2026 Music Reviews
James Blake, Trying Times (2026) C-
"Walk Out Music," the opening track, is such a successful blend of electronica and Blake's warbling voice that I was thinking the rest of the album was going to follow along the same path, except Blake tries so hard to come across as this "lonely and sad guy" the rest of the it sounds like slight variations on the same melancholic idea. If he ever sticks to what he really excels at, he could make something truly memorable.
By Storm, My Ghosts Go Ghost (2026) D+
With the unfortunate passing of Stepa J. Groggs in 2020, the surviving members of Injury Reserve came together and formed this new group - while opener "Can I Have You For Myself?" is considerate and nostalgic, the rest of the record can't match that track's beauty, with the rest of it dissolving into lousy ASMR (with the sporadic blast of a brass instrument). Two to definitely skip are "Grapefruit" and "In My Town," where the guys clearly didn't take into consideration how off-putting they are.
J. Cole, The Fall-Off (2026) B
This double album from Cole - with the first half representing his mindset at 29 and the second at 39 - is supposedly the last release he's ever going to make (although no one should believe that) and while his honesty and compassion are (once again) evident here, it's a little over-ambitious: too often Cole sounds like he's reading out of his personal diary, and many of his topics were already mentioned in previous records. Still, the strongest moments - "Run a Train" (featuring Future), "The Villest" (with Eryjah Badu) and "I Love Her Again" - compensate for the more belabored aspects. My bet is that, since he's currently 41, he'll be ready to put out something substantial when he's 49 ... although I'm hoping sooner: the world doesn't have voices quite like his.
Converge, Love Is Not Enough (2026) B-
No metal fans should be fooled into thinking they're "reinventing" the genre, but they do get the fundamentals right (speed, timing, a fitting level of aggression), and it holds up to repeat lessons. "To Feel Something" is one of the best tracks on here and it clocks in at less than two minutes.
Dry Cleaning, Secret Love (2026) D
It's the same deal as previous recordings from this Mark E. Smith-inspired British outfit: banal pronouncements are spoken over lively guitars. If they were wittier it might be more engaging, but it's mostly reveling in being as snide as possible.
Fcukers, Ö (2026) D+
Aside from the second track "L.U.C.K.Y," which is fun and catchy, the other parts of the album sound like a less imaginative version of Sofi Tukker's output.
Kim Gordon, Play Me (2026) B-
Considering all she's been though, it's inspiring that Kim's continued on as a solo artist and consistently releases new records. At 72 years old - which is three years younger than my mother - I think she serves as a role model for female artists who want to operate independently and create songs using their own style, no matter how "experimental" it is. The spoken word delivery isn't something that appeals to me personally, but it's what she's going with so I'll roll with it.
Gorillaz, The Mountain (2026) D+
No longer content with just making lousy hip-hop (with "virtual characters") for the last quarter of a century, Albarn and Hewlett are now out to ruin Indian music by incorporating it into their off-putting beats. There are over a dozen contributors to the record (including voice clips from Dennis Hopper!), but adding the sitar, bansuri and sarod in select places (most notably in the opening track) doesn't help make the central theme, about death and rebirth, any more poignant.
Jack Harlow, Monica (2026) D+
Years ago, Jack had a cute but awkward interaction with Emma Chamberlain, and now he thinks he's Luther Vandross. It's not quite as terrible as many are making it out to be, although one has to wonder whether he made it because he thought it was "easy" or because he thinks he's "slick."
Hemlocke Springs, The Apple Tree Under the Sea (2026) C-
North Carolina's own Ms. Udu made a name for herself with oddball tracks like "Girlfriend" and "Gimme All Ur Luv" (which were collected on the EP "Going...Going...Gone!") but there's nothing quite like those on this, her first LP - "Set Me Free" is fine, but it's also clearly meant for "mass consumption." Her wobbly delivery can be a bit hard to take, and when the vocals aren't off-set by a quirky production ... it gets rough.
Joyce Manor, I Used to Go to This Bar (2026) D
They stick closely to the power-"punk" formula of two minute tracks (and there are only nine of them), but would it have been too challenging to make any of them sound like they weren't written by angsty teenagers who were flunking English and dreaming of spending time at a dive bar? Choo-choo says the train, etc.
The Kid Laroi, Before I Forget (2026) D-
At his "best" he comes across a little like The Weeknd, but at his worst (which is most of the time), it's basically 90's R&B which you would hear when trying out khakis at the mall. It can't be a coincidence that "Laroi" happens to rhyme with "fuccboi."
