Closing out 2025
Maybe it's because the podcast just had a milestone anniversary—five years! Or maybe it's because I have been feeling more clarity about my life in general lately. Whatever the reason, I am feeling especially grateful for all of the people who have supported and enjoyed You, Me and An Album in the past year. I am particularly appreciative of everyone who is reading this right now. You care enough about the podcast to sign up for this newsletter, and that blows me away. Thank you for caring. Thank you for listening and reading. Thank you for being a person in the world who loves music.
I don't typically make a big deal about the end of a year, but over the past few days, I have been in a frame of mind to look back. In doing some end-of-year stock-taking, I made a surprising realization. Upon publishing my final Patreon episode of the year, I reached a total of 52 episodes (YMAAA + Bonus Tracks) for 2025—an average of one for every week. I had never done that before! I didn't expect to reach that number, given that I had slowed down my publishing schedule for November and December.
Speaking of that most recent edition of Bonus Tracks, I owe many thanks to Jeremy Shatan and Wendy Brynford-Jones for suggesting albums to discuss for that episode (Melissa Mary Ahern's Kerosene and Steve Martin and Edie Brickell's Love Has Come for You, respectively). Also, thanks to Emma Swift for suggesting I listen to Alan Sparhawk & Trampled by Turtles' With Trampled by Turtles when I interviewed her for Ep 211 of YMAAA. I decided to include that album in the episode, too.
But back to my episode-per-week pace of 2025...I am aiming to continue that into 2026. I'm excited to find out which albums I'll be listening to for the first time over the course of the coming year, and which music lovers will get me acquainted with them.
Before moving forward, I am undertaking one more exercise in looking back at 2025, but I won't get to it until 2026. I don't do a year-end favorites list—I still miss way too much new music for it to be meaningful to anyone other than myself. I do, however, want to revisit the albums that were discussed on this year's episodes and comment on the ones that I have continued to listen to as the year progressed. At least some of that commentary will appear in a future newsletter. I'm still deciding whether to make this into a Bonus Tracks episode. If you have thoughts on this (or anything else you want to see or hear from me in 2026), please let me know in the comments or at almelchiorbb@gmail.com.
It's probably too soon to include the albums featured on the three December episodes of YMAAA on that list, but as of now, I could see myself listening to each of them several months or maybe even years from now. Jack Cooper of Modern Nature introduced me to Michael Head and The Magical World of The Strands, a hypnotic album that I fell in love with while making the long, rainy drive back from a Miki Berenyi Trio/Gina Birch show in Boston. I'm still uncovering all of the layers of Silver Apples' self-titled debut—the album that Madison Cunningham chose for her episode. I'm still not sure if I love this slice of late-'60s futuristic electronic rock, but it's just so strange and fascinating.
On the final regular YMAAA episode of 2025, podcaster/photographer/record collector Scott Dudelson introduced me to The Fantastic Expedition of Dillard & Clark. It has taken a while to grow on me, but by the time I was editing that episode, I realized what a great listen that album is. I expect that Dillard & Clark's easy-going, melodic songs will stick with me for a long time, just like Scott's unusual story about how he took inspiration from the duo during the most productive era of his life.
These episodes made for a great way to round out the year. I'll be kicking off the 2026 episodes with a return visit from Maia Sharp, who introduces me to Lord Huron's Vide Noir this time around.
I wish you all the best for 2026 and can't wait to share more musical discussions with you in the new year.