one,
it does, and two, it works for them, and that's
what makes it that much more fun and that much
more interesting to listen to. So dice bits,
throw yourself to the sword off of this year's
album, Something to Consume. Now, I know Patreon
mixtaper Tom Hutchinson had mentioned Tsunami
Sea by Spiritbox, and I don't... consider die
spits and spirit box to be the same sound. But
I think if you're a fan of spirit box, die spits
is going to be in your wheelhouse. Yeah. And
I have to say Jack white between what he did
for the paradox and what he's doing for die spits.
I feel like he's got his finger on the pulse
of where music is headed in the future. And the
fact that you, you already mentioned everything
I was going to say about this song. You've got
groove metal. You've got some hardcore elements.
You've got some punk elements. You've got that
shoegaze sound and it's just thrown into a blender,
but they leave the top off and they push the
button and whatever shoots out is where it goes.
And it works on throw yourself to the sword.
I am getting early kitty vibes. If you remember
them. Oh, definitely. Yeah. Like brackish and
Charlotte. Like I am hearing that on this track
in all the best ways. Yeah, dude, I love the
comparison. You're absolutely right. Just those
trailblazing, trendsetting women bands just paving
the way and kicking ass. They don't give a shit
what you think. They don't care if you don't
think they're cool because it's a bunch of women
playing metal. They're that much cooler because
they're women playing metal. You know what I
mean? It's just fucking cool. And that's one
of those bands that I have not had the chance
to see live, but I desperately want to. And first
chance I get when they come to my neck of the
woods, I'm going to be in that circle pit, man.
I'm 41. I don't give a... crap i'm gonna be i'm
gonna be going home with the bruised up knees
and the fucked up elbows because i was in that
circle pit for 45 minutes so yeah well being
you have a band that threw a bunch of stuff into
a blender i'm gonna follow that up with something
similar once again i'm dipping back into 2024
because i discovered this song and this album
shortly after you and i recorded My friend Jim
Santora, who is the author of the underrated
rock book, posted about it, and he got my attention
saying, you like country music? Do you like Disturbed?
You got to check out this song. Yeah, okay. I
know where you're going with this. I actually
know where you're going with this. And Lakeview
and Home Team. Yeah, dude. This song is on paper
should not work. In my ears, it is everything
I love about music. It is who cares about genres?
Who cares about the box that country music needs
to stay in? Who cares about the box where new
metal and heavy metal or hard rock need to stay
in? Let's just take a little bit out of this
box and a little bit out of this box and create
our own box and create our own new sound. And
next week on the show, I'm going to be doing.
the 2025 country episode. And I tell you right
now, country in 2025 has thrown a bomb into the
genre because there is no actual definition on
what country country music is no longer a sub
genre. It is now an umbrella genre where everything
is just kind of crawling in with that's what
country music is. And Lakeview. Earlier this
year, I had Cody Hanson from Hinder on the show
to do an album dive on their newest album, Back
to Life. And him and I got into it about Lakeview.
Because earlier this year, you know my love of
cover songs, Lakeview dropped a cover of Hinder's
Lips of an Angel. And just a couple weeks ago,
Hinder and Lakeview got on stage at the same
time because they did a dual show together and
performed the song. as both bands at once. Lakeview
is one of those bands they have toured with Breaking
Benjamin. They've toured with Stained, but they
were also at the Barefoot Country Music Festival
in Wildwood, New Jersey, playing alongside of
hundreds of country bands. So not only were they
going in one direction with their music, doing
the hard rock side of things, they were also
making a name for themselves in the country universe,
touring with country artists in the year 2025.
It's hard enough to make a name for yourself
in one genre or style of music. And here comes
Lakeview saying, we're going to do it in multiple
genres and be successful at it. So as far as
I'm concerned, yes, I'm even sneaking a little
bit of country into this 2025 playlist. But when
you hear the chorus to Home Team, you'll understand
why it fits coming out of Die Spitz. And that
rhymed. And now I feel like Dr. Seuss. Anyway.
I love you, Brian. You're my muse. So, yeah,
I mean, this is the first track I heard off of
this album, which is their self -titled album.
And it's fitting because it's got like that sort
of like Southern rock country vibe to it. And
you're kind of going with it. It's like, all
right, I'm feeling this is cool. It starts building
up and it's like, all right, like I'm not the
hugest country fan, but I'm like vibing with
this is awesome. And you kind of feel the tension
of the song in the pre -chorus. And then when
the chorus itself kicks in, you're like, what?
