Janky Smooth Top 10 ALBUMS of 2025 Rated by Contributors

Year end lists don’t define many music publications anymore.  But we’d like to change that. The Janky Smooth Year End Lists are personal to each of our contributors that participated and our contributors define the focus of our music blog.  And while everyone can post their personal year end lists on social media with varying degrees of traction, it’s the collective that has always defined Janky Smooth and what we cover.

It’s hard to tell if 2025 was a banner year for Independent Music or if Janky Smooth covered it in a way that we never have in the last 11 years.  It would be strictly rhetorical to ask if the volatile times we live in were feeding artists inspiration that led to their most seminal works of art, but it would not be if we asked if we covered more new releases than we ever had in our history.

In the latter half of 2025 we introduced Janky Fresh Friday to focus on artist in the studio as much as we spotlight the artists onstage.  As a result, the contributors at Janky Smooth have felt like we have been able to offer a more holistic view of bands and artists, exchanging fleeting opinions on content for a personal perspective with the music we are drawn to- it is truly handpicked music.

It felt like music carried the weight in providing comfort and serotonin in an abyss of political and social unrest in 2025.  But hasn’t that always been the case?  We look forward to serving you in 2026 with a wider view on the music landscape than we’ve provided before and in turn, this art will imitate life for you-  Danny Baraz: Publisher/Editor in Chief

related: Janky Smooth Top 10 Albums of 2024 Rated By Contributors 

Publisher, Danny Baraz

1. 1. Home Front – Watch It Die
   2. Ho99o9 – Tomorrow We Escape
   3. Model/Actriz – Pirouette
   4. Pixel Grip – Percepticide: The Death Of Reality
   5. Youth Code – Yours, With Malice
   6. SCALP – NOT WORTHY OF HUMAN COMPASSION
   7. Street Sects – Dry Drunk
   8. Caustic Wound – Grinding Mechanism Of Torment
   9. Earl Sweatshirt – Live Laugh Love
   10. Osees – ABOMINATION REVEALED AT LAST

related: Model/Acriz at The Roxy – A Queer Sermon In Noise Rock 

Author/Editor, Danny Ryan

1. 1. Home Front – Watch It Die
   2. Oneohtrix Point Never – Tranquilizer
   3. Addison Rae – Addison
   4. Haywire and No Guard – Shirts vs Skins split EP
   5. Rebecca Black – Salvation
   6. C4 – Payback’s A Bitch
   7. Danny Brown – Stardust
   8. Snööper – Worldwide
   9. Militarie Gun – God Save The Gun
   10. Spiritual Cramp – RUDE

related: Danny Brown And Friends at The Bellwether – HyperRap Revolution 

Author, Rob Shepyer 

1. 1. Geese – Getting Killed
   2. Deadguy – Near Death Travel Services
   3. Scimitar – Scimitariun 1
   4. Not For Radio – Melt
   5. The Armed – The Future Is Here And Everything Needs To Be Destroyed
   6. Rwake – The Return Of Magik
   7. Home Front – Watch It Die
   8. Guided By Voices – Thick, Rich, and Delicious
   9. Oneohtrix Point Never – Tranquilizer
   10. FKA Twigs – Eusexua

related: Avant-Garde Headbanging with The Armed at The Roxy 

Author/Photographer, Michelle Evans  

1. 1. Dead Heat – Process Of Elimination
   2. McKinley Dixon – Magic, Alive!
   3. Jonathan Richman – Only Frozen Sky Anyway
   4. AFI – Silver Bleeds The Black Sun
   5. Pulp – More
   6. Boy/Girl – I’ve Already Been To The Moon
   7. Othiel – World’s Fastest Car
   8. The Lemonheads – Love Chant
   9. Cloud Nothings – The Black Hole Understands
   10. Lazarus Plot – Something Good Has Got To Come Out Of All Of These Goodbyes (Numero Group retrospective issue)

related: Jonathan Richman – The Gift Of Being Present at Ojai Valley Woman’s Club 

Photographer, Albert Licano 

1. 1. Propagandhi – At Peace
   2. Dead Pioneers – Post American
   3. Spiritual Cramp – RUDE
   4. Béton Armé – Renaissance
   5. Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts – Talkin To The Trees
   6. Coroner – Dissonance Theory
   7. Deafheaven – Lonely People With Power
   8. Militarie Gun – God Save The Gun
   9. Home Front – Watch It Die
   10. Melvins – Thunderball

related: Oi My God – Cock Sparrer at The Palladium 

Photographer, Taylor Wong 

1. 1. Viagra Boys – viagr aboys
   2. Béton Armé – Renaissance
   3. Spiritual Cramp – RUDE
   4. End It – Wrong Side Of Heaven
   5. Ho99o9 – Tomorrow We Escape
   6. C4 – Payback’s A Bitch
   7. Haywire and No Guard – Shirts And Skins split EP
   8. Skinhead – It’s A Beautiful Day, What A Beautiful Day
   9. Drain – …IS YOUR FRIEND
   10. Lambrini Girls – Who Let The Dogs Out

related: Spiritual Cramp – Alive at The Regent Theater