All Things 2026... & Release Day Eve: MARCH 6TH!!! ๐
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MadhattanJack
Just to end the list
Gender: Male
- #91
- Posted: 5 days ago
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| Repo wrote: | | Ok, MJ. I think we're ready for the next 3 now! ๐ค |
What, those? Those turned out to be, like, just okay... There was a pretty good new album from And Also The Trees called The Devil's Door, which sounds like a Scott Walker album, or maybe one of the more "digestible" Nick Cave albums, though I actually like AATT's singer better than Scott Walker or Nick Cave. (Personally.)
The new Hey Colossus album (their 15th!) is good if you like the sort of psych-horror-garage-punk they're known for. I sort of like it, but only in small doses... I would ask something silly like "how many of these records do they have to make before the psych-horror-garage-punk genre finally becomes totally dominant in the music industry?" but I think we all know the answer to that question. (It's "16.")
Lastly there's a self-titled album (I believe it's a debut) from an Australian band called Station Model Violence, which is more of the ol' 80s-style angular/jagged Velvets-influenced post-punk guitar stuff that I often like, though in this case the vocals are a bit lacking and the songs tend to be a bit more "mechanical" (if that's the right word) and samey than I generally prefer. (Does anyone remember Polyrock? These guys are harder-edged but overall they seem to have the same basic problem.)
Station Model Violence 
Station Model Violence (2026)
In case anyone is keeping score on my behalf, which I realize is very unlikely, I've now re-listened to some of last week's releases again and I'm less impressed with Kiss Facility (guitars, people! guitars are better!), and more impressed with The Julies โ and I also like the Nothing album more than the Mitski album now. I haven't rearranged my chart yet to reflect these astonishing developments, but I'll probably get around to it eventually.
As for this week, the one we're in now, the upcoming release I'm most interested in is the new album by Doll Spirit Vessel, which is simply entitled "Bow." There are also (in addition to the already-mentioned Squeeze and Swell Maps LPs) new albums from Darksoft and GUM. GUM is Jay Watson's solo project โย he plays drums in Tame Impala when they play live, and he's also in Pond (the Australian one). So he has a fairly impressive resumรฉ.
All in all it looks like there''ll be plenty of good stuff! ๐
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MadhattanJack
Just to end the list
Gender: Male
- #92
- Posted: 4 days ago
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By the way, there was one other new album from last week that I wanted to mention โย it actually came out on Monday the 23rd. It's called Nearer My God (Bandcamp link) from a French grungegaze band called Dead Horse One. (Admittedly I object to the band name somewhat because I like horses, but maybe this is considered "irony" in France.)
There are some problems with this album though, starting with the fact that the band has stated up front that the tracklisting is "evolving," which I assume means they intend to just change it whenever they want without warning (to be precise, they're saying it's a "living, ever-evolving collection of songs, with new tracks set to be added over the coming months"). So that's a problem for album sites like BEA, right off the bat. In addition, they now seem to insist on using the "Mathematical" Unicode serif characters in standard non-serif Unicode webfonts whenever possible, so instead of saying "Mastered by Zac Montez," they say "๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ซ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐๐๐ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ญ๐๐ณ." So that's annoying, since it makes the character strings in question (including song titles) almost completely unsearchable on Bandcamp.
Thumbnail. Click to enlarge.
I like the album quite a bit, but I didn't add it to my chart here on BEA because of the "ever-evolving" thing with the tracklist (it's not on Discogs or Spotify yet either, possibly for that same reason), and also the fact that I may well be the only person here who has even heard of this band. Do we have a policy here on evolving tracklists? I don't see one... On the plus side, it's a free download on Bandcamp, at least for now, so if you like French grungegaze to begin with (I mean, Alcest is pretty good, though they're more metal-ish) and don't mind possibly having to download it again when-and-if they change it, at least you've got nothing to lose money-wise.
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Repo
BeA Sunflower
Location: Forest Park 
- #93
- Posted: 4 days ago
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| MadhattanJack wrote: | | and there's also a new album by World I Hate called Total Nuclear Annihilation that I can't imagine anyone wanting to miss out on. Good music for gardening, tidying up the house, playing with the cats, or maybe just starting World War III for the fun of it or because you've already wrecked everything else. |
๐ฒ ๐ฎ ๐ฒ
prescience or coincidence?! ๐ค
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MadhattanJack
Just to end the list
Gender: Male
- #94
- Posted: 3 days ago
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| Repo wrote: | | prescience or coincidence?! ๐ค |
Inevitability!
Anyhoosh, the Swell Maps album appears to either have been moved back a week, or else the source I was using was wrong (probably both actually). That means they'll be releasing it on the same day (Mar. 13) as The Monochrome Set's new LP, so all we need now is a new Mekons album on the same day to have a "septuagenarian post-punk trifecta." Or maybe someone could convince House Of All (former members of The Fall) to release their new album a week early (it's due on Mar. 20), though I think most of them are still in their 60s.
