Memory keeper. Mostly music and movies, plus some series and video games. Obscure darkness meets pop culture glow.
This one got left behind. I compiled the lists at the beginning of 2025, but never ended up posting it, so here it goes. Like always, not everything was released in 2024 (or most were not, rather); this is a list of things that I consumed and liked most during the year.
This was such a huge surprise. The trailer got to me, I felt something special about it already, but I was unsure what it will be about, really. Turns out, the story was straightforward enough without any major twists, but it was still a good story with enough to be engaged with. The whole series was just dripping with the styles of the ’70s: fine cars, great music, amazing fashion. I loved many of the characters, like Rachel Hilson being cool and badass, Josh Holloway being charming and easy, or Asivak Koostachin being smart and an underdog. Special shout-out for the title sequence: I didn’t skip it for one episode, just kept smiling all the way through and tried to find a new piece of detail every time. Too bad this gem got an early slashing; so I can keep it as a memory of a fantastic limited series.
There are a few nice tracks and hooks, but overall it’s not a king slayer in the realm of NIN soundtracks. Its biggest merit is to get something new that has NIN on it.
An ambient ode to cities made of concrete.
Melancholic prog metal. Beautiful moody music.
The friendly alternative rock band in the neighborhood that you hear over as they are rehearsing in the garage. It’s low-fi, relatable, and genuine.
I can so see the appeal of Lorna Shore and what the massive and dedicated fan base loves about this. I’ve put off listening to them for a long time, and now starting with this. It’s an incredible, heavy-punching deathcore metal album with some symphonic injections. It brutally kicks teeth and grinds, it’s guitars and drums are drilling while the words are spit with barks, but it’s also beautifully emotional and melodic at the same time. This is a classic for sure. It feels like listening to Cradle of Filth for the first time, decades ago. Goosebumps.
Soulful hiphop, lounging r&b, quality chill-out electronics. It’s such an understated and elegant album, so good to listen to. Perfect soundtrack to a day when I’m just going about my things and want something to keep me smoothly sailing along.
This has quickly become one of the soundtracks of this year, and by yet another fantastic female artist; this is a women’s year, no question about that.
Post-punk with classic goth vibes. Drum machines and synths, not a rock sound.
Coldwave. Goth but experimental.