Drone Works

What I mostly listened to in January and February, ranked by numbers of plays (per Plexamp). Format is a bit different this time around because I am still recovering from surgery (see previous post). So there won't be links or short blurbs.

"The fear of death is the most unjustified of all fears, for there's no risk of accident for someone who's dead" — Albert Einsten Ken Downie , the founder/member of The Black Dog, passed away on 12-20-25. He was 67 and I do not know if he had been sick or if there was other strife. Perhaps it doesn't matter, Ken Downie is gone and the world is not better for it. I first discovered The Black Dog when Ryan, a friend, gave me a spare copy of the release,Spanners.

What I mostly listened to in December, ranked by numbers of plays (per Plexamp). Format is a bit different this time around because I am still recovering from surgery (see previous post). So there won't be links or short blurbs. When I am feeling better, I will edit this post to include those things.

Note: I am still recovering from surgery (see this post). So there won't be links or short blurbs. When I am feeling better, I will edit this post to include those things. These were my top listens in 2025 and it should be noted that not all of these were released in 2025. It is just when I discovered them. Lastly, this is the first year where I mostly did not use streaming services. All of these were purchased (digital and physical media).

What I mostly listened to in November, ranked by numbers of plays (per Plexamp). Format is a bit different this time around because I am still recovering from surgery (see previous post). So there won't be links or short blurbs. When I am feeling better, I will edit this post to include those things.

Note: I know I am likely yelling out into the void – because lets face it, I am not even sure anyone reads this on any kind of regular basis (not to mention slow updates as of late). None the less, a post like this is personally important. As writing it down, makes it real and a goal to achieve For months and months I have been battling health issues related to cervical stenosis that culminated with surgery.

What I mostly listened to in October, ranked by numbers of plays (per Plexamp) and with a short blurb if a review is not available. Idles / Rob Simonsen - Caught Stealing OST, Honestly, I am surprised that I listened to this OST as much as I did. Don't get me wrong, it is a decent release and I am rather pleased that a band like the Idles was asked to do a soundtrack but at the same time, its lacking a certain ooomf (that's the technical term).

This artist should have been a no brainer for me in that they are explorers of sound and musical boundaries. But for some reason I ignored this artist. I don't really know why – maybe I read something somewhere and the description didn't sit well with me or I heard something that put me off somehow. The point is, I completely ignored this artist and if I came across them then I would just skip. Like I said, I don't know why this happens and it isn't isolated to Rafael Toral.

I want to draw attention to Phil Mouldycliff, Colin Potter and Jackson Mouldycliff's collaborative efforts because they simply need to be heard. I don't see much online about their work together and I find that surprising. So, I will see if I can provide some amplification. I first stumbled upon MPM because I was curious what Colin Potter's label (ICR Distribution ) had been up to.

On occasion, I will hone in on an artist/band etc and do my best to track down their work. In this case, the artist was Tilth. Which in turn led me to David Perron’s exceptional label, Round Bale Recordings, and the Tilth release, Rock Music, which I promptly ordered on vinyl. A few days later, a package arrived in the mail, and along with the record were some promo codes from the label. Many of the artists I had never heard of, but the music was exactly what I was looking for.