2025, Best of... (Music)

Home Sweet Home by The Favors. I saw them perform this song on a late night talk show and I was immediately hooked. I’d forgotten that my wife had found another track from the album for her best-of in 2024, a nice track that was an earlier release - there is lots of great music on the album. Duets are not that common and I really love their sound together and the chemistry extends to their performances. FINNEAS appeared on my 2024 Best Of and is someone I enjoy listening to and watching perform - so naturally talented.  

Man I Need by Olivia Dean. She seemed to be everywhere in 2025 since coming on the scene for me in ‘24, from SNL to being on stage with Sam Fender. Just a lovely melody from a beautiful voice.  

Headlights Home by Mat Kearney.  Such an easy voice and rhythm to listen to makes him a regular in my rotation. 

People Watching by Sam Fender. Hard driving pop-rock with that Geordie accent and irresistible horns. A solid talent that gets bigger every year.

Bad As I Used To Be by Chris Stapleton. Proof the country and rock crossover. I think I may have found this track as I was skimming through the CMAs after coming back from Nashville. But I hadn’t noticed that this is a new track written for the F1 movie until I heard it again watching the movie for the second time. 

Your House by Inhaler. One of those bands that keeps coming up in rotation and you go - man his voice is so good, there’s something familiar about it. Duh, it’s Bono’s son - Elijah Hewson.

The World’s Not Out To Get Me, I Am by The Wombats. Great hook, solid track from a great album. I love the quirky and often humorous lyrics, and there’s always a catchy melody and beat.

Satisfaction Skank by Fatboy Slim. I think this remix came up on my Apple New Music playlist and it was irrlstable being a Stones fan and recall this banger coming out.  I saw a recent video about the making of the original and he commented on the many remixes he continues to produce.

The Giver by Chappell Roan. I saw her perform this on SNL in 2024, but the studio recording wasn’t promoted until ‘25. Once re-discovered, it’s a keeper. 

Lonely Road by mgk and Jelly Roll. I was watching the Grey Cup half-time show and I really liked this guy called mgk. Great energy and stage presence and the mix of John Denver’s Country Road really stuck with me. That track has also been mixed into the finale of Tomorrowland show that was so catchy. Later I looked into mgk and found it was Machine Gun Kelly which was a pretty big surprise - I knew him, but was never impressed. And those tattoos - wow, that’s a commitment. The video for the song feels dirty, but the song and mix is solid. Jelly Roll was on my 2024 Best Of and adds prop points.  

Azizam by Ed Sheeran. Very catchy. I watched a making-of video - I love seeing how a song comes together and Azizam is a lovely sounding term of endearment in Farsi.

My Old Ways by Tame Impala. I had another track on the album shortlisted but I came across this one just recently. The low quality intro is a bit too long, but once it gets into its groove, I love it. I had thought TI were a band, but I think it’s mostly one guy - and he’s an Aussie from Perth where I have family - so I liked the shots of the the Perth area on the video. Tracks can gain points for me if the video is good - and I really like the video.  

Last Forever by Bob Moses.  One of only three artists I’ve seen live on this year’s list. Solid tune but tricky choice from the album, but the melody and steady beats get stronger on every listen. 

Bad Dreams by Teddy Swims. This one came very early in the year and may have slipped into last year’s Best Of. Perfect pop with just enough grit in his voice tempered by the soft tones work beautifully.   

Suzanne by Mark Ronson and Raye. I’m eagerly awaiting Raye’s new album, but this single was more attractive than Raye’s more popular single this year. The jazz-infused mood, rich Ronson production, and Raye’s rhythm are perfect chemistry.  

L’Ocean by Eric Hilton featuring Natalia Clavier. Eric is half of one my favourite band Thievery Corporation and Natalia, from Argentinia is one of the lead singers on many of their tracks over the last 15 years. A magical dreamy sweet sounding electronic treat.

Hey Homie by Sofi Tukker. I don’t recall how they got on my radar but the bossa nova groove and smooth vocals is one of my favourite sounds. I did like their dance music, but this track and the album is closer to my sweet spot. The video shows their beautiful friendship so well.  

The Sweetest Song by Kathryn Gallagher. A good example of something that I come across and I added to my library back in March 2025. It was worth combing through the library and re-discovering this lovely song. 

