#1 on the 2025 Bacon Top 31 — Rosalía

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

To those of you who’ve hung out with me over the last three months, seeing this jaw-dropping album by Spanish singer / songwriter Rosalía at #1 is likely not a surprise. Sometime in mid-December, my family all made the snap assumption that this would end up being my #1 album of the year, and they weren’t wrong. Some might say I’ve been downright obsessed, but with good reason.

There is nothing available in popular music, of any era or style, like Rosalía’s fourth album, LUX. It’s a testament to the strength and confidence of the artist that she had the power to pull it off at this scale. This album is a modern opera with a full orchestra and pop-music hooks. It’s beautifully written and gorgeously, achingly sung by Rosalía, and features guest appearances of the voices of Björk, Yves Tumor, and Patti Smith; mixing talents by Nigel Godrich; composition from Charlotte Gainsbourg; production from Pharrell Williams; composition and production from Noah Goldstein; orchestration from the London Symphony Orchestra; and literally a hundred more artists and performers who lent their collectively enormous talents to this masterpiece.

LUX is sung mostly in Spanish. Additionally, Rosalía spent three years working with native-born translators, composing and learning passages for her to sing in thirteen (yes, 13) other languages, from English to Japanese to Ukrainian¹. At the album’s center is this angelic voice carrying it all forward, tackling a topic that is equally far-reaching and uber-intimate. As Pitchfork said in their review of the album, “With [Rosalía] as its lodestar, LUX advances like a crusade to conquer the mysteries of human existence.” That‘s all.

At its core, the album is a religious experience, focused on telling the stories of many Sainted and saintly women across time², and using their stories to guide us, question our existence and inform the reasons we carry on through this mortal coil. Within, Rosalía’s voice is otherworldly, and the three albums she’s released prior to this one proved she had the musical chops to pull off something of this scale.

She turned a teenage love of Spanish music into a degree in musicology at the Catalonia College of Music in Barcelona, graduating with honors thanks to her critically-acclaimed debut album Los Ángeles and her sophomore Spanish pop / hip hop / flamenco fusion album El mal querer in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Her third album, Motomami, which also featured production by the likes of Noah Goldstein and Pharrell, and has guest appearances by The Weeknd and Dominican rapper Tokischa, focused on reggaeton beats and experimental Spanish pop. It came out in 2022 and was recognized on a global scale (but had still not broken through my ethnocentric musical leanings).

In 2023, she was featured on “Oral,” by Björk, who both donated their profits from the song as a fundraiser to combat open pen fish farming in Iceland. Rosalía is now 33 (potentially notable as the apparent age of Jesus when he died), and with LUX she has taken the world by storm. Despite only having come out in early November, this album was ranked #1 of the year by Entertainment Weekly, The Guardian, and NPR, seemingly universally loved by critics.

As 98% of the album is sung in a language other than my native English, the listening experience is unlike anything else. I typically love to sing along to songs (ask my wife). I’m no karaoke maestro, but if I even remotely know some of the words in a song I’ll find a way to sing along, deftly mumbling my way through the parts I don’t know, very much like that 30-year-old SNL commercial “Classic Sing-along with the Drunken Asses.” But I’ve butchered my way through the French in “Psycho Killer” and the nonsense European-sounding lyrics at the end of “Sun King” enough to know that trying to gracefully sing along to an album that glides through 14 different languages is another thing entirely.

I do have some non-English albums in my repertoire, but none that I’ve listened to as much as LUX in the past three months (it helps that this was also my 8-year-old’s favorite album of 2025). Being unable to sing along to these songs without feeling like I’m truly doing it a disservice (both lyrically, and sonically, such is Rosalía’s command of her instrument) has been a challenge. It’s resulted in a lot more whistling along, which is also not great (again, ask my wife). So unlike most music I listen to, the singer’s voice becomes another instrument, conveying an emotion, a feeling, without lyrics to guide me. A not dissimilar experience can be had listening to Sigur Rós (#18 in 2023 and #7 in 2012), as lead singer Jónsi (solo at #7 in 2010 as well) sings in Icelandic, English, and a nonsense language he calls Vonlenska. But in Sigur Rós, Jónsi’s voice is often mixed down and unintelligible, blending sonically into the music surrounding it. On LUX, Rosalía is omnipresent, the lead in every sense of the word.

Despite the language barrier, LUX is 60 minutes³ of emotional musical bliss. Each song is a favorite in its own way. “Berghain” (featured in the video above), was the first thing I heard from it, and it hooked me from the very first choral onslaught. Please pause your reading and watch the video above right now. Rosalía sings in a very high register while the symphony and choir sonically dance over, around, and through her. The coda arrives with Björk slowly singing in her unmistakable Icelandic-tinged English “The only way we’ll be saved is divine intervention.” And then Yves Tumor shows up at the very end, shout-quoting Mike Tyson (of all people), “I’ll fuck you till you love me.” It’s jarring and offensive, but matches the Carmina-Burana-like orchestration in the rest of the song. Oh so powerful.

