brook shelley

Best Media Lists of 2025

I spend a lot of time on my bike or on my couch, and in either case I’ve usually got a movie, album, or book going while I relax or work out. If your playlists seem stale, you missed a lot of films this year, or didn’t read much, I hope this gives you something to explore.

Look out for part two with video games, tv, and podcasts.

Best Albums that came out this year

If you use Apple Music you can hop over here to listen.

Metal

  • Deafheaven: Lonely People with Power: They’re back again with another banger that is a little more metal than last year and fits with the frustration and anger a lot of us feel.
  • Agriculture: The Spiritual Sound: Metal? About Buddhism? The bumper sticker is sold out, but I’ve seen more than one around the bay and always smile when I do.

Indie and Pop

  • Japanese Breakfast: For Melancholy Brunettes: She’s been great since Little Big League and even though her very sad book sits waiting for me on the shelf, her music hits me in the heart regularly.
  • Rosalía: Lux: A rare example of an album I assumed would be crap because of the hype around it, that ended-up on repeat. I am practicing Reliquia for karaoke, so watch out. Spanish, German, and Japanese all combine to make an album of absolute bops.
  • Great Grandpa: Patience, Moonbeam: “It’s perfect when I leave you, damn”.
  • Caroline: Caroline 2: Imagine if early Animal Collective had a lot more melody and a little less psychedelic drugs.
  • Wednesday: Bleeds: Country-inflected indie rock hasn’t been this good since the early days of Okkervil River and Songs: Ohia.

Downtempo or Sad AF

  • Anna Von Hauswolff: Her Iggy Pop collaboration surprises me in the same good way as Japanese Breakfast singing with Jeff Bridges. I’m currently exploring her previous albums, because I’d completely missed her until now, and am now very into her music. Lots of orchestral stings and the sort of instrumentation and verve that brings to mind Bjork and Sigur Ros.
  • Florist: Jellywish: Florist is contemplative music for idly wandering and a beautiful autumn or winter morning.
  • Alan Sparhawk & Trampled by Turtles: After Mimi Parker’s death, her widow made a deeply strange electronic album, and then evolved his work back towards a style akin to what he made with is late wife in Low. I’m a huge fan of Low, and still consider their concert with Mono to be my favorite I’ve seen. This isn’t as outright devastating as Phil Elverum’s A Crow Looked at Me, but captures so much deep feeling and anguish.
  • Ichiko Aoba: Luminescent Creatures: Quietly one of the best artists out there, with contemplative and beautifully haunting tunes.

Jazz and RnB

  • Blood Orange: Essex Honey: Remember Lightspeed Champion? Ok, only Michael raised his hand. Ok for the rest of you, that indie dork grew up and became a hot RnB artist who now has a respectable back-catalog. This album was the sound of summer for me, and the blend of 90s-esque electronic beats and indie-RnB crooning are good for just about any time.
  • Luke Titus: From What Was Will Grow a Flower: Continuing my tradition of learning about western jazz artists while traveling in Japan, this drummer and singer rules. I found out after hearing this album in Parco that Titus plays with Kieffer and other artists I’ve listened-to, but the mix of RnB and Jazz is instantly catchy and grooveful.

My ranked list of movies that came out in 2025

Hop over to my Letterboxd to see the whole list, but my favorites were:

  • OBAA: PT Anderson is one of the most consistently great movie-makers out there, and this shows his sense of humor and world-building is still tops. Come for the dojo, stay for the hilly car chase and the same 94 Sentra I used to drive.
  • Sinners: Vampires! Cunnilingus! Michael B two brothers!
  • Bugonia: Vaguely remembered the DVD of the original I saw in 2004, and Yorgos brought it into a stark clarity with outstanding performances from Plemons, Halkias, and Stone.
  • Friendship: Feature-length Robinson that goes from ITYSL premise to dark and uncomfortable meltdown. Barrel of laughs.
  • Weapons: Just try to resist the impulse to Weapons-run around after watching this. Spooky, surprisingly funny, and a great reason never to have kids or teach.

Books I read that I loved

If you want to buy these, I recommend Bookshop. I also maybe(?) make a few bucks from these sales but I’ll be honest I don’t understand how that works. However your read these, I hope you do.

  • The Red/Green/Blue Mars Trilogy: Ok, look, I am only halfway through the third book in KSR’s epic Mars terraforming series, but it’s a fascinating look at an optimistic view of how a government can form, and an obsessively detailed discussion of soil and climate. I can see how his tastes and interests have evolved since then, as I’ve read all his more recent books, but it was fun to see how he kicked things off. 2000+ pages is a lot to get through though, so pace yourself.
  • Ghost Station: Really digging spooky space stories from S.A. Barnes. If this is a genre you enjoy, get stuck in.
  • Matter: I hate that some of the most idiotic tech dorks try to co-opt Banks, but completely miss the point of his writing. Fortunately, books are still good even if awful people read them.
  • Pattern Recognition: I reread the Blue Ant trilogy every year or two because it holds-up so well as a techno spy/thriller and a perfect encapsulation of what its like to try to understand a subculture and dive into internet worlds. It helps that both protagonists are rad women.