#20 on the 2025 Bacon Top 31 — Juana Molina

January 12, 2026 by Royal Stuart in 2025, Top 31

I’m gonna fuck this up. I don’t know how to write about this wonderful musician. I don’t have the depth of knowledge necessary to wax on about a Spanish-singing Argentinian auteur. Or maybe I just don’t have the usual tropes I fall back on? Maybe this is more of a challenge than I’m used to, and that voice in the back of my head is balking at needing to go outside of my comfort zone? Growth at age almost-52 is harder than you might think. Here goes nothing.

Juana Molina is not the kind of artist you’d typically find in the Top 31. Living in Buenos Aires, 64 years old, creating dreamy “folktronica” that she typically sings in her native Spanish – she’s not the typical indie musician I am drawn to by any measure. And yet, with her eighth album DOGA, she’s made what I feel is the 20th best album of 2025.

Molina’s path to college radio play across the world started in 1961, when she was born to a tango-singing father and an actress mother. Unable to make money in a career in music, she focused on the stage, quickly reaching some fame in Argentina as a sketch comedy actress. Apparently in the early 90s she was quite popular across the country, and at the height of her acting career she quit, finally able to turn her focus back to the music that was overwhelming her psyche.

Since releasing her debut album, Rara, in 1996, her climb to recognition outside of Argentina grew slowly. That album did not find an audience in her home country, but she was undeterred. A quick jaunt to Los Angeles allowed her the space to put together her second album, 2000’s Segundo, which caught the attention of David Byrne (see #27, who as you remember founded world-music focused record label Luaka Bop). He asked Molina to open for him on his tour that year. Her audience grew slowly over her next three albums, expanding her global presence into Europe and Japan. Her fifth album, 2008’s Un dia, got an unexpected boost when her music was featured in the background of a Radiolab episode in 2008 titled “Sperm.” Due to an outpouring of inquiries about that music, the popular podcast ran a whole segment featuring Molina in 2009, adding an even greater amount of US-based attention to the singer / songwriter.

Her sixth and seventh albums, 2013’s Wed 21 and 2017’s Halo were well-received, and while I know I had heard of the artist by this time, I still hadn’t given her or her music any attention. Then DOGA came out in November. And this time, thanks to a friend who earlier in the year had forced me to listen to a Juana Molina song¹, I paid closer attention. It may have taken me nearly 30 years to come around, but I’m so glad I finally did.

DOGA is one hell of an album. Molina’s soft-spoken voice sounds to my non-Spanish speaking ears like an additional instrument, delicately laced across the top of intricate, off-kilter, mostly-electronic beats. Hit play on the video for “Desinhumano,” above. I hear what sound like influences of Björk (Icelandic, 60) and The Knife / Fever Ray (Karen Dreijer, Swedish, 50), but as Molina is older than both of those huge, international female artists, I wonder if I should actually be saying they’re influenced by her. I can confidently say if you’ve been a fan of either of those artists in the past, then Juana Molina is right up your alley.

It’s a rare thing to come to an artist for the first time on their 8th album and 30 years into their musical career. Normally at this point, if an artist makes it to their eighth album, they’ve settled into their “only the super fans will dig this” era of their career, no longer able to bring in new fans the way their earlier albums may have. Molina and her album DOGA is clearly different. Hopefully you hear it, too. And I hope this review did justice to her and this fantastic album.

^{1. In January 2025, I created a new way for new music to enter my life. I gathered a small group of friends for the purposes of sharing music between us. We dubbed it “Record Cabinet,” and decided to gather every ~6 weeks or so and bring two songs to share based on a theme as established by that session’s host. For the October “Foreign Exchange” theme, a friend (hi Brent!) brought the Juana Molina song “El Perro” from Segundo as his song representative of “a song from the Southern Hemisphere. I love all the different ways new music can make it to my ears.↩}

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#27 on the 2025 Bacon Top 31 — David Byrne

January 05, 2026 by Royal Stuart in 2025, Top 31

Who Is The Sky? by David Byrne

David Byrne released his first album, Talking Heads: 77, with is band of the same name in 1977. Talking Heads released four albums before Byrne released his first solo project in 1981 (his beautiful collaboration with Brian Eno, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts). The band released four additional records before officially splitting up in 1991, while Byrne continued to release solo albums and soundtracks for film and theater during and after the band’s short-but-fruitful existence. All told, then man has been a part of 30 records in the 48 years he’s been releasing music.

