Music for 11/10/2026!!! Twisted Teens, Baby Osamaa

@@@ Twisted Teens: The Holy Cross Tigers (Sub Pop, 2026) A coupla listens off this week’s Pitchfork’s 10 most reviewed albums of the week. Out of New Orleans out on Sub Pop, it’s gonna be dirty but not quite garage punk, it’s got some slack indie sloppiness to modernize the proceedings. Tip for bands, put the drums higher in the mix, these guitars ain’t so revolutionary he’s just strumming some shit, don’t make basic mistakes. I like the second tune more, it’s more ramped it’s got some urgency, still bring them drums up ya dummies get some energy kicking. Okay, it’s an okay record but it could be a lot better as I’ve mentioned but also more garage punk and more New Orleans flavor would be appreciated up where I’m at.

@@@ Baby Osamaa: On Tha Run (Tank Girl Records, 2026). Indie hip hop off this week’s PItchfork’s most reviewed albums. When she hits the mic it’s pretty autotuned and I’m agnostic about that move. She’s got a fair amount of energy, the beats sound a bunch more like a drummer than a 808. She’s kinda walking a fine line between hip hop and r&b maybe slanting a bit more towards r&b, the tunes are okay it’s a little tough to get with what the tunes might be on about because the autotune makes the lyrics not easily understand. This third tune is coming straight afro shopping mall pop so that’s interesting to see that shift. Let’s call this a pop injection with hip hop feels that’s where I’m gonna land on this record. It’s not awful it just doesn’t stand out, she’s not bursting anything fresh she’s just cranking the energy. Nothing pulls you in.

Music for 11/11/26!! Ninajirachi, BOY SODA

@@@ Ninajirachi: I Love My Computer (NLV Records, 2026) I got to these two listens today via an Australian music mag called Happy Mag. Big bombastic dancefloor business with a nice distorted bass in the opener, this is neither frat boy nor classic diva techno, though it leans more frat boy. The second tune brings on a classic unt-tss techno beat and the throughline on the first two tracks is young woman vocals and thick basslines. The vocals here seem to be the last part slathered over the top without a lot of thought. The sounds are pretty good, there aren’t many layers of them so it’s a simple in your face synth dancefloor record which I think peaks on the third track, Fuck My Computer, which she means literally cuz nobody knows her better than her computer. That’s a decent hook for a tune and cuz it’s a real idea this tune stands out comparatively but we’re not talking anything deep here emotionally or musically it’s in your grill.

@@@ BOY SODA: SOULSTAR (Warner Australia, 2026). Another listen off Happy Mag in Australia. This record is in that crossroads of black music with sounds that are r&b, soul, a little jazz, hip hop all mashed up into a chill sitch at least on the opener. I respect what has been constructed here but at a macro level I’m not super into the chill funk I want some hot sauce on there. Too soft, too filed down, some shredded guitar maybe, some different tempos, some distortion somewhere. He’s got vocal skills that’s for sure. It’s a big chunk of music with 18 tunes spread over 60 minutes, it’s pretty clear what you’re gonna get here — some sophisticated playing and a talented singer presented in what I call the quiet storm or loverboy mode. I like more than one mode, just my personal preference.

Music for 11/9/26!!! RIP Magic

@@@ RIP Magic: 1,2,3 (Section 1, 2026) This London outfit is getting a big push, we’ll see. I got this via Pitchfork’s 10 most reviewed albums of the week. Apple Music describes them as puckish pranksters and that’s a red flag as I’m concerned. The opening tune is called Crowd and it’s an inbetweener as I call it, it’s a funky mostly dance tune but with roughness swirled into, mostly a distorted synth and other distortion. It’s a solid move and I can get with it, you might see the rebirth of rock music happen on the dancefloor, there’s no rules as to what dance music is and what rock music is supposed to be. They sound distinctly British, I’m not sure how I would back it up besides saying they’re rocking a Sleaford Mods bassline on the second track and the melding of sounds has a non frat boy kinda feel though I’m now on the fourth tune and as the blurb says there are Beck vibes going on here, sorta slack funky white boy shit. This pose, this one I’m not a fan of. Could be a sitch where the record is frontloaded with the best tracks, which it should be in this age of short attention spans. The main strength hear to my ears is the bassline producer and the beats are sorta the weak leak not sorta I’m trying to be nice, if they had layered in some more interesting percussion of less standard funky beats, a trap beat for example, not even as the core beat just for flavoring I would be super into that. It looks like the whole record is moving towards a more downtempo direction, meh. I’m going to wrap up this review with track 7 called Slacker, a more than symbolic stance, it sports a great bassline and vocals that bog the whole thing down cuz they’re slack, they don’t add energy to the tune they lay on there like a wet blanket and there folks we have it, the very definition of a mixed bag.

