Team JamBase’s Favorite Albums Of 2025

As we’ve spent part of the past year building AI-powered tools at JamBase to power live music discovery (see https://ai.jambase.com), I’ve been thinking a lot about how this new technology intersects with creativity. So when Nathan Moore dropped ARTificial, an album exploring that exact tension, it hit me at the right time and place.

Nathan’s approach is refreshingly honest and hands-on. He feeds his acoustic demos into AI, downloads the stems it generates, then surgically removes what doesn’t serve the song and adds his own human touch. The result isn’t AI music, it’s authentic Nathan Moore music with AI as a collaborator, not a replacement.

In a year when everyone’s debating whether AI will kill art or save it, Nathan just went ahead and made a record that sidesteps the argument entirely. He’s using these tools the way any musician uses modern tech, to fully realize the sounds in his head. ARTificial is proof that the technology is only as soulful as the human wielding it.

Bahamas’ My Second Last Album is my favorite record of 2025 because it’s a start-to-finish listen that never wastes a moment. I’ve always loved a tight, concise LP, and this one clocks in at just over 31 minutes — long enough to feel complete, short enough that it begs for repeat listens. The production is crisp and uncluttered, giving the songs plenty of room while still feeling focused and intentional.

What really sticks with me is how casually sharp the songwriting is. Lines like “Don’t need to be rich to finance the Hyundai” jump straight out of the speakers – not because they’re trying to say something big, but because they’re just funny, specific, and perfectly tossed off. That kind of small, human detail is all over the record, and it’s a big part of why it’s so enjoyable to come back to again and again.

A velvety, rich collection of techno that steers you through an atmosphere submerged in water. This is Isabel Soto’s debut release for Ostgut Ton; the iconic label run by Berlin’s cathedral of sound, Berghain.

Singer-songwriter Alex G built upon his previous releases for Headlights, his major label debut. The artist, born Alex Giannascoli, kept the DIY feel that propelled his Domino era releases, while also adding some polish.

Over Headlights’ 12 tracks Giannascoli continues to keep fans on their toes by exploring new sonic territory. The Pennsylvania native is a master songwriter who uses his own experiences to craft mesmerizing, heartfelt songs. Flourishes of mandolin, strings, accordion and banjo bring an organic feel to the album. Alex G also works in electric guitar, bass and drums to give the record a bit of crunch. Giannascoli already proved himself with his first nine albums. On Headlights he leveled up.

Chicago’s Natural Information Society, helmed by Joshua Abrams, is a minimalist, psychedelic jazz project based around a droning guimbri (an African bass used in Gnawa music). For the last 15 years, NIS has been performing and releasing long-form meditations that take the listener to a transcendent location outside space and time. This year’s Perseverance Flow continues that tradition.

Consisting of one 35-minute piece, losing one’s self while listening to the music is the point. Slowly shifting patterns allow you to process each performer patiently, drifting above the ever-present plucking of the guimbri. It’s also just the perfect opportunity to Space Out. Dim the lights, light a candle, take a hit of your inebriant of choice and let the music take you on a journey.

Bad Bunny’s DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS stands out as my favorite album of 2025 because it feels like a full-circle moment in his artistry, a fusion of his reggaetón roots with the experimental textures he’s explored over the years. It is his most reflective album to date, grounded in Puerto Rican identity, defiant in the face of global fame, and clearly proud to still sound like the streets and beaches that raised him. You can hear the island’s pulse in every bass hit.

Beyond the musical inventiveness, the album carries emotional and cultural weight rarely seen in mainstream pop. By addressing gentrification, neocolonialism, and diaspora identity, it encourages listeners to reconnect with their roots and reflect on community. Lyrically, it’s a love letter to Puerto Rico and a reminder of how rhythm preserves history.

“Baile Inolvidable” is the record’s beating heart, crafted with intention in every detail.