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Repo
BeA Sunflower
Location: Forest Park
- #95
- Posted: 39 hours ago
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RELEASE DAY EVE: March 6th, 2026
The Gods of the Almighty Release Calendar Give a Rebuttal!
We Are Together Again (2026) by Bonnie 'Prince' Billy 
A letter came to your door today
You opened it, read it, then threw it away
Didn't want to be reminded of what it had to say
Just as soon go lay on the floor - They Keep Trying To Find You
Hmmmโฆ. Perhaps I spoke too soon. Just last week, I presumptuously proclaimed Bill Callahan the "GREATEST songwriter of my Gen X Generation". In the words of the insufferable Lee Corso, "Not so fast, Repo!" Because one week later, who shows up? None other than Bonnie "Prince" Billie aka Will Oldham aka Palace Brothers aka You Hopefully Get The Picture. Honestly, amidst all his different incarnations, it'd probably take me a good hour just to COUNT the number of his releases. (So THAT ain't gonna happen. ๐
)
Will, as his most well known pseudonym Bonnie "Prince" Billie, easily put out one of my favorite releases of 2025 with The Purple Bird. And based upon Will's latest single - "They Keep Trying To Find You" - his newest release ain't no slouch either. At this point, I honestly think Will Oldhman can be mentioned in the same hallowed breathes as JJ Cale and Townes Van Zandt as one of the great "American"songwriters.
What MARCH 6th, 2026 release do YOU have your ears & heart set on when midnight strikes?! ๐ญ๐
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MadhattanJack
Just to end the list
Gender: Male
- #96
- Posted: 35 hours ago
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It turns out the Doll Spirit Vessel album was released March 3rd (though it actually was more like the morning of March 4th), so I've been able to listen to the whole thing, just now in fact. Whereas, the new GUM album is still just showing the two preview tracks, and the Darksoft LP hasn't appeared anywhere at all.
Doll Spirit Vessel
Bow (2026)
It's pretty good, but now that I've heard the whole thing, it has two or three weak tracks, so it's not quite "chock full of bangers," as they say. Also, the singer (Katya Malison) sounds a lot like Sabrina "Blondshell" Teitelbaum, which is a good thing, but she uses that deliberately tired/worn-out vocal style affectation a little too much. I assume this is because she's from Philadelphia, where everyone is tired all the time from being rude to visiting sports teams. Whereas Blondshell is from New York City, so she knows how to parcel that stuff out in a more controlled fashion...? (Actually I have no idea what the deal is, but I never really do, to be honest.) And why can't more female singers come from Baltimore? That's where they should come from. It all makes no sense to me whatsoever...
The "new" Squeeze album, Trixies, turns out to be a set of tunes written for some sort of live musical-theater project they wanted to do when they first got together in the mid-70s. They're basically show-tunes, some with an actual vaudeville/cabaret kind of vibe going on. (That's what the name "Trixies" refers to btw, it's the name of a nightclub where the story takes place.) I'm glad they had the chance to finish this and record it, and who knows, maybe they'll even stage it... but it doesn't strike me as AOTW material.
I'm not ready yet to say this week is "disappointing," but it's definitely not a "pleasant surprise," either. Maybe Bonnie "Prince" Billy really is the pick for this week โย I've never been a big fan of his, and since he seems to release four or five albums a year under one name or other, any given new LP doesn't seem like much of a "treat" either. But I'll give it a listen, maybe it'll surprise me. ๐
(There's also a new Morrissey album.)
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Gender: Female
Age: 40
- #97
- Posted: 22 hours ago
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Since it's Bandcamp Friday, things can get esoteric (and unexpected!) But here's a few that I've found so far
Ok so the big one that I'd want to put on everyone's radar is
PRAED - Al Wahem ุงูููู
https://praed.bandcamp.com/album/al-wahem
Holy shit, these tracks are so vividly rhythmic. One of the descriptions on the Bandcamp page references Boredoms at their most sun worshippy, and that's not a bad way to understand this. But it also feels more kaleidescopic than that. Just really incredible stuff.
And there's so much more worth checking as well!
SMALL WOMENS - SPEAK KINDLY OF YOUR VOLUNTEER SMALL WOMENS
https://youthagainstsatan.bandcamp.com/album/speak-kindly-of-your-volunteer-small-womens
They reference my favorite Robert Pollard project in the title! Love to see it. They've also got a really cool thing going with a lofi guitar rock foundation that shifts into other intentional fidelities
Ishtar Sr. - wifef*cker ultraDELUXE
https://savandepaul.bandcamp.com/album/wifef-cker-ultradeluxe
Not sure where this fits in the site rules, the first four tracks were previously released as an EP. The whole thing works really well together. You know how sometimes in sci-fi, they'll do things where it's like "they just did that because it would shock or entertain me, the viewer from the past. There's no way a future society would develop in a way where that would reasonably happen". This music is a futuristic pop in a way where it *does* feel like a natural development. But it's also very shocking and entertaining!