Immediately following that song comes “La Perla,” a much more intricate love story of a song laden with acoustic guitar a butterfly-like flute and swelling strings. I say “love story,” but I can’t say that for sure — there are ways to look at the translation, but it’s much more fun to merely enjoy the lyrics sans translation, letting Rosalía’s tone dictate the story. And that’s probably the most magical part of the listening experience: despite not knowing the words, there’s an emotional quotient conveyed by her voice and the orchestration that tells you everything you need to feel.

For instance, in the delicate “Mio Cristo Piange Diamanti,” we don’t need to know that that title translates to “My Christ Cries Diamonds.” When Rosalía gets to the chorus, the emotional journey you’ve been taken on by her voice and the music tells you “now is when you should cry.” And then, by the end of the song, the vocals and the orchestra builds and builds, coming to an abrupt halt. We then hear Rosalía mid conversation, saying in English “that’s going to be the energy, and then” BRAHNG, humorously conveying to the person she’s talking to, and to us, what is happening to us, live in the song. It’s brilliant.

My current favorite on the album is one of the physical-media-only tracks, “Focu Ranni,” which starts with a robotic auto-tuned sound that evokes Sufjan Steven’s beloved Age of Adz (#3 in 2010). The song sounds more current than some of the more operatic turns on the album, blending digital and stringed sounds together in a way that would never hold together if it weren’t for Rosalía’s voice.

When you find yourself in a place to listen to the whole beautiful album, make sure you’re in an undisturbed space where you can give it your full attention. Headphones are preferable. In addition to the songs mentioned above, pay close attention to “Divinize,” “La Jugular, “Sauvignon Blanc,” and closer “Magnolias.” Each song is a masterpiece unto itself. Together, they are otherworldly.

2025 was an especially rich year for music — I could have easily done a top 50 of the year and still had albums left behind. But there could be no other #1. Not only is LUX the best album of 2025, it’s a strong contender for “album of the century.” Certainly album of the decade. Between this and Geese at #2, it’s nice to know that it’s still possible to experience surprise in music, that not everything is just a rehashing of the past. It leaves me excitedly anticipating what’s going to come out in 2026.

See you next year!

^{1. The fourteen languages for LUX: Arabic, Catalan, English, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Mandarin, Portuguese, Sicilian, Spanish, and Ukrainian.↩}
^{2. Thank god for Wikipedia. The stories of these women factor into the songs across LUX: Saint Rose of Lima Hildegard of Bingen, Vimala (one of the authors of the Buddhist Therīgāthā), Saint Rosalia of Palermo, Saint Teresa of Ávila (Teresa of Jesus), Joan of Arc, Sun Bu'er (of the Taoist Seven Masters of Quanzhen), Prophetess Miriam, Rabia Al-Adawiya, Anandamayi Ma, Ryōnen Gensō, Clare of Assisi, and Saint Olga of Kiev.↩}
^{3. 60 minutes and 18 songs long when listened to via physical media, 50 minutes and 15 songs long when listened to via streaming services. Song 12, “Focu ’Ranni,” 14, “Jeanne,” and 15, “Novia Robot,” can only be heard on CD and vinyl. Additionally, the length of song 10, “Dios Es un Stalker,” is 45 seconds longer on the physical versions, in a higher key and with an additional chorus and bridge.↩}

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#2 on the 2025 Bacon Top 31 — Geese

January 30, 2026 by Royal Stuart

Getting Killed by Geese

The opening track on Getting Killed, the #2 album of 2025 by Brooklyn band Geese, is set in 13/8 time. You hear Dominic DiGesu’s drawn out bass rhythm, a consistent eight-note tap on the snare by Max Bassin with a two-tap fill between measures, and a four-note Emily Green lead guitar riff, repeating every 13 beats. Two measures in, lead singer Cameron Winter’s supremely drawn out voice, warbly and brokenly singing “I tried / I tried / I tried so hard.” Then the chorus comes crashing in like the kool-aid man, with Winter screaming “THERE’S A BOMB IN MY CAR” while the band hits a cacophonous rage. The chaos subsides, and the repeating motif that started the song comes back in. “When I went deaf / I used my eye / They stood me in line / ’Til I went blind / Get in let’s driveTHERE’S A BOMB IN MY CAR.”

