Jeff's Best of 2025 - #4: clipping. - Dead Channel Sky

Ken mentioned in his post about McKinley Dixon's record that rap fans had a lot to love this year, and he was right. Three of my top 10 albums this year are rap albums, which 2006 Jeff would be incredibly confused about. Best of the lot, though, was clipping., who offered the latest masterclass in what has been a truly epic run of albums over the last few years.

The sci-fi / horror motifs are not as forward on this one as others, but the sort of techno-futurism that permeates this record in an era of AI and enshittification shine through and serve very much as a record for this time and of this time, and there's something to be said about meeting the moment when it doesn't feel like anyone else does.

"Dominator" into "Change the Channel" sets the tone of the record, with "Run It" a sort of New Jack Swing by way of Philip K. Dick deconstruction. "Code" a prescient critique of the technological present, "Polaroids" and "Mirrorshades" feeling like a separated pair of ideas. The one-two punch of "Welcome Home Warrior" and "Ask What Happened" are ultimately what cinched this as the sort of epic storytelling that clipping. is so good at. It's an album for today, an album for the now, and it's maybe my favorite of clipping.'s discography thus far.

Songs of Note: "Run It," "Code," "Polaroids," "Change the Channel," "Welcome Home Warrior"