{"id":11351,"date":"2025-09-25T21:32:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T02:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=11351"},"modified":"2025-09-27T08:23:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-27T13:23:00","slug":"review-trio-of-bloom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-trio-of-bloom\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: \u2018Trio of Bloom\u2019 with Nels Cline, Craig Taborn, and Marcus Gilmore"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Trio of Bloo<\/em>m (Pyroclastic, 2025) is the first meeting of three titans of creative music, artists to whom genres and boundaries hold little meaning. You can regularly find each of them in conventional or edgy sessions, or within the turf that lies between. The term in the promotional notes is a better one &#8211; genre hybridizers. They are pianist Craig Taborn, guitarist <a href=\"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/nels-cline-consentrik-quartet\/\">Nels Cline<\/a>, and drummer <a href=\"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/marcus-gilmore-roy-haynes\/\">Marcus Gilmore<\/a>, forming the rare piano-guitar-drums trio. The catalyst for this meeting is producer and poet David Breskin, a longtime collaborator with all three, and by all accounts, the go-to producer for projects on the Pyroclastic label. He thrives on putting together people who might admire each other from afar but have never played together. Taborn and Gilmore have worked together in bands led by Chris Potter and Jakob Bro, but had never creatively interacted with each other\u2019s compositions. Cline had never played with either artist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper fourthree\" style=\"width:420px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_-l0zAUXTFqk\"><div id=\"lyte_-l0zAUXTFqk\" data-src=\"\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/-l0zAUXTFqk\/hqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/-l0zAUXTFqk\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/-l0zAUXTFqk\/0.jpg?resize=420%2C295&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"YouTube video thumbnail\" width=\"420\" height=\"295\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:420px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Four decades ago, Breskin produced the sole studio album by Power Tools, a unique trio of guitarist Bill Frisell, bassist Melvin Gibbs, and drummer Ronald Jackson. That record, <em>Strange Meeting<\/em> (Antilles New Directions, 1987), had a lasting impact, especially on Taborn and Cline, the latter of whom has commented that \u201cthe category-less, open and rocking precedent of that music was a very freeing inspiration.\u201d&nbsp; For this session, Breskin requested each bandmate bring a selection of original compositions, both new and repurposed, as well as a cover song that might work in this context. What results are three covers, four Cline originals, two Taborn originals, a Gilmore original, and a lengthy collective creation by all three. As you\u2019d expect, Taborn plays a wide array of keyboards, but Cline is also versatile, playing six-string and&nbsp; twelve-string guitars, lap steel, and bass on two tracks. Gilmore has also found a few ways to embellish his drum kit. \u201cBloom\u201d is as good a one-word description of the resulting sound as any. Effervescent, vibrant, and atmospheric are a few others that suit the album\u2019s seventy minutes of sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper fourthree\" style=\"width:420px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_GRG0iIsCvsQ\"><div id=\"lyte_GRG0iIsCvsQ\" data-src=\"\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/GRG0iIsCvsQ\/hqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/GRG0iIsCvsQ\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/GRG0iIsCvsQ\/0.jpg?resize=420%2C295&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"YouTube video thumbnail\" width=\"420\" height=\"295\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:420px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper fourthree\" style=\"width:420px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_S-yX15E8ZGI\"><div id=\"lyte_S-yX15E8ZGI\" data-src=\"\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/S-yX15E8ZGI\/hqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/S-yX15E8ZGI\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/S-yX15E8ZGI\/0.jpg?resize=420%2C295&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"YouTube video thumbnail\" width=\"420\" height=\"295\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:420px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Turning attention first to the covers, Gilmore is a whirlwind on the kit as he transforms the jazz-rock Texas shuffle of \u201cNightwhistlers,\u201d a Taborn selection. A song originally from Ronald Shannon Jackson and the Decoding Society\u2019s <em>Eye on You<\/em> (About Time, 1980), the keyboardist and Cline do more than justice to its jazz-rock origins with searing lines and dizzying effects. Cline selected Norwegian guitarist Terje Rypdal\u2019s \u201cBent It\u201d from his <em>What Comes After<\/em> (ECM, 1973). The piece is a prime example of Cline\u2019s renowned pedal and electronic board work, taking the dreamy spaciousness for which ECM Records is known and moving it into even more mysterious territory, with Taborn a more than willing accomplice.