A trombone, a violin, and even experimental hip hop king JPEGMafia shows up somewhere in there. Your instinct is to reject what you’re hearing — this is a mess, it doesn’t work at all, what the hell is going on. It gets your attention, but in confusing, unappealing ways. I’m on edge, cautiously proceeding onto the next song, “Cobra.” It comes in with a jaunty horn, acoustic guitar, and washboard-driven rhythm that’s actually quite pleasant. But then Winter’s voice comes back in, sounding like he’s taking on a drunken Elvis impersonator’s act. “Baby, let me dance away forever” he sings, while the band kicks it up a notch. Winter works up to the chorus, and while he’s no longer screaming, Elvis has been replaced by a lively warble that’s oddly appealing.

The album continues, through a short 46 minutes. The title track, a third of the way in, brings all the elements you heard through the opening songs together, coalescing around Winter’s unique, Dr. John meets Thom Yorke delivery. The album is expertly engineered, with each of the myriad instruments (guitars, bass, drums, cowbell, shaker, tambourine, unrecognizable background vocals) loping, crisp and clear, in a structure that feels held together by one remaining screw that’s about to rattle free. Track nine, “Bow Down,” is a personal favorite, full of the repeating rhythms the band has proven to be very adept at, with a phenomenal end-of-verse chorus: “She said, ‘you don’t know what it’s like’ / To bow down down down to Maria’s dead bones”

Hit play on “Taxes,” featured in the video above. “If you want me to pay my taxes / You’d better come over with a crucifix / You’re gonna have to nail me down.” The chorus on this song, with its beautiful musicianship broken up by Winter’s raspy drone, is uplifting and exciting. And then there’s the ballad “Au Pays du Cocaine,” which could have been a hit on the R&B charts, if the production were a little tighter and if Winter’s pained, gut-wrenching voice were replaced by almost literally any other person who calls themselves a singer. The video is quite amazing, with Winter singing “I’m alright” and sounding anything but to a literal baby before essentially becoming one himself.

I’m aware that this review sounds anything but positive. Therein lies the charm of the album. Parallels to Geese’s sound on Getting Killed can be drawn to bands that I’ve traditionally not been a fan of: Pavement, Beat Happening, The Strokes. I don’t know how to put my finger on what’s changed in me (note those three bands still don’t do it for me), but to my aging ears, Geese sound more alive than anything else has in the past five years. This is rock & roll for the post-COVID era, and I’m so here for it.

Geese have been a going concern since in 2016, when they met in high school, not yet old enough to drive. They released three albums between 2018 and 2023, attempting to find their groove but never landing on my radar. I have not heard those albums. I even saw them live in September, 2024, opening for King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard at the Gorge Amphitheater, but I have no recollection of their set – I just could not be bothered to pay attention.

Then, Winter released a solo album, Heavy Metal, in December 2024¹. The internet attributes this solo turn with opening the door for him and the rest of Geese to find that special thing that led them to the amazing Getting Killed. Heavy Metal is an interesting album – it’s got the simplicity of the humorous Dot by Vulfmon (#13 in 2024), and Winter leans into the quirks of his voice throughout the album, finding a path all his own. There’s also a looseness to the production that feels very much like a precursor to Getting Killed.

2025 was a busy year for Geese, and 2026 doesn’t seem to be providing much respite. Stereogum and The New Yorker both put the album at #1, KEXP listeners voted the album #3. The band played a full live set on producer-to-the-stars Nigel Godrich’s band showcase From the Basement, and just this past weekend (January 24, 2026) Geese performed “Au Pays du Cocaine” and “Trinidad” on Saturday Night Live.

Getting Killed excites me for the future. Cameron Winter is only 23 years old, and the rest of the band can’t be any older. This album may be a turning point for the band, but it’s also a jumping off point for what will likely be a very fruitful musical career. Winter and Geese are driving this train to god knows where, but I know it’s going to be good. Strap in.

^{1. If I were making the list today, Heavy Metal would definitely be included in one-year-removed Top 31 of 2024. But it was released on the 6th of December that year, which I doubt is enough time for it to have grown on me enough to include it when actually pulling together 2024’s Top 31.↩}

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#22 on the 2024 Bacon Top 31 — The Smile

January 10, 2025 by Royal Stuart in Top 31, 2024

Wall of Eyes and Cutouts by The Smile

Sometimes I’ll get to the end of the year, export the list of albums I downloaded to my library in Apple Music over the past 12 months, and be surprised to learn upon review that such-and-such album only came out this year (as opposed to earlier). Such is the case with Wall of Eyes, the first of a pair of albums from Radiohead side-project The Smile that were released in 2024. Wall of Eyes came out nearly a year ago, on January 26, and its sister album, Cutouts, on October 4.

