The End of the Month Playlist For July 2026
July 30, 2026
Our Monthly Playlist selection of choice music from the last month. Curated by Dominic Valvona & Matt Oliver.
Choice music and sonics from the last month (or so) picked from our reviews, but also featuring the tunes we missed out on or didn’t get the room to feature at the time. Curated by Dominic Valvona with choice hip-hop cuts selected by Matt Oliver.
The Track List:
THAO & The Get Down Stay Down w/ Tune-Yards ‘Sick of the Times’
A Certain Ratio ‘Knife Slits Water (EM) 12” Version’
foamboy ‘FAR AWAY’
Homeboy Sandman & Jack Splash & CeeLo Green ‘World On Fire’
ECID ‘Break Up Insurance’
Space Afrika & Tony Njoku ‘MLN’
Skyzoo ‘Short Money’
Peter Evans ‘Genesis/Schismogenesis – Stage 4’
A-F-R-O & MotionPlus ‘Labor of Fruit’
Brian Ennals & Blockhead & Defcee & Mikie Mayo ‘Yellow School Buses’
King Kashmere & Genesis Elijah & Killa P & Dabbla ‘Big[Bad]’
Chuck Strangers ‘L2LL2C’
Post Elvis ‘Luna (Evil’s Ballad)’
Simon Klein ‘Don’t Leave Me Alone’
Robyn Hitchcock ‘My Dead Astronaut’
Babe Rainbow ‘Acid and Honey’
John Howard ‘Abbey Road, April 1974’
Skyjack ‘Shozi’
Richard Spaven & Wildchild ‘Finders’
The God Fahim ‘GFY’
Distant Fires Burning & Autistici ‘Scalar (Reverend Basstorius Remix)’
hackedepicciotto ‘Zeitwende’
Aisha Vaughan ‘Frozen’
August Cooke ‘On The Line’
Biita Houdei ‘The Ground Here’
Tristan Da Cunha ‘Preludio’
Feverdreamt ‘Shadow Catching Up’
Sir Richard Bishop ‘They Shall Take Up Serpents’
Park Jiha ‘Summer Illusion’
Los Orientales de Paramonga ‘Viajando Con Un Loco’
EYE WITH AN EYE (Bloom de Wilde & Nick Trepka) ‘flow.’
Tōth ‘Easy – Live With the Brooklyn Choir Project’
BRIAN ‘BORDELLO’ SHEA’S REVIEWS ROUNDUP – INSTANT REACTIONS. ALL ENTRIES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER
Dragged Up – Rapunzel /Black Carbon
Double-A-Sided Single (Warped Tracks (Fife), and on Label Obscura based in Toronto, Canada) 5th August 2026
The Excellent Dragged Up are back with two fine slices of Guitar strum. The First Track ‘Rapunzel’ is a sonic fuzzed up gem of garage psych indie splendour that has one’s mind taken on an imaginary journey of watching the Sonics hula hoop whilst swaying to the mighty sounds of a 60’s Beach Blanket Bingo soundtrack, plus it also has a rather ace Saxophone honking – not unlike the Sonics themselves. The second track ‘Black Carbon’ is a slightly more sedate affair that has not lost any of its psych bewitchery, and is quite a beautiful piece of vinyl art.
Feverdreamt ‘Our Only Fault Is Existing’
Album (Blackjack Illuminist Records) 3rd July 2026
Dark Gothic Synth folk is that a thing £ (I put a pound sign in because I could not find the question mark). Well, if it is not a thing it is now, as that’s the only way I can poorly describe this rather lovely album of…well, Dark Gothic Synth Folk.
If you were camping in the dark woods and nighttime was upon you, and you wanted something to catch the dying embers of the campfire Our Only Fault Is Existing could well be the album to do it. It’s an album of melancholy fortitude; an album of ghostly memories that not just haunt but bewitch a look through an old photo album and relive the days when your wrinkles were laughter lines and the person in your arms was the person in your heart. Music can be a bastard sometimes, but in a darlingly beautiful heartbreaking way.