Wait, hold on. OK, hold on. Oh, my God, this
fucking works. And that's all the whole album
is like, dude, this track is just it was brilliant
of them to make this the first track in the album
because it just it just sets the prime. It primes
the pump. It sets the tone for what they're trying
to accomplish and what they're doing, like you
said, should not work. And it fucking really
does. And it's like. Like I said, I'm not the
biggest country fan. A lot of the country I listen
to on a regular basis is stuff that you've turned
me on to because you have great musical taste.
And this is just a really good album by a really
good band that, like you said, are just not giving
a shit when it comes to melding genres and just
doing what sounds good to them and taking bits
and pieces from things they love and marrying
them together in something that's reminiscent
of multiple genres, but at the same time something
wholly unique and interesting also. It's just
really fucking good. And I just can't wait to
see where they go next. I love both sides of
what they're doing. And as one cohesive unit,
it's just wonderful and fun, man. They're fun.
This song is like the party anthem of 2025. As
far as I'm concerned, Cody Hanson, a hinder said,
this is our post -show party song. And when you
listen to it, you're like, yeah, I can see why
this is the. Everybody rock the fuck out song
of the night. And that's, that's what it was
for me throughout this whole year. That's exactly
what this song is. It's just the rock the fuck
out song for the weekends. Like it's just dope.
I love it. So coming out of this trio of mammoth
die spits and Lakeview, where are we going to
go from here? Off the rails again, my friend,
I'm sorry. We're going to go even more genre
bending. This is a group that I've been a fan
of for a number of years and they've been around
for a number of years, like maybe 20 years and
not enough people know who they are. This is
one of those groups that should be just massive
and gigantic and playing festivals and everybody
should be wearing their t -shirts. If you see
the name on paper, it looks really freaking weird.
It's H -O -9 -9 -O -9, but it's pronounced horror.
And that's just how off weird the beaten path,
like artsy, kind of crazy, chaotic this group
is. They are a hip hop, like a rap group, but
they marry a number of different sounds. And
the best way I can describe it to people would
be like, if you took like Prodigy. And you threw
it into like a washing machine with like bad
brains and outcast. So it's like rap. It's like
rap rock. It's like techno rap. It's just a combination
of a bunch of different genres all together.
And it just works incredibly well. But they put
out an album this year. And that album is called
Tomorrow We Escape. And the track that I'm throwing
on this list of best songs of 2025 is called
Incline. And one of the things I love about horror
is the fact that they just do not give a. Frick.
I love when rap and hip hop scares people. I
love when punk rock scares people. I love when
it's challenging and it pulls you out of your
comfort zone and it makes you think and wonder
about things you may have not have thought or
wondered about before. But at the same time,
it also makes you want to dive deeper into it
and learn more about the band and more about
what they stand for and all those types of things.
They are sort of political. We're not going to
go political with this episode of the podcast,
but just know that when you go into it. But it's
just two dudes who just have a lot of things
to say. And they are just not apprehensive about
saying it in a very angry way. And the way that
they fuse music together is just wonderful and
incredible and engaging and super intense and
a lot of fun. And if you want to do a deep dive
on them and listen to interviews they've done,
these are two guys who aren't just throwing stuff
into a blender and just seeing what happens.
They are very, very well versed in multiple genres
of music and the history of music. They are very
talented musicians. They're very intelligent
and eloquent. And they are doing exactly what
they want to do with Razorstar Precision, even
if it sounds like pure chaos at times. And that's
what this album is. And this is what they've
been doing for like 20, 25 years. Inclined by
horror. And like I said, if you want to Google
them, it's not spelled horror. It's H -O -9 -9
-O -9. And the triple nine is like a motif and
they're sort of like branding and their lyrics
and whatnot. This is going to be the weirdest
track you listen to on this playlist, playlisters
and people listening in general, but it's going
to be hella rewarding. You're going to really
enjoy it. And you're going to get hooked on them.
Like I have been for quite a while now. Well,
I guess the only thing I could say to that is
you're welcome because they formed in Newark,
New Jersey. So they are New Jersey born and bred
before they relocated to LA and really kind of
hone their sound. So we have to take credit for
horror, even though. Chances are they really
made their break when they were in LA. We're
not going to talk about that. If I had to describe
their music to somebody that never heard it before,
I would say picture looking directly into a strobe
light. That is what it sounds like on a musical
level. But I don't mean that in a bad way. I
mean that positively. It's measured and it makes
perfect sense, even though it's sometimes overwhelming.