The Art of Loving feels calm, confident, and deeply intentional. Olivia Dean isn’t trying to chase trends or big moments here. Instead, she focuses on honesty and emotional clarity, exploring love as something you practice over time rather than something you fall into all at once. The album feels grounded and reflective in a way that’s comforting without ever being boring.

What really draws me in is how timeless it sounds. The production is warm and understated, giving her voice space to do the heavy lifting. Every song feels considered, like it belongs exactly where it is. There’s a real sense of growth and self-assurance across the record that makes it feel less like a collection of songs and more like a complete statement.

“A Couple Minutes” captures the heart of the album perfectly. It’s gentle, honest, and emotionally precise, showing how even a short moment with someone can leave a lasting impression. Simple, beautiful, and quietly powerful.

My favorite album of 2025 is One Of Us by LaMP. They recorded this album at Tank Recording Studio in Burlington, Vermont. What stands out most about this album is the band’s collaborative spirit. All ten tracks are instrumental, and each song credits all three members as writers, which really shows their commitment to working as equals.

“Cosmo,” the opener, begins gently before building into an energetic funk groove. “The River Jordan” is one of the album’s best moments, shifting seamlessly between different tempos and styles. Keyboardist Ray Paczkowski’s ability to play bass lines with his left hand while crafting melodies with his right is particularly noteworthy throughout the record.

Unlike many guitar-dominated albums in the jam scene, One Of Us gives equal space to all three musicians, creating a more balanced listening experience. It is clear that their time on the road has solidified their sound and I cannot wait for more in 2026!

30 years after releasing his legendary solo debut, Only Built For Cuban Linx…, Raekwon is back in 2025 with his eighth solo album, The Emperor’s New Clothes.

The Chef served up another prime spread, mixing his signature gritty lyrical prowess with production that harkens back to classic hip-hop, like Cuban Linx, but with a modern sheen.

Standouts on the record include “600 School” with production by Swizz Beatz and featuring Rae’s fellow Wu-Tang Clan members Ghostface Killah and Method Man. “Wild Corsicans” boasts spots from Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine and Benny The Butcher. The Chef also shines on the Frank G.-produced album opener “Bear Hill.”

Though I only very recently discovered GoGo Penguin, the Manchester-based Trio has quickly become a new favorite of mine. By blending a variety of styles and influences, particularly jazz and electronic music, they create a result I find compelling, refreshing, and deeply enjoyable. Their regular use of the double-bass in combination with newer sounds and stylings helps create a sound that feels at once rooted in familiar tradition while simultaneously reaching out into modern explorations.

I feel this kind of balanced contrast is one of the defining strengths of Necessary Fictions, the group’s most recent album. They do a remarkable job not only balancing their multitude of influences, but also apply this exquisite balance to many aspects of the music. Finding a harmony between intricacy and minimalism, I find the album relaxing but not sleepy. Highly rewarding of focused attention but not overly demanding of it. I’m very grateful to have discovered this album and am excited to see what the band releases in the future.

After taking a gander at albums released this year, the one I flocked to the most was Tyler Childers’ Snipe Hunter. The goosebump-inducing penultimate song, “Tomcat And A Dandy,” brought me to tears upon first listen and solidified my choice for record of the year.

The song sees the Kentucky-born Childers merging his countrified songwriting with Hare Krishna chants, emblematic of the cross–cultural exploration found across the album’s 13 tracks. Childers follows the spiritual centerpiece with the swamp-rock funk closer “Dirty Ought Trill.”

While Rick Rubin’s production looms large over Snipe Hunter, additional production by Sylvan Esso’s Nick Sanborn and engineering by studio wizard Shawn Everett are the more outright noticeably sonically significant contributions to the album. The emotional range covers the spectrum from deeply spiritual to lighthearted silliness.

I’m not the only one whose attention was caught by Snipe Hunter, with guitarist Billy Strings putting the standout song “Bitin’ List” on a literal pedestal during his recent Halloween concert.