He is a true national treasure. (Despite having been born in Scotland, Byrne has triple citizenship between Great Britain, the US, and Ireland. He’s lived in NYC for decades.) He has gifted us with his art via recorded music and a myriad of media for nearly half a century. He’s stage-directed and choreographed dances throughout his musical career (if you’ve not seen the brilliant 1984 Jonathan Demme-directed Talking Heads concert film Stop Making Sense, I highly recommended you put it at the top of your list – you will not be disappointed). He’s been the creative force behind multiple Broadway shows (The Catherine Wheel with Twyla Tharp, his own American Utopia, and a Broadway collaboration with Fatboy Slim called Here Lies Love). He’s written multiple books, on music and many other topics. Since 1990 he’s run a record label focused on bringing international sounds to a global audience, called Luaka Bop. In 2003 he toured a non-music presentation at college campuses called “I ♥ PowerPoint” that I had the pleasure of seeing live at Kane Hall at the University of Washington. He gave a TED talk in 2010. While not a true EGOT, he’s won an Oscar, a Grammy, a Tony, a Golden Globe, and has been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Byrne has a savant-like commitment¹ to making people feel connected, happy, and loved. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Byrne perform on stage six times since 2001, and each was filled with pure joy. One of those concerts was at Benaroya Hall, where the Seattle Symphony performs, promoting his collaboration with St. Vincent (the album, called Love This Giant, featured at #15 in 2012).

To promote his tenth solo album, the fantastic Who Is The Sky?, created in collaboration with a musical ensemble called Ghost Train Orchestra, Byrne built a stage set that saw him and 14 other musicians and dancers all performing on top of and surrounded by giant LED screens. The scenes surrounding the performers alternated through locales as varied as the surface of the moon (while playing Talking Heads’ “Heaven”), a NYC rooftop (performing “Strange Overtones” from Byrne’s second collaboration with Brian Eno, 2008’s Everything That Happens Will Happen Today), and a 360° view of the interior of Byrne’s Brooklyn apartment (while playing Who Is The Sky?’s “My Apartment is My Friend,” of course). Each song throughout the nearly 2-hour set featured choreographed dances for the entire 15-person crew, with even the musicians mobilized thanks to special mounts and harnesses for their instruments. It was magical.

Byrne’s solo music over the last 20 years has tended towards more “safe” territory than the Talking Heads ever did. “Everybody Laughs,” featured in the video above, is a prime example. There are no surprises, but there’s also nothing to dislike. Add in Byrne’s electrified presence, and you can see why why we all keep coming back. He’s released another video from the album, a black-and-white animated singalong for the song “What is the Reason For it?,” which features Hayley Williams, the lead singer of rock band Paramore. And then there’s a video for non-album track “T Shirt,” which I first heard and saw as part of the Who Is They Sky? concert.

While it doesn’t compare to the live stage show, you can get a small sense of it by watching the crew’s Tiny Desk Concert from December. They managed to fit all 15 of them behind the desk, performing a few key songs from the show.

Byrne is 73 years old, and showing no signs of slowing down. While his albums alone don’t “wow,” everything else he brings to the world more than makes for it, keeping him near the top of “must see” lists everywhere. I can’t wait to see what he can do in the second half of his century of performing.

^{1. Despite having never been formally diagnosed, Bryne said in 2012 that he felt that music was his way of communicating when he could not do it face-to-face “because of [his] autism”.↩}

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#9 on the 2023 Bacon Top 31 — Mitski

January 23, 2024 by Royal Stuart in Top 31

The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We by Mitski

Mitsuki Miyawaki, aka Mitski, had an eventful 18 months after the release of her sixth album, Lauren Hell. She had her first chart topper, when her song “The Only Heartbreaker” from that seminal 2022 album hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Alternative Songs chart in March 2022. She continued to struggle internally with everything that comes from being famous. She co-wrote a song with David Byrne (#15 in 2012) and Son Lux (#17 in 2013) for the soundtrack to the best movie of 2022, Everything Everywhere All at Once. She got nominated for an Academy Award for said song. She chose not to perform the song during the ceremony, likely related to the previously mentioned inner turmoil related to being potentially even more famous¹. She and Byrne and Son Lux did not win an Oscar for said song, despite the movie taking home nine other academy awards. And she found the time to record her best album yet, her seventh, called The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We.

