Tag: Happy New Year

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

2025: Year in Review

2025 has gone by in a whirlwind. It was a tough one for me as I dealt with the fallout of a car accident last December, but it was also one of my favourite years for appreciating music. I saw what is among the best concerts of my life, and surprisingly it wasn’t from my all-time favourite artist Rob Thomas! It still has me buzzing more than a month later. The albums were fire! So here’s what got me tingling this year. What about you readers? I’d love to know about some of your favourites. Happy New Year Sounds of Oz readers. I’ll see you on the other side!

Top 10 Albums/EPs of 2025

  1. Unfurling – Malaika Mfalme
  2. Forgiving Spree – Slowly Slowly
  3. Politics and Footy Tips – Cardboard Cutouts
  4. Julie’s House – Ama
  5. WHAT IS AND WHAT ISN’T – ixaras
  6. TOY – Dear Seattle
  7. The Significance of Time – Tanya Ransom
  8. 4PM in the Morning – Felicity
  9. New Love – Ziggy Alberts
  10. Redemption Arc – Siobhan Cotchin

Top 10 Concerts of 2025

  1. Lenny Kravitz
  2. Rob Thomas (don’t make me choose between the two shows I saw!)
  3. Jimmy Barnes and friends
  4. Toto and Christopher Cross
  5. Cyndi Lauper
  6. Mayday Parade, Jack’s Mannequin, and The Home Team
  7. Billy Ocean
  8. Damien Rice
  9. George Clinton with Parliament Funkadelic
  10. Fanning Dempsey National Park

Photo credit: Kelly Sikkema

Posted on by Lauren Katulka

2021: Year in Review

I’ve been writing these end-of-year wraps since I started Sounds of Oz. They used to be a way for me to reminisce about all the great things I’d seen and heard over the year before kicking up my heels. Last year they simply reminded me how few shows I’d seen before I let the New Year go by with barely a whimper. This year sadly is a little worse. At least 2020 had three good months before this COVID thing hit! While things got moving locally for a while, I miss those big international shows. I’ve got a few on my calendar for next year, so let’s hope they come off. Until then, thank god for those albums. If you haven’t already listened to the ones below, perhaps you could check them out during your own low-key New Years’ celebration! Thanks for reading everyone, and let’s hope that 2022 brings us better and brighter times.

Top 10 Albums of 2021

  1. Restless Dream – Bob Weatherall, Halfway, and William Barton
  2. 3 – Ngaiire
  3. into the great unknown – Pierce Brothers
  4. A Flower in the Weeds – Joe Mungovan
  5. If I Leave You In the Fire – Saint Lane
  6. The Space Between – Illy
  7. people just do good things sometimes – Pinkish Blu
  8. Armageddon – Between You & Me
  9. The Neverending Glory – Vaudeville Smash
  10. Holding On For My Life – Harry J Hart

Top Shows for 2021

  1. Hamilton
  2. Ben Folds
  3. Chant Du Vin
  4. Tim Freedman
  5. Rent
  6. Chess

Image source: ginnerobot @ Flickr