From a raw dissection of heartbreak to jazzy hip-hop sounds, via a French electro gem that’ll transport you to some strange places, here’s our pick of the three albums celebrating a major anniversary this month.
ADVERTISEMENTEvery month of 2025, Euronews Culture takes a trip down memory lane and handpicks a trio of albums celebrating a major milestone.
These are the three records you should choose to (re)discover as they respectively turn 10, 20, and 30 this January.
Turning 10 in 2025: Björk – Vulnicura
Release date: 20 January 2015
In a nutshell: 2025 will be a busy year for the celebrated Icelandic musician. Not one but two of Björk’s albums are celebrating a major milestone this year: her second album, ‘Post’, turns 30 in June, while her eighth effort, ‘Vulnicura’, turns 10 this month. Arguably one of her most emotionally intense records, it is often dubbed her break-up album, as the singer-songwriter chronicled her divorce with artist Matthew Barney on this LP.
Why it’s our pick: Anyone who’s been through heartbreak can attest that it’s not pretty. Healing is never easy, and it isn’t a quick process. However, in Björk’s hands, sentimental anguish can be beautiful. Less focused on electronics and more on strings, ‘Vulnicura’ marks her first collaboration with avant-garde record producer Arca, and features some of her most gut-wrenching songs. Lyrically, they are more direct than ever before, as each song feels like she’s putting love on trial. Björk navigates the listener through her anxieties and raw stream of consciousness, exposing herself like an open wound. (The fact the album cover features the singer with a gaping chest wound should tell you where we’re at.) Sounds like a lot? It is, and granted, ‘Vulnicura’ is not as immediately accessible as some of her early works. However, this cathartic album is worth the effort, and was a return to form after the challenging ‘Biophilia’ in 2011, which felt more like an over-intellectualised art project than an album in the traditional sense of the term. ‘Vulnicura’ may be demanding, but it’s a rewarding sensory journey to take.
Key tracks: ‘Stonemilker’, ‘History of Touches’, ‘Black Lake’, ‘Quicksand’.
Standout lyric: “Did I love you too much? / Devotion bent me broken.” (‘Black Lake’)
Also turning 10 in January 2025: Panda Bear’s beatastic ‘Panda Bear Meets The Grim Reaper’; Belle and Sebastian’s underrated ‘Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance’.
Turning 20 in 2025: M83 – Before The Dawn Heals Us
Release date: 24 January 2005
In a nutshell: French electro band M83’s third album was one of renewal in many ways. Initially a duo, Nicolas Fromageau (great name) left his comrade Anthony Gonzalez after touring their second LP, ‘Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts’. The latter didn’t give up and delivered a collection of songs that gorgeously encompassed what the band do best: dreamy shoegaze mixed with ambient pop.
Why it’s our pick: Feel like a hyper sensory trip? This is just the record for you. While many will cite M83’s Grammy Award-nominated ‘Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming’ as their magnum opus, ‘Before The Dawn Heals Us’ is the superior and more atmospherically rewarding effort. It features an entrancing set of songs which take the listener on a semi-lucid trip. By turns cinematic (‘Moonchild’), apocalyptic (‘Don’t Save Us From The Flames’), Twin Peaksy (‘Farewell / Goodbye’), dreamy (‘I Guess I’m Floating’), energetic (‘Teen Angst’) and apocalyptic all over again (‘Lower Your Eyelids To Die With The Sun’), this bizarrely cohesive album balances guitars and synths with brio. The mood it conjures is a bit like being trapped in a world where Blade Runner and Lost in Translation have become one. This is a big and emotive place where nighttime cityscapes are both poetic and foreboding – a world that needs you to plunge in with both feet. So, find the best headphones you have and enjoy the ride.
Key tracks: ‘Moonchild’, ‘Don’t Save Us From The Flames’, ‘Teen Angst’, ‘Lower Your Eyelids To Die With The Sun’.
Standout lyric: “Out of the flames / A piece of brain in my hair / The wheels are melting / A ghost is screaming your name.” (‘Don’t Save Us From The Flames’)
Also turning 20 in January 2025: The Chemical Brothers’ ‘Push The Button’, featuring their hit single ‘Galvanize’; Bright Eyes’ schizophrenic double tap of ‘Digital Ash In A Digital Urn’ and ‘I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning’; LCD Soundsystem’s eponymous debut studio album; Welsh rockers Feeder and their earworm-filled ‘Pushing The Senses’.
Turning 30 in 2025: The Roots – Do You Want More?!!!??!
Release date: 17 January 1995
ADVERTISEMENTIn a nutshell: The second album by American hip-hop group The Roots established them as one of the most exciting names in the rap game. Since its release, ‘Do You Want More?!!!??!’ (yes, that is the proper amount of punctuation) has become a jazz-rap classic – one which stands proudly alongside 1999’s ‘Things Fall Apart’, 2002’s ‘Phrenology’ and 2006’s ‘Game Theory’ as one of the band’s most essential albums.
Why it’s our pick: This was the record that properly introduced The Roots to the world. Their debut, 1993’s ‘Organix’, generated some buzz but nothing compared to what their second outing would achieve. ‘Do You Want More?!!!??!’ showcased a band willing to expand hip-hop’s horizons – much like A Tribe Called Quest’s ‘The Low End Theory’ before it. It sounds like a jazzy and joyous jam session by players keen on celebrating the genre’s innate musicality, with Black Thought’s scat vocals and wordplay never failing to impress. Compared to the tighter, more cohesive albums they would go on to release during their soon-to-be 40-year career, this album does feel like sprawling affair. However, there’s no denying this sophomore effort’s ambition and sense of fun.
Key tracks: ‘Distortion To Static’, ‘Mellow My Man’, ‘I Remain Calm’, ‘Silent Treatment’.
Standout lyric: “I’m cooler than a ice brick / Got soul like those Afro picks with the black fist / And leave a crowd drippin’ like John the Baptist.” (‘Mellow My Man’)
ADVERTISEMENTAlso turning 30 in January 2025: A trio of debut albums from Japanese-Canadian alt-rockers Blonde Redhead, British reggae EDM outfit Asian Dub Foundation (‘Facts and Fictions’) and British electro duo Leftfield (‘Leftism’); Siouxsie and the Banshees’ final studio release ‘The Rapture’.
Happy listening and see you next month!