Miyawaki’s voice and tone remain unchanged on the new album, but everything around it has been beefed up. Subdued are the electronic-pop intonations of Hell, replaced by the warm embrace of a Mitski-led 17-person choir, along with a full orchestra conducted by none other than Drew Erickson, who arranged the big band feel of Father John Misty’s Chloë and the Next 20th Century (#9 last year) and the fantastic strings in Weyes Blood’s And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow, (also last year, at #25). This album has a majesty unlike anything Mitski’s done before. Check out the choir, as featured in the video above, for the song “Bug Like an Angel.” The only other song she’s released a video for from this album is “My Love Mine All Mine,” a shorter, non-choral song reminiscent of a number of Father John Misty’s recent songs.

On my past two reviews of Mitski’s albums, Lauren Hell at (#18 last year), and her fourth album, Puberty 2 at #24 in 2016,² I’ve written a lot about how it’s taken me a long time to understand Mitski. “Understand” is probably not the right word – I can feel like I know where she’s coming from with her songs and what she puts out in the world, but I can’t really say I know her, let along “understand” her. But my brain has finally caught up to her music. She was so far out ahead of me, I couldn’t see her past the horizon. I’m still behind her now, but I’m no longer losing ground. Here’s to hoping she comes through town when I’m available to see her in all her gory. In the mean time, I’ll keep Inhospitable on repeat.

^{1. Stephanie Hsu, the young actress who performed in the movie and was nominated for an academy award as well, performed in Mitski’s stead.↩}
^{2. I’ll never be able to forgive myself for being so disconnected as to not even put her genre-defining fifth album, Be The Cowboy, in the Top 31 of 2018.↩}

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#30 on the 2018 Bacon Top 31 — Angélique Kidjo

January 02, 2019 by Royal Stuart

Remain in Light by Angélique Kidjo

Those who know about these things may find it debatable as to where rock ’n’ roll began, but they all agree that the roots of rock ’n’ roll are a combination of African musical tradition with European instrumentation. White musicians have appropriated African rhythms into their music since before the dawn of rock ’n’ roll in the mid-1900s. And a few of those musicians have done so to their own great benefit, namely the Talking Heads in the late 70s / early 80s (and David Byrne beyond), Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel in the 80s and 90s, and all the way up to Vampire Weekend in the late 2000s / early 10s.

Enter Angélique Kidjo, a three-time grammy-winning Beninese (via-Paris and finally New York City) singer / songwriter. After a long and fruitful career of writing her own music (starting in 1981 with her debut Pretty) Kidjo has taken her music in a new direction, latching onto the seminal Talking Heads album Remain in Light and recording a track-for-track remake, pulling what was a rock ’n’ roll album back over to the African roots it always hinted at. If you didn’t recognize the David Byrne lyrics in these songs, you would most definitely be fooled into thinking these songs began with Kidjo in Africa.

According to Pitchfork, Kidjo first heard “Once in a Lifetime,” the big hit from Remain in Light, at a college party after escaping Benin for Paris in 1983. The song lodged itself in her brain, but only 35 years later did she seek out its source (even after having been championed by David Byrne in the 90s). She heard the full album and was moved by its continued political relevance, 30+ years after its debut. So she spun it for herself, and created this masterpiece.

It’s exciting to hear these songs in a brand new way. Remain in Light is one of my favorite all-time albums, and Kidjo’s renditions breathe new life into it. While this was my first exposure to Kidjo, I feel that’s a result of me not paying attention. For instance, here’s Kidjo with Ezra Koenig on stage at Austin City Limits during her 2014 PBS special, performing Vampire Weekend’s “I Think Ur a Contra”. Brilliant. Give this album a listen, whether you’re familiar with the original or not. You will not be disappointed.

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31. This One’s for the Dancer & This One’s for the Dancer’s Bouquet by Moonface

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2009-2017 Top 31s

#5 on the 2017 Bacon Top 31

January 27, 2018 by Royal Stuart

Soul of a Woman by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

Sharon Jones was an amazing woman who lived a hard life. As I wrote in my review of her and The Dap-Kings’ fantastic album Give the People What They Want (#12 in 2014):

Jones has a storied history herself, having been nothing more than a backup singer throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s. She spent her days as a corrections officer at Rikers Island and an armored car guard for Wells Fargo.

