Nick Portnell
@nportnell.bsky.social
England seemed to him to be nothing but horrors and misery now. The very shapes of the trees were like frozen screams.
2025 has been like one of those dreams where you are trying to escape from something unseen, yet your feet are trapped in wet sand or you're swimming against the current. I am becoming increasingly suspicious of 'happy people'. Everything is fucking terrible X
December 15, 2025 at 9:34 PM
2025 has been like one of those dreams where you are trying to escape from something unseen, yet your feet are trapped in wet sand or you're swimming against the current. I am becoming increasingly suspicious of 'happy people'. Everything is fucking terrible X
It's worse than that fucking paperclip person. Leave me alone!
we can kill them all if we just work together and ✨believe💫
December 15, 2025 at 8:55 PM
It's worse than that fucking paperclip person. Leave me alone!
#5albums25 One of my favourite artists released her second album this year. A collection of beautifully haunted songs that are full of sadness and confusion. Not as immediate as her debut, but deeply rewarding upon repeated listens.
December 15, 2025 at 8:19 PM
#5albums25 One of my favourite artists released her second album this year. A collection of beautifully haunted songs that are full of sadness and confusion. Not as immediate as her debut, but deeply rewarding upon repeated listens.
#new2me25
4. Jim Sullivan - UFO (1969)
I had heard of this album and always assumed that it would sound really far out like Skip Spence's Oar album. I couldn't have been more wrong. It's incredibly well played (members of The Wrecking Crew backed Sullivan on this) and beautifully produced 1/2
4. Jim Sullivan - UFO (1969)
I had heard of this album and always assumed that it would sound really far out like Skip Spence's Oar album. I couldn't have been more wrong. It's incredibly well played (members of The Wrecking Crew backed Sullivan on this) and beautifully produced 1/2
December 15, 2025 at 7:21 PM
#new2me25
4. Jim Sullivan - UFO (1969)
I had heard of this album and always assumed that it would sound really far out like Skip Spence's Oar album. I couldn't have been more wrong. It's incredibly well played (members of The Wrecking Crew backed Sullivan on this) and beautifully produced 1/2
4. Jim Sullivan - UFO (1969)
I had heard of this album and always assumed that it would sound really far out like Skip Spence's Oar album. I couldn't have been more wrong. It's incredibly well played (members of The Wrecking Crew backed Sullivan on this) and beautifully produced 1/2
All those poor drummers.
In memory of Rob Reiner, please enjoy my favourite Wikipedia entry of all time, which is Former Members of Spinal Tap. Any time I need a laugh, I pull it up.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinal_...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spinal_...
Spinal Tap (band) - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
December 15, 2025 at 8:40 AM
All those poor drummers.
#NowPlaying Sault's ridiculously great debut album from 2019. I loved how nobody knew who the fuck they were or even which country they came from.
December 14, 2025 at 8:45 PM
#NowPlaying Sault's ridiculously great debut album from 2019. I loved how nobody knew who the fuck they were or even which country they came from.
