First, allow me to thank you, dear readers, for your patience over the past few years as I navigated a series of life transitions and slowly found my way back into the rhythm of listening, reflecting, and writing. Returning to this practice has been quietly restorative, an act of reorientation as much as renewal, and it has been deeply gratifying to once again inhabit the role of reviewer. I hope that, in reading these pieces, you have found the same pleasure in weighing your own responses to the music against mine. After finally catching up with ECM’s recent output and dusting off a few long-neglected companions from my shelves, most notably Horizons Touched, I feel newly aligned with the label’s ongoing journey and eager to keep pace as it continues to unfold.

With that, I would like to humbly offer my ECM picks of the year for your consideration. On the jazz-oriented side of the spectrum, Thomas Strønen’s Off Stillness, the latest installment in his Time Is A Blind Guide project, stood clearly apart for me. Following Strønen’s artistic evolution across the ECM catalogue has been a rewarding through-line, and witnessing where he has arrived with this record fills me with a quiet, vicarious pride. The album’s balance between freedom and form, speaking and listening, forward motion and gentle retreat is a joy to experience. It is music that breathes and responds, and I hope it has spoken to you with the same quiet insistence with which it continues to speak to me.

Choosing a single favorite from the New Series proved more difficult, but in terms of depth and lasting resonance, Meredith Monk’s Cellular Songs ultimately rose to the surface. There is something profoundly pure and elemental in the collective intelligence of her ensemble and in the visceral immediacy of the music itself. Long after the final sounds fade, its presence lingers, asking to be felt rather than interpreted. In a world marked by upheaval, confusion, and uncertainty, its message arrives as a necessary balm.

I would love to hear your own reflections. Please feel free to share your top ECM albums of 2025 in the comments.

After bringing my ECM reviewing efforts for the year to a close, I turned my attention to several long-neglected projects. Chief among them was finally committing my thoughts on INDEX, an Austrian imprint I have long regarded as the counterpart to ECM within the realm of avant-garde film. Thank you for bearing with me as I documented these socioculturally prescient works here on the site, which I envision as a living archive for other important labels and creative endeavors beyond ECM alone. Given INDEX’s deep relationship to cinema, it felt natural to house these reflections here for those who share that interest. Along the way, I also caught up with releases from former ECM producer Sun Chung’s Red Hook label, as well as ECM artist Dine Doneff’s neRED imprint, both well worth exploring if they have escaped your notice.

Looking ahead, I have a handful of January releases already waiting in the wings, along with several additions to my ongoing “ECM Rarities” list that I trust will pique your curiosity.

Here’s to attentive listening, continued discovery, and an exciting new year ahead.