Mandy, Indiana, Urgh (2026) B-
If you've ever been listening to Autechre and thought to yourself, "I sure do enjoy these chaotic noises, but what they're missing is a French lady screaming her psychotic thoughts into my ears," guess what? This might just be the descent into torment you need. Head-banging is encouraged but not required.
Bruno Mars, The Romantic (2026) C
Based on his success and all those awards he's received, Mars already has the formula for assembling a radio-friendly hit, which he shows off on ear-worms "Cha Cha Cha" and "I Just Might." The trouble is, he makes it look a little too easy, and so the record overall feels mechanical: after the singles, he cranks out the rest of the tracks, and the entire LP runs just over thirty minutes. Now tell me: does a true romantic try to "get done" as quickly as possible?
Megadeth, Megadeth (2026) D
You have to give Dave credit: he's been releasing records for decades, and the entire time he's never really changed much, with all the shredding and string noodling and ranting about how ticked off he is at the world at large. As most people age, they typically mature, grow more enlightened and maybe make peace with what worries them and accept what's coming ... but not this guy, who's a 64-year-old teenager etching into his desk with a switchblade.
Mitski, Nothing's About to Happen to Me (2026) B
She's had a touch of alt-country to her sound - her fifth album is called "Be the Cowboy" after all - but with this LP, her eighth, she successfully balances it out with a rush of heavy guitars (as well as some thoughtful lyrics). The first half of it is strong (my personal favorite: "Where's My Phone?"), although the latter portion kind of is something of a letdown, and it could have concluded on a stronger note (as opposed to just ... stopping).
Model/Actriz, Pirouette (2025) B-
While his band bangs on metallic cookware and scrapes steel wool, lead singer Cole gets a little personal and talks about his own life experiences. They still sound a bit like a restrained Xiu Xiu, but this is a more rewarding listening experience than their debut record - in fact, at points it almost sounds like ominous ASMR, and I've been told their live performances are intense.
Neurosis, An Undying Love for a Burning World (2026) C
Having gone on hiatus for years, this post-metal outfit (from Oakland!) finally released their latest record in a decade without much fanfare and while there are sections where they're downright incendiary (hence the title) there are too many parts that lag and/or kind of drift off into the sonic void. Maybe it's my ears, but every once in a while a voice emerges that sounds a lot like Oderus from GWAR (rest in peace, Mr. Brockie).
Snail Mail, Ricochet (2026) C+
Thankfully, Ms. Jordan has ditched most of the more alienating vocal embellishments that she employed on previous recordings, and she does have a nice whispery delivery. Her lyrics could use a little improvement, however, and the majority of the LP is a tad too homogenized.
Harry Styles, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally. (2026) C
Opening track "Aperture" and "American Girls" showcase what Mr. Styles does best - expressing (a.) nostalgia for simpler times and (b.) a sense of feeling alone despite being an international superstar - except the rest fails to live up to the potential of those two, since they're missing solid songwriting and the production plays it very safe. I admit I'm a fan of his (and he's not a bad actor either), and hope this is only a minor misstep.
Tyler Ballgame, For The First Time, Again (2026) C-
This Ballpark fellow - who looks like he could be the bouncer at the venue he's playing at - seems to have gotten some hype for his expressive delivery, and while the first track is nice, too often it's just him imitating the likes of Marc Bolan, Roy Orbison, Bowie, etc. Sometimes, just being yourself is the hardest thing.
Underscores, U (2026) B
Although this third LP from April isn't exactly "genre-redefining" or super original, it's a nice little hyperpop record that covers the universal theme of simply trying to find love and romance in a messy and frustrating world. It seems like many young trans musical artists are drawn to heavily glitched-up sounds, and I'm here for it.
Xiu Xiu, Xiu Mutha Fuckin' Xiu: Vol. 1 (2026) B-
The unique duo of Jamie and Angela are no strangers to doing their own versions of other bands' songs and making most of them sound deranged and zany, so this is nothing new for them. I could have done without the Talking Heads and Screamin' Jay Hawkins covers - since they're so familiar - but they manage to make Throbbing Gristle even more menacing, which is quite a feat.
Singles of the Year: By Storm: "Can I Have You For Myself?," Cola: "Hedgesitting," Fcukers: "L.U.C.K.Y," Kim Gordon: "Girl With a Look," Sombr: "Homewrecker," Harry Styles: "Aperture"
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