It's just really, really good. And like I said,
these are two musical geniuses who have done
their homework. They're not just goofing off.
They know exactly what they're doing in every
bar of every song they've ever put out. But yeah,
it's overwhelming and it's an assault on the
senses sometimes. But at the same time, it's
metered and it's intentional and it makes sense
the more you stare at it, I guess, or listen
to it. But like I said, I love music that is
just unabashedly angry and challenging and doesn't
necessarily want to be mainstream. doesn't necessarily
want to sell a bajillion albums and go platinum.
They just want to make the music they want to
make. And if you're along for the ride, then
hell yeah. And if you're not, fuck you, honestly.
You know what I mean? I love that attitude when
it comes to music. It's great. They should be
selling more albums than they are because the
creativity is off the charts. Oh, dude, not just
in the music too. Yeah, the live shows, the branding,
the presentation. It's all wildly creative and
artistic and just unapologetic too. But I will
say this side so far, sans mammoth, we are definitely
testing the appreciation for different sounds.
And I can guarantee that some will be on board
with some of these picks and maybe not with all
of them. And that's perfectly okay because all
this stuff is subjective. But I love the fact
that we're really branching out, but the ship
is definitely going. up and down right now. So
I'm going to write the ship and kind of slow
it down a little bit and kind of level it off
with something that's a little bit more mainstream.
However, this is an artist that I've been following
for almost a decade. Her first album, Rock is
Dead, came out in 2016. And it was, I don't know
if I'd call it indie rock, but it definitely
had touches of that while leaning a little bit
into hard rock. But over the years, her sound
has kind of started to evolve. However, in 2022,
Dorothy came out with an album, Gifts from the
Holy Ghost, that leaned a little bit more into
the hard rock sound versus Rock is Dead, as well
as the follow -up 28 Days in the Valley. But
I feel like on her last two albums, which was
2022's Gifts from the Holy Ghost and 2025's The
Way, she's found her avenue. And it's modern
hard rock. that borrows some elements from her
earlier albums, but definitely leans more into
that pure hard rock sound. And this artist, Dorothy,
the opening track on the album is called I Come
Alive. In hindsight, I also could have started
side B with this song because the song starts
with over a minute of her just riffing with vocal
runs. Over the build of this song, it's an album
opening track. It sets the tone for what the
rest of The Way is as an album. And it's one
of my top albums of the year. Mammoth edged it
out, but Dorothy's I Come Alive is right there.
And if you listen to her voice at the beginning
of I Come Alive and you're not hooked instantly,
I don't know what to tell you because it's...
An absolute monster slash guests on this album.
The album is definitely showing the future for
Dorothy is going to be huge. And I just don't
know why she hasn't truly exploded yet. Dude,
I don't know, man. With a voice like that, I
feel like she could not miss. I don't think she
has missed up to this point. To say that this
woman's voice is transcendent is still not doing
her justice. Like, my God, one of the most powerful
vocalists I've ever heard in rock or any other
genre. It's a fantastic album. It's an excellent
choice. I would love to see her break out and
do amazing things, too. She should be... I don't
want to compare... It feels like it's pigeonholing
her to compare Evanescence and What They Achieved
with a very resounding and very melodic female
vocalist at the front of a hard rock band. I
guess it's kind of hard to escape that sort of
comparison just on paper. But they're not doing
what Evanescence did. It's something very, very
different. I hope that she breaks out and I hope
she finds her niche because like you said, this
album is a culmination and an evolution of everything
she's done up to this point. And to watch such
a talented musician like visibly grow with everything
she puts out is just a real treat for us. And
yeah, just incredible, powerful voice, man. Just
honestly, one of the best rock voices or just
female vocals I've ever heard. Just powerful.
Amazing. And I don't know what the opposite of
Lilith would be, but if there was ever like a
hard rock female festival, I think the bands
like The Pretty Reckless, Hailstorm, Evanescence,
Dorothy, like there is a, and then you bring
in some of the punk bands like Chad LaMassa mentioned,
Weekend Friends, you've got Winona Fighter. There
are such a, and Chad brought, I think Chad brought
this up on the Discord about putting together.
a female festival that's centered around hard
rock and heavier music. I'd be all in on that.
