It's a Christmas...well...not "miracle." But it's happening near the day! In the final Fab 15 (and EC episode) of 2025, your Uncle Derek and Papa Dave are counting down our favorite albums of 2025. It was a really fun talk and we hope you'll enjoy it and maybe find a few new things to listen to! Enjoy!

Blog: http://emptychecking.blogspot.com Bandcamp: http://derekbrink.bandcamp.com email: db@derekbrink.com Spotify Playlists: https://open.spotify.com/user/317eypfciiajkyay2kxloz3kreoa?si=f046115ad0514079

Time Index:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 14:39 - The List Begins!
  • 14:39 - #15 - The Living End - I Only Trust Rock N Roll / Envy of None - Stygian Waves
  • 20:23 - #14 - Peppermint Kicks - Pop Rocks in my Chewing Gum / Alison Brown & Steve Martin - Safe Sensible and Sane
  • 27:55 - #13 - The Rumjacks - Dead Anthems / Mumford & Sons - Rushmere
  • 33:43 - #12 - Lucy Dacus - Forever is a Feeling / Neil Young - Talkin' to the Trees
  • 38:47 - #11 - John Batiste - Big Money / Elton John & Brandi Carlisle - Who Believes in Angels?
  • 45:46 - #10 - Margo Price - Hard Headed Woman / David Byrne - Who is the Sky?
  • 50:35 - #9 - Sloan - Based on the Best Seller / Los Straitjackets - Somos Los Straitjackets
  • 57:45 - #8 - Cheap Trick - All Washed Up / Bob Mould - Here We Go Crazy
  • 1:05:42 - #7 - Jason Isbell - Foxes in the Snow / Sloan - Based on the Best Seller
  • 1:11:37 - #6 - Dropkick Murphys - For the People / Jason Isbell - Foxes in the Snow
  • 1:18:03 - #5 - Spin Doctors - Face Full of Cake / James McMurtry - The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy
  • 1:29:06 - #4 - Dream Theater - Parasomnia / HAIM - I Quit
  • 1:38:54 - #3 - Mammoth - The End / Hayley Williams - Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party
  • 1:49:11 - #2 - Halestorm - Everest / Dream Theater - Parasomnia
  • 1:54:46 - #1 - Hayley Williams - Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party / Yungblud - Idols
• 2:00:50 - Honorable Mentions
• 2:18:07 - This is Your Christmas
• 2:18:37 - The FINAL 15 and Outro

This is an unfortunately "special" episode, in which I try to process the murder of Rob and Michele Reiner, while also celebrating some of my favorite movies, directed by Rob, and honoring their memory and legacy. I'm not happy with the episode. It's too rambly and aimless. But it's something.

I don't even have a good episode photo because all of my DVDs/BluRays are in stacks for the annual re-sorting that I do at the end of every year. So I can't easily physically get to my Rob Reiner movies to take a picture...but maybe this cover photo is appropriate. "None more black" and all that.

Let's try to have a happier episode soon, okay everybody?

This episode is very raw and emotional. It absolutely comes with a trigger warning, if you are negatively effected by grief, death, mourning, or just-plain hearing someone struggle with loss.

Sometime on Sunday morning, November 30th, 2025, my friend Michael Feldman passed away, after a lengthy battle with cancer. I had been in bands with Mike for about 25 years. He's someone who will remain in my heart forever.

Later that evening, I sat down in front of a microphone, played one of Mike's albums, and recorded this episode, while I listened (and beyond). What you're hearing here isn't my prettiest moment--I cry several times--and it is NOT the place I would begin listening to this show...but I needed to do it, for myself, and for my friend.

This barely scratches the surface of my memories of Mike. But it's something. I hope there's something in it that speaks to you. Thanks for listening.

Blog: http://emptychecking.blogspot.com email: db@derekbrink.com