Best Ever Albums

Re: Release Day Eve: Anyone got something they're geeked about?! 🔭�'�

musicoed — Sat, 12 Sep 2026 00:40:07 GMT

Author: musicoed

Posted: 09/12/2026 04:40

MadhattanJack wrote:

musicoed wrote:

The Exbats managed to give the public a preview of most of the tracks from their album beforehand. What’s more, these tracks usually appeared without any fanfare or announcements. In terms of hit songs, this album is definitely in the lead so far; I’ve already counted three. I’m sure that’s enough to make it the Album of the Week.
The Exbats - My Dinner With Crumar (11/IX-2026/37) (Album)

As it happens, the sound of the band XTC isn't something deeply ingrained in my subconscious. However, the synthesizer sound used in the album's opening track immediately reminded me of Röyksopp. And that outweighs the drawbacks of the lyrics, which, of course, I didn't catch by ear.
That said, I don't consider the opening track particularly outstanding. It’s just that the first and last tracks don’t spoil the overall picture, and that’s important.
Unfortunately, the band followed a pattern common among musicians—especially those lacking confidence—by placing the tracks released as official singles and music videos right at the start of the album. Consequently, the first half is more engaging than the second, making it a bit of a challenge to listen to the release in its entirety—unless, perhaps, you were to at least swap the order of the sides.))
Of course, I’m willing to concede that the lyrics might be fascinating or provocative.
But some tracks, with their repetitive nature, feel overly monotonous and long-winded.
And yet, the band has a melodic quality, and that’s cool.

Re: Release Day Eve: Anyone got something they're geeked about?! 🔭�'�

MadhattanJack — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 19:32:12 GMT

Author: MadhattanJack

Posted: 09/11/2026 23:32

Repo wrote:

Huh. I've never heard of Killer. As an old school metal head, I'll have to check out a few of their early releases. I wonder what Dihansse thinks of them. 🤔

They're kind of a Motorhead-style band. And if I'm being (brutally) honest, Belgium hasn't really produced a lot of metal bands, at least not famous ones — I just looked at the Wikipedia category for Belgian heavy metal musical groups and while it's far from exhaustive, there was only one band on it (other than Killer) that I'd heard of, namely Channel Zero. They've got 8 albums listed here on BEA, but their highest album ranking is 38,424, so... I dunno, maybe they're the most commercially successful Belgian metal band? Even if they're not the "best-known." (Killer has only two albums on BEA, and neither of them have enough ranking points here to even make a dent.)

Of course, the English would say something derisive like "must be something in the waffles," but personally I think it's just the overall culture, similar to France, Spain, and Italy — they all like to dress nice and not smell bad there, so that makes it pretty hard for them to be proper metalheads.

Re: Release Day Eve: Anyone got something they're geeked about?! 🔭�'�

MadhattanJack — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 19:10:47 GMT

Author: MadhattanJack

Posted: 09/11/2026 23:10

musicoed wrote:

I liked that one; I thought it was a bit too loose and lo-fi, and in particular their singer isn't recorded properly at all, but I can certainly see how people might recommend it. Still, with the lyrical refrain on track 1 being what it is (she repeats "just like a little bitch" about two dozen times), that could reduce the hit potential quite a bit, at least in the English-speaking world. I was also disappointed by the fact that you never hear any sort of classic Crumar™ organ sound anywhere on the album — Barry Andrews used a Crumar organ extensively on XTC's Go 2, which I currently have ranked as my #1 album ever, so of course I'm listening to this thing and wondering "where's that frickin' Crumar?" literally the whole time. But that's more of a "me problem."

There were actually nine new albums I considered listing this week but decided not to — I heard at least two tracks from each of them, but they all seemed to have some sort of pesky flaw or weakness going on. I'm beginning to suspect that reviewing all these new releases each week is making me more "picky" and selective than I have been in the past.

Just for the record, though, here's the list (not including the ExBats), in roughly the order I'd probably rank them. To be clear, I'm not recommending these or advising anyone to check them out, but all of them are at least interesting in their own way. (Most of them are now fully available for streaming on Bandcamp, and as of now none of them have been added to BEA.)