I'd buy a ticket in a heartbeat. A hundred percent.
I would go, I would travel for that. That would
be incredible. Quite frankly. All right. Well,
we are at the halfway point of side B. We're
at feature length, motion picture, episode length
of my weekly mixtape. Not quite Marvel movie
length though. We're still okay. But where do
we go from here? Another female vocalist who's
just taken the world by storm in her respective
genre and just taken no prisoners. It's Sabrina,
man. Like, she had to be on this list. She was
on last year's list, too, and she's just relentless
in her desire and her drive to take over the
world of pop music. The album is phenomenal.
Man's Best Friend had some controversy because,
you know, whatever. The title track, well, not
the title track, but like the main single off
of that album, the one I picked for this list
is obviously Man Child. On an album that's just
full of bangers, this one just stood out to me.
It's just super fun. And the music video is a
gosh darn work of art. Like it just fully captures
that sort of 80s road trip movie feel, like the
comedic road trip, like almost like vacation
or something. The entire presentation of the
song, the entire experience of this song from
just the song itself, the music video is just
wonderfully crafted, incredibly well put together.
Just a banger of a track from this queen of pop
who is just not going to stop, man. Like she's
already a household name and she's going to be
forever. And as long as she keeps put up banger
singles like this one, man, I'm all about it.
Like come knock on my door once a year, Sabrina,
and drop those bangers in my ears. Just do it.
Well, I mean, Taylor Swift anointed her this
year as she featured on The Life of a Showgirl.
So I feel like that's like one of the queens
of pop passing the torch to the next queen of
pop because you really can't go anywhere without
hearing her music. It's everywhere. And I think
we'd be doing a disservice to the year to not
mention her. Now, as a father of two younger
girls. the album controversy i won't call it
controversy but when my youngest pointed at the
album cover yeah i said dad who's that we were
in target and she pointed at the album cover
and i'm like and i'm trying to change the subject
and i'm like do you remember girl meets world
she's one of the actresses on she was the best
friend of the main character girl yes right so
in my brain that's the way i always picture sabrina
carpenter yeah so this new adult persona is i
understand she's the age now and it's it's perfectly
normal but in my mind i still see her watching
girl meets world with my kids a decade ago and
she was singing songs on that show and i knew
she was going to be huge in an olivia rodrigo
kind of way and she's done that but in a different
avenue yeah 100 i think the album cover is probably
largely by design but i think it's also darkly
humorous you know i think it's by design where
It's meant to be sort of ironic and meant to
be a conversation piece. But I also think it's
very much her continuing to break away from that
Disney Channel persona that she had to live with
for a number of years. Yeah, this shatters the
Disney Channel glass. But I will say this. I
feel like it borrows from the Madonna playbook,
the sex book, the Vogue video. Madonna always
found a way to keep herself in the news. As well
as with music. And I feel like she wrote the
book on it. And Taylor Swift is writing her own
chapters of that book, as is Sabrina Carpenter.
I don't want to say Madonna started it, but Madonna
was one of the first artists that took pop music
and really kind of said, oh, you think the line
is here? Yeah. We're going a mile past that line.
Yeah, Madonna was a pioneer. I mean, there's
there's nothing wrong with viewing that playbook
and taking a couple of, you know, strategies
out of it, especially when you start out as like
a like a Disney Channel kid. Like you have to
find ways to not just make yourself like, you
know, the saccharine sort of like candy coated
passe sort of child star who's becoming a pop
star. You have to be like, yeah, I'm an empowered
woman who's going to do whatever the F she wants
to do. And if you're again, if you're not along
for the ride. you're going to buy the album anyway,
because she's one of the biggest names in pop
right now. And she's a massive global star, but
that comes to the caveat of she's going to shock
you every once in a while and be prepared for
that and embrace that. Well, musically, I don't
have anything that falls in line with man child
because man child was kind of on a plane of its
own. The only song that if I, and I'm not a hundred
percent sure I want to go down this road. but
risk by honey revenge is kind of falls into that
poppy punk kind of vibe. However, I do want to
lean a little bit into the pop from my angle.
And when I think of pop music in 2025, I said
this in 2024, the way you said it in 2024, it's
one of the big names in pop only on a different
side of that spectrum being the R and B side
of pop. And I'm going to go with Teddy swims.
