Monolith Cocktail Blog

Our Monthly Playlist selection of choice music and Choice Releases list from the last month.

Apologies, as I’m writing this from my bed in the Renal Unit of the Queen Elizabeth mega hospital, waiting on my weekend free pass for home and recovery in much more inviting surroundings. If you haven’t yet heard, I was rushed into Acute last Thursday lunchtime and ended up in the kidney specialist unit; prodded, tested, observed, scanned, observed more, biopsy and trialling various meds: some of left me pretty unfocussed and groggy. You get your own room, own shower and facilities, plenty of sockets and pretty good free WiFi, so it isn’t that bad a stay. Just waiting in limbo for action plans, lifestyle change advice and long-term medication. I will however at least try to get the site on some sort of regular track whilst all this is going on, but events may hinder this, and my state of health may make it impossible sometimes, but we shall see how it goes.

Saying all that, I’m able, or at least in a more awakened state to finish off the month with a revue playlist and selection of choice releases list from January 2026. This list includes both those releases I or my contributors (Matt Oliver and Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea)  managed to feature and review on the site and those we just didn’t get the room for – time restraints and the sheer volume of submissions each month mean there are always those records that miss out on receiving a full review, and so we have added a number of these to both our playlist and releases list.

CHOICE RELEASES FROM THE LAST MONTH OR SO:

Elea Calvet ‘Spurious Transmutations’
Chosen by Dominic Valvona

Geologist ‘Can I Get A Pack Of Camel Lights?’
(Drag City) DV Link

Clémentine March ‘Powder Keg’
(PRAH Recordings) DV Link

DakhaBrakha ‘Ptakh’
Chosen by DV

Roc Marciano ‘656’
(Pimpire Records/Marci Enterprises) Chosen by MO & DV

Minor Dents ‘Sitting With The Fish’
EP – (Rose Hill Records) Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea Link

Reine des Lezards ‘Lady Coca-Cola’
EP – (Metal Postcard Records) BBS Link

Sis and the Lower Wisdom ‘Saints and Aliens’
(Native Cat) DV Link

Wilson Tanner Smith ‘Perpetual Guest’
(Sawyer Editions) DV Link

Tachube ‘Mincminc’(Inverted Spectrum Records/PMGJazz)
DV Link

Charles ‘Poppy Bob’ Walker ‘Double-Wide’
Album – (Castle Dome Records) DV Link

Leo Wolf ‘Veiled In Light’
(The Oldest River) DV Link

PLAYLIST:

Sis and the Lower Wisdom ‘Luce’
Tinariwen Ft. Sulafa Elyas ‘Sagherat Assani’
Reine des Lezards ‘I’m Made Up’
Robert Stillman ‘Reality Distortion Field’
Neo-Magics ‘Acid Tongue’
Clementine March ‘After The Solstice’
The God Fahim & Nicholas Craven ‘Bik Luster S’
Roc Marciano ‘Vanity’
Doctor Nativo ‘Chokolate Kakao’
Shabaam Sahdeeq, Es-K & General Steele ‘Top Tier’
Under The Reefs Orchestra/Catherine Graindorge ‘Banquise’
Occult Character ‘Her Name Is Terriible’
The Bordellos ‘Who Do You Think You Are? Paul McCartney?’
Geologist ‘RV Envy’
Sniff, Caneva & Hush One ‘Polo Jacket’
Fliptrix, Forest DLG, Coops ‘Freedom?’
Toni Geitani ‘Ya Sah’
Wilson Tanner Smith ‘Cherry Picking’
DakhaBrakha ‘Kosari Kosait’
Elea Calvet ‘Bad Joke – Transmutation’
Sweeney ‘Lonely Faces’
Cashell ‘These Things Take Time’
Foster Neville ‘Hob Moor’
Strangebird-Sounds ‘CALCITE’
Charles ‘Poppy Bob’ Walker ‘Winterhaven, 1978’
KatzPascale ‘GBTC’
Sonnyjim & Sebb Bash Kezza’
Minor Dents ‘Rituals’