Robyn Hitchcock ‘Yesterday’s Rain’
Single 24th July 2026
I do love Robyn Hitchcock, as all music lovers should; he is blessed with a songwriting talent of wit charm and melody and a voice to match. Yesterday’s Rain is full of all those things and lyrics that supply a steady stream of imagery that Barrett and a Psych era Lennon would be proud of.
Mike Honcho ‘Day To Day’
Album (Wormhole) 17th July 2026
Day To Day is an album of quite mellow and musical dance tracks that ooze sophistication and musicality and more importantly some pretty fine hooks and melody, which I tend to fins is not always the way with this genre.
There are only 25 copies of this CD for sale, released on the excellent Wormhole World records, so if you want to soundtrack your day with some fun experimental dance that is easy on the ear you better get your skates on or if you have no skates some other footwear that will make you move pretty sharpish.
John Howard ‘Abbey Road, April 1974’
Single
‘Abbey Road’ is a rather lovely piano perusal of sun and light; a short mid-tempo toe tapper that those of a certain age will no doubt cherish, help refurbish their aging heart with a soft glow of magic hope and loss. ‘Abbey Road’ is two and a half minutes of simple aural sublimity.
Simon Klein ‘Will You Marry Me’
Album (Gare du Nord) 17th July 2026
Will You Marry Me is quite a rather lovely album; an album in which Simon Klein celebrates his 46 years of marriage – whether his wife is celebrating this is maybe another question but let’s assume she is. The songs are mostly all upbeat and full of pop melodies from the rockabilly shuffle of “Cat” through the MOR prog pop of “Ever Present Help In Trouble” and the sweet almost Belle And Sebastian like ballad “Hold Me Now” and the jangly “Mrs Simon Klein“. “Will You Marry Me” is a happy go lucky sunny treat with not a dark cloud in sight.
Post Elvis ‘Sun & Moon’
Single 2nd July 2026
Two fine tracks of modern psychedelia that swing and sway with a Flaming Lips/Mercury Rev/Grandaddy charm that pleases one – especially if you are a fan of one of the aforementioned. I’m not saying that they all sound the same but they may all sip from the same mug of coco.
Sir Richard Bishop ‘Hillbilly Erotica’
Album (Drag City) 31st July 2026
Sir Richard Bishop’s Hillbilly Erotica certainly sounds like a saucy little number. I wonder how erotic hillbilly’s can be. I remember the Beverly Hill Billys from my youth and always had a thing for the attractive blond girl, so maybe that’s what’s making me gravitate to giving this album a listen.
And as I listen to this album I wonder if Sir Richard Bishop is an actual knight of the realm and if so, does he ride a horse and does he go to knightly functions alongside Sir Paul and Sir Cliff. The only thing putting me off reviewing this is the surname Bishop, me being a good Catholic lad and being made to attend strict catholic schools in the seventies and early years of the eighties I learned never to trust a bishop or any religious high-ranking officer: nothing erotic about them just plain creepy.
Anyway, onto the music. It’s fine and dandy and full of finger picking country strummed melody soaked ye haw magic. The beautiful “Postcoital Serenade” is indeed beautiful enough to play again before the coital shenanigans commence, as is “Finger Revisited” which melody wise had me thinking of the wonderful Nick Drake. And also did Frankie Howard name these tracks I really need to know. “Hookers Bend” – maybe Sir Richard Bishop is a rugby fan – is a rather wonderfully expertly strummed matador baiting delight Spanish Odessey of sublimity.
Hillbilly Erotica is indeed a fine listen and one to soundtrack the oncoming Long Summer nights or even the short afternoon delights.
Toxic Chicken ‘Time Traveller’
Album (Earthrid) 14th July 2026
What came first the Toxic Chicken or the egg? Well obviously Toxic Chicken as nothing comes before Toxic Chicken especially when artful experimental dance tinged pop is the calling of the day.
