2026: Second Quarter Report
Catching up with over 115 reviews from April to June. Plus: Leah Senior, Boogarins, The Get Alongs, Pippy, CS Cleaners, Ryan Rickenbach, John McLaughlin, Natalia Catalan, Slayyyter, and more!
With July and my Best Of 2026 (So Far) list looming on the horizon, it’s time to sum up the last three months, just as I did in my First Quarter Report. The pace of new music continued in the second quarter, during which I reviewed over 115 new LPs and EPs, along with a handful of singles. Catch up with those posts below, followed by new reviews of ten additional releases I’m just getting to now.
APRIL
A Song For Friday: Robber Robber VT rockers kick a new level of ass on album 2. Also: Hiding Places, Sophia Yau-Weeks, Harriet Tubman & Georgia Anne Muldrow, Earl Sweatshirt, MIKE & SURF GANG, Luke Reynolds/Joey Waronker/Zac Rae, Davor Vincze, A Place To Bury Strangers.
A Song For Friday: Lay Llamas Uncut psychedelia from Italy. Also: Hannah Lew, Rachel Lime, IMustBe Leonardo, Marcelo Mellado, Whitney Johnson/Lia Kohl/Macie Stewart, Sarah Plum, and Zachary Mezzo.
A Song For Friday: Tak Ensemble Boundary-breaking works. Also: Michael Jones, Dinzu Artefacts, Joseph Branciforte & Jozef Dumoulin, Nine Inch Noize, Pioneers, Yaya Bey, Hollie Cook, HOLODEC, Kathryn Mohr, and Rachel Armes.
A Song For Friday: Friko A stunning sophomore album. Also: Miss Grit, Pearla, Stephen Becker, Hooky, Setting, Yolanda Wisher & The Afroeaters, Harrington/Jaffe/Shiroishi, Stephen Vitiello and Edwin Torres, and Wire.
MAY
A Song For Friday: Maisy Owen An extraordinary debut from Nashville. Also: Hiss Golden Messenger, Modern Woman, Weird Nightmare, Sub*T, Alex Rainer, Pigeon, Isaiah Rashad, Clara Yang, Ensemble Infini, and a·pe·ri·od·ic.
A Song For Friday: Mike D A friend/legend drops a jam-packed banger of a debut single. Also: Loraine James, Black Milk, General Chaos, The Sleeves, Abby Fisher, and Maiani da Silva.
A Song For Friday: Matt Evans A stunning album from the percussionist, composer, and producer. Also: David Bird, Caroline Shaw & Andrew Yee, Lea Bertucci, Phillip Golub, Danz CM, whait, and Emma Swift.
A Song For Friday: Beck Zegans A great rock debut. Also: The Devil Said Jump, Alex Silver, Levitation Room, Ekmeles, Joel Futterman/William Parker, Arthur King, Joshua Mastel & Alec Goldfarb, Tegh & Adel Poursamadi, and Visible Cloaks.
A Song For Friday: Feeble Little Horse A digitally-detailed blast from Pittsburgh. Also: Emily A. Sprague, Lennie Rayen, Veps, Clutter, My Brother’s Keeper, James Wengrow, Eli Shane, Nirmali Fenn, Evans-Weiler/Falzone, JACK Quartet, and Alex Van Gils & Carrie Frey.
JUNE
A Song For Friday: Baby Cool The sublime Grace Cuell returns. Also: zzzahara, Zoh Amba, Vince Staples, Lee “Scratch” Perry & Mouse On Mars, Grid Ila, Meadow Argus, Nolan Hildebrand, Joseph Franklin, and Diego Tedesco.
A Song For Friday: Nnux A great artist’s Metamorfosis. Also: Billie Eilish, Alex Amen, Diles Que No Me Maten, Debit, Carlos Ferreira, and Wesely/Cocks/Ángeles/St. Louis/Costa.
A Song For Friday: Cold Court A throat-grabbing debut EP. Also: Fruit Bats, Ruth Garbus, Me At The Zoo, Tara Clerkin Trio, Jo Mango, Michael F. Hunt, The Crossing/Aaron Helgeson, and Seabuckthorn.
A Song For Friday: M. Geddes Gengras A master synthesist welcomes a host of collaborators. Also: Chanel Beads, Dominique And The Diamonds, Spacemoth, Alden Hellmuth, Josh Mason, and Robert Honstein.
New Reviews
Leah Senior - Pt. Roadknight (SPINSTER/Third Eye Stimuli) While it’s been three years since her last album, listening makes it seem like no time has passed, so successfully does this great Australian singer-songwriter drop you back into the reflective mood and shimmering music of her last album, The Music That I Make. Her melodies still flow like water as her brook-clear voice delivers lyrics about the world’s natural beauty and/or the complexity of other human beings. The music, once again created with the core group of Jesse Williams (acoustic and electric guitar, piano, Rhodes, synthesizer, percussion, MIDI instruments, and harmonica), Andi Senior (backing vocals), Jack Robins (bass and vocals), and Luke Brennan (drums, percussion, and vocals), references folk rock and pop in all their varieties.
