Best of Dense 2025

posted Dec 20, 2025

“Dense” is kind of a catch-all tag for anything that’s a little too much for any of the others.

Even In Arcadia - Sleep Token - I make no secret of how much I like Sleep Token and I get to spout about it again
Pirouette - Model/Actriz - sing-along noise rock
Cowards - Squid - the third in a string of strong records for these guys
YHWH Nailgun - no idea what to make of it but i liked it.

meta playlists

Best of Dense 2025

Everybody Scream Florence + The Machine satisfying the muse

By The Throat Eyedea & Abilities Exciting talent, gone in a flash

F# A# ∞ Godspeed You! Black Emperor mind bomb

Gentlemen Afghan Whigs sleek alt rock with some serious pathos

Soul Cages Sting CD player literature

Last Days Of Pompeii Nova Mob lost classic

Cover Story Russ Taff the state of man in 11 covers

Zealot Dead Icarus whoa

Night Reign Arooj Aftab gorgeous and fulfilling

Lux Rosalía stunning

That Wasn't A Dream Pino Palladino & Blake Mills fretless but not feckless

Strange Heavens Linda May Han Oh, Ambrose Akinmusire, Tyshawn Sorey brilliant trio jazz

I Don't Want To See You In Heaven The Callous Daoboys a math-heavy triumph

Brothers In Arms Dire Straits fancy notes on a blue guitar

The Doors The Doors in which the gang breaks on through

Under Between Dialect a sonic painting

Calming Signals Rich Ruth a wild, jazzy space trip

In The Spanish Cave Thin White Rope a lost hard-psych gem

Please Don't Feed The Model Rom / Schaerer / Eberle vocal madness with guitar and horn

Stone Rollin' Rafael Saadiq retro dance fest

What Color Is Love? Terry Callier a wild ride

Wind, Again Sary Moussa structure, sign, and play

Clear Language Balmorhea post-ambient-gaze

Blood Sugar Sex Magik Red Hot Chili Peppers a funky party

Release Cop Shoot Cop hidden industrial gem

A Universe That Roasts Blossoms For A Horse Sirom extraterrestrial folk

Quiet Signs Jessica Pratt ghostly beauty

Even In Arcadia Sleep Token auditory rorschach test

Tomorrow Was The Golden Age Bing & Ruth masterfully ambient classical

The Lemon Of Pink The Books a micro-dose of joy

Watersong Savina Yannatou let it drown you

Cenotes Giant Squid love this thing

Transcendental Youth Mountain Goats like nothing else

Rest In Space Islandman groovy as hell

Glory Perfume Genius emphasis on "genius"

Rhythm Revolution Ferry Djimmy African funk lost classic

Animal Choir Her Name Is Calla Beauty and menace

Arrival Fire! Orchestra weirdly cool

Tenants of Misty Mansion (According to the Landlord) Per Störby Jutbring wönderful

Daughter Of A Temple Ganavya the spirit of devotion

Yellow River Blue Yu Su a field trip

Cicada Waves Ben Seretan piano in the rainstorm

Haram Armand Hammer & The Alchemist a modern classic

The Room Fabiano do Nascimento & Sam Gendel best of the year

Primal Prayer Beverly Glenn-Copeland a balm

Under The Lilac Sky Arushi Jain Synthistani music

Convex Nym eco-chill

How Will I Live Without A Body? Loma an evolution

Absolute Elsewhere Blood Incantation Umma Booma

Ghosts Hania Rani lovely

Strands Steve Hauschildt relentlessly calm

This Place Will Become Your Tomb Sleep Token Tomorrow's classics today

Atlas of Green Dialect A delightful shot of meta-nostalgia

The Köln Concert Keith Jarrett one historical night

The Mountain Haken prog metal masterpiece

Oh No OK Go more than just videos

Eye To The Ear Cosmo Sheldrake Cosmic pop

Compassion Vijay Iyer, Linda May Han Oh, and Tyshawn Sorey awesome trio date

Until We Meet The Sky Solar Fields full-spectrum beauty

Madar Jan Garbarek, Anouar Brahem, Shaukat Hussain A global summit

Deathbed Requests Memory Drawings spooky bliss

New Heaven Inter Arma Everything But The Kitchen Sink-core

Slow Water Stephan Crump the river

Anima Mysterium Yugen Blakrok shamanic sojourn

All Born Screaming St Vincent Annie gets serious

Superunknown Soundgarden a stoner-y, grunge-y classic

Reconciled The Call The best 80s album nobody's heard of

Interstellar Interlude Tomoki Kanda beauty ex nihilo

August Still Lost Bird Music classic poetry set to bluegrassy music

Nighttime Birds And Morning Stars Sarah Louise glitch-calm folk

Lord Of The Harvest Peter Talisman downtempo primitive

Notes With Attachments Pino Palladino and Blake Mills low key funk fest

Lungs Florence + The Machine Not calling you a liar.

My Favorite Things John Coltrane it actually is one of them.

Stubborn Persistent Illusions Do Make Say Think ballsy post rock

Inheritance Omar Ahmad smooth sailing

An Ever Changing View Matthew Halsall lovely

Baralku Emancipator comfort food.