ODAE, MOIREMOIREMOIRE: Experimental electro-tweepop from Texas with lots of noise effects and what-not
Pretty Sick, Anarchy: Indie/post-punk female solo act from NYC
Curbside Lambsear, Put Rings On All My Fingers To Weigh Down My Hands: 5-song EP, dark/noisy post-punk from London
Beans, Less Louder: Fun (but conventional) rock band from Melbourne
The Meffs, Business (Apple Music link): Old-school British punk with a great female singer
TsuShiMaMiRe, The Greatest World: Long-running (27 years) Japanese girlpunk trio
Dead Horse, Caught The Nonsense: Quirky, slightly-silly post-punk from London (but not enough for an XTC comparison)
Modern Apartments, Light on Water: Somewhat Kraftwerk-ish instrumental electronica from London

Obviously one (or more) of these could unexpectedly take off and become hugely successful, in which case I'll look dumb for calling them an "also-ran," but that's the nature of the game, I guess! 😄

Re: Release Day Eve: Anyone got something they're geeked about?! 🔭�'�

Repo — Fri, 11 Sep 2026 10:25:10 GMT

Author: Repo

Posted: 09/11/2026 14:25

MadhattanJack wrote:

As for bands with name recognition that I'm not interested in, NWOBHM stalwarts Tygers Of Pan Tang have a new one called Electrifyed, which seems like an odd choice for a title because (putting aside the misspelling) it implies that their earlier albums were somehow not electrified, which is clearly not the case at all. Regardless, it sounds just like their other stuff (which is to say, highly electrified), so fans won't be disappointed. And if you're from Belgium — as you really should be — Killer, perhaps Belgium's best-known heavy metal band whose first LP was released in 1979, is putting out their "farewell album," The Grand Finale. Good title! No confusion there.

Huh. I've never heard of Killer. As an old school metal head, I'll have to check out a few of their early releases. I wonder what Dihansse thinks of them. 🤔

Tygers of Pan Tang! Nice shout out! I really dig their first couple of albums, especially...

Wild Cat (1980) by Tygers Of Pan Tang

One of the most important NWOBHM releases of 1980 imo. 🤓

Re: Release Day Eve: Anyone got something they're geeked about?! 🔭�'�

musicoed — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 19:53:45 GMT

Author: musicoed

Posted: 09/10/2026 23:53

MadhattanJack wrote:

Well... okay, but I'd probably replace the word "might" there with "should absolutely." ....

Thank you. It’s wonderful to always have someone to bring you back down to earth!))

I’m now living literally on virtual wheels, and my exploration of new releases is significantly delayed.
And I don't get hung up on genres or the artists' nationalities. I either like the music or I don't.

The Exbats managed to give the public a preview of most of the tracks from their album beforehand. What’s more, these tracks usually appeared without any fanfare or announcements. In terms of hit songs, this album is definitely in the lead so far; I’ve already counted three. I’m sure that’s enough to make it the Album of the Week.
The Exbats - My Dinner With Crumar (11/IX-2026/37) (Album)

An album by the musicians whose only single also made it onto my playlist of the week:
Wrong Man - Here's That Feeling (11/IX-2026/37) (Album)

This is the second installment of an album by iconic Russian musicians who are also keen on immersing the listener in solving puzzles. Fortunately, they chose the absolute best time for it.)) The first part hasn't lived up to my expectations so far; I'm pinning my hopes on the second. For now, there is only a link to the single from this part.
Хадн Дадн [Hadn Dadn] - Эжен. Часть 2 (11/IX-2026/37) (EP)

Re: Release Day Eve: Anyone got something they're geeked about?! 🔭�'�

MadhattanJack — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:47:29 GMT

Author: MadhattanJack

Posted: 09/10/2026 22:47

What September 11, 2026 releases will YOU? Hear? Eventually?

I decided not to go on vacation after all, but this will be a relatively short one nevertheless, as explained earlier. Sept. 11 isn't a popular release date, especially when it's the 25th Anniversary. Obviously everyone remembers what happened with Nick Lowe's The Convincer, which was poised to be his most popular LP ever and perhaps one of the biggest-selling albums of all time, easily surpassing Michael Jackson's Thriller, AC/DC's Back in Black, and The Shaggs' Philosophy of the World. Unfortunately, al Qaeda had other plans, having been notorious fans of the Bay City Rollers and who never forgave him for his 1976 single "Bay City Rollers We Love You." As soon as they found out about The Convincer's Sept. 11, 2001 release date, they set their plans in motion — and, well, the album ended up not selling so good. (Among other things that happened.)