Somehow, the songs seem like they’ve always existed while still carrying the heat of the forge. Whether drawing on a friend’s anxieties about having a baby (Mothersong: “Nature calls you to her door/Sacred rites you will perform/Strength to you when the babe is born!”) or her own bittersweet experience of leaving Point Roadknight, the idyllic Victoria beach where she created the album (Blossoms Of Spring: “Blossoms of spring, blossoms of spring/Yearly awakening, yearly awakening//I throw myself into the breeze/Goodbye to this house beside the sea.”) the lyrics are finely crafted and full of feeling. Senior, who also plays acoustic guitar, piano, autoharp, tambourine, and MIDI instruments, while contributing string arrangements, is the complete package and one of the finest musicians of our time. I very nearly missed this album when it got buried in my Bandcamp mailbox. Don’t let that happen to you!
Boogarins - Diferenciado Vol. 1 (Self-released) These Brazilian psych explorers are one of my favorite bands and regularly trouble my Top 25. So, when I got a recent email from them that was all in Portuguese, I went the extra mile and (holding my nose) used ChatGPT to translate some of it. The text block was a photo, too, so I had to take a screenshot before I could copy the words. But I’m so glad I went to the trouble, because I discovered that they’re implementing a new email system, and if you enter your email address, you get access to this six-song EP, which you can also buy here. The opening track, Dunas, is worth the price of admission. Starting with the sound of a tape unspooling, we’re soon in classic Boogarins territory, with a two-chord vamp and a shuffling rhythm underpinning a searing lead guitar line. Fernando Almeida’s sweet voice takes over as the song builds to a furious solo that finds Benke Ferraz in stellar form. The other songs, some recorded as far back as 2017, move in some different directions, with electronics, spoken word, dub effects, and other elements. Sign up or pay up ASAP. You’ll be rewarded either way.
The Get Alongs - Second To None (Having Fun/We Are Busy Bodies) This Toronto quartet’s second album encompasses power pop, psych rock, garage rock, and straight-up rock and roll in pretty much every song. The rhythms (Eric Wood (bass) and Tristan Catenacci (drums)) are locked, the guitars (Harrison Pickernell (rhythm guitar), Rory Pickernell (lead guitar)) jangle, tangle, and take flight, while the vocals are just the right kind of tossed-off yelps, snarls, and croons. Producer Clayton Dupuis makes sure everything is in its right place without muting any of the power these guys must have on stage. I get along with The Get Alongs, and I think you will, too.
Pippy - s/t (Sad Cactus) This is a new phase for Kaley Honeycutt, whose sophomore album as Honey Cutt landed on my Top 25 in 2020. While I called Coasting a “lighter than air confection of indie jangle with a little bit of quirk,” Pippy’s sound is a little tougher, with guitars that cut and songs that hit some acute angles. Honeycutt is also using her voice differently, speak-singing at times and exploring the lower end of her range. But it all works! I still haven’t seen Ms. Honeycutt live, but now that she’s based in Brooklyn, that’s becoming ever more possible. P.S. There are still 14 copies left of the pink pressing of Coasting!
CS Cleaners - What’s This? (Wharf Cat) While these Brooklyn rockers are open about their inspirations (first-wave CBGB bands), they bring their own special madness and humor. With three of the players (Adam Sierz (guitar), Ben Petrisor (guitar/bass), and Sergio Falvo (bass)) credited with vocals, it’s hard to say who’s delivering the most unhinged performances. But David Byrne, David Thomas, Jello Biafra, and other avant singers are nodding in approval somewhere. The rhythms, driven by Jacob Saxton’s drums, will definitely make you move, while the guitars will fricassee your mind in the best way. Suffice it to say, with this strong debut, CS Cleaners have leapt to the forefront of NYC’s post-punk firmament.
Ryan Rickenbach - Sirens (A-Frame) This Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter has been releasing music for a decade. Here, he gives us 12 songs of easygoing Americana with melodic and structural DNA stretching from the 1920s to the 2020s. It is perhaps no surprise that Rickenbach also uses his writing talents to lend perspective to films of fairly ancient vintage, although his latest post is about the joy (LOL) of marketing his own music. The songs are spare, with Rickenbach’s folksy tenor accompanied by his guitar (including a helluva slide solo on Cocaine Blues), bongos, and mandola. Producer Cass Dillon gives everything a crisp, spacious sound and lends bass, drums, and percussion to some songs. No need to tie yourself to the mast—these siren songs have no nefarious designs but only desire that you listen with open ears and heart.