In 2024, he had I've Tried Everything But Therapy
Part 1. And in 2025, he had I Tried Everything
But Therapy Part 2. And I'm going to go with
the song Not Your Man from that album. Musically,
coming out of Man Child, it's a little bit of
a pivot, but it's two songs you could definitely
hear on Top 40 Radio or Apple Music or Spotify
Top Pop Songs of the Year playlist. I sang his
praises in 2024 on the song. Goodbye has been
good to you. Not your man kind of follows in
that same vibe, but Teddy swims also dipped his
toes into the country scene. As at the end of
2024, he combined with Thomas Rhett on a collaboration
of something about a woman that took over all
of country radio and dipped into pop radio as
well. So anything Teddy swims touches seems to
kind of go in a lot of different genres at once
and does well in all of those different genres.
If you were to tell me in 2026, Teddy swims is
going to put out a country album. I would tell
you, Teddy swims is going to put out a number
one country album because every genre he's gone
into, it's seamlessly just worked. His voice
has got this chameleon -esque aspect to it that
could fit into any style of music seamlessly.
And I have such high expectations for how he's
going to continue down his career moving forward.
I hope he never actually tries therapy. I'm joking,
of course, but man, the dude is just... putting
out bangers after bangers and and the irony of
you know that the album title is funny but it's
like dude if music is your therapy like holy
crap please keep doing that because good lord
like you say everything that everything the guy
puts out is a gold and he just effortlessly like
jumps from genre to genre and collaboration to
collaboration and he's just one of those guys
who's just got that universal voice like you
said that just lends itself to everything And
I feel like he's one of those artists. And this
is somebody that you turn me on to. I had never
really listened to him until you and I were like
shooting the shit one day and you threw it out
there. I was like, all right, I'm not a big country
fan, but you were like, hold up. It's not country.
It's just country. Yeah. So yeah, no, the guy
is just one of those guys where I think he's
going to, he's going to be around forever and
everybody's going to want to work with him because
he just brings a magic to whatever he touches,
man. Like that voice is just sultry and soulful
and it just. grabs you like right in the chest
and doesn't let go until the song is over love
the pick if we do one of these again next year
we probably will it's like our tradition at this
point i would be shocked if the man's not on
the list again in 2026 because he's just that
good and he keeps putting out unique and interesting
and exciting stuff and it doesn't matter what
he's doing everything he does is just solid and
different and fun and just works it's hard to
quantify teddy swims And you certainly can't
pigeonhole them as being anything because he
refuses to be just one thing. And I love that.
All right. Well, what are we going to follow
that up with? Are we going to stay in this pop
realm now? I know. I mean, we started with Mammoth.
We went into horror. We went into Sabrina Carpenter.
There are no rails on this episode, you know.
I don't know man I this is a big year for indie
and I love a lot of indie music and this is actually
a band I discovered in a brewery years ago where
I was just sitting in a brewery like having a
quiet drink enjoying myself sitting on my phone
and for whatever reason breweries tend to play
really good music like they're not beholden like
club music and whatnot so there's been a lot
of instances where I've discovered really good
bands by hearing something incredible and just
pulling out Shazam on my phone and being like
okay make a note of that go home and listen to
the entire album Then spend the rest of the night
listening to their entire catalog because they're
just so good. And this is one of those bands,
Car Seat Headrest. And they put out this album
this year called The Scholars. And after some
deliberation, because every track on the album
is incredible, I settled on The Catastrophe because
it's got this bridge that just blew my mind the
first time I heard it. It's a very good track.
The band in general, this album in particular.
is very sort of reminiscent of bands like Guided
by Voices, if you've ever heard of them, or The
Shins, or they got a Beck quality to them as
well, where they've got sort of that indie style,
but it's very eclectic at the same time. But
this track in particular, you almost think you
know where it's going to go, and then it just
says, no, this is not where we're going to go
at all, but you're going to come along with us
anyway. The song is like, it's like five and
a half minutes long, but it feels like 30 seconds
because it just carries you. It's just a vibe.
This band, this album, this track is just a vibe.
