Best of and recap of 2025!

Elie and Will break down the past year. Best bands, best albums, what's been trending and what's impacted the Chinese music scene in 2025, as well as some thoughts and hopes for 2026. For more detailed lists in the written form, check out the following links: Beehype: https://beehy.pe/best-albums-of-2025/  Live China Music Wechat: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/GznN61SlozcrSIzvXQsStQ    See below links to listen to the albums mentioned, in no particular order of our top picks:   Riot In School - Punk Rock Blasphemy https://riotinschool.bandcamp.com/album/punk-rock-blasphemy    The Beneficial Society - The Beneficial Society https://open.spotify.com/album/6G27ZALN3N5wE8UtoKT7pz    Linfeng - Sad But Beautiful https://open.spotify.com/album/3BdHmNjVippCYm4uLQ7OK2    Wasted Laika - Red Dragonfly, Green Peacock https://open.spotify.com/album/7KfjHxQBja1UWmF6LlNhlz    鸡毛大 - I Only Sing In Winter https://open.spotify.com/album/0B96F31OU1L0VlbcCVvSk3?si=llm5CWyrQguPtoO_YupGng   施鑫文月 Gray Gray Sun https://open.spotify.com/album/3HeO54HGPMW10gcQbllZIz?si=dYR4kvRrRSiUXJHHbqsMvw   Smiqra - Rɡyaɡ̇dźé! https://hoplites.bandcamp.com/album/r-ya-dz-e    Cola Ren - Mekong Ballad https://colaren.bandcamp.com/album/mekong-ballad    Khunati - Misty Mountain Pagoda https://wvsorcerer.bandcamp.com/album/misty-mountain-pagoda     About us: The mission of the Live China Music Podcast is to shed light on Chinese music, providing listeners with insights and information on the Chinese music scene that they would not be able to obtain elsewhere. Every episode, hosts Elie Rosenberg and Will Griffith review the latest tracks from bands and artists living in China, spotlighting underground and emerging talent rarely heard outside Asia. Expect 4–6 freshly released songs, artist context, genre highlights, and short audio clips in each ~30-minute show. Whether you're into Chinese indie rock, avant-pop, experimental electronic, punk, underground hip-hop, post-punk, jazz-inspired sounds, or cross-genre alt music, this is your guide to what's new and compelling in Mainland China's music world. We systematically sign waivers with the artists or their label to ensure we do not infringe their copyright. Hope you'll enjoy and please support by sharing around, don't hesitate to reach out by finding us on instagram (livechinamusic or zefrenchvillain) or writing to [email protected]  We systematically sign waivers with the artists or their label to ensure we do not infringe their copyright. Hope you'll enjoy and please support by sharing around, don't hesitate to reach out by finding us on instagram (livechinamusic or zefrenchvillain) or writing to [email protected]    Credits: Producer: Elie Rosenberg Co-producer: William Griffith Hosts: Elie Rosenberg & Will Griffith Editor: Elie Rosenberg