Returning to Myself by Brandi Carlisle. I think she has a stupendous voice and her songwriting is so rich. I chose this track because it really reminded me of Joni Mitchell who is a big influence of hers. But I keep getting more from the lyrics every time I hear it. I'm excited to see her in concert in a few weeks. 

So Long by The Lumineers. They just make so much great music it’s always difficult to pick just one. This year it’s a powerful, raw build of a track perfectly demonstrating their signature of multi-layered instrumentation and vocals. 

Click here for the Apple Music playlist.

and here for a YouTube playlist. 

Rome ideas

I had coffee with an old friend today and he told me he was going to be visiting Rome in a few weeks - for the first time! I really enjoyed a trip to Rome last September with my wife, and my friend asked for some recommendations - neighbourhoods and restaurants. I compiled the following for him, but it's worth adding a few photos and diagrams...

We stayed close to the Spanish steps which was a short walk away from Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. Some of the narrow streets were jammed with tourists (especially around Trevi Fountain) but taking a side street often led to less crowds and better restaurant choices. A good resto steps away Trevi Fountain is Il Chianti Osteria ($$).  A reservation is definitely needed but we think it was worth it.

On our walks to/from Vatican City we found the very pleasant Piazza Navonna and had a wonderful dinner at Osteria Olimpia ($$). We returned for a drink on another night.  The traditional Roman dish Cacio E Pepe was superb. Service was excellent. 

We enjoyed a drink on the rooftop of the upscale department store called Rinascente. 

We didn’t find many rooftop restos so this was a nice treat. Dinner reservations may be tricker and expensive but we just had a late afternoon drink ($$$).  

This is all in an area generally referred to as Old Rome or the Historic Centre.  

Diagram credit from SantoriniDave.com

Pretty bridges connect Old Rome to Vatican City.  The Vatican Museums (tickets need to be purchased way ahead) were superb and lead you to the Sistine Chapel (a little disappointing).  Saint Peter’s Square and Basilica are must sees.

Ancient Rome is where you’ll find The Coloseum (magnificent) and The Roman Forum (well worth a visit).  

We only had a quick visit to Trastevere for dinner - I didn’t feel that special for us.  

Movie review catch-up

The holidays are a time when many people like to watch a good feature film (not just Christmas themed classics - I have that list too). Here are some suggestions. I'll go in order of my ratings, starting with the only one I feel I can give a 9/10 to:

Anora One way to describe a movie is to create its cocktail from other movies. I think Anora has its base in the old Cinderella story with a contemporary setting like Pretty Woman, made potent by a strong young woman with New York street-smarts telling it like it is [My Cousin Vinny], rocketed into motion with the chaos and frantic inertia of Parasite, mixed with the magic bittersweet taste that we’ve seen from this other moviemaker [Quentin Tarantino], may I present the captivating, powerful, scary, funny and heartfelt cinematic treat called Anora. Plus it has a superb use of Blondie's hit Dreaming. I was so happy for their Oscar wins for best movie, director, actress, supporting actor, and original screenplay. I made this review video after seeing this wonderful independent movie:

And then the ones I've rated 8 since my last movie review post (March 2024).

One Battle After Another Dicaprio and Penn were superb. I had trouble categorizing it - IMDb helped named the thing - dark comedy. The visuals for the last car chase was mind blowing. Definitely Tarantino-like. Rich characters. Del Toro was such a warm welcome relief. Crazy scenes like the fall from the roof, long shots maybe like the tunnel escape and the house with all the illegal immigrants. Very scary interrogation scenes without being violent. Scary show of military power over helpless citizens. Odd amount of vaping by Bob. Whacky scenes with Penn and the secret codes. White supremacy underworld felt a little misaligned. 

A Complete Unknown I loved the chronology and intersection with other musicians and genres. I felt it explains Dylan well. There's was a connection here to an artist who appreciates change. Chalamet (like Joie in Maria - see below) was captivating and thoroughly believable…it created a new attraction to Dylan and I quickly created a playlist on Apple Music capturing what I feel are his greatest hits.