Perhaps not coincidentally, The Proclaimers have moved the release date for their new LP, You May Offend, to Sept. 25 (maybe they were worried the original 9/11 release date might "offend" people), where they'll be competing head-to-head with Blondshell, M83, Protomartyr, Soft Cell, Penelope Isles, and The Wolfgang Press, as well as the long-awaited (40 years!) debut LP by The Catburgers. With them out of the picture, that just leaves Bloc Party as the only band with significant name recognition who have new material out this week that's of any real interest to me, though to be honest I've never been a big fan of theirs either. The album is called Anatomy of a Brief Romance, and they've got Trevor Horn back as their producer. It's slickly commercial pop-rock to be sure, but at least it should sound pretty good though a pair of speakers.

As for bands with name recognition that I'm not interested in, NWOBHM stalwarts Tygers Of Pan Tang have a new one called Electrifyed, which seems like an odd choice for a title because (putting aside the misspelling) it implies that their earlier albums were somehow not electrified, which is clearly not the case at all. Regardless, it sounds just like their other stuff (which is to say, highly electrified), so fans won't be disappointed. And if you're from Belgium — as you really should be — Killer, perhaps Belgium's best-known heavy metal band whose first LP was released in 1979, is putting out their "farewell album," The Grand Finale. Good title! No confusion there.

Other than those, we have...

Sylvan Esso, Ow ∞
I'm going to say this album is my pick-of-the-week because it's a good listen, but it suffers from the same really basic surface issues as the Francis of Delirium album from May 29. The band name sounds like the name of an efféte 1960s French pop singer, the album's title is something Elon Musk might have named one of his illegitimate kids, and the album cover — which might be a nod to the prism effect on Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon — is mediocre at best (though admittedly, it's not as bad as Francis of Delirium's, and it's better than most of Sylvan Esso's previous album covers... still, I'd rather just see the nicely-dressed woman with the sledgehammer, without the prism effect or whatever it is). So instead of what you're expecting, you get the fifth album by a husband-&-wife post-punkish duo (with occasional electropop/tripgaze) from Durham, North Carolina. It's well-recorded, somewhat fun, and has some cool songs with titles like "Hot Blob" and "Good at Pain" (track 4, "Concrete Glen," samples Sigur Ros's "Svefn-g-englar" — somewhat artlessly, but it's still sort of cool I guess, in an "it's yoo-woooo" sort of way). Simply put, I like this LP, quite a bit actually, but this band needs serious marketing help.
Angela Autumn, Believer
"Believer? I barely know her!" Here's an almost (but crucially, not quite) straight-up pop-Americana album (her second) and while this clearly isn't the sort of thing I usually go for, I'm still a sucker for women who have waifish, sometimes-plaintive voices like this. (I don't know why, I just am, okay?) And though she's based in Nashville, this is more of an Appalachian-style indie/folk-rock LP than anything that could be described as "country." The songs don't strike me as entirely "traditional," either — she has the singing style for it, but there are some decent rock tunes on this LP, and occasional, and subtle, electropop and even psych-pop "flourishes" that add to the charm. Nicely done!
This Is Lorelei, The Singer In My Band
Nate Amos is the guy who handles most of the instrument-playing for Water From Your Eyes (WFYE), but doesn't get to sing because he's not as good at that as lead singer Rachel Brown (not to be confused with the even-better Rachel Browne from Field Mouse). And that's really the problem with this, his fourth album as This is Lorelei: The vocals are "just okay," dynamics are lacking, and the nom de plume he's chosen would have you think you're going to hear a female singer named "Lorelei" (or even just Rachel Brown) instead of what you actually get. The music here is somewhat tepid — a bit quirky-sounding at times, and maybe catchy if you give it enough listens, but ultimately I don't think it's up to the standard set by WFYE's last two or three albums.
Asia Menor, Vaho (released today)
This band from Santiago, Chile bills itself as an art-punk/noise act (with all lyrics in Spanish), but I would almost describe it as "primitive horrorcore" with a strong Captain Beefheart influence. It's pretty chaotic, but with unexpected moments of brilliance that crop up once in a while to keep you interested. Definitely not a pop album, by any objective standard, but it does occasionally use pop-like sonic approaches to lull you into a false sense of security before trying to kill you or whatever.
The Tubs, Hard Life
From London, the Tubs strike me as a blue-eyed-soul/R&B outfit that thinks it's a power-pop group, or perhaps vice-versa. That's not a criticism, though... the album is upbeat and has a fair amount of energy to it, and it's also sometimes quite danceable, but their cover art is consistently terrible and they seem to reject any sort of musical or visual sophistication to the point of being practically retro. Those things aren't enough to torpedo the album, though. (Most torpedoes are too big to fit into tubs anyway.)