Music for 11/8/26!!! Queens of the Stone Age

@@@ Queens of the Stone Age: Perfecth (Matador, 2026) An essential release recommendation from bandcamp, shocking, shocking I say! I’ve always been way into the guitar tones on their records but have been frustrated that they have little if anything to say. Oh shit, we’re not gonna get the guitar tones on this record as this record was inspired by some Paris underground show it’s kinda a Nirvana unplugged clone record. It has drums and other industrial sounds in this opener but acoustic guitars and the singer. Oooh now strings. I kinda get the trains passing sound in the tune but it’s more abstraction than I’m accustomed to from a grunge act. The second tune opens with a full band but clean guitars, maybe we will get the crunch. This is like a late ’70s mellow rock record, and I have to give respect to the bass player here, whoever it is be catching my ears bigly. The second tune is almost 6 minutes long which is too long for what you get. The sounds are really really nice, the mixes are strong, the tunes are interesting but not quite what I need, I’ve heard enough rock music to last a lifetime so it’s gotta be pretty interesting rock music to make me jump and down. This is a B+ rock record and a B record in the whole universe of all styles, that’s my view. So if you’re a rock listener, there’s some interesting shit going on, I’m feeling this fifth tune Mono this is pretty good for a stoner rock band.

Music for 11/6/25!!! Saint Abdullah

@@@ Saint Abdullah and Eomac: When the Sandbox has No Edge (Planet Mu, 2026). A sort of bunch of somewhat known/underground musicians collaborating with a couple of UK producers that I got to via the essential release page of bandcamp for October 2026. Oh shit, it’s a Planet Mu banger I take their records somewhat seriously as my taste lines up more than a bit with their taste. Not a guarantee of success but a good sign. The opening track is called Willing in the Name of, a pretty obvious riff on Rage Against the Machine’s Killing in the Name of. The first tune is pretty in your face with a variety of samples and a very ramped feel. I’m on the third track, Eyes See what the Camera cannot see and the same confrontational and flavorful style is in full effect. It’s not openly political, but the sniff of it is there and I’m fine with that. Imho, a lot of electronic music can be overly manicured and groomed and this seems purposely designed to not be like that, it’s a bit angular and collage-y in a great way. That said it’s not half assed and the freshness of it is pretty apparent. The use of Middle Eastern instrumental samples are a welcome addition to my ears, they don’t dominate and they’re not sprinkled lightly they’re in there for sure. Armand Hammer makes an MC appearance on track 6, As we Are, and this very much hip hop tune slaps, oh shit I think Billy Woods is making an undocumented appearance on this track, all of this is very positive in my view. This record runs for 40 minutes with 17 tracks and I’m on track 7 and haven’t heard a clunker yet nor anything sonically that is cheesy or lazy or weirdly contradictory. This is going to make it onto my best of year list, don’t sleep on this record, outstanding sonics and arrangements, it’s a banger.

Music for 11/5/26!!! Eerie Enterprise

@@@ Eerie Enterprise: Places Remember Events (Dekmantel, 2026) This record is highlighted as a bandcamp essential release for October 2026, and also because upsammy is one of the produces and there is an upsammy release from earlier this year that I think is straight banging ring the bell business. This record is a collaboration with Piezo, I don’t know what flavor human Piezo is, I don’t care I’m gonna guess upsammy is the dude and Piezo is the woman in the picture of their bandcamp page. I seek clarity on everybody’s behalf. I like the first track, it’s a bit light, I think it could use some low end thickness but let’s peep more. The second tune, Decay and Collapse, is not as breezy as the opener while not being a super dark electro banger. There’s a lot of robot chatter up in this record, I’m not opposed to it, but a little more thickness would work a treat and I realize that’s the second time I’ve mentioned this point. Contrast, I beg musicians to put more contrast into their music. There’s some lovely business on this record, for the most part it’s laidback but there’s a ton going on within that framework. I’m not sure if it’s the headspace I’m in at this particular moment or if it’s the record, I really like it but I’m not jumping up and down, I might jump up and down at another point in time, I get that my headspace and your headspace and everybody’s headspace is a large part of the equation when we’re talking about music quality. I will at some point, probably when I start gathering the best of ’26 for The Magic Organ, my bespoke podcast, compare this upsammy collaboration with the upsammy record from earlier this year, that will make things clearer to me and my ears.