Tanya Tagaq - Saputjiji
https://tanyatagaq.bandcamp.com/album/saputjiji
I haven't listened in full yet, but the preview tracks made this seem like it had the right energy for this moment.
Flying Lotus - BIG MAMA
https://flyinglotus.bandcamp.com/album/big-mama
Always interested in what Flying Lotus is up to!
Osees - CARA MALUCO EP
https://ohsees.bandcamp.com/album/cara-maluco-ep-etched-b-side
Always interested in what Osees are up to!
I'll post some other good ones later when I get more listening in
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MadhattanJack
Just to end the list
Gender: Male
- #98
- Posted: 12 hours ago
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Hmm. The preview tracks are outliers in that regard, I'm afraid โ they're billing it as an anti-war album, and it is if you listen carefully enough, but once it's past track 1 ("Fuck War") it's not very angry-sounding, and several of the tracks are just straight-up ambient. Still, good album โย some folks might only remember her from Bjork's mostly-a-capella Medรบlla album, but she's made several good records on her own since then.
And speaking of ambient-with-occasional-vocals albums, now that I've heard the whole thing, that new OHYUNG LP is even better than I'd expected... I still wish she'd named it after a different state, or (better yet) a completely different thing altogether. But you can't always get what you want, I guess!
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MadhattanJack
Just to end the list
Gender: Male
- #99
- Posted: 10 hours ago
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And speaking of Bandcamp Friday, today's big release over there turns out to be Fugazi's Albini Sessions (Benefit for Letters Charity) album, which is a digital-only release and also an alternate version of an existing album (In On The Kill Taker), so it probably doesn't qualify for a BEA listing.
Apparently the band wasn't happy with the demos they were making and decided to drive up to Chicago to record the songs with the late Steve Albini, but despite having a good time there they weren't happy with those results either, so these versions ended up sitting on the shelf for about 33 years or so. As the title implies, all sales go to the Letters Charity, which is nice (Steve Albini was heavily involved with that organization up until his untimely death two years ago).
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MadhattanJack
Just to end the list
Gender: Male
- #100
- Posted: 3 hours ago
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A few loose ends...
Back on Feb. 27, Juliana Hatfield and her carpentry contractor, Eric Payne, who'd been doing some remodeling at her new house, released a new album called Bets. It's pretty good, but at the moment it's only on Bandcamp. Kind of a surprise drop โย it's a nice album, though I probably won't use it on my next woodworking project.
Another Feb. 27 release:
Ritt Momney
Base (2026)
Ritt is from Salt Lake City, so there's probably some sort of Mormonism thing going on there.
The GUM album I mentioned earlier, "Blue Gum Way," was kinda disappointing โย well-crafted, but too MOR, for me at least. The Darksoft album, "Everydayness," was a lot better. Good driving music, and just in time for high gas prices!
Some other stuff that came out today (actually it's yesterday at this point):
Fabels, Ophera: I wouldn't recommend driving a motor vehicle with this on, but it's a good dark/dreamy/ambient-pop/krautrock-ish kind of record.
Mute Swan, Skin Slip: It's not the only new "proper" shoegaze album released this week, but it's probably the best one I actually listened to. (There's also a new Suncharms album, which I'll probably add here eventually, and a 4-song Snowcuffs EP which is the best new thing I've heard this week if you count 4-song EPs.)
Hater, Mosquito: Not a surprise drop, but I had overlooked this because of the band name. Who needs more haters? Not me, that's for sure. Only it turns out this is really just another non-hating indie-rock guitar band with a talented female singer, precisely the sort of thing I'm a sucker for, so I guess this is another "misleading band name" situation โ just like we have with Skullcrusher, We. The Pigs, Trailer Trash Tracys, Tapeworms, and Have You Ever Seen The Jane Fonda Aerobic VHS.
Hater (SE) 
Mosquito (2026)
Scout Gillett, Tough Touch: She has a nice voice and some decent songs, but those songs are either noisy rockers or quiet Americana-style, almost C&W-style ballads, with nothing in between. So album-wise, that makes for some jarring mood transitions, and I'm not really all that fond of Americana-style ballads in the first place.
Finally, old-school shoegazers and dreampoppers who remember Kitchens of Distinction might be interested in this new collection of live recordings from KoD singer Patrick Fitzgerald, who did a small tour of England last year with several guest musicians, including KoD guitarist Julian Swales, one of the best effects-pedal guys ever. I'd initially expected it to be less than stellar, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one.
So I guess the Doll Spirit Vessel LP is still my favorite release of the week, just getting the edge over Mute Swan, Fabels, and the Darksoft album. Yay! Meanwhile, next week looks to be a lot lighter than this one, probably because next Friday is Friday the 13th and all the best bands are superstitious wack-jobs now. Except for Kim Gordon of course, who is way too cool for all that supernatural baloney. ๐
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