Masked Band Dept.

Nothing this week, at least nothing I could find. (And yes, I did check the metal releases.) I'm disappointed, but I can see why masked bands would think it's disrespectful to release albums on a big 9/11 anniversary, since Osama bin Laden and his boys used to wear those weird "Howard the Duck" masks pretty much all the time.

Next week...

As you'd expect, next week is going to be big, because people who might have released their new stuff tomorrow decided to wait a week. It may be the biggest week of the entire second half of the year, with new LPs from Echo & the Bunnymen (I guess they're back?); a bevy of female solo artists including Frankie Rose, Emma Ruth Rundle, Kristin Hersh, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Susanna Hoffs; and last but probably not least, Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts. Until then, etc. 😄

Re: Release Day Eve: Anyone got something they're geeked about?! 🔭�'�

MadhattanJack — Thu, 10 Sep 2026 04:34:42 GMT

Author: MadhattanJack

Posted: 09/10/2026 08:34

musicoed wrote:

You might dismiss this as a wild flight of fancy on my part.

Well... okay, but I'd probably replace the word "might" there with "should absolutely." Aldous Harding's lyrics aren't supposed to mean anything, they're supposed to be "enigmatic" and mildly surrealistic. It's actually one of the (few) things that makes her music distinctive. Trying to apply specific meanings to her stream-of-consciousness mind wanderings effectively cheapens the work and implies a direct philosophical/ideological agenda that just doesn't exist in her case. Instead she wants you, the listener, to feel like the philosopher as you ponder the "profound meaninglessness" of what she's singing.

Re: Release Day Eve: Anyone got something they're geeked about?! 🔭�'�

musicoed — Tue, 8 Sep 2026 20:35:04 GMT

Author: musicoed

Posted: 09/09/2026 00:35

With your permission, I will continue to use artificial intelligence prompts in quotation marks when looking for generally accepted definitions and viewpoints.

Quote:

The principle of a magic trick (illusion) lies in manipulating the spectator's attention and performing actions hidden from view.

For example, some manipulate the public while wearing bright masks, whereas others employ the same tactics without masks—covertly and on a much larger scale.

I don't think the Aldous Harding album appeared in this thread by accident. You might not believe me, but I’ve only just realized that this cover features a mask, too. Except this mask isn't meant to draw attention—quite the opposite, in fact. I’m amazed by what I’ve learned about this artist over the last few hours. It’s like an encrypted code, a puzzle of sorts.

Quote:

Aldous Harding makes a point of refusing to explain the meaning of her songs and music videos. She believes that the music should speak for itself. Makeup and masks serve as a barrier, preventing the listener from looking for the "real," autobiographical Aldous in the songs.

I might surmise that the cover is linked in some way to the rejection not only of masks but also of makeup. The blue color acts as a form of rear projection, allowing the listener to mentally fill in whatever facial features they choose.

But through the translation, I simultaneously learned of two key themes in the title track:
Anxiety about the fate of the "island," and a warning against equating success with money.

All of this taken together might suggest more than just the artist's creative intent.
It could also point to a mission the stars themselves may have entrusted to the performer.
You might dismiss this as a wild flight of fancy on my part.
But the release might contain a message to a hypothetical Prince of Darkness.
And this time, it is an appeal to the Demon Lord—specifically in his female form.))