I’m sad to report that Ms. Jones passed away in November 2016, due to pancreatic cancer that she had been battling since 2013. But her music truly lives on, with this posthumously released eighth album, Soul of a Woman. Watch the video for Sail On! and you’ll see the shrouded in shadow Jones singing into a mic wearing a baseball cap over her chemo-therapy-induced bald head. But her voice never wavered. In the video for “Call on God” she is a little more prominent, so you can get a better feel for the woman behind the voice.

Bottom line, Sharon Jones was a powerhouse. Check out this performance by the band at the grand opening of KEXP’s new home, in April 2016 (just 7 months prior to her passing). What she and the Dap-Kings were able to create is the best, and that’s why I have their final album here in the Top 5.

I’m sure we’ll hear a lot more from the Dap-Kings — they’ve been the backup band for many different acts, including David Byrne and St. Vincent on their album Love This Giant, which was #15 in 2012. But there can be no more Sharon Jones to come, we’ve heard it all. She will be sorely missed, and I will thoroughly enjoy listening to her music for the rest of my life. May she rest in peace.

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6. Relaxer by Alt-J
7. Hot Thoughts by Spoon
8. Colors by Beck
9. Mental Illness by Aimee Mann
10. The Wild by The Rural Alberta Advantage
11. american dream by LCD Soundsystem
12. Crack-Up by Fleet Foxes
13. Famous Last Words by The True Loves
14. Cry Cry Cry by Wolf Parade
15. Pure Comedy by Father John Misty
16. Shake the Shudder by !!!
17. La La Land (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by La La Land
18. The Underside of Power by Algiers
19. What Now by Sylvan Esso
20. 50 Song Memoir by The Magnetic Fields
21. Plunge by Fever Ray
22. DAMN. by Kendrick Lamar
23. Capacity by Big Thief
24. The Tourist by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
25. CCFX EP by CCFX
26. Woodstock by Portugal. The Man
27. MASSEDUCTION by St. Vincent
28. On the Spot by Hot 8 Brass Band
29. A Deeper Understanding by The War on Drugs
30. Planetarium by Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, & James McAlister
31. A Moment Apart by Odesza

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#27 on the 2017 Bacon Top 31

January 05, 2018 by Royal Stuart

MASSEDUCTION by St. Vincent

It’s been a while since I musically connected with Annie Clark, otherwise known as St. Vincent. I quickly fell in love with her stage presence ten years ago, amidst the release of her debut album, Marry Me. She was a force on the stage, and I made sure to let everyone know about it.

Her 2nd album Actor appeared on the first Bacon Top 31 in 2009, but her third and fourth albums failed to hook me enough to break into the Top 31 in 2011 and 2014. She did, however, appear again on the Top 31 in 2012, because of the fantastic Love This Giant album she made with David Byrne.

But sometimes good things come to those who wait. With MASSEDUCTION, her fifth full-length album, St. Vincent has found new musical ground to cover. This album is solid from start to finish, and helps her escape that “sonic safe zone” my brain had put her in back in 2011.

On top of the great music, Clark has always been a visually stunning musician, both physically and in how she portrays her image in the world. She clearly takes many cues from David Byrne and his chameleon-like transformations over the years. The videos that have come out in support of MASSEDUCTION demonstrate this visual acuity: be sure to watch the above video for “New York,” as well as these great videos for “Pills” and “Los Ageless”.

If you’d given up on St. Vincent like I had, give this new album a listen. You may find you like what you hear.

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28. On the Spot by Hot 8 Brass Band
29. A Deeper Understanding by The War on Drugs
30. Planetarium by Sufjan Stevens, Nico Muhly, Bryce Dessner, & James McAlister
31. A Moment Apart by Odesza

2009-2016 Top 31s

#12 on the 2014 Bacon Top 31

December 20, 2014 by Royal Stuart

Give the People What They Want by Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings

Whereas The War On Drugs’ sound harkened back to 80s classic rock (as discussed at #13), the band at #12 goes back even further, to the 60s and 70s. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings are a product that sounds so familiar, you could be excused if you thought the songs on Give the People What They Want were all covers. But you’d also be wrong — these songs are all from the new millennium, written and recorded in 2013.

A fantastic blend of horns, backup singers, and powerful lead vocals by Sharon Jones, you can’t help but happily bounce in your seat when listening to them play. Jones has a storied history herself, having been nothing more than a backup singer throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s. She spent her days as a corrections officer at Rikers Island and an armored car guard for Wells Fargo. Knowing this information lends credibility to her words. When she wails “Get Up and Get Out,” you really feel compelled to do so.