Time Traveller is an album of excellence, an enjoyable foray into the art instrumental bliss if the Aphex Twin actually had a twin it could well be Toxic Chicken.
Here’s the message bit we hate, but crucially need:
If you’ve enjoyed this selection, the writing, or been led down a rabbit hole into new musical terrains of aural pleasure, and if you able, then you can now show your appreciation by keeping the Monolith Cocktail afloat through the Ko-Fi donation site.
BRIAN ‘BORDELLO’ SHEA’S REVIEWS ROUNDUP – INSTANT REACTIONS.
Hello Cosmos ‘Black Gloss’
Single (Cosmic Glue) Out Now
Black Gloss is a Fall-like frenzy of Glam stomp post punk attitude; a song that one can imagine getting many plays on Dandelion Radio and receiving platitudes from various music blogs. Even this one.
John Howard ‘Can you Hear Me Ok?’ (Prof Stoned Remaster)
Album (Think Like A Key Music) Released 30th January 2026
Can You Hear Me Ok? was supposed to be the follow up to John Howard’s Kid In A Big World on CBS records in 1975 but for some strange reason was never released, which I will put down to major label foolhardiness, which is a common thing and has never changed and has helped the music business turn into the shambles it is today. But I digress.
Anyone who is familiar with the music of John Howard may already have heard or even own a copy of this fine album as it was released a number of years ago on CD. But it’s well worth giving this, the remastered version by Prof Stoned, a listen or indeed a purchase as it brings all the eloquence and style and downright talent and charm of the lovely John into a marvellous technicolour splendour: like in the Wizard Of Oz where Dorothy is transported from the grey black and white Kansas to the magical multi-coloured land of Oz, which means maybe we should start calling The good Prof Stoned Wizard Stoned.
Anyone who has not had the divine pleasure of hearing John’s music before should maybe give up an hour or so of their life and lose themselves in the pure 70’s pop piano balladry as I feel there is always room in one’s life for a well-crafted pop gem and this album is full of the darlings.
The Legal Matters ‘Lost At Sea’
Album (Big Stir Records) 27th February 2026
Ah, lets Bad Finger boogie shall we. Let’s cut some rug and roll turf and make shapes like it’s a pop frenzy of nobodies understanding. Oh, dearie me, this album is fun. It is seventies guitar pop covered in a Beatlesque stature of a stolen Cheshire cat’s smile.
Lost In Sea is a fine pop album, so good it could have been Jellyfish’s third or a time travel delight of being emitted from your transiter radio stuck on BBC radio one in their golden decade of the seventies when all their DJs where nonces but had great taste in music. Yes, you could picture this playing in the background whist Dave Lee Travis slapped his sectaries backside whilst dressed as Aladdin on his way to star in a Pantomime wondering which lucky young lady he will be able to pull out of the audience to rub his magic lamp.
Lost At Sea is an album made to be played on the radio, and an album to be added to your collection and filed alongside your Bad Finger and Cheap Trick CD’s unless of course you file alphabetically, and it won’t be anywhere near those.
Neon Crabs ‘This Puppy Can See The Frog’
Album (Cruel Nature Records) 27th February 2026
This Puppy Can See The Frog is an album that is only available on ltd cassette from Cruel Nature Records, and by the time you read this review it could be sold out. I have already bought my copy, so “na na na na na” to you. So, I am one of the lucky owners of this artefact of art punk joy and it makes me think I wonder who else will have this ltd treasure in the collections and if so, will they appreciate the special madness they hold under their roof. Will they marvel at the Stooges riffs, the whooshing cold metallic synths and post punk attitude that party together on this fine debut album; an album that has a certain drop dead cool and dark humour – imagine if you will that Mark E Smith was American and a cartoon super hero scientist that wore a psychedelic lab coat and read the Washington Post with eyebrows arched and wandered through the day with a steady stream of The Banshees and Wire and Killing Joke and the Stooges being fed into his brain by a microchip implanted to give him his superpower of aiming his lyrical pop shots with the accuracy of a paid assassin. That is what this little spool of cassette boxed frenzy is to me. And to you if you have bought one.