Re: Release Day Eve: Anyone got something they're geeked about?! 🔭�'�

MadhattanJack — Tue, 8 Sep 2026 04:02:58 GMT

Author: MadhattanJack

Posted: 09/08/2026 08:02

musicoed wrote:

The trick was that the band's leader didn't even need to wear a mask. Even without the mask, fans saw him as the Prince of Darkness, which, I hope, he was not.

Trump was in a band?

Re: Release Day Eve: Anyone got something they're geeked about?! 🔭�'�

Cheddar — Mon, 7 Sep 2026 23:55:14 GMT

Author: Cheddar

Posted: 09/08/2026 03:55

musicoed wrote:

Cheddar wrote:

...
This might go against your rule you defined below, but I think maybe you could broaden "masked artists" to "artists with concealed identities" or something along those lines. He's definitely in the Doom lineage even if he doesn't use a mask I'd say.
...

I must apologize again if I misinterpret what is written, as I do not speak English.
But my understanding of your words coincided with my thoughts on masks in music and everything that lies behind them.
First of all, it's important to clarify that I try to approach this impartially, as if it were the laws of dialectics—the contradictions without which movement and life itself are impossible.

When I was a child around 1980, there was virtually no information about Western music. Not on TV, not in newspapers or magazines. Although all my friends had, for example, Pink Floyd tapes.
However, there was a band I never listened to, but I had a good idea of its members. The thing is, magnetic tape was a fairly expensive medium. To record something, you had to erase something. Apparently, this band's albums rarely lasted long in the record libraries of thrifty Soviet music lovers. But homemade photographs were easier to come by. I personally spent countless hours creating a high-quality photocopy of an amateur photo of this cover.

Destroyer (1976) by Kiss

There was another band that I not only didn't listen to, but also had no idea what it looked like. But everyone knew its catchy name. Years or even decades passed, and completely unexpectedly for myself I learned that this group has a cult status. And in my opinion, it didn't become a cult following because of the colorful masks the musicians might wear. The trick was that the band's leader didn't even need to wear a mask. Even without the mask, fans saw him as the Prince of Darkness, which, I hope, he was not.))

Both of those are great examples. I think there is a mystique to a hidden identity that is inherently interesting.

Re: Release Day Eve: Anyone got something they're geeked about?! 🔭�'�

musicoed — Mon, 7 Sep 2026 21:57:19 GMT

Author: musicoed

Posted: 09/08/2026 01:57

MadhattanJack wrote:

Hayden wrote:

Also, I'm going to work on a smidge of a shuffle on this somepoint soon, but maybe just give it a skim and pluck 2-3 releases you haven't heard—
Top 100 Music Albums of 2026 by Hayden

I counted 91 that I didn't even know existed. Of the remaining 9, I'd only listened to four of them all the way through (Gorillaz, Angine de Poitrine, Aldous Harding, and Kiss Facility)...

Okay. I've slightly modified the statistics and applied a suitable mask. But only to highlight and add contrast to the facts.
In reality, besides the two album covers, which I hope everyone is familiar with by now, I also noticed a third.

Train On The Island (2026) by Aldous Harding

Now the situation has changed dramatically. It's now possible to talk about coincidences that aren't programmed, but miraculous. Which, you'll agree, is much more interesting.

So, three music lovers with, to put it mildly, different preferences chose just one album out of a hundred.
Why? I think I could devote an entire scientific paper to this; I've been thinking about it for so long.
I fully admit that we perceive music through different sensors in the cerebral cortex, if these sensors are located in the human body itself, and not outside of it.

In any case, I'm simply certain that we hear music completely differently and, accordingly, derive satisfaction from different reactions or transformations. But in this case, something coincided. Some elusive additional frequency modulation.

For example, I liked the three album covers Hayden posted earlier.
I also really appreciate the artistic flourishes that are so abundant in Aldous Harding's videos.
I think it's the visual spectrum of her work that somehow mingles with the music.

On the other hand, I'm not the only one who likes MadhattanJack's annotation style.
It's likely that some subtle lyrical quirk sparked our shared interest.