The Dap-Kings have their own storied history, having been playing together as a group since the turn of the millennium. You’ve heard them many times over, although you might not have been aware of it. They were Amy Winehouse’s backing band on most of her amazing 2006 album Back to Black. They also appeared (uncredited) right here in the Top 31 of 2012, as the backing and pervasive horn section for David Byrne and St. Vincent’s collaboration Love This Giant.

In a normal year, this album would be in the top 10 for sure. It will certainly stand the test of time. I may regret putting it at #12. Either way, it’s fantastic, and you should be putting it into your ear holes right this minute.

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13. Lost in the Dream by The War On Drugs
14. Warpaint by Warpaint
15. Heal by Strand of Oaks
16. Stay Gold by First Aid Kit
17. This is All Yours by ∆
18. Brill Bruisers by The New Pornographers
19. Only Run by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
20. Augustines by Augustines
21. El Pintor by Interpol
22. I Never Learn by Lykke Li
23. Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes by Thom Yorke
24. The Voyager by Jenny Lewis
25. Voices by Phantogram
26. Morning Phase by Beck
27. Hungry Ghosts by OK Go
28. Run the Jewels 2 by Run the Jewels
29. Cosmos by Yellow Ostrich
30. Teeth Dreams by The Hold Steady
31. With Light & With Love by Woods

2009-2013 Top 31s

December 17, 2012 by Royal Stuart

#15 on the 2012 Musical Bacon Calendar

Love This Giant by David Byrne and St. Vincent

We’re now officially over the hump! The top 15 of 2012, and the better half of the list. Kicking things off with a bang, too, here at #15. Sometimes two artists you love get together and produce something magical. It doesn’t happen often, but the ones that come to mind — Thom Yorke teaming up with PJ Harvey on her song “This Mess We’re In,” Paul McCartney with the surviving members of Nirvana from the upcoming Dave Grohl-directed Sound City documentary soundtrack on the song “Cut Me Some Slack”, even David Bowie and Bing Crosby’s “The Little Drummer Boy / Peace On Earth” — really are fantastic. But those are all single songs.

Even more rare are full album collaborations. Love This Giant, by David Byrne and St. Vincent, is one of those rare and magical happenings. St. Vincent, the name under which the amazingly talented Annie Clark performs, appeared on the 2009 Bacon Calendar with her great album Actor. David Byrne, former lead singer/songwriter of The Talking Heads and master of media, hasn’t appeared on the list before, but I’ve loved the Heads for a very long time, and many of Byrne’s solo albums as well.

They are both known to be quite eccentric and unique. Throw them together and they’ve created an album so unlike any other, it would never be mistaken for just a David Byrne album or just a St. Vincent record. This couldn’t have existed without the both of them.

The album is commanded by an 8-piece horn section. Each song has a melody sung fully by Byrne or Clark, but their usual guitars take a back seat to the percussion and these horns. It’s difficult to really convey how arresting it sounds. I got to see them perform the album live a couple months ago, and it was as if they’d brought the album to life, literally, on stage. Eight horn players, carrying each tune while doing a crazy dance routine, as well as performing some key David Byrne, Talking Heads, and St. Vincent songs. It was fantastically great, much like this album.

Well worth a download, check it out if you’re a fan of either of the artists, or simply want to hear something different. You won’t be disappointed.

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16. To The Treetops! by Team Me
17. The Master: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Jonny Greenwood
18. There’s No Leaving Now by The Tallest Man On Earth
19. Transcendental Youth by The Mountain Goats
20. A Church That Fits Our Needs by Lost In The Trees
21. Hospitality by Hospitality
22. Free Dimensional by Diamond Rings
23. History Speaks by Deep Sea Diver
24. A Different Ship by Here We Go Magic
25. Negotiations by the Helio Sequence
26. Moms by Menomena
27. The Sound of the Life of the Mind by Ben Folds Five
28. Shields by Grizzly Bear
29. Every Child A Daughter, Every Moon A Sun by The Wooden Sky
30. Fragrant World by Yeasayer
31. Reign of Terror by Sleigh Bells

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2009 Musical Bacon Calendar

September 07, 2012 by Royal Stuart

David Byrne and St. Vincent, with “Who” from their forthcoming collaboration Love This Giant. This video is pretty much exactly what I thought a video with these two wackadoo performers would be like.