John McLaughlin - Music For Abandoned Heights (Imprex) The now 84-year-old jazz legend recorded this album back in 2019, for a movie that has yet to see the light of day. First released on vinyl only last November, it’s now available everywhere and is a reason to celebrate for any fans of the man, his music, or jazz fusion in general. Playing with a group of longtime collaborators (Gary Husband (drums/keyboards), Julian Siegel (saxophone), and Misha Mullov-Abbado or Etienne Mbappé (bass)), McLaughlin’s guitar soars, shimmers, and slices its way through a variety of moods and modes. What’s remarkable is how relaxed he sounds, even when unfurling the most incendiary of leads. He also revisits several themes from across his career, including a thrilling ride through the riff from Right Off, which he originally “donated” to Miles Davis for the Jack Johnson album, on a track amusingly titled The Beat Goes On. Indeed, it does, and our musical world is richer for it.
Natalia Catalan - Die Without Makeup (live (without fear)) This brief (11 songs in under 18 minutes) and brilliant album completely passed me by when it came out in February. Fortunately, Ariel Loh’s Trans Music Archive came to the rescue in May, when they announced a vinyl release with four live bonus tracks. My first listen was startling, as Catalan skittered through styles from indie-pop and R&B to heavily manipulated hyper-pop. The fact that she can make a 54-second, guitar-driven romp like 2 Boys feel like a complete song is just one key to her disciplined approach, but it took a couple of plays before I caught on. The sequencing of the album is equally tight, as when the loop-based repetition of 21 Times smash-cuts into the chopped-up distortions of Also Now. That last track features an artist also named Also Now, who appears on one other song. Aside from that, Catalan’s only collaborator on the album is Luke Titus, who contributes drums on three songs.
Much of the album is about identity, as Catalan comes to terms with who she is and the costs and benefits of self-actualization, including its effects on others in her life. The lyrics are often repetitive, as if she’s ruminating on some essential question in her life, but also poetic and evocative. As she sings in Almost Staying In, her sweet voice altered by autotune, guitar and synth sparkling in the background, “Almost staying in between/The spirits of the garden//Closing all my doors/Leaving those unbothered/By the changing of my body.” Because Die Without Makeup’s brevity contrasts with its plethora of musical and lyrical ideas, playing it two or three times in a row may be the best way to engage with this deeply moving album. Use your repeat button accordingly.
Slayyyter - Wor$t Girl In America (Columbia) I missed the trajectory of Catherine Grace Garner’s project, but for some reason was compelled to jump in with her third album. Unlike so much trashy pop that wants to trash pop, Slayyyter does not offer controversy (Kesha) or concept (Madonna) above competence. Which is to say, this is a great pop album, with a richly detailed, limit-pushing production driven by block-rocking beats and taking flight on Slayyyter’s vocals, which soar even when heavily processed. Watching her stalk the stage at Coachella, letting her voice fly while accompanied by a live band, further proved that she knows what she’s doing. She’s also managed to make an album that’s outrageous fun but also deals with real issues in her life, like drug addiction (Old Technology) and suicidal thoughts (Brittany Murphy.) In my mind, all of that adds up to a rare thing: the big album that’s actually good.
Patricia Brennan/Sylvie Courvoisier - Talamanti (Antlia) In the old days, an album like this would have been marketed with a title like JAZZ SUMMIT: BRENNAN MEETS COURVOISIER and a moody black and white photo of the two master musicians facing off over their instruments. While that would have been completely appropriate, considering the skills these two possess and the exciting music within, we live in a more nuanced age when it comes to jazz. So we get Talamanti, derived from the Nahuatl “tlamantli,” a word used to describe things that resemble one another while remaining distinct. Brennan chose the title, reflecting on the overlap in sound between her vibraphone and Courvoisier’s piano. Their mind meld is reflected throughout the album, which ranges from diaphanous to dazzling. On Hojas de Malabar, for example, Brennan hangs notes in the air while Courvoisier provides accents in between before taking the lead with some dynamic chords. Corto begins with Courvoisier in exploratory mode before she leads Brennan on a devilish chase up and down the keyboard, the two of them trading rapid-fire phrases. Both artists have been on a roll lately, whether Brennan with last year’s “complete triumph,” Of The Near And Far, or Courvoisier with her recent “sparkling” live album. Having the two of them together is the marvelous fruition of a seed I never imagined planting in the first place.
Listen to some of this music here or below. Make sure to click the link to the original post (or above) to find music from: Harriet Tubman & Georgia Anne Muldrow; IMustBe Leonardo; Marcelo Mellado; Zachary Mezzo; Dinzu Artefacts Batch 2; Joseph Branciforte & Jozef Dumoulin; Hooky; Alex Rainer; Infini Ensemble; a·pe·ri·od·ic; Lea Bertucci; Alex Silver; Ekmeles; Futterman/Parker; Eli Shane; Morgan Evans-Weiler & J.P.A. Falzone; Meadow Argus; Wesely/Cocks/Ángeles/St. Louis/Costa; Josh Mason, Leah Senior, and Boogarins.