W.S. Walcott Medicine Show

10. Primary Colours- Dropkick (Bobo Integral Records)

AUTHORS NOTE: Let me preface this next offering by saying that the previous 15 albums were in no specific order. Albums 11 through 25 could have been mixed and matched and the finishing order could have changed (and certainly has) almost constantly. What follows is my top ten for the year and these selections, although somewhat fluid as well, are more stationary in their positions. That being said, there is very little difference in terms of placement between numbers 2 and 10. (There has been very little doubt as to #1 however).

Those of you who have stuck it out this long and are still reading realize now that my musical leanings in 2025 tilted in the cosmic country as well as jangle pop areas.  Dropkick falls squarely in the latter.  Formed in Arbroath, Scotland, Dropkick clearly must have been fans of fellow Scotlanders, Teenage Fanclub.  But their sound has a bit more of an alt-country, not quite twangy but almost twangy sound to it. The opening track, “Left Behind” could have been a track off of a Jayhawks disc.  The current iteration of the band, Andrew Taylor on vocals, guitars and drums along with Ian Grier on keyboards and bass guitar and Alan Shields on guitars and vocals offer up a hook laden beauty with Primary Colours.  Throughout the album you can hear glimpses of The Byrds, Big Star as well as a bit of Petty (as seen through an R.E.M. crafted prism).  The last RIYL I will bring up will be an obscure reference at best.  The sound that I kept hearing throughout the album gnawed at me for the longest time until recently when it dawned on me that Primary Colours reminds me most of my favorite album from 2012, The District Attorney’s Slowburner.  More specifically the TJ Mimbs songs from this album.  This, in and of itself, is high praise and ought to be reason enough to give this one a long listen.  And while you’re at it, go give Slowburner a spin as well.