And that's the best kind of indie where you just
kind of lose yourself in it. And you're just
along for not even the vocals and the lyrics,
but the story that the music is telling. And
I feel like indie in general just is one of those
genres where the music can tell the story just
as much as, you know, the vocals can, the lyrics
can. And this band just encompasses that and
encapsulates that. And this song in general.
is a journey so yeah it's car seat headrest the
album is the scholars and the track is the catastrophe
now as i'm writing these songs down as we as
we go through the the title of the track is actually
the catastrophe parentheses good luck with that
man so we had man child not your man holy shit
Good luck with that, man. Are we actually secret
geniuses? We're going to call this the man part
of the playlist here. Anyway, good luck with
that, man. But anyway, this song, indie rock,
lo -fi, flashes of punk. You mentioned Beck.
Beck is perfect. Yeah. I would. throw in because
we had you on for the garage rock episode many
moons ago i would throw the strokes in there
yeah and i would also throw in the early years
of rem i agree and if you threw them into a blender
back the strokes and early rem you get car seat
headrest yeah i think the strokes is very apt
especially in the vocals i think you're spot
on with that comparison 100 There's nothing but
things to like in here. You're going to pick
out something, you know, that car seat has red
headdresses put out there and you're going to
find something to latch onto and really enjoy.
And that's just going to lead you through the
rest of their sort of sonic adventures and journeys.
Yeah. There's some ambient moments on this album.
There's some heavy moments. There's some, I don't
want to say complex because that might make it
sound like they're overthinking, but there are
complex parts of this album. It's definitely
an adventure from start to finish. I don't think
complex is a bad word, especially when it comes
to indie music. Like, it's not the assault on
the senses that horror is, for example. No. But
there are some complex melodies and harmonies,
and they are very talented musicians who know
how to, you know, construct songs that are more
than just the power chords. You know what I mean?
Like, there's depth and there's nuance to all
their music. And again, it's very, very intentional
and very well crafted. artistic without being
artsy you know you know what i mean yeah it feels
natural despite its complexity and and the layers
with which they craft their music very much like
guided by voices yeah i feel like lo -fi and
complex almost sound like oxymorons though but
the two can be combined and they're doing it
in this song and across the whole album yeah
speaking of combinations we each have one song
left and I love the fact that we've touched on
a lot of new artists this year, and I want to
keep that going. But every year we also just
by proxy, bring in some older artists that have
dropped a song that is unexpectedly amazing.
And this year I get to take the two and combine
them because one of my favorite artists of the
last seven, eight years, who's been doing so
much to change the landscape of rock music has
been young blood. Yeah. I mean, his performance
of changes during the Black Sabbath Back to the
Beginning Festival, which was nominated for a
Grammy, rightfully so, made the hair on my arm
stand up the first time I heard him do it. It
was phenomenal. I agree. I mean, I saw a lot
of people that were my father's age saying, who
is this young blood spelled all weird? And I've
known him since 21st century liability. back
in the late 2010s, where it was a lot more hip
hop in the mix. Then he did the funeral, which
was basically the most Billy Idol song. That's
not a Billy Idol song that Billy Idol ever recorded,
but it works so well. And his music's fantastic.
In 2025, he teamed up with Aerosmith for a live
rendition of Mama, I'm Coming Home and Crazy
Train for a tribute to Ozzy. And then a couple
of days later, they announced the One More Time
EP with a lead single, My Only Angel. Now, granted,
Joey Kramer's not on the recording. Matt Sorum
of the cult and Guns N' Roses fame takes the
drums, which I hope it's only, I hope Joey's
okay. Let me just say that. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
I know. This is the first Aerosmith new original
music since Music for Another Dimension, which.
is pretty much my least favorite Aerosmith album
of all time. That's completely fair. And I will
say that this is my favorite Aerosmith song since
Nine Lives. Steven Tyler's voice after they had
to cancel their tour and they said he might never
sing again sounds rejuvenated on this song. Now,
I also know the other big thing is People are
saying it sounds too auto -tuned. It sounds too
many effects, too much on the band. It doesn't
sound like Aerosmith. It's not an Aerosmith record.
It's an Aerosmith and Youngblood collaboration
EP. So you're taking some of Aerosmith and some
of Youngblood and you're bringing them together.
And for some reason, their voices marry really
well to at the point, there's times of this EP,
I have to go, Is that Youngblood or is that Steven
Tyler? And it works so well. Now in the videos,
you only see Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, and Youngblood
in the music video. And I saw a bunch of people
online because people have to complain and rip
apart everything saying that it's not Aerosmith.