Occult Character ‘Silver Fork Stories’
EP (Half Edge Records) Released 30th January 2026
Occult Character, yes, I know I reviewed a single from this eccentric Texan Gentleman last month but that was released on Metal Postcard Records and this 5 track EP is released on Half Edge Records. It is another fine release so deserves a little acclaim thrown once again his way, and acclaim thrown in the direction of Half Edge records who are savvy and brave enough to release this eccentric darkly comic experimental montage of musings from the modern-day Woody Guthrie. And as the world gets stranger and darker by the day, thank God for artists like OC soundtracking these difficult and horrific times.
Salem Trials ‘Tell’
EP (Metal Postcard Records) Released 27th January 2026
The Salem Trials are back with another 5 track EP of post-punk genius. The wonderful madness of this duo is for all to see or hear. They have a wonderful live cool that would have Tubeway Army reaching for fake fur coats. They hold a complete fascination with me, like watching Giant Haystacks eating a vat of soup with a dessert spoon. They walk the tricky tight rope of experimental and commercial post-punk perfectly. “Spit & Soldier” is quite marvellous, sounding like John Cooper Clarke fronting the Fall – and why did that not ever happen?! “Tell” is just simply marvellous.
Rusty Santos ‘Psycho Horses’
Album (Self-Released) 19th February 2026
Rusty Santos is a great name. A name that will stick in your mind in fact – I receive so many albums sent to review that a name like Rusty Santos leapt out and I thought is this an album of old country music that my dad used to play in my youth. Well, it is not but it is a rather lovely album of American alt folk with a sci-fi undercurrent of whooshing synths and throbbing bass – imagine Elliot Smith guest starring in an episode of Space 1999 or a lo-fi David Bowie just pre his Hunky Dory days. Yes, it is that good, and Rusty Santos is defiantly a name to review for so many reasons.
Vlimmer ‘Aufbeiber/ Young Folks’
Single (Blackjack Illuminist Records) Released 6th February 2026
Yes Vlimmer,everybody’s favourite dark wave messiah from Germany is back with two more sad (in a good way) tracks of dark beauty and mistrust. Like a harmonic Valentines card from a slightly spooky uncle who resolves to put the world right by manoeuvring his angular thoughts onto his delipidated garden shed walls where he keeps treasure troves from his ex-wife who left him: for his idea of a good time was not to everyone’s taste. Two tracks that could bring a tear to a stuffed ferret.
White Fence ‘Your Eyes’
Single (Drag City) Available Now
I like this single. It has a laid-back lackadaisical charm which is very becoming, and I also like that for the first twenty seconds or so it is going to be a cover of ‘Big Yellow Taxi’: which is no bad thing. I also remember my band The Bordellos getting compared to White Fence in a review years ago, and I never got around to giving them a listen and now I have, and they are very good so will have to investigate further.
End of the Year Revue For 2025: Part One: A to M
December 11, 2025
Choice Highlights From The Last Year
I said I wasn’t going to do it this year. And this may be the last. But here is the first part of a comprehensive revue listing of choice albums (some extended EPs too) from 2025 that we returned to the most, enjoyed or rated highly. See it as a sort of random highlights package if you will.
As usual a most diverse mix of releases, listed alphabetically – numerical orderings make no sense to me unless it is down to a vote, otherwise what qualifies the placing of an album? What makes the 25th place album better than the 26th and so on…
Whilst there is the odd smattering of Hip-Hop releases here and there, our resident selector and expert Matt Oliver has compiled a special 25 for 25 revue of his own, which will go out next week.
Without further ado….the first half of that selected works revue:
A.
