I realize it’s not quite the halfway point of 2026 so far, but man it’s been such an incredible year for albums that it feels like we’re already into late fall. Music has always been a mental sanctuary for me; from being an awkward kid sitting in my bedroom on a Friday night popping in cassettes while pondering my existence, to being an awkward adult sipping on beers in my living room spinning records or CDs music has been my sole companion when I was lost in my head.
This is still very true today, though I’m not quite as awkward as I used to be. I’ve grown into being comfortable with myself, especially once I hit the big 4-0 going on 13 years ago. I aged into personal comfort with myself and my self worth. Music has always been that middle ground I could connect with others on. It was the gateway into making relationships and finding like-minded souls. Movies and books were also gateways, but not like music was.
I used to post mid-year “favorite” albums so far, but I kind of fell out of that. Well, I’m starting that back up because this was the reason I started this blog in the first place. I wanted to share my love of music and bands and albums with others, and hopefully make some of those “connections” that I used to in the analog way…face to face.
I can tell you right now that I don’t see another record beating out my favorite album so far, but sometimes life and albums will surprise ya. There’s at least one other record coming out this summer that I’m super excited about, dropping from one of my favorite record labels El Paraiso Records. But as far as my favorite albums go so far this year, I feel like mine dropped last Friday.
Anyways, here’s a few that have lit that creative flame in my brain this year.
Mandy, Indiana : URGH
The noisy Parisian band Mandy, Indiana blew me away back in 2023 with I’ve Seen A Way. Dance-y, post-punk with a serious art rock lean, the music came across sultry and scary, like a heart-shaped box of candy wrapped in barbed wire. With URGH the band leaned more heavily into the dance aspect of their sound, without losing any of the grit and sharp edges.
Billow Observatory : Resina EP
The Transatlantic electronic/psych/dream pop duo Billow Observatory(Jason Kolb/Jonas Munk) continue to put forward-thinking electronic music out into the universe. Their sonic blending of guitars, synthesizers, and heady effects makes the kind of music you get lost in. Last year’s excellent The Glass Curtain saw the band blending both the opaque, monolithic sound of their early cosmic ambient with the lighter sunshine of something like 2022’s Stareside to stunning effect. Resina feels less like an EP as it does a mini-album. It’s all-encompassing and engrossing, with Billow Observatory’s trademark aural world building.
Geoff Garlock : Don’t Die Today
A surprise for me this year so far was Geoff Garlock’s fantastic Don’t Die Today. First time delving into Garlock’s work, I heard his fantastic ambient masterpiece via the great SFI Recordings. Contemplative, emotional, and evocative, Garlock blends ambient, new age, and even touches of dream pop’s emotional heft.
Gregory Uhlmann : Extra Stars
Gregory Uhlmann has emerged from the exciting and growing modern jazz community of Los Angeles, making stellar works with SML, Josh Johnson, and many others. His style is impressionistic, making his guitar sound like anything but a jazz guitar. With his solo album Extra Stars he makes dazzling compositions that feel heavy in melody and emotion.
Joel Ross : Gospel Music
Joel Ross continues to prove why he’s one of the most powerful voices in the modern jazz world, as well as a sought after collaborator. Gospel Music locks into his spirituality and feels like his answer to Coltrane’s A Love Supreme, or many of Sun Ra’s spiritual explorations.
Flea : Honora
On Flea’s debut jazz record he doesn’t pull any punches, bringing along Jeff Parker and part of his ETA Quartet as his backing band and enlisting vocalists like Thom Yorke and Nick Cave to round out this record filled with both modern jazz turns and balladry. It’s a rich tapestry of melody and musical brilliance.
Manual : True Bypass
Jonas Munk brings his long-in-hiatus electronic project Manual back to the forefront and both stays true to the Manual sound while also reinvigorating the project. Electronic music for those that want as much melody as they do heady, buzzing vibes, True Bypass is a welcome return of the electronic project.
Weird Nightmare : Hoopla
Former METZ singer/guitarist Alex Edkins returned with his side project(now main gig) Weird Nightmare with the excellent Hoopla. Leaning heavier into cleaner production and poppier elements, Hoopla sounds like a more mature radio-ready version of the band’s debut. For fans of Bob Mould, Smithereens, and Replacements.
Corrosion of Conformity : Good God/Baad Man
The return of southern metal’s shining sons Corrosion of Conformity was a sight for sore ears(or maybe they were sore after that first listen.) Big, chunky riffs with a touch of southern twang for good measure, Good God/Baad Man has the Sabbath-y heft of Deliverance with the 70s rock swagger of America’s Volume Dealer, and touches of everything in-between.
AE Paterra : Alone In Your Dark
Drummer extraordinaire for the electro/prog duo Zombie AE Paterra has made a fine career releasing solo records as Majeure. Keeping the Zombi spirit alive with more cosmic, contemplative touches, Majeure has made Paterra as recognizable as his main gig has. On Alone In Your Dark, released under his own name, Paterra makes stunning, expressionistic electronic music that takes you on a journey. It’s a hell of an electronic album, and some of best that we’ve heard from Paterra.
Jeff Parker : Happy Today
Tortoise guitarist and modern jazz luminary Jeff Parker continues to establish himself as a key player in bringing jazz into the future. He plays in the classic sense of jazz, but bends and twists it into impressionistic, psychedelic territory. With his ETA Quartet(which includes bassist Anna Butterss, saxophonist Josh Johnson, and drummer Jay Bellerose), this band of prolific musicians have given musical improvisation a whole new spectrum of brilliance. Happy Today is yet another example of that brilliance, with two album side tracks that display their musical intuition and creative flow a much-deserved spotlight.
Boards of Canada : Inferno
I’ve not anticipated or dreamed of any record more than Boards of Canada’s follow-up to 2013s underrated Tomorrow’s Harvest. Inferno, that follow-up, has arrived and it is the ever brilliant record I’d dreamed it would be. Capturing the dreamy, slightly woozy aspect of their past records, BoC have upped the sonic production into new territory giving some of these tracks an almost post-rock feel. And they have taken their voice samples to new, unnerving highs. “Father And Son” is haunting every time I listen to it. Inferno exceeds my expectations, and then some.
2026 so far has been an absolute stellar year for music. We’re barely at the halfway mark, so if there’s equal brilliance to come color me thrilled.
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