Here we go then, I rather like that the first album of 2026 that we dive into is soemthing by someone we’d never heard of until this year. More albums, more cherry picking through the mountain of albums that land here, more picking of the cherries, picking off the cherries, the never ending pile of demanding cherries that find their way here on a daily basis. You surely know the policy by now? We do, on the whole, only feature the albums and things we feel positive about. We really don’t have time to clutter up these already overloaded pages with negative coverage of things that do nothing for us, there isn’t the time or space, there isn’t any need, although some times there probably is. Here’s another five or so as we kick in with yet another new year….

Uchylak – Zimna Gmina (Ubocze) – Frothing urgent electronic creativity from Poland (or at least on a label from Poland). it bristles, bright antenae, busy busy busy, hyperactive, full of life, I rather like it (it makes me paint faster) it came out on January 2nd – “Immerse yourself in provincial electronics. Stripped of polish, operating with coldness and distance—closer to a field recording document than a club dancefloor. Visit the Zimna commune: harsh urban peripheries, forgotten points on the map” – I think whoever said that said it all really, all i need ot add is that yes, rather good, certainly not a club dancefloor, far more imaginative than that… Here’s the Bandcamp thing…

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The Freak Accident – The Midnight Show (Nerve Center Recordings/Nadine Records) – Apparently this is the the fifth album from The Freak Accident, apparently The Midnight Show “expands the known universe of what the SF band is capable of. The heavy parts are heavier, the punk parts are punkier, the noise is noisier and the improv parts are improvier; while somehow simultaneously creating the catchiest Freak Accident album to date”. Don’t know about all of that, at times they sound like a slightly pop-song orientated Dead Kens, they’re sounding a bit Devo now, it is catchy, I’ll give you that. Apparently the San Francisco band are twisting things through a dystopian, Sci-Fi B-movie filter where religion, death, authoritarianism, codependency, depression, entitlement, and internet trolls are all intelligently parsed and skewered with biting lyricism and a healthy heaping of humour. They sound like of alt.90s, they sound a bit Wildhearts, a bit Ramones gone slightly rogue in a fairground, a touch Victims Family, a bit of Poisoned Electric Head if they needed a gill transplant, now they’ve full maniac clown on us or maybe a bit dark garage-surf  with a touch of dissonant swing. it is indeed a mean old world and they might not be big shot superstars but this is growing on me with every listen and I do keep on finding myself going back for more listens… Bandcamp

 Hang on, stop press: “The Freak Accident is a Demented Vaudeville Punk collision led by Victims Family/Jello Biafra + GSM guitarist-vocalist Ralph Spight. They’ve made 4 LP’s and 2 EP’s of tragicomic genre-hopping smart-ass punk. Ralph, bassist Austin Lannan and Stark Raving Brad on drums will unleash their seventh magnum opus “The Midnight Show” on February 6th,2026 on Nadine Records and Nerve Center Recordings”. There you go, Ihadn’t read that bit about yer man actually being from the excellent Victim’s Family, what well trained ears I have and what a fine band Victims Family were back there….      

Jagged City – There Are More Of Us, Always (Pelagic Records) – Yet another of those instrumental post rock godspeed you explosions in the mono sky things that pretty much goes to and sounds like all the others who are pretty much doing the same this as this duo are; “Jagged City is the creative collaboration between Jake Woodruff (Defeater, Dreamtigers, Aisha Burns) and Carlos Torres (former touring member of Explosions in the Sky, Cross Control). Taking on an immediate, raw approach to instrumental post-rock, Jagged City are both enchantingly melodious and fiercely explosive”.