#new2me25
5. Norma Tanega - Walkin' My Cat Named Dog (1966)
I adore this album. Tanega was working in a California mental hospital when she was spotted by a record exec singing some of her own songs to the patients. Her songs sound very stripped and straightforward, but she was already using 1/2
5. Norma Tanega - Walkin' My Cat Named Dog (1966)
I adore this album. Tanega was working in a California mental hospital when she was spotted by a record exec singing some of her own songs to the patients. Her songs sound very stripped and straightforward, but she was already using 1/2
December 14, 2025 at 6:55 PM
#new2me25
5. Norma Tanega - Walkin' My Cat Named Dog (1966)
I adore this album. Tanega was working in a California mental hospital when she was spotted by a record exec singing some of her own songs to the patients. Her songs sound very stripped and straightforward, but she was already using 1/2
5. Norma Tanega - Walkin' My Cat Named Dog (1966)
I adore this album. Tanega was working in a California mental hospital when she was spotted by a record exec singing some of her own songs to the patients. Her songs sound very stripped and straightforward, but she was already using 1/2
#new2me25
6. Relatively Clean Rivers - Relatively Clean Rivers (1976)
A privately released album from a band from California, this sounds far more 1969 than 1976. Gently psychedelic country-rock with slightly odd religious overtones. The main man, Phil Pearlman refuses to allow a reissue 1/2
6. Relatively Clean Rivers - Relatively Clean Rivers (1976)
A privately released album from a band from California, this sounds far more 1969 than 1976. Gently psychedelic country-rock with slightly odd religious overtones. The main man, Phil Pearlman refuses to allow a reissue 1/2
December 13, 2025 at 8:07 PM
#new2me25
6. Relatively Clean Rivers - Relatively Clean Rivers (1976)
A privately released album from a band from California, this sounds far more 1969 than 1976. Gently psychedelic country-rock with slightly odd religious overtones. The main man, Phil Pearlman refuses to allow a reissue 1/2
6. Relatively Clean Rivers - Relatively Clean Rivers (1976)
A privately released album from a band from California, this sounds far more 1969 than 1976. Gently psychedelic country-rock with slightly odd religious overtones. The main man, Phil Pearlman refuses to allow a reissue 1/2
Imagine being married to a beautiful woman who love Guided By Voices as much as you.
December 12, 2025 at 10:49 PM
Imagine being married to a beautiful woman who love Guided By Voices as much as you.
He's now pretending that his sister is unwell in an effort to drum up more business.
December 12, 2025 at 8:31 PM
He's now pretending that his sister is unwell in an effort to drum up more business.
Lovely to see the University of Reading doing so well. The grounds are gorgeous & it is an absolute haven for us East Reading citizens.
📣 The 2025/6 University League is here!
We ranked 147 UK universities against ethics and sustainability criteria. 📈
🔍 Find out how your university scored! 👇
peopleandplanet.org/university-l...
We ranked 147 UK universities against ethics and sustainability criteria. 📈
🔍 Find out how your university scored! 👇
peopleandplanet.org/university-l...
December 11, 2025 at 9:29 PM
Lovely to see the University of Reading doing so well. The grounds are gorgeous & it is an absolute haven for us East Reading citizens.
#new2me25
7. Lô Borges - Lô Borges (1972)
A 19-year-old Brazilian kid is pressured by his record company to get an album done quickly & drops an absolute classic. Half an hour of funky psychedelic Latin folk-rock that just leaves you gasping for more. Endlessly inventive & damn near perfect.
7. Lô Borges - Lô Borges (1972)
A 19-year-old Brazilian kid is pressured by his record company to get an album done quickly & drops an absolute classic. Half an hour of funky psychedelic Latin folk-rock that just leaves you gasping for more. Endlessly inventive & damn near perfect.
December 11, 2025 at 8:13 PM
#new2me25
7. Lô Borges - Lô Borges (1972)
A 19-year-old Brazilian kid is pressured by his record company to get an album done quickly & drops an absolute classic. Half an hour of funky psychedelic Latin folk-rock that just leaves you gasping for more. Endlessly inventive & damn near perfect.
7. Lô Borges - Lô Borges (1972)
A 19-year-old Brazilian kid is pressured by his record company to get an album done quickly & drops an absolute classic. Half an hour of funky psychedelic Latin folk-rock that just leaves you gasping for more. Endlessly inventive & damn near perfect.
Cromarty has been left in charge of vinyl security today. There's absolutely no way that he'd trade any of my LPs for snacks. Uh-uh, it's unimaginable.
December 11, 2025 at 9:01 AM
Cromarty has been left in charge of vinyl security today. There's absolutely no way that he'd trade any of my LPs for snacks. Uh-uh, it's unimaginable.
The best books I've read this year.