&nbsp; Gilmore selected \u201cDiana\u201d from Wayne Shorter and Milton Nascimento\u2019s <em>Native Dancer<\/em> (Columbia, 1975). The trio\u2019s rendition is an ethereal, gorgeous rendering with Taborn on a crystalline celeste, Cline developing subtle loops, and Gilmore tuning his toms like a timpani for each chord change. The piece, along with Gilmore\u2019s \u201cBreath,\u201d is a floating oasis of sublime beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper fourthree\" style=\"width:420px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_lUlzOXChqhg\"><div id=\"lyte_lUlzOXChqhg\" data-src=\"\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/lUlzOXChqhg\/hqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/lUlzOXChqhg\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/lUlzOXChqhg\/0.jpg?resize=420%2C295&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"YouTube video thumbnail\" width=\"420\" height=\"295\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:420px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper fourthree\" style=\"width:420px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_4Y0u_KwWTao\"><div id=\"lyte_4Y0u_KwWTao\" data-src=\"\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/4Y0u_KwWTao\/hqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/4Y0u_KwWTao\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/4Y0u_KwWTao\/0.jpg?resize=420%2C295&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"YouTube video thumbnail\" width=\"420\" height=\"295\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:420px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Taborn&#8217;s original \u201cUnreal Light\u201d is one of the best compositions in the album.&nbsp; Like a slowly emerging sunrise, the gradual energy that comes with active daylight emerges through his keyboard work as Gilmore inventively uses the elements of his kit, and Cline sets off short bursts. By contrast, Taborn\u2019s \u201cWhy Canada\u201d provides a sharp, obtuse funk.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper fourthree\" style=\"width:420px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_-2zYjF_Ob2M\"><div id=\"lyte_-2zYjF_Ob2M\" data-src=\"\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/-2zYjF_Ob2M\/hqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/-2zYjF_Ob2M\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/-2zYjF_Ob2M\/0.jpg?resize=420%2C295&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"YouTube video thumbnail\" width=\"420\" height=\"295\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:420px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two of Cline\u2019s compositions come from his Breskin-produced Nels Cline Singers album, <em>Initiate<\/em> (Cryptogramophone, 2010). On the first of these, \u201cQueen King,\u201d the guitarist overdubs on bass to further accentuate Afrobeat riffs helmed by Gilmore. During an interview at <a href=\"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/edges-big-ears-2025\/\">2025\u2019s Big Ears<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/pod.link\/1795714457\/episode\/MzE5MmQwNDQtNDhlOS00YWQ5LTllZDgtNGFlZTlhYmFkNTQw\">Cline described himself<\/a> as \u201cnot a jazz guitarist, but a \u2018noise\u2019 guitarist.\u201d The second tune from Initiate, \u201cForge,\u201d epitomizes this as Cline enables the trio to imbibe in the vintage sounds of King Crimson and the Mahavishnu Orchestra in a far more into-the-ether track. Cline also contributes two new pieces, \u201cEye Shadow Eye\u201d and \u201cGone Bust.\u201d The former unfolds in three sections, beginning with gorgeous ballad acoustic piano from Taborn and sensitive brushwork from Gilmore. The composer chimes in on acoustic guitar before launching an off-kilter electric blues solo that extends to an emphatic finale from the trio. The latter is a brief, rockish, disorienting sketch that closes the album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"lyte-wrapper fourthree\" style=\"width:420px;max-width:100%;margin:5px;\"><div class=\"lyMe\" id=\"WYL_EGe2VdgSun4\"><div id=\"lyte_EGe2VdgSun4\" data-src=\"\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/EGe2VdgSun4\/hqdefault.jpg\" class=\"pL\"><div class=\"tC\"><div class=\"tT\"><\/div><\/div><div class=\"play\"><\/div><div class=\"ctrl\"><div class=\"Lctrl\"><\/div><div class=\"Rctrl\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><noscript><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/EGe2VdgSun4\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/EGe2VdgSun4\/0.jpg?resize=420%2C295&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"YouTube video thumbnail\" width=\"420\" height=\"295\" \/><br \/>Watch this video on YouTube<\/a><\/noscript><\/div><\/div><div class=\"lL\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:420px;margin:5px;\"><\/div><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The album\u2019s centerpiece is \u201cBloomers,\u201d a ten-minute free improvisation that captures the experimental electronic tendencies of Taborn and Cline, married with Gilmore\u2019s uncanny sense of shifting rhythms on an unpredictable journey where the listener can easily and joyfully \u201cget lost.\u201d The imagination of this trio is limitless throughout this project, one of the year\u2019s most exciting albums in creative music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>\u2018Trio of Bloom\u2019 will be out on September 26, 2026 on Pyroclastic Records. You can purchase it <a href=\"https:\/\/trioofbloom.bandcamp.com\/album\/trio-of-bloom\">on Bandcamp<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Photo credit: Frank Heath<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trio of Bloom (Pyroclastic, 2025) is the first meeting of three titans of creative music, artists to whom genres and boundaries hold little meaning. You can regularly find each of them in conventional or edgy sessions, or within the turf that lies between. The term in the promotional notes is a better one &#8211; genre [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":11350,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"iawp_total_views":356,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/img_1731.