Something about the words “Fust Live” doesn’t quite scream video arcade.
That’s what happened in Salt Lake City, though. Wednesday was my first step inside Salt Lake’s Quarters Arcade Bar. Not to play Ms. Pac Man but to see Fust and Merce Lemon on their co-headlining national tour. More later on my Child of the 80’s review of the arcade itself. Let’s focus first, as we should, on the music.
Click for my review and pics of the Fust show!!
25 Outstanding 2025 Alternative Albums
Every year, but moreso in 2025 than recently, I feel like I’m not going to be able to identify truly great albums. This is an ongoing neurosis, I guess, because it wasn’t hard to find a selection of really outstanding 2025 alternative albums.
That isn’t the same as saying 2025 was a great music year. For the first time in awhile, I thought, “this was a pretty off year.” Normally I’m the You’re Just Not Listening Enough guy. Generally I think rock and roll improves every year. But it’s not a straight line and 2025 was definitely a strange year for alternative music.
These 25 records, and a dozen or so honorable mentions, were the exception. So let’s have a listen!
Click for my choices for the best 25 alternative albums!
How does anyone chose literally the BEST alternative songs in 2025?
Only a professional rock music writer, record store employee or avowed masochist should actually rank the literal best songs in a year. I mean what does that even mean, “Best Song?” There are approximately fourteen billion songs written in year and I’ve only listened to half of them (joke). So I don’t attempt the hubris of canonizing the best songs in a year. These are some of my favorites. I hope you like them enough that you buy from the artists and find something new to love.
I pick my favorite songs for this list from albums that I specifically DO NOT expect to be on my favorite records list for 2025. This is a completely arbitrary and irrational way to assemble two dozen plus of the coolest songs for you to hear, but stick with me for a second. My top albums list features a couple of songs from each of those records already. If I didn’t choose from a different pool of songs, you’d be missing out on a ton of great music. So here they are.
Click for short reviews and streams to 25 alternative songs
The Beths Salt Lake City show warmed a pre-holiday crowd with a mix of power pop favorites. The Beths, featuring Liz Stokes, are touring on their hit August album Straight Line Was a Lie. Stokes and company are touring the U.S., Japan and Australia through next summer. And after four albums, The Beths shared an easy rapport with the packed house at Salt Lake City’s Metro Music Hall.
Keep reading for a touching moment in The Beths show
The Elbow Salt Lake City show at the Union Events Center this month marked the Brits’ return to Utah after an absence of 17 years. Holy cats, how could it have been so long. The band played from 2024’s well received Audio Vertigo, one of my favorite records of 2024. They also played from this year’s follow-up EP, Audio Vertigo Echo, and from their Mercury Music prize-winning The Seldom Seen Kid and songs from four other albums.
Click to read about Elbow’s best two songs that night
The Big Thief Salt Lake City show on September 22, the third in their US tour for Double Infinity, treated the audience to an hour and 40 minutes of hits from past to present. It also included a rollicking new song I am dying to hear again.
Yes it took a month for show deets and photos, but here they are!
Keep reading for the albums Big Thief played from
Pom Poko live were sooo much louder, weirder and ecstatic in person than I imagined. I loved it. The Oslo math punks played last Wednesday at Salt Lake’s Kilby Court venue to maybe 80 people. Those in attendance will someday be able to tell their grandkids, I saw Pom Poko play in a converted garage shed in front of a few dozen people before they broke out at Wembley Stadium. Here is what they played.
Keep reading for Pom Poko highlights and more photos
UPDATED Kilby Block Party Parking for 2025: Parking has gotten no better near the Fairgrounds. But the convenience of Kilby’s UTA options are unmatched. Read on for Day Of, Pre-paid and 100% free options to get in and out of the 2025 festival!
Have you been to the Utah State Fairpark? Possibly not, you’re an urbane city-dweller with limited interest in competitive lamb grooming. But you have multiple options getting in and out. Here is what to do.
Continue reading for steps on parking
essential
2024
alternative
albums
I had two or three 2024 alternative albums in mind all year and I was SURE one of them was going to be my #1. But no! I ultimately surprised myself with my top choice this year. Still, I’ve never been more persuaded in my favorite record of 2024.
Every year it seems I can inevitably conjure just one or two records that I think will be worth writing about. Then I spend two weeks in rapturous review — oh that was so good! and wow that one was amazing! Canonizing my favorite 2024 alternative albums is really more for me than for you.
Keep reading for 20 super albums from 2024!
These 24 remarkable alternative songs from 2024 are a kind of a soundtrack of the year.
The songs range from post punk to dream pop to alternative country. I’ve been adding to this list of tunes all year from hundreds of album and song downloads. A few of the songs may be a teeny bit obscure. But all of them were written with infectious hooks. They are immediate and super easy to fall in love with.
A quick preface that these aren’t the biggest alternative singles of the year.
In fact, most come from records that WON’T make my Top 20 Albums list for 2024. So Pom Poko’s “Champion” isn’t on this list and none of the one billion songs on Cindy Lee’s Diamond Jubilee are here. Those bands released records that are almost certain to be among my favorite albums. So I’m cherry picking songs that both easy to love but NOT on my favorite albums list. Although the albums list is still an undefined mental catalogue. STOP WITH ALL THE QUESTIONS.
Let’s start with the catchiest alternative songs from 2024. Ready?
Keep reading for 24 standout alternative songs from 2024!