Kick INXS get kicked

Everybody Scream

Florence + The Machine

satisfying the muse

By The Throat

Eyedea & Abilities

Exciting talent, gone in a flash

F# A# ∞

Godspeed You! Black Emperor

mind bomb

Gentlemen

Afghan Whigs

sleek alt rock with some serious pathos

Soul Cages

Sting

CD player literature

Last Days Of Pompeii

Nova Mob

lost classic

Cover Story

Russ Taff

the state of man in 11 covers

Zealot

Dead Icarus

whoa

Night Reign

Arooj Aftab

gorgeous and fulfilling

Lux

Rosalía

stunning

That Wasn't A Dream

Pino Palladino & Blake Mills

fretless but not feckless

Strange Heavens

Linda May Han Oh, Ambrose Akinmusire, Tyshawn Sorey

brilliant trio jazz

I Don't Want To See You In Heaven

The Callous Daoboys

a math-heavy triumph

Brothers In Arms

Dire Straits

fancy notes on a blue guitar

The Doors

The Doors

in which the gang breaks on through

Under Between

Dialect

a sonic painting

Calming Signals

Rich Ruth

a wild, jazzy space trip

In The Spanish Cave

Thin White Rope

a lost hard-psych gem

Please Don't Feed The Model

Rom / Schaerer / Eberle

vocal madness with guitar and horn

Stone Rollin'

Rafael Saadiq

retro dance fest

What Color Is Love?

Terry Callier

a wild ride

Wind, Again

Sary Moussa

structure, sign, and play

Clear Language

Balmorhea

post-ambient-gaze

Blood Sugar Sex Magik

Red Hot Chili Peppers

a funky party

Release

Cop Shoot Cop

hidden industrial gem

A Universe That Roasts Blossoms For A Horse

Sirom

extraterrestrial folk

Quiet Signs

Jessica Pratt

ghostly beauty

Even In Arcadia

Sleep Token

auditory rorschach test

Tomorrow Was The Golden Age

Bing & Ruth

masterfully ambient classical

The Lemon Of Pink

The Books

a micro-dose of joy

Watersong

Savina Yannatou

let it drown you

Cenotes

Giant Squid

love this thing

Transcendental Youth

Mountain Goats

like nothing else

Rest In Space

Islandman

groovy as hell

Glory

Perfume Genius

emphasis on "genius"

Rhythm Revolution

Ferry Djimmy

African funk lost classic

Animal Choir

Her Name Is Calla

Beauty and menace

Arrival

Fire! Orchestra

weirdly cool

Tenants of Misty Mansion (According to the Landlord)

Per Störby Jutbring

wönderful

Daughter Of A Temple

Ganavya

the spirit of devotion

Yellow River Blue

Yu Su

a field trip

Cicada Waves

Ben Seretan

piano in the rainstorm

Haram

Armand Hammer & The Alchemist

a modern classic

The Room

Fabiano do Nascimento & Sam Gendel

best of the year

Primal Prayer

Beverly Glenn-Copeland

a balm

Under The Lilac Sky

Arushi Jain

Synthistani music

Convex

Nym

eco-chill

How Will I Live Without A Body?

Loma

an evolution

Absolute Elsewhere

Blood Incantation

Umma Booma

Ghosts

Hania Rani

lovely

Strands

Steve Hauschildt

relentlessly calm

This Place Will Become Your Tomb

Sleep Token

Tomorrow's classics today

Atlas of Green

Dialect

A delightful shot of meta-nostalgia

The Köln Concert

Keith Jarrett

one historical night

The Mountain

Haken

prog metal masterpiece

Oh No

OK Go

more than just videos

Eye To The Ear

Cosmo Sheldrake

Cosmic pop

Compassion

Vijay Iyer, Linda May Han Oh, and Tyshawn Sorey

awesome trio date

Until We Meet The Sky

Solar Fields

full-spectrum beauty

Madar

Jan Garbarek, Anouar Brahem, Shaukat Hussain

A global summit

Deathbed Requests

Memory Drawings

spooky bliss

New Heaven

Inter Arma

Everything But The Kitchen Sink-core

Slow Water

Stephan Crump

the river

Anima Mysterium

Yugen Blakrok

shamanic sojourn

All Born Screaming

St Vincent

Annie gets serious

Superunknown

Soundgarden

a stoner-y, grunge-y classic

Reconciled

The Call

The best 80s album nobody's heard of

Interstellar Interlude

Tomoki Kanda

beauty ex nihilo

August

Still Lost Bird Music

classic poetry set to bluegrassy music

Nighttime Birds And Morning Stars

Sarah Louise

glitch-calm folk

Lord Of The Harvest

Peter Talisman

downtempo primitive

Notes With Attachments

Pino Palladino and Blake Mills

low key funk fest

Lungs

Florence + The Machine

Not calling you a liar.

My Favorite Things

John Coltrane

it actually is one of them.

Stubborn Persistent Illusions

Do Make Say Think

ballsy post rock

Inheritance

Omar Ahmad

smooth sailing

An Ever Changing View

Matthew Halsall

lovely

Baralku

Emancipator

comfort food.

Kick

INXS

get kicked

Dusk

The The

brainy alt rock classic