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peRkRR-2X5","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":12000,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-dream-archives-craig-taborn\/","url_meta":{"origin":11351,"position":0},"title":"Review: Craig Taborn\u2019s \u2018Dream Archives\u2019","author":"Jim Hynes","date":"January 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The first release by Craig Taborn since being named a MacArthur Fellow in late 2025, Dream Archives (ECM, 2026) finds the pianist\/composer leading an unusual trio with noted cellist Tomeka Reid and in-demand drummer-vibraphonist Ches Smith. All three are acclaimed bandleaders in their own right, with Reid having an extensive\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/img_3839.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/img_3839.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/img_3839.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/img_3839.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10557,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/review-ches-smith-clone-row\/","url_meta":{"origin":11351,"position":1},"title":"Review: Ches Smith&#8217;s &#8216;Clone Row&#8217;","author":"Jim Hynes","date":"June 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"One never knows where drummer-composer Ches Smith\u2019s muse will take him next. From the Haitian voudou of We All Break: Path of Seven Colors (Pyroclastic, 2021) to the uncategorizable mash-ups of Laugh Ash (Pyroclastic, 2024) to inventive trio albums with violist Mat Maneri and Craig Taborn to whatever else strikes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Album Reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Album Reviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Credit_Chase-Pierson_FOR03806-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME-copy-2.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Credit_Chase-Pierson_FOR03806-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME-copy-2.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Credit_Chase-Pierson_FOR03806-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME-copy-2.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Credit_Chase-Pierson_FOR03806-ARW_DxO_DeepPRIME-copy-2.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10922,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/marcus-gilmore-roy-haynes\/","url_meta":{"origin":11351,"position":2},"title":"Enchanted: Marcus Gilmore on Honoring Roy Haynes at Newport and Journeying to the New","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"July 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"In making sense of the story of jazz, historians often craft a narrative that neatly divides into different generations and schools of thought. Revolutions in composition, improvisation, rhythm, and instrumentation each producing a distinctly novel area of music. While this perspective has some truth to it, the dividing lines between\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Interviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Interviews","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/interviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/processed-BFC78565-C9E7-4BCF-BD9E-01BA8380A57C.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/processed-BFC78565-C9E7-4BCF-BD9E-01BA8380A57C.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/processed-BFC78565-C9E7-4BCF-BD9E-01BA8380A57C.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/processed-BFC78565-C9E7-4BCF-BD9E-01BA8380A57C.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11651,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/best-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":11351,"position":3},"title":"PostGenre&#8217;s Best of 2025","author":"PostGenre Writing Staff","date":"December 9, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Deeming any album the \"best\" of a given year is inherently fraught with problems. First, there are the logistical issues. Generally, thousands of recordings are released annually. Given that a year has only 8,760 hours, it is logistically impossible to listen to everything. Often, classifications can help limit the scope.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Best of Lists&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Best of Lists","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/category\/lists-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/img_2649.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/img_2649.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/img_2649.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/img_2649.jpg?fit=750%2C500&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11754,"url":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/rob-shepherd-favorite-albums-of-2025\/","url_meta":{"origin":11351,"position":4},"title":"EIC Rob Shepherd&#8217;s Favorite Albums of 2025","author":"Rob Shepherd","date":"December 16, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"2025 was a year of great growth for our site. In addition to Brian Kiwanuka and John Chacona\u2019s reviews, friend turned staff writer Jim Hynes, joined us in a big way. 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