This special Year in Music Highlights episode of Backwards Beats is a curated reaction show built from our 10 most popular episodes of the year. For each episode, we selected one standout moment the clip that generated the strongest response, and then reflect back on what we learned.

Join us as we reflect on our journey through podcasting in 2025.

The highlights come from episodes covering:

Arcade Fire (Funeral), Sheryl Crow, Selena, Lady Gaga, Bonnie Raitt, Muddy Waters, John Mayer, Harry Styles, and LTJ Bukem.

This episode works as:

• A best-of entry point for new listeners

• A recap of the year’s most engaging musical conversations

• A behind-the-scenes look at how we actually listen to records

This episode captures the core of what Backwards Beats is about!

Albums Discussed:

-- Funeral by Arcade Fire

-- Born This Way by Lady Gaga

-- Continuum by John Mayer

-- Nick of Time by Bonnie Raitt

-- Sheryl Crow by Sheryl Crow

-- Amor Prohibido by Selena

-- The Journey Inward by LTJ Bukem

-- FIne Line by Harry Styles

-- Muddy Waters Anthology