It's just Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. The rest
of the band is on it, except for Joey. Todd Hamilton's
on it. Brad Whitford's there. Brad Whitford's
there. They're playing on these songs. Yes. And
I guess the other reason I want to point that
out is if you had an album called Tyler Perry
and Youngblood, they would think it was another
Tyler Perry. Madea goes to Tower Records. Like,
I don't know. But anyway, there's also a country
remix of My Only Angel that's also out there.
That features Steve Martin on banjo. Yeah. Just
saying. This song, the first time I heard it,
I love when you find a new song that you have
to keep hitting that back button. I probably
played My Only Angel 20 times in a row before
I moved on to the next song that week. That's
how much of an impact this song had on me on
first listen. And it's my last song of the evening.
So that is what I'm going to go with. Welcome
back, Aerosmith. dude hell yeah dude nine lives
tour was my first concert ever oh nice yeah dude
like my my parents were massive aerosmith fans
and they took me out that was my first concert
um i don't disagree that this is some of the
best music that aerosmith as a band has put out
since nine lives which was a great album yeah
dude you're right like steven tyler like he found
the fountain of youth I was kind of scared when
they said he'd probably never sing again. And
they kind of said the same thing about like Brian
Johnson from ACDC. And I was like, oh, man, is
this like childhood heroes that are hanging it
up? And they're like, actually, no, never mind.
We're all good. We figured it out. And it does
my heart good because Aerosmith has always been
a presence in my life, you know. And no, this
track is amazing. And a lot of people like to
hate on Youngblood, too, like you said. And this
dude managed to. pulled a life out of steven
tyler's voice again and like bring it back to
like legendary status and you can't hate on anybody
for that the track is amazing i think young blood
is a great young artist i think that aerosmith
is obviously one of the most legendary rock bands
of all time and this is an epic goddamn crossover
event you know like this is great this is killer
this is like rock and roll avengers and i love
it and no this is a great track to end it on
and i love the The combination of like the young
and the old, like we've kind of touched on this
entire night where it's a younger artist and
an older artist come together and making something
brand new and awesome and something that's obviously
sort of a throwback to previous days, but also
new and interesting and cool and hip and a fusion
of multiple different generations and genres
of music. And it's just it's great. I fucking
love it. Excellent choice. Thank you, sir. And
now you have the honor of wrapping up. 2025 and
a nice musical bow. Oh, I don't know if I'm going
to do the entire year in a nice musical bow.
I am going to follow your lead with timeless
rock legends who are still out there and still
putting out some of their best work ever and
just proving that they are timeless, ageless,
pillars, titans, monsters of rock and roll. Alice
Cooper is 77 years old. And he's still Steven
Tyler. I know. I know. These guys are in their
late 70s and they're still putting out incredible,
amazing music that is in a lot of ways, every
bit as good as some of their best music ever.
And Alice Cooper put out this album, The Revenge
of Alice Cooper. And it's just like he went back
in time and brought his younger self back up
to 2025 and had his young self record this music.
The track I'm picking to round out this list
of the best songs of 2025 is See You on the Other
Side. And we're ending on kind of a melancholy
sort of retrospective note. But I mean, obviously,
the song was a tribute to Glenn Buxton, which
was, you know, Alice Cooper's guitarist for a
number of years. He passed away a number of years
ago. But the song is just a wonderful, beautiful
tribute to Glenn and also sort of a tribute to.
their adventures together and that the band in
general and alice cooper's career as a musician
over the decades and it's a melancholy song about
grief and loss but it's also about optimism and
the power of friendship and you know just this
thought that you know maybe this life isn't the
end for everybody and we're gonna see everybody
we love you know once again once we're done you
know on this mortal coil but the thing about
alice cooper is he's still touring i didn't get
a chance to catch his tour but a bunch of people
i know did And they said that he just gets up
and he's still rocking the F out and he doesn't
take a break. Like I saw Kiss a number of years
ago and like Gene and Paul went backstage and
like slugged a bunch of Gatorade and the two
younger guys kind of played their part of the
set by themselves. Alice is out there for 90
minutes and there's no breaks. There's no talking
to the crowd. There's no like, let me sit down
for a minute and sing this next song. He's just
doing what he's always been doing for decades
now. And his tracks that he's putting out, especially
this album, The Revenge of Alice Cooper. It sounds
like 70s Alice Cooper in the best possible way.
