"After working in music journalism for over 10 years, if there's one thing I've come away feeling it's a true hatred for making lists. The very process of having to pick 10 or 20 or 50 or 100 of the best songs or albums or whatever and make it sound definitive is annoying in itself. When you add the inevitable consternation from the readership, then it becomes even more untenable."
"Well, this time around I am not here to make any grand proclamations. The following songs are the ones that defined MY 2025. Some of them you might like, some you'll probably hate, and none of it is presented in any sort of ranked order. It is the kind of perspective that Apple's or Spotify's end-of-year surveillance printouts cannot provide, as it reflects the unquantifiable impact that music has had on me in the moments of life it has accompanied."
A long experience in music journalism produced a pronounced dislike for creating definitive lists. The selection process often forces arbitrary choices, prompts immediate regret over omissions or misrankings, and can suppress lighter, enjoyable music deemed insufficiently serious. Lists frequently attract reader consternation and should not be treated as definitive assessments. Personal, unranked song selections better capture how music accompanied life’s moments. Algorithmic end-of-year summaries from platforms cannot convey the unquantifiable emotional impact of songs. Examples include Thirteendegrees' "Da Problem Solva" and projects BLACK FRIDAYZ and Clique City Vol. 2, where Tumblr-era nostalgia registered as demoralizing and tied to youthful embarrassment.
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