A Journey Of Giraffes ‘Emperor Deco’ (Somewherecold Records)
Review by Dominic Valvona
Alien Eyelid ‘Vinegar Hill’ (Tall Texan)
Review by Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea
Allen, Marshall ‘New Dawn’ (Week-End Records)
Review by Dominic Valvona
Armstrong ‘Handicrafts’
Review by Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea
Audio Obscura ‘As Long As Gravity Persists On Holding Me to This Earth’
Review by Dominic Valvona
Aus ‘Eau’ (Flau)
Review by Dominic Valvona
B..
Balloonist, The ‘Dreamland’ (Wayside & Woodland)
Review/Piece by Dominic Valvona
Barman, MC Paul ‘Tectonic Texts’
Picked by Dominic Valvona
Bedd ‘Do Not Be Afraid’
Review by Dominic Valvona
Bird, Jeff ‘Ordo Virtutum: Jeff Bird Plays Hildegard von Bingen, Vol 2’
(Six Degrees Records) Review by Dominic Valvona
Blanco Teta ‘‘La Debacle las Divas’ (Bongo Joe)
Review by Dominic Valvona
Bordellos (with Dee Claw)/Neon Kittens, The ‘Half Man Half Kitten’
(Cruel Nature Records) Review by Dominic Valvona
Braxton, Anthony ‘Quartet (England) 1985’ (Burning Ambulance)
Picked by Dominic Valvona
Brody, Jonah ‘Brotherhood’ (IL Records)
Review by Dominic Valvona
Brother Ali ‘Satisfied Soul’ (Mello Music Group)
Picked by Dominic Valvona
Burning Books ‘Taller Than God’ (Ingrown Records)
Reviewed by Dominic Valvona
C…
Cindy ‘Saw It All Demos’ (Paisley Shirt Records)
Reviewed by Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea here
Craig, Kai ‘A Time Once Forgotten’ (Whirlwind Recordings)
Review by Dominic Valvona
Crayola Lectern ‘Disasternoon’ (Onomatopoeia)
Review by Dominic Valvona
Cross, Theon ‘Affirmations: Live at Blue Note New York’ (New Soil)
Review by Dominic Valvona
Cubillos, Julian ‘S-T’ (Ruination Record Co.)
Review by Dominic Valvona
Cumsleg Borenail ‘10mg Citalopram’ (Cruel Nature Recordings)
Review by Dominic Valvona
Joel Cusumano ‘Waxworld’ (Dandyboy Records)
Review by Dominic Valvona
D….
Dammann Sextet, Christopher ‘If I Could Time Travel I Would Mend Your Broken Heart aka Why Did The Protests Stop’ (Out of Your Head Records) Review by Dominic Valvona
Darko The Super ‘Then I Turned Into A Perfect Smile’
Picked by Dominic Valvona
Dyr Faser ‘Falling Stereos’
Picked by Dominic Valvona
E…..
Eamon The Destroyer ‘The Maker’s Quilt’ (Bearsuit Records)
Review by Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea
Expose ‘ETC’ (Qunidi)
Reviewed by Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea here
F……
Farrugia, Robert ‘Natura Maltija’ (Phantom Limb/Kewn Records)
Reviewed by Dominic Valvona here
Fir Cone Children ‘Gearshifting’ (Blackjack Illuminist Records)
Review by Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea
Fortunato Durutti Marinetti ‘Bitter Sweet, Sweet Bitter’ (Quindi Records/We Are Time)
Review by Dominic Valvona
G…….
Goldman, Ike ‘Kiki Goldman In How I Learned To Sing For Statler And Waldorf’
Review by Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea
Good Ones, The ‘Rwanda Sings With Strings’(Glitterbeat Records)
Review by Dominic Valvona
H……..