Emilia Pérez What a wonderful story. But the cast made this such a fantastic film. And would you believe there was singing and dancing. So many beautiful film moments.  This has to win some awards. A true rollercoaster of plot and emotions taking us to all kinds a colourful places, while so very carefully threading the needle of such a creative epic piece of filmmaking. I really did love the songs that provided moments or tenderness as well as heightened drama. From my social media feed "I loved this highly creative, dramatic and entertaining film. The story and the actresses are just so powerful and beautifully layered", and after reading The Oscars love Emilia Pérez. Why does everyone else hate it? I added "I’m sticking with my comments about Emilia Pérez, I loved this highly creative, dramatic and entertaining film. The story and the actresses are just so powerful and beautifully layered… but I’ve read some of the negativity and understand their POVs"

Living Satisfying in a multitude of ways. Beautifully captured scenes and the pacing of the story and every single line of dialogue was a delight. Double down with thoughtful care of a story and surfacing a simple, but important message. Superb cast, costume and colour. Loved it all. I just watched the trailer from Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 film Ikiru and happy to see the references and mesmerized by the emotional weight. Back to the newer version - something I really admired was the artistry of omission - leaving the audience to fill in the missing pieces and complete the sentences. There is simply a lot to learn as a filmmaker from this wonderful film or you could just choose to sit back and wear another man’s hat for a little glimpse into a lovely world. 

The Substance I expected something dark and gruesome, but it this was over the top. WOW. There are very few people I could recommend this to. Like Barbie + American Werewolf in London + The Elephant Man + Carrie. Perfect horror with a message for the times. Incredible SFX and makeup.  Moore was stupendous and scary as hell. The spiral into complete madness (understandably) distracted me from the moral of the story. I’m not sure if I could ever watch it again.  

The Blue Angels When I was young I wanted to be a pilot. The idea vanished a long time ago, but looking out the window of an airliner puts a smile on my face. Attending an air show is a true delight and never gets old. This movie is a must see for those who may have dreamed of being a pilot or simply can’t resist an air show. The precision and team work at all levels of personnel within the Blue Angels “command” is incredibly impressive. The filming was gorgeous and captures the action like I’ve never seen before. It’s all draped in a big Stars and Stripes, but somethings, Americans just do so well. Some would dare to think some of it is corny, but what they do requires a huge amount of commitment and courage. Rock solid production.  

The Menu So so tasty.  Perfect service and ambiance.   Tasty courses for fans of the genre.  Onions were peeled, lives destructed, reality served cold but the feeling was very hot indeed. 

Hit Man I enjoyed every minute. Well, it did get pretty intense at times, but the ride was superb.  Carefully woven story around some very deep philosophy.  Wonderfully acted, perfect supporting crew. The only thing I’m not a fan of is the title. Highly recommended. 

Fall Guy Superb. Great cast, including the real stunt men and especially Hannah W. Incredible stunts as you can imagine. The humour was perfectly timed the chemistry was beautiful.

Roman Holiday We visited Rome for the first time this year and watched it after our trip. Suzanne had seen it before, I had  never seen it. It was delightful - Audrey Hepburn was incredible and Gregory Peck was perfect -  it was a lovely story. Towards the end...(my review contains spoilers but you can see it on IMDB - my username is homefan.

Maria Played like its own tragic opera. Jolie was captivating and thoroughly believable. So many arias and operatic pieces brought back memories of when I fell in love with opera. Although I rarely listen today, this may rekindle my attraction to this more difficult of music forms. I think I may visit the opera again soon, adding to just two live performances I’ve seen previously - La Boheme (Toronto Sony Centre) and La Traviatta at The Met.

Other movies I rated 8/10 but I didn't write a review for:

  

Movies I rated 7/10 that I found time to write reviews for and that are worth mentioning:

She Rides Shotgun Powerful film. It had its faults, maybe the violence was a little excessive, but the massive performances were riveting. Well paced with some unexpected moves. A transformative role for Egerton and a standout job by the marvellous 12 year old Ana Sophia Heger.

Wicked: Part I Much better than I expected. Maybe because there wasn’t many songs!  The dancing was good and costumes wonderful.  The story weaved well with the foundation and folk lore.  It was too long and I wasn’t pleased to see it was just part 1 but I’ll give it a 7 for solid entertainment. 

Nonnas So lovely. Recommended by my mum and teased lovingly. Add a base ingredient of Vince Vaughn and it was irresistible. It didn’t disappoint the palate and was a perfect recipe of a hearty film with memorable flavours. Delizioso.

Lastly, a few others that I rated 7/10 that may not be on your radar:

 

You can see ALL my rating here.