The Smile – the trio of Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood from Radiohead, and Tom Skinner on drums – also appeared on the Top 31 with their 2022 debut album, A Light for Attracting Attention, which landed at #15 that year. While Nigel Godrich produced the debut, both of the 2024 albums were produced by Sam Petts-Davies, who previously worked with Yorke on his soundtrack for the movie Suspiria that came out in 2018 (#22 that year) as well as his Confidenza soundtrack, which came out in April this year and will not be appearing on the Top 31 because, frankly, I had forgotten it existed until right now (whoops!). These two The Smile records mark the first time we’re hearing output from the duo of Yorke and Greenwood that was not produced by Godrich since Radiohead’s debut, Pablo Honey, (32 years ago!).

Petts-Davies’ production allows Greenwood, Yorke, and Skinner the freedom to move about, opening the door for a more raw, immediate, and guttural execution than anything you’ll hear on a Radiohead album. Between the two 2024 albums, the latter Cutouts feels more amped up, featuring a number of guitar-driven songs that have Greenwood playing like a kid set loose in a candy store. Currently, my favorite song across both albums comes from this frenzy: “Zero Sum,” which has an appropriately crunchy, digital visualizer created by artist Weirdcore (who created visualizer videos for the entire Cutouts album).

When Wall of Eyes came out, it was ushered into the world with two PT Anderson-directed videos, for “Friend of a Friend” (featured above) and title track “Wall of Eyes.” Outside of those two “proper” videos, the rest of Wall has visualizer videos created by animator Sabrina Nichols and longtime Radiohead visual collaborator Stanley Donwood. I’ve come to realize I’m a much bigger fan of live-action short-film videos as opposed to visualizer videos, which have a place more as the backdrop to a live band than they do as a vehicle to carry a song.

These albums don’t have the overhead that a Radiohead album would, and that rough-around-the-edges feel contributes to a more ephemeral vehicle for Yorke’s always-dreamy vocals. He will always sound like himself, but without the Godrich production and the rest of Radiohead to back him up, I’m guessing I won’t often reach for these two albums down the road. Why would I, when I can just as easily put on any one of Radiohead’s albums and be infinitely more pleased? Despite all that, please don’t be deterred in listening to these alternate-universe Radiohead songs. Even a second-rate effort by Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood is better than a first-rate effort from the other 99% of the music world. It is literally impossible for them to produce anything less. Listen now and enjoy.

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#8 on the 2013 Musical Bacon Calendar

December 24, 2013 by Royal Stuart

AMOK by Atoms for Peace

Thom Yorke slays me. Throw in master producer Nigel Godrich, amazing session drummer Joey Waronker, percussionist Mauro Refosco, and Flea, and, well, you’ve got the makings of the #8 album of the year. But you’ve already heard and formed your opinions about this album, and nothing I say or do here will sway that. You either like Atoms for Peace or not.

The video above is not the best video from the album (see either “Ingenue” or “Before Your Very Eyes” for that honor), but “Default,” the song the video is for, is by far the best song on the album.

I had the enormous pleasure of seeing Atoms for Peace play the Treasure Island Music Festival back in October. But that pleasure was dwarfed by the sheer joy of getting my hands on one of the 100 “Judge, Jury and Executioner” 12" vinyl singles in a hand-printed sleeve that was sold only at Sonic Boom Records back in March (as chosen by Thom himself). It’s been an Atoms for Peace kind of year.

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9. White Lighter by Typhoon
10. Hummingbird by Local Natives
11. If You Leave by Daughter
12. Pedestrian Verse by Frightened Rabbit
13. The Silver Gymnasium by Okkervil River
14. The Next Day by David Bowie
15. Reflektor by Arcade Fire
16. We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic by Foxygen
17. Lanters by Son Lux
18. Howlin’ by Jagwar Ma
19. Impersonator by Majical Cloudz
20. Dream Cave by Cloud Control
21. Mole City by Quasi
22. Phantogram by Phantogram
23. Julia With Blue Jeans On by Moonface
24. Uncanney Valley by The Dismemberment Plan
25. Event II by Deltron 3030
26. Wise Up Ghost by Elvis Costello and The Roots
27. Us Alone by Hayden
28. Pure Heroine by Lorde
29. Shaking the Habitual by The Knife
30. False Idols by Tricky
31. Let’s Be Still by The Head and the Heart

2012 Musical Bacon Calendar
2011 Musical Bacon Calendar
2010 Musical Bacon Calendar
2009 Musical Bacon Calendar

August 22, 2012 by Royal Stuart

Here’s something interesting: Nigel Godrich (he who has produced many Radiohead and Beck albums) has a new project: Ultraísta.

Imagine Thom Yorke’s Eraser, but a little more radio friendly, and a lot more Garbage-y. The video above is for the song “Smalltalk,” and you can hear a couple other songs over on Soundcloud.

The debut album comes out October 2. Looking forward to it!