🥤 SIPSMAN COMMUNIQUE: December 2025

Below, I’ve compiled local ‘2025 best-ofs’ from every alt-weekly, daily, radio station, or whatever I could find. I encourage you to click through, as I cannot tell you how many times I’ve discovered something really great within. Local music is worth digging into and not everyone gets to tour outside the region. Listen to local writers and support local publications! Please write me if you see a pub not listed here so I can add.

Asheville: AVL-Live
Austin: Austin Chronicle
Bay Area: KQED
Bay Area: Broken Dreams Club
Baltimore: Baltimore Banner
Boston: WBUR
Calgary: Calgary Herald
Chicago: Chicago Reader
Chicago: Chicago Sun-Times
Columbus: Matter News
Dallas/Fort Worth: Fort Worth Weekly
Dallas/Fort Worth: Dallas Observer
Erie, PA: Erie Reader
Iowa: Iowa Public Radio
Miami: Miami New Times
Milwaukee: Milwaukee Record
Minnesota: Racket
Montreal: CultMTL
Nashville: Nashville Scene
New Orleans: Antigravity
New Orleans: Gambit
NC Triangle: Indy Week
North Carolina: WUNC
Philippines: Esquire PH
Portland, OR: Portland Mercury
St. Louis: STLPR
San Antonio: SA Current
Scotland: The Skinny
Vermont: Rutland Herald
Vermont: Seven Days
West MI: Revue

Thousands, literally thousands, of you have asked: What are your favorite songs of the year? There’s a playlist for that. I’ve also shared some other annual favs with my old colleagues at Merge Records. Yes, I switched to Apple after a summer fling with Qobuz. No, Apple does not embed on Substack. I hope to return to Qobuz when they figure out how to connect better with these two Sonos speakers I’ve got. Quit Spotify today, before you return to work! By now you know why you should. None of these alternatives are great, but Apple pays nearly twice more than Spotify, and Qobuz upwards of 4x. Start there. Blood in the Machine’s got a how-to.

DON’T PANIC this isn’t becoming a blog! I’ll be back in a few weeks to talk biz about Imarhan, Lily Seabird, Thomas Dollbaum, and more. Hope everyone’s having a slow end of year. Remember: the day our president dies is going to be wonderful and it could be next year—you’re gonna wanna be around for that party. xo🥤