Music for 11/4/26!!! heavensouls

@@@ heavensouls: cantu of the sower EP (NTS, 2026) This experimental electronic record just got super high praise on this week’s Pitchfork’s 10 most reviewed albums of the week. Using words like dizzying and boundless, that’s some big ass words right there, let’s peep this 6 song bag of bangers and see what’s up. This is not really an EP if it’s 6 tracks totaling 42 minutes, not sure what’s up with that. I’m on the first tune and it’s pretty joyous video game electronic uplift but I’m not hearing what I know to be jazz and I’ve heard thousands of jazz records and I understand the definition of jazz is complex to say the least. There is a nice blenderized vibe to these proceedings but nowhere near what I thought there would be cuz I was promised dizzying and boundless and this is a little dizzying and not nearly as boundless as xaviersobased whose sonics are insanely boundless but his lyrics are kinda shit. I’m on the third tune, star balcony which I think will be the peak of the record as it’s really pumped up with a lot of chopped and processed elements but regular readers know that I listen to a lot of electronic music, a lot and what this record could really use is some swing to go with the high frequency high end chopped salad. One would think that if a record is described as dizzying that there would be moments of complete chaos and loss of control and that’s not the case here, there are moments where the energy goes way up but everything is still in its place and that is a problem for me as a listener. Hit me with some chaos not just supercharged tight order, you dig? I don’t hear much if any free jazz in effect here btw, that’s not the most important factor, the arrangements and what they do to your mind and ears, that’s the most important thing here. B, maybe B+ record.

Music for 11/3/26!!! Kali Malone

@@@ Kali Malone: Burning Song (Ideologic Organ, 2026). Yesterday I peeped a folk record that the Guardian gave 5 stars to and today I’m checking out Kali Malone’s new record which is also featured in the Guardian today and probably for a few more days. I don’t know if her previous records are slotted as Classical Crossover but this one is. Before I start listening I will say that I think that indie music is overly hyped in the marketplace relative to how good the music is, and Malone is a darling oh Lord she is a darling. This records consists of 7 pieces that span 39 minutes and it opens with a famous Bach organ, an organ that Bach himself played. She is in a trio here with a cello player and a guitar player and on the opening cut, Grieving Figure, they are basically making a live sonic drone with slow changes and a big fat chunk of harmony that furls, unrolls, morphs slowly pick your verbs. I like it, I’m not sure my mind is blown but I like it. I wish there was more going on tbh. The first time I was pulled out of my casual internet browsing with this record going in the background is the harmonic dissonance in the third tune Bells on a Branch, it’s pretty perfectly balanced between being in tune and beautiful and out of tune and beautiful though we all know that tons of folks equate dissonance with ugliness when as a friend of mine once asked ‘how can one sound be beautiful and another ugly’? Think about it kids, it’s not as crazy as you might think. I was hoping for something more disruptive and creative than this it’s really an ambient record with a Bach organ a cello and a guitar. The sound is high end, maybe the organ could be a bit huger, I would have dug some post recording sound processing but that’s just me.

Music for 11/2/26!!! Radie Peat

@@@ Radie Peat: No Human Tongue Can Tell (Rough Trade, 2026) This record got folk record of the year at The Guardian yesterday, so I must get a peep. There are three pre release tracks up on Apple Music and I listened to the first one, Hares on the Mountain, without jumping up and down. Usually the best folk record should kick the party off with the opener given the lack of attention all listeners have in the internet age, right? I like the use of a bass as an accompaniment for the singer who really can sing the shit out of a folk song, maybe it’s a keyboard part, but it’s low frequency. Okay I like it more than I did when I heard it yesterday but it does also have the feel of an old soft rock record with the keyboard part and the general vibe. The second tune, The Moon and Stars, brings on the kit drummer and does indeed make the record sound more like a rock record cuz it’s rock drumming, duh. This second tune feels kinda bogged down, it’s not really evolving very much as it goes through its six minutes, it is a little bit but it’s not elevating and taking off, it’s kinda claggy if this was the Great British Bake Off. A proggy keyboard arpeggiator hits at the tail end of this tune and it’s one of the few things that has grabbed my ear sonically since I started peeping this record. If you’re gonna get out there and trumpet that this is the best folk record of the year I’m gonna need to see some reasons why. It’s not a horrible record at all it’s kinda above average but it doesn’t have the spark of a super creative record that pulls you right in, it’s pretty staid and I feel that even if The Guardian doesn’t hear it.

Music for 10/30/26!!! Gilla Band

@@@ Gilla Band: Pugnello (Rough Trade, 2026) I saw this Irish band on a best of year list thus far and described as industrial/experimental something so I thought I would throw it a peep. The opening track does grab your attention with a rolling distorted guitar, some interesting small drum kit drumming and a singer that’s not fully off the chain but for a rock band he’s losing his shit pretty good. That’s an encouraging first track, it’s barely rock music and I’m fine with that. While I dig the energy of the vocalist but between the processing on his voice and all the other noise that’s in the tunes it’s very hard to know what he’s talking about so the tunes don’t hit you as hard as they might if you understood the words and liked them. On the third tune, Alogia, you can hear him more clearly but it’s still not clear to me what the message is when the noisy section hits and they fuck his voice up. It’s a pretty unique visceral listening experience as it’s not metal, and it’s not quite industrial music though it sports aspect of it, I’m not too sure what to think of this it’s got a lot going for it but I’m not super feeling much when I’m listening. Mixed bag, listen for yourself. I might like it more if it was even wilder, I love the fire music, I like it wild.