I agonized over this list, pulling only the albums I truly listened to during 2025. As Squidco's main buyer, I listen to a tremendous amount of music every day, and this year we introduced 745 (!) new albums to the catalog. It's unusual for me to return to most of those, but the ones I did revisit genuinely enlightened and brightened my year, and I hope this list helps our customers discover something they may have overlooked. It was, once again, an exceptional year for new music, and there was very little added to our catalog that I didn't care for.

See also our Order Manager and Cataloger Carl Kruger's Top 25 for 2025.

Agnel, Sophie / John Butcher: RARE (Les Disques Victo)

Extraordinary and masterful performers Sophie Agnel (piano) and John Butcher (soprano & tenor saxophones) present a live recording from the 40th International Festival of Current Music in Victoriaville, Canada, featuring five improvised pieces that highlight their exceptional interplay and collective discovery of new musical forms while exploring the boundaries of free improvisation.

Angles 11: Tell Them It's The Sound Of Freedom (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

Martin Küchen's Angles returns as an 11-piece — two trumpets, expanded reeds, vibraphone and amplified violin, Fender Rhodes/synth, and a three-drummer engine — lifting songful, anthemic themes into free, melody-rich interplay and propulsive grooves, the ensemble shifting from playful exchanges to surging peaks as its close-knit rapport balances warmth, bite, and momentum.

Armaroli, Sergio Quintet (Sharp / Piccolo / Edwards / Sanders): Introducing A Very Heavy Person, First Visit To The Audio Equivalent Of A Graphic Novel. (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Blurring the boundaries between composition, improvisation, and spoken word, percussionist Sergio Armaroli leads a quintet of Elliott Sharp, Steve Piccolo, John Edwards, and Mark Sanders in an evocative, time-bending sonic narrative, drawing inspiration from John Cage, Kenneth Patchen, and free jazz traditions in a phantasmagorical soundscape and an immersive auditory experience.

Biota: Measured Not Found (Recommended Records)

A deeply immersive and meticulously crafted work from the reclusive Biota collective, blending microtonal instruments, electroacoustic techniques, and a wide array of ancient and modern timbres into a richly layered and human sound-world of instrumental and delicate song forms, unfolding across shifting textures and suspended time-the result of more than seven years of collaborative studio experimentation.

Bley, Paul Trio: Floater & Syndrome - The Upright Piano Sessions, Revisited (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Revisiting and remastering two albums from Paul Bley's formative trio years with Steve Swallow on double bass and Pete LaRoca Sims on drums, recorded in Newark, NJ, from 1962-63 but unreleased until the 1980s on Savoy Jazz, as Bley explores Carla Bley's compositions alongside his own, reshaping the piano trio dynamic with a balance of free and lyrical approaches to jazz.

Blonk, Japp: Kurt Schwitters Ursonate (Corbett vs. Dempsey)

Dutch vocal artist Jaap Blonk performs Kurt Schwitters' iconic Dada sound poem Ursonate with deeply internalized precision and theatrical nuance, drawing on decades of experience to present a vivid, expressive interpretation of the four-movement work, including both an improvised and written Kadenz, in this definitive 2024 studio recording.

Brice, Olie Quartet (Brice / Musson / Hawkins / Glaser): All It Was (West Hill Records)

Rooted in personal loss and global sorrow, this powerful quartet album from bassist Olie Brice stands apart from many of his collective projects by featuring his own compositions — deeply emotional pieces shaped by grief, love, and resilience — dedicated to mentors, loved ones, and poetic voices and performed with lyrical intensity and free jazz spirit by Brice, Musson, Hawkins, and Glaser.

Butcher, John / John Edwards: This Is Not Speculation (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

A remarkable live recording from Einstein Kultur in Munich, reuniting British free improvisation masters John Butcher on saxophones and John Edwards on double bass in four expansive, detailed, and often breathtaking duets, exploring abstract soundscapes with razor-sharp interplay, extended techniques, and an uncompromising sense of sonic exploration.

Deman, Berlinde: Plank 9 (Relative Pitch)

Exploring the resonant depths of the serpent, a low-pitched lip-reed aerophone, and her own voice through effects and extended techniques, Belgian musician Berlinde Deman crafts an intimate and deeply personal sound world where breath, tone, and distortion intertwine, her slow and deliberate process unfolding like a meditative journey toward balance, discovery, and quiet transformation.

Earscratcher (Harnik / Rempis / Lonberg-Holm / Daisy): Otoliths (Aerophonic)

The transatlantic quartet of Elisabeth Harnik (piano), Dave Rempis (saxophones), Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello), and Tim Daisy (drums) in their second album, recorded live at the North St. Cabaret in Madison, WI, weaving surges of energy with passages of lyricism, deep timbral exploration, and spacious formal development, balancing ferocity and subtlety in a richly detailed and dynamic collective architecture.

Emmeluth, Signe / Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten / Axel Filip: Hyperboreal Trio (Relative Pitch)

Drawing on deep collaborative history and shared risk-taking instincts, the trio of alto saxophonist Signe Emmeluth, bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, and drummer Axel Filip deliver a debut of fierce, textural improvisation, recorded in Trondheim and shaped by dynamic interplay, shifting atmospheres, and a fearless drive to chart new sonic terrain.

Evangelista's, Karl Apura + Andrew Cyrille: Bukas (577 Records)

West Coast Bay Area guitarist Karl Evangelista leads his Apura ensemble — Lisa Mezzacappa (bass), Francis Wong (tenor sax), Rei Scampavia (keys, electronics), and Lewis Jordan (alto sax) — joined by drum legend Andrew Cyrille in a powerful statement of free improvisation, blending expressive intensity and forward-looking vision with deeply rooted passion and creative openness.