As for my personal opinion of the album,
I haven't compared it, but it seems weaker than the previous one. I especially miss her stunning videos.
As usual, I find it lacking in melody. There are only two tracks that I'd highlight on the entire release.
But it was a pleasant surprise that the album's main hit, the song of the same name, wasn't released as a single.

Re: Release Day Eve: Anyone got something they're geeked about?! 🔭�'�

musicoed — Mon, 7 Sep 2026 21:27:38 GMT

Author: musicoed

Posted: 09/08/2026 01:27

Cheddar wrote:

Re: Release Day Eve: Anyone got something they're geeked about?! 🔭�'�

Hayden — Mon, 7 Sep 2026 05:17:18 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 09/07/2026 09:17

MadhattanJack wrote:

Hayden wrote:

Also, I'm going to work on a smidge of a shuffle on this somepoint soon, but maybe just give it a skim and pluck 2-3 releases you haven't heard—
Top 100 Music Albums of 2026 by Hayden

I counted 91 that I didn't even know existed. Of the remaining 9, I'd only listened to four of them all the way through (Gorillaz, Angine de Poitrine, Aldous Harding, and Kiss Facility), and I only had Kiss Facility on my own chart. (Which remains fully-annotated, of course. Just thought I'd mention that...)

I guess I should expand my horizons a bit more, so to speak! Also, "Smidge, Shuffle, Skim and Pluck" would be a good name for a new "Annual Overspill" chart. So I might have to steal that one.

Steal all you want, just never borrow— 😉

Your chart is a whole bunch of new names for me as well— think I'm in somewhat similar shoes, I've heard four of them, and had only come across maybe eight—
I get recs from everywhere, but more and more I'm just doing the digging myself—
Bit more fun that way, less biased, less expectations—
(Bandcamp's been my go-to the last decade or so, but recs come from all over, including BEA, course)—
I do find I'm getting recs less and less from publications though—

musicoed wrote:

Hayden wrote:

Anyway, haven't heard any of the following, but looking forward to these releases this week—...

Thanks, Hayden! What a fantastic selection of highly artistic album art!

Hayden wrote:

Also, I'm going to work on a smidge of a shuffle on this somepoint soon, but maybe just give it a skim and pluck 2-3 releases you haven't heard—
Top 100 Music Albums of 2026 by Hayden

And as always, a list of 100 rare releases of 2026. Actually, I've seen a couple of those covers before. I think they were Gorillaz and Angine De Poitrine!!!
Last year, my list changed dramatically in just December. And now it's only September 2026!!!

And course, September's still young, over a quarter the year left in the tank—
Looking forward to whatever's ahead—

Popularity-wise, the new Gorillaz album is probably a slight outlier compared to everything else, but I really enjoyed it— easily my favourite release from the outfit since Plastic Beach— wouldn't be too surprised if nothing usurps it as BEA's #1 for the year— great vibe on the project, and I love the (literal) reincarnation and afterlife themes throughout with the deceased featured musicians — I'm stopping by Rajasthan for a bit later this month, where a lot of the record was recorded and conceptualized — might give it another spin once I'm there—

Re: Release Day Eve: Anyone got something they're geeked about?! 🔭�'�

Cheddar — Mon, 7 Sep 2026 00:09:32 GMT

Author: Cheddar

Posted: 09/07/2026 04:09

Hayden wrote:

Not a mask per se, but Billy Woods and Mach-Hommey can still go to a McDonalds or 3-Michelin Star restaurant in any city without a second thought— any park, sports game, community event, parade, bar, club, hotel, airplane seat—

Anonymity has perks—

I imagine DOOM was the same—
The members of Daft Punk, during their peak, etc—

Ah, I see you beat me to the punch with this thought. Great minds think alike.

Re: Release Day Eve: Anyone got something they're geeked about?! 🔭�'�

Cheddar — Mon, 7 Sep 2026 00:08:34 GMT

Author: Cheddar

Posted: 09/07/2026 04:08

MadhattanJack wrote:

So... I guess I (or anyone here, really) could make a handy chart of "favorite albums by masked bands," but as you've pointed out with respect to Marci, some musicians only wear masks for one album. So that creates a situation where you're arguing over whether someone like her should be added to the same list as bands who have been wearing them over the course of a multi-album career. Naturally I'd say "Hell NO!" but not everyone is likely to agree with me. In fact, most people never actually agree with me at all, about anything.