Haas & Brian g Skol, Andy ‘The Honeybee Twist’
Review by Dominic Valvona
Howard, John ‘For Those that Wander By’(Think Like A Key)
Review by Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea
I………
Ishibashi, Eiko ‘Antigone’ (Drag City)
Picked by Dominic Valvona
iyatraQuartet ‘Wild Green’
Review by Dominic Valvona
J……….
Jay, Tony ‘Faithless’
Review by Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea
Johanna, John ‘New Moon Pangs’(Faith & Industry)
Review by Dominic Valvona
K………..
Kheir , Amira ‘Black Diamonds’(Sterns Music/Contro Culture Music)
Review by Dominic Valvona
Khodja, Freh ‘Ken Andi Habib’(WEWANTSOUNDS)
Review by Dominic Valvona
Kweli, Talib & J Rawls ‘The Confidence Of Knowing’
Picked by DV
L…………
Lassy Trio, Timo ‘Live In Helsinki’ (We Jazz)
Picked by Dominic Valvona
Last Of The Lovely Days, The ‘No Public House Talk’(Gare du Nord)
Review by Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea
Lt. Headtrip & Steel Tipped Dove ‘Hostile Engineering’ (Fused Arrow Records)
Review by Dominic Valvona
LIUN + The Science Fiction Band ‘Does It Make You Love Your Life?’
(Heartcore Records) Review by Dominic Valvona
Locks, Damon ‘List Of Demands’ (International Anthem)
Reviewed by Dominic Valvona here
M………….
Mikesell, Emily & Kate Campbell Strauss ‘Give Way’ (Ears & Eyes Records)
Reviewed by Dominic Valvona here
Mirrored Daughters ‘S/T’ (Fike Recordings)
Review by Dominic Valvona
Mohanna, Nickolas ‘Speakers Rotations’ (AKP Recordings)
Review by Dominic Valvona
If you’ve enjoyed following and reading the Monolith Cocktail in 2025, and if you can, then please show your appreciation by donating to our Ko-Fi account. The micro donation site has been vital in keeping us afloat this year.
For the last 15 years both me and the MC team have featured and supported music, musicians and labels we love across genres from around the world: ones that we think you’ll want to know about. No content on the site is paid for or sponsored, and we only feature artists we have genuine respect for /love or interest in. If you enjoy our reviews (and we often write long, thoughtful ones), found a new artist you admire or if we have featured you or artists you represent and would like to say thanks or show support, than you can now buy us a coffee or donate via https://ko-fi.com/monolithcocktail
Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea’s Reviews Roundup – Instant Reactions. All entries in alphabetical order.
Joel Cusumano ‘Waxworld’
Album (Dandyboy Records) 24th October 2025
I like this album. I was expecting the typical power pop tuneful bombast, which it does to a certain extent have, but with a slightly tattered heart that at times reminds me of what Blondie might have sounded like if they were fronted by Pete Perrett instead of the lovely Debbie – especially on “Through A Darkened Glass“. Waxworld is an entirely enjoyable listening experience, one I would recommend to all those power pop aficionados out there, as Joel Cusumano performs like he is Joel Cusumano and not a stars in the eyes Mathew Sweet.
John Howard ‘Kid In A Big World (The Prof Stone Remaster)’
Album (Think Like A Key Records) Released back in August 2025
Autumn is upon us and is the perfect season to discover or even rediscover this 50-year-old classic debut from one of Britain’s finest hidden treasures. Yes, John Howard‘s excellent debut has been remastered by Prof Stone, available from Think Like A Key Records Bandcamp as a download only.
Do I need to pontificate about the magic of this much written about debut. Probably not, but I will anyway. If Elton John was as good as people think he is, he would sound like this album. And John does not feel the need to sing in a phoney American accent or share Dame Edna’s stylist. Why he never made it as a chart regular and enlightened the screens of Saturday night tv in the seventies can only really be put down to the homophobia that existed in the 70’s especially in the upper offices of The BBC and as John never felt the need to hide the fact that he was gay (as Elton wisely career wise did).