It's amazing and timeless. And this song in particular,
I've always been a fan of Alice Cooper when he
writes ballads. I know everybody knows him from
Feed My Frankenstein or like No More Mr. Nice
Guy. But when he gets a little bit more introspective,
a little bit more melancholy and kind of brings
the tone down a little bit, I think he's every
bit as good. And this is what this song is. He's
a very talented, multifaceted songwriter, and
he has not missed a step. since the 70s like
he's just I hope he lives to be 177 because I
wanted to keep putting amazing music like this
out but I picked this track because it's cool
and it's awesome and it's Alice Cooper but it's
also it's a song that takes the time to remember
the past and lament the past and mourn for things
lost but it's also so wildly beautifully optimistic
and grateful for the things that we miss because
they were good enough for us to miss them and
that includes people and you know experiences
and you know even if your favorite brewery closed
down this year you know there's a lot of reasons
to mourn a lot of reasons to be you know sort
of melancholy and sort of in your own head this
year but this song also kind of empowers you
to recognize that process it but also recognize
that there's so much more that is in front of
you. There's so many more people you're going
to meet, so many more experiences you're going
to have. And to not spend your time dwelling
and being sad about what's gone, but instead
just love the fact that you had it while you
had it and be excited about what you're going
to get next because something is coming. I love
the fact that Alice is writing music that's just
as hard as it always was, but with the knowledge
and the experience of somebody who's in his 70s.
It's beautiful. It's wonderful. I can't think
of a better track to round out the best songs
of 2025. Honestly, man, I think you said it all
this song, the way three, six, five closed out
side a hits me on so many levels this year. The
first time I heard it, I was like, Oh my God,
you gotta be kidding me. Like he's going there.
And I know it's about Glenn and You know, he's
singing about his friend and his confidant and
his guitarist. But there's this hope. Yeah. That's
attached to the melancholy aspect of the song.
And for the year I've had losing my father, there
was a lot of melancholy. But the hope is there
for the future. And it's something one of the
last conversations my father and I had was about
the future and about being together again one
day. And you summed it up with this one, man.
Normally, I'm not one to say I'm at a loss for
words, but I think you said everything that needs
to be said here. And whether it's see you on
the other side of 2025, meaning in 2026, or a
deeper meaning of see you on the other side when
all of our time comes on this earthly plane,
it's a great way to close things out. On a spiritual
and musical level. Because Alice Cooper is. One
of the greats. So there you have it folks. Side
B of our ultimate 2025 playlist. Which kicked
off. With Mammoth's The End. Followed up by Dice
Spits. Throw Yourself to the Sword. Lakeview's
Home Team. Horror featuring Nova Twins. Pink
Sifu and Young Skirt. Incline. That's H -O -9
-9 -O -9. If you want to look it up. Dorothy's
I Come Alive, Sabrina Child's Man Child, Teddy
Swim's Not Your Man, and Car Seat Headrest's
The Catastrophe, Good Luck With That Man, the
man portion of the episode, Aerosmith and Youngblood's
My Only Angel, and Alice Cooper's See You On
The Other Side. Head over to myweeklymixtape
.com to hear all the songs we've discussed in
this mix through the playlist embedded on the
episode page. Well, DT, this has truly been a
blast. We did it in 2023, 2024. This makes a
trio of year -end episodes. Look forward to hearing
what we come up with in 2026. And hopefully this
is not the last time we podcast until the 2026
episode. But thank you so much for being a part
of this episode today, man. Dude, my absolute
pleasure. And yeah, I hope we do another podcast
or a project together before the final best songs
of 2026. You're one of my favorite people, dude.
I always love doing this. Well, I appreciate
you being here. And I also appreciate everybody
tuning in tonight. If you enjoy what you're hearing,
but we did not talk about your favorite song
of 2025, we both want to know about it. So send
me an email, myweeklymixtape at gmail .com. Hit
me up on all the social media haunts at myweeklymixtape.
Use the contact page at myweeklymixtape .com.
or join the Mixtaper community at patreon .com
forward slash myweeklymixtape. It's free to join,
and there's other tiers there if you'd like to
support the show a little bit extra. If you're
listening on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube,
please leave a five -star review, drop a comment.
Click that like button. Click that subscribe
button. Do all the things. It helps spread the
word about My Weekly Mixtape to other music fans
that are out there looking for programs such
as this one. My name is Brian Colburn. This has
been My Weekly Mixtape, and I hope you guys enjoy
listening to the songs of 2025 that we've laid
out over the last movie -length episode. See
you guys next week.