1. Glitterballs - Michele Howarth
2. The Low Life - Alexander Baron
3. Pine - Francine Toon
4. Dip My Brain in Joy - Yvonne Innes
5. The King's Witches - Kate Foster.
1. Glitterballs - Michele Howarth
2. The Low Life - Alexander Baron
3. Pine - Francine Toon
4. Dip My Brain in Joy - Yvonne Innes
5. The King's Witches - Kate Foster.
December 10, 2025 at 10:05 PM
The best books I've read this year.
1. Glitterballs - Michele Howarth
2. The Low Life - Alexander Baron
3. Pine - Francine Toon
4. Dip My Brain in Joy - Yvonne Innes
5. The King's Witches - Kate Foster.
1. Glitterballs - Michele Howarth
2. The Low Life - Alexander Baron
3. Pine - Francine Toon
4. Dip My Brain in Joy - Yvonne Innes
5. The King's Witches - Kate Foster.
#new2me25
8. Bridget St. John - Thank You For... (1972)
The fact that Bridget isn't a household name by now totally baffles me (this album doesn't even have a Wiki page). This is her third album & it's simply gorgeous. Understated beauty pours out of every tune, even the two covers.
8. Bridget St. John - Thank You For... (1972)
The fact that Bridget isn't a household name by now totally baffles me (this album doesn't even have a Wiki page). This is her third album & it's simply gorgeous. Understated beauty pours out of every tune, even the two covers.
December 10, 2025 at 8:26 PM
#new2me25
8. Bridget St. John - Thank You For... (1972)
The fact that Bridget isn't a household name by now totally baffles me (this album doesn't even have a Wiki page). This is her third album & it's simply gorgeous. Understated beauty pours out of every tune, even the two covers.
8. Bridget St. John - Thank You For... (1972)
The fact that Bridget isn't a household name by now totally baffles me (this album doesn't even have a Wiki page). This is her third album & it's simply gorgeous. Understated beauty pours out of every tune, even the two covers.
I have been struggling to get onto Bluesky for the last 48 hours. Turns out that I had applied a social media block intended for my daughter's phone to my own.
December 10, 2025 at 12:44 PM
I have been struggling to get onto Bluesky for the last 48 hours. Turns out that I had applied a social media block intended for my daughter's phone to my own.
Motorik. It was only when I listened to @harrysword.bsky.social reading his Monolithic Undertow book that I realised that I'd been saying it incorrectly for about 30 years. This despite me being a huge fan of German 70s music.
Thank you to the lovely audience member at @hayfestival who shared that her daughter had once corrected her pronunciation of ‘epiphany’ and told her it should of course be ‘epi-fanny’.
Which word have you royally mispronounced because you’d only ever seen it written down?
Which word have you royally mispronounced because you’d only ever seen it written down?
December 10, 2025 at 8:12 AM
Motorik. It was only when I listened to @harrysword.bsky.social reading his Monolithic Undertow book that I realised that I'd been saying it incorrectly for about 30 years. This despite me being a huge fan of German 70s music.
This is why all of the New York Dolls are dead. They knew how bad 2025 was going to be.
December 9, 2025 at 9:51 PM
This is why all of the New York Dolls are dead. They knew how bad 2025 was going to be.