Kid In A Big World is a wonderful record and should a hold a place both in all music lovers record collections and hearts … and if I was Amazon or Spotify or Youtube I would say if you enjoyed this album you might enjoy Hunky Dory, or Goodbye Yellow Brick Road or Year Of The Cat. And it deserves mentioning in the same breath.
The Legendary Ten Seconds ‘Ricardian Churchward’
Album – Released 2nd October 2025
I love Musical British Eccentrics (it takes one to know, so they say), and here we have a wham doozy of a release by The Legendary Ten Seconds. Imagine if you will, that Julian Cope had not taken drugs and only read Horrible Histories books and was influenced by The Monochrome Set, then he could well have made this album.
This is the kind of album that could one day (if enough people get to hear this gem of a release) become a bit of a cult classic. For it is a fine collection of psych folk Medieval indie-pop (is there such a thing). The only bad thing I can say about this release is that it’s not available as a CD, as it is one that I would happily add to my collection.
Legless Trials ‘American Russ Never Sleeps’
Single (Metal Postcard Records) Released 13th September 2025
More post punk glory from the Legless Trials. American Russ Never Sleeps pt 1 and pt2 is two tracks of Public Image Ltd styled smooth discord with an air of dubby splendour and chaotic lyricism that once again pokes holes into the flimsy facade of shittery that currently engulfs the world: like a bedtime story read to you by Michael Myers.
Picniclunch ‘snaxbandwitches’
Album – Released 13th October 2025
snaxbandwitches is an album of supreme post punk noisery, experimental fun and undoubtedly surprisingly tuneful. Think the Fall, early Pavement, Morphine (the band not the drug) and early Talking Heads but only if they had been in the pub since opening time and David Byrne had been replaced with someone less annoying.
This is the sound of the true alternative; the sound of a band who would not use a Rickenbaker guitar but an old Woolworths copy battered and played through a borrowed amp. Yes, this is the true spirit of the garage band; the true spirit of rock ‘n’ roll. This is a band who should join forces with The Legless Crabs and do a double headline tour of all the dives in America, and influence the current American underground. If I had a record label, I would sign them up.
Edward Rogers ‘Astor Place’
Album – Released 10th October 2025
I love warm sounding timeless, slightly unusual sounding pop albums and Astor Place is an unusual sounding pop album. Unusual in its joyful mash of psychedelia and rose tinged eloquent nostalgia, at times sounding like a true English gentleman narrating over a backdrop of a huge love-in from ‘67 and believe it or not, sadly it’s not ‘67 and that’s what is so unusual about this album that it would not sound out of place if it was, but not in a retro way just in its feeling and atmosphere, screaming guitars and cucumber sandwiches is it seems a match made in heaven. Hippy heaven even.
If Noel Coward made a psych album, I believe this is what it may have sounded like. And me being a huge Noel Coward fan and a lover of the whole fairytale of the summer of ‘67 I love it. He also name checks Tommy Steele in the lyrics, which for me makes this album slightly more fabulous than it already is.
Smash Palace ‘87’
Album – Released 10th October 2025
87 was supposed to be the second album from Smash Palace in 1987, but their label Epic dropped them before they got around to recording it and releasing it. So, what we have here is a strange beast: 5 of the songs have been rerecorded by the original band and the other five songs are the original studio demos recorded in the 80s. The five freshly recorded songs are bright and chirpy covered with an old MTV sheen, with guitars that jangle and guitars that strut like they are going out on a date with Keith Richards; songs, at times, that remind me of The Hoodoo Gurus and the Smithereens and other bands from the 80s of that ilk – the kind of bands VJ’S with mullets would introduce wearing shiny leather jackets and being all hip to go.
The other five are the real deal from the 80s recordings, not as shiny and bright but have the advantage or disadvantage, depending on how you feel about 80s major label production values, of having the atmosphere of that strange decade. The five 80s tracks one can imagine not being out of place on the Pretty In Pink soundtrack or The Breakfast Club or The Lost Boys…yes indeed, an album to soundtrack Molly Ringwald looking gorgeous.