Not sure if it is that “fiercely explosive”, Jagged City do their chosen thing really well, they’re as good as everybody at doing something and if you jsut want more of the same then yes, this is for you but really where’s the ambition? Where’s the challenge? Where’s the guts to take it somewhere new? Somewhere slightly different? Where’s the artistic desire? What is the point here? Jagged City do the post rock thing as well as anyone but really, we’ve heard it a thousand times already, what the hell is the point here? Bandcamp

you, infinite – you, infinite (Pelagic Records) – Well the second track here, Throughlines, is an absolutely gorgeous piece of uplifting music, see, you can make expansive instrumental post rock that does all that exploding and touching the sky and the rest of it without just sounding like all the others. Yes this is post rock, it is very much that big widescreen post rock thing again, but this post rock comes with ambition, with identity, with that vital bit of something that sets it apart. They’re from Austin, Texas; “You, Infinite, brings together Jeremy Galindo and Raymond Brown, founders of This Will Destroy You, in a new collaborative project….” This self-titled album is bright, alive, it is rather beautiful in a rather radiant, rather restrained, rather epic kind of way. There’s some beautiful detail here, glowing ambition and without being radically different it is just right. The touch is light, considered, the actual tunes go to slightly different places and take slightly different routes to get to those places, what more do we need to say? A rare thing these days, instrumental post rock that we can highly recommend…     

Bandcamp

MØL – Dreamcrush (Nuclear Assault) – “Having dreams can sustain you – give you something to believe in – but the weight of expectation, the burden of reality can also mean that such dreams can become oppressive; they can just as easily shatter you. Denmark’s MØL explore the dichotomy of such dreams on their latest album, Dreamcrush….” 

And what we have here is a sometimes glowing, sometimes powerful, sometimes beautifully restrained set of musical adventures. Everything about Dreamcrush is right save for those damn annoying predictably tedious cookie monster vocals (that sometimes insist on invading it all) – listen to that bit there, those soaring guitars, that sky touching beauty and there’s yer man tediously yelping like a bear with his nuts in a vice over the top of it all. It really is all rather boring now (as is our constant moaning about all these same old same old predictable cookie monsters), enough with it all, enough enough enough.  Vocals apart, and it is rather difficult to set those vocals apart, this is a beautiful album, this is a musically adventurous album, a beautiful blend of many things that ultimately leaves us with something that rather unique, sometimes deliciously so.          

“Following on from the critically acclaimed Jord (2018) and Diorama (2021), MØL’s latest opus sees their sound continue to evolve as they embrace new horizons – as a band and as individuals. With recurring themes within the album being finding a home for and within yourself, it stands to reason that this iteration of MØL steps up to the plate with a new found confidence, an air of acceptance, and renewed vigour….”  

Dreamcrush is as much a My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive flavoured thing, maybe even a slightly Cocteau Twins flavoured thing as much as it is a metallic beast, there are genuine moments of properly progressive prog rock in MØL’s unique mix of it all and when yer man isn’t cookie monstering, when he does restrain himself or take it on properly and sing, then this is a highly recommended album, a beautiful blend of things brought together alongside that little something extra all of the the band’s own  

The lyrics and vocals do feel like they have evolved this time around, it does feel like vocalist Kim Song Sternkopf is finding his voice in new ways, that he is growing. Dreamcrush is certainly his most confident performance as he embraces more of who he really is as a vocalist. The effect certainly is augmented by guitar solos courtesy of Nicolai Busse that elevate the emotional beauty of it all, it kind of bodes well for next time of the frontman and where all this might go. Lyrics here are in both Sternkopf’s native Danish as well as in English, there is more (inner) exploration from the singer, more of him maybe taking that (cookie monster) mask off and maybe re-evaluating himself, he is still mostly hiding behind those damn growls though. Things are evolving, he describes MØL’s live performance as “a purging room, a confessional ritual” while “the recordings of these existential thoughts have a considered, self-aware tone to them”.  This is a really strong, sometimes beautiful, at times excellent album, it kind of hints that their best is still to come…     

Dreamcrush is due for release via Nuclear Blast on 30th January 2026. Bandcamp /

MØL UK dates – Feb 12: London – Camden Underworld, Feb 13: Manchester – Rebellion , Feb 14: Glasgow – Classic Grand Lounge Bar, Feb 15:Leeds – Key Club, Feb 16: Birmingham – O2 Institute2, Feb17: Bristol – Exchange

And….

ORGAN: Our best albums of another very musically busy 2025. Who did we rate? Part One, 1 to 10…