There are a couple of hot hip hop artists following this trend, but in different ways. Mach-Hommy uses a bandana as his mask and Billy Woods , while not using a mask per se, always conceals his face (he doesn't directly conceal his face at concerts but uses dim or back lighting to hide his face). This might go against your rule you defined below, but I think maybe you could broaden "masked artists" to "artists with concealed identities" or something along those lines. He's definitely in the Doom lineage even if he doesn't use a mask I'd say.

I also feel like I can't talk about masked artists without mentioning Ghost. I'm a newer fan of theirs, but last year's album
Skeletà (2025) by Ghost (SE) was AMAZING.

Re: Release Day Eve: Anyone got something they're geeked about?! 🔭�'�

MadhattanJack — Sun, 6 Sep 2026 23:24:06 GMT

Author: MadhattanJack

Posted: 09/07/2026 03:24

Hayden wrote:

Also, I'm going to work on a smidge of a shuffle on this somepoint soon, but maybe just give it a skim and pluck 2-3 releases you haven't heard—
Top 100 Music Albums of 2026 by Hayden

Re: Release Day Eve: Anyone got something they're geeked about?! 🔭�'�

musicoed — Sun, 6 Sep 2026 20:25:07 GMT

Author: musicoed

Posted: 09/07/2026 00:25

Hayden wrote:

Anyway, haven't heard any of the following, but looking forward to these releases this week—...

Thanks, Hayden! What a fantastic selection of highly artistic album art!

Hayden wrote:

Also, I'm going to work on a smidge of a shuffle on this somepoint soon, but maybe just give it a skim and pluck 2-3 releases you haven't heard—
Top 100 Music Albums of 2026 by Hayden

And as always, a list of 100 rare releases of 2026. Actually, I've seen a couple of those covers before. I think they were Gorillaz and Angine De Poitrine!!!
Okay, we'll continue to root for them so that Michelin-starred restaurants always remain accessible to them!))

Hayden wrote:

It's been a subtle year, and it won't ever go down as an all-time great, but there's been some good stuff over the past few months—

Last year, my list changed dramatically in just December. And now it's only September 2026!!!

Re: Release Day Eve: Anyone got something they're geeked about?! 🔭�'�

Hayden — Sun, 6 Sep 2026 01:26:40 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 09/06/2026 05:26

Anyway, haven't heard any of the following, but looking forward to these releases this week—

Kazi Kwanza (2026) by Jay Mitta

Age Of The Exhibitionist (2026) by Rebecca Black

Memoria (2026) by Carmen Villain

Also, I'm going to work on a smidge of a shuffle on this somepoint soon, but maybe just give it a skim and pluck 2-3 releases you haven't heard—
Top 100 Music Albums of 2026 by Hayden

It's been a subtle year, and it won't ever go down as an all-time great, but there's been some good stuff over the past few months—

Re: Release Day Eve: Anyone got something they're geeked about?! 🔭�'�

Hayden — Sun, 6 Sep 2026 01:21:02 GMT

Author: Hayden

Posted: 09/06/2026 05:21

Not a mask per se, but Billy Woods and Mach-Hommey can still go to a McDonalds or 3-Michelin Star restaurant in any city without a second thought— any park, sports game, community event, parade, bar, club, hotel, airplane seat—

Anonymity has perks—

I imagine DOOM was the same—
The members of Daft Punk, during their peak, etc—

Re: Release Day Eve: Anyone got something they're geeked about?! 🔭�'�

musicoed — Sat, 5 Sep 2026 23:14:07 GMT

Author: musicoed

Posted: 09/06/2026 03:14

MadhattanJack wrote:

Maybe I'm hopelessly old-fashioned, but I just think that to qualify for the Masked Band List, you have to actually wear something over your face.

Your department, your rules!))

Quote:

When people think of the band Gorillaz, they most often picture four cartoon characters.
These cartoon characters have become the face of the band, appearing in music videos, on album covers, and even projected onto the stage as holograms during live performances.

Quote:

When people think of the Swedish band ABBA, they first picture the four members, whose first letters make up the band's name.