Frey, Jurg: Longing Landscape (Another Timbre)

Swiss composer Jürg Frey joins with the Prague Quiet Music Collective for three recent works exploring delicate tonal shifts, structural lists, and slow, evolving forms, balancing between consonance and dissonance, the ensemble — featuring clarinets, strings, guitars, double bass, and percussion — interprets Frey's subtly shifting frameworks with a deep sensitivity.

Fujii, Satoko GEN String Ensemble: Altitude 1100 Meters (Libra)

Celebrating her 65th birthday with her first compositions for strings, pianist-composer Satoko Fujii writes for the specific musicians of GEN, a sextet of violin, viola, bass, piano, electronics, and drums, in a suite inspired by Nagano's mountain views, leveraging microtonal string techniques for an expressive and texturally rich sonic landscape.

Hawkins, Chester: Apsis (Intangible Arts)

Recorded while on tour in Arizona, Denmark, and Sweden, experimental composer Chester Hawkins transforms keyboards, live loops, field recordings, synths, lapsteel, and music box into immersive and hallucinatory soundscapes, weaving tense, meditative, and otherworldly excursions that trace the shifting orbits of inner and outer space in vivid, exploratory detail.

La Casa, Eric: Zones Portuaires 2 (Swarming)

Working from recordings made at maritime ports between 2017 and 2023, sound artist Éric La Casa constructs a compelling suite of documentary compositions shaped by the industrial rhythms, constraints, and spatial tensions of global harbours, blending field recording and sonic observation into a tactile, immersive portrait of male-dominated coastal labor environments.

Lacy, Steve Three : Live Lugano 1984 - First Visit [CD + 2 POSTCARDS] (ezz-thetics by Hat Hut Records Ltd)

Recorded live in Lugano in 1984, Steve Lacy's trio with guitarist Barry Wedgle and bassist Jean-Jacques Avenel reimagines his compositions in an intimate and transparent setting, where Lacy's masterful soprano saxophone carves precise yet expressive lines, drawing on influences from poetry, Monk, and visual art to create a striking balance between structure and improvisation.

Lopez, Brandon Septet: nada sagrada (Relative Pitch)

An intense performance led by bassist Brandon Lopez, recorded live at Roulette during the 2023 Vision Festival, blending deep listening and collective spirit in a dynamic, politically charged composition featuring Zeena Parkins (electric harp), Mat Maneri (viola), Cecilia Lopez (electronics), DoYeon Kim (gayageum), and drummers Gerald Cleaver &Tom Rainey, propelling intricate textures and ritualistic intensity.

McCaslin, Donny: Lullaby For The Lost (Editions)

With longtime collaborators Jason Lindner, Ben Monder, Tim Lefebvre, Zach Danziger, Nate Wood, Ryan Dahle, and Jonathan Maron, visionary saxophonist Donny McCaslin channels the raw intensity of improvised jams into a cinematic, high-energy sound world, blending jazz with rock, electronica, and soulful urgency, a fierce and timeless statement.

Mori, Ikue: Of Ghosts And Goblins (Tzadik)

Electronic innovator Ikue Mori presents a captivating 9-part work drawing inspiration from Lafcadio Hearn's chronicles of Japanese folklore, through intricate laptop electronics and synthesizer work, conjuring a series of instrumental miniatures that evoke the ethereal presence of fox spirits, phantoms, and other spectral entities, a mysteriously enchanting and seductive work.

Nabatov, Simon: Agree to Disagree (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

Pianist Simon Nabatov leads three shifting ensembles through eight distinct compositions in this richly orchestrated and stylistically diverse studio recording, blending chamber elements and jazz improvisation with musicians including Angelika Niescier, Shannon Barnett, Pascal Klewer, and Roger Kintopf, as Nabatov explores contrasting textures, political undercurrents, and tonal interplay.

Parker, Evan / Joelle Leandre: Long Bright Summer (RogueArt)

Drawing on decades of fearless improvising, saxophonist Evan Parker and bassist Joëlle Léandre engage in an intense and unfiltered acoustic dialogue recorded live in France, their shared language enabling lightning reactions, extended techniques, surges of density and flow, hushed textural intimacy, and moments where Léandre's wordless voice merges seamlessly into their spontaneous interplay.

Pereleman, Ivo / Nate Wooley / Matt Moran / Mark Helias / Tom Rainey: A Modicum Of the Blues (Listen! Foundation (Fundacja Sluchaj!))

Tenor saxophonist Ivo Perelman joins Nate Wooley (trumpet), Matt Moran (vibes), Mark Helias (bass) and Tom Rainey (drums) in a tempered yet highly active quintet that nods to the blues, moving through free, melody-rich dialog; vibes replace piano to color the space as the group shifts from playful exchanges to surging peaks, their seemingly telepathic interplay balancing warmth and power.

Threadgill, Henry: Listen Ship (Pi Recordings)

Composer Henry Threadgill conducts a suite for six acoustic guitars and two pianos, bringing together Bill Frisell, Miles Okazaki, Brandon Ross, Gregg Belisle-Chi, Jerome Harris, Stomu Takeishi, Maya Keren, and Rahul Carlberg in an intricately orchestrated work whose intervallic syntax and meticulous counterpoint entwine with unexpected timbres to reveal his singular and sublime vision.

Zorn, John (Marsella / Smith / Roeder): Nocturnes (Tzadik)

Exploring the tradition of night music with subtle, dreamlike elegance, Zorn's latest piano-trio work — the fourth in his series with Brian Marsella, Jorge Roeder, and Ches Smith after Suite for Piano, Ballades, and Impromptus — unfolds as a lyrical and expressive creation performed with seemingly telepathic, virtuosic, and finely nuanced interplay.