#new2me25
9. Barry Booth - Diversions! (1968)
Imagine Paul McCartney going full music hall in 68 & hiring Alan Bennett as his singer & lyricist & you'd still only halfway there. Booth was an accomplished pianist who was once smuggled into the US in the boot of a car driven by Roy Orbison. 1/2
9. Barry Booth - Diversions! (1968)
Imagine Paul McCartney going full music hall in 68 & hiring Alan Bennett as his singer & lyricist & you'd still only halfway there. Booth was an accomplished pianist who was once smuggled into the US in the boot of a car driven by Roy Orbison. 1/2
December 9, 2025 at 7:43 PM
#new2me25
9. Barry Booth - Diversions! (1968)
Imagine Paul McCartney going full music hall in 68 & hiring Alan Bennett as his singer & lyricist & you'd still only halfway there. Booth was an accomplished pianist who was once smuggled into the US in the boot of a car driven by Roy Orbison. 1/2
9. Barry Booth - Diversions! (1968)
Imagine Paul McCartney going full music hall in 68 & hiring Alan Bennett as his singer & lyricist & you'd still only halfway there. Booth was an accomplished pianist who was once smuggled into the US in the boot of a car driven by Roy Orbison. 1/2
#new2me25
10. Sidan - Teulu Yncl Sam (1975)
This is probably the most obscure album on my list. A Welsh language girl group who were all still in school at the time of this release. They wrote many of the songs themselves and managed to bounce between several genres with ease. 1/2
10. Sidan - Teulu Yncl Sam (1975)
This is probably the most obscure album on my list. A Welsh language girl group who were all still in school at the time of this release. They wrote many of the songs themselves and managed to bounce between several genres with ease. 1/2
December 8, 2025 at 8:05 PM
#new2me25
10. Sidan - Teulu Yncl Sam (1975)
This is probably the most obscure album on my list. A Welsh language girl group who were all still in school at the time of this release. They wrote many of the songs themselves and managed to bounce between several genres with ease. 1/2
10. Sidan - Teulu Yncl Sam (1975)
This is probably the most obscure album on my list. A Welsh language girl group who were all still in school at the time of this release. They wrote many of the songs themselves and managed to bounce between several genres with ease. 1/2
Movie you've watched more than six times. Hard mode: no Star Wars, Star Trek, LOTR or Marvel.
December 7, 2025 at 10:13 PM
Movie you've watched more than six times. Hard mode: no Star Wars, Star Trek, LOTR or Marvel.
#new2me25
As we enter the top 10, please forgive my overenthusiam. Ten stunning albums that I had never heard before this year.
🇺🇸 x 3
🇧🇷 x 3
🇬🇧 x 3
🇲🇫 x 1
As we enter the top 10, please forgive my overenthusiam. Ten stunning albums that I had never heard before this year.
🇺🇸 x 3
🇧🇷 x 3
🇬🇧 x 3
🇲🇫 x 1
December 7, 2025 at 9:02 PM
#new2me25
As we enter the top 10, please forgive my overenthusiam. Ten stunning albums that I had never heard before this year.
🇺🇸 x 3
🇧🇷 x 3
🇬🇧 x 3
🇲🇫 x 1
As we enter the top 10, please forgive my overenthusiam. Ten stunning albums that I had never heard before this year.
🇺🇸 x 3
🇧🇷 x 3
🇬🇧 x 3
🇲🇫 x 1
#new2me25
Flamengo - Kuře V Hodinkách (1972)
I have only known this album for about three weeks, but it almost gatecrashed my top 10. A Czech band that sound like a massively funky King Crimson, McDonald & Giles or Gong. Huge thanks to @maryepworth.bsky.social for alerting me to this lost gem.
Flamengo - Kuře V Hodinkách (1972)
I have only known this album for about three weeks, but it almost gatecrashed my top 10. A Czech band that sound like a massively funky King Crimson, McDonald & Giles or Gong. Huge thanks to @maryepworth.bsky.social for alerting me to this lost gem.
December 7, 2025 at 8:53 PM
#new2me25
Flamengo - Kuře V Hodinkách (1972)
I have only known this album for about three weeks, but it almost gatecrashed my top 10. A Czech band that sound like a massively funky King Crimson, McDonald & Giles or Gong. Huge thanks to @maryepworth.bsky.social for alerting me to this lost gem.
Flamengo - Kuře V Hodinkách (1972)
I have only known this album for about three weeks, but it almost gatecrashed my top 10. A Czech band that sound like a massively funky King Crimson, McDonald & Giles or Gong. Huge thanks to @maryepworth.bsky.social for alerting me to this lost gem.
Picture of the staff who operate this Bluesky account.
December 7, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Picture of the staff who operate this Bluesky account.