Striped Bananas ‘Eternity Forest’
Album – Released 3rd October 2025
I always imagine that the married couple that make up the Striped Bananas live in a thatched cottage just outside some enchanted forest in upper Connecticut and spend their time weaving magic. For their music has a fairytale cartoon quality to its Psychedelia; it’s as if Lou and Nico had discovered and became addicted to candyfloss instead of Heroin.
Eternity Forest is a joyful beatastic trip of wonder and delight, an album full of melody, invention and fun; an album where guitars, Hammond organs and Theremin weave together to make one heavenly cartoon album of pure adventure. It’s like going on a daytrip to the fairground with the Banana Splits while having a playlist made up of Buffalo Springfield, The June Brides, The Velvet Underground the Archies and Strawberry Alarm Clock playing in transit. As the Beach Boys once eloquently put it: “it’s Fun Fun Fun”.
Vexations ‘A Dream Unhealthy’
Album (Cruel Nature Records) 17th October 2025
Vexations could well be your new favourite band. “A Dream Unhealthy” is a rather impressive beast of an album, five tracks of pure post psychedelic rock n roll, off kilter as hell and probably as hot, with almost spoken screamed vocals surfing on an explosion of noise frenzy. This album is worth hearing for the drumming alone, which is not to say that everything else about the band is not as equally as wonderful. They produce such a cavalcade of cavernous hypnotic spine-tingling beat poetry.
Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea and the Shea family house band, the Bordellos, have a new single out on Metal Postcard Records this month called ‘The Village People In Disguise‘.
If you’ve enjoyed this selection, the writing, or been led down a rabbit hole into new musical terrains of aural pleasure, and if you can, then you can now show your appreciation by keeping the Monolith Cocktail afloat by donating via Ko-Fi.
For the last 15 years both me and the MC team have featured and supported music, musicians and labels we love across genres from around the world: ones that we think you’ll want to know about. No content on the site is paid for or sponsored, and we only feature artists we have genuine respect for /love or interest in. If you enjoy our reviews (and we often write long, thoughtful ones), found a new artist you admire or if we have featured you or artists you represent and would like to say thanks or show support, than you can now buy us a coffee or donate via https://ko-fi.com/monolithcocktail
The Monthly Playlist selection of choice music, plus our Choice Albums list from the last month.
So last month we decided to change things a little with a reminder (if you like) of not only our favourite tracks from the last month, but also a list of choice albums too. This includes both those release we managed to feature on the site and those we just didn’t get the time or room for.
February’s tracks and albums were chosen by me, Dominic Valvona, Matt Oliver and Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea.
In Alphabetical Order, those Recommended Discoveries and Choice Albums from February:
Cumsleg Borenail ‘Alone Again’
The Bordellos (with Dee Claw)/Neon Kittens ‘Half Man Half Kitten’
(Cruel Nature Records) Review
Brother Ali ‘Satisfied Soul’
(Mello Music Group)
Noémi Büchi ‘Liquid Bones’
Christopher Dammann Sextet ‘If I Could Time Travel I Would Mend Your Broken Heart aka Why Did The Protests Stop’ (Out of Your Head Records) Review
Helen Ganya‘Share Your Care’
(Bella Union) Review
John Howard ‘For Those that Wander By’
(Think Like A Key) Review
Oksana Linde ‘Travesías’
(Buh Records) Review
Marshall Allen ‘New Dawn’
(Week-End Records) Review
Mirrored Daughters ‘S/T’
(Fike Recordings) Review
Phill Most Chill & Djar One ‘Deal With It’
(Beats House Records)
Sophia Djebel Rose ‘Sécheresse’
(Ramble Records/WV Sorcerer Productions/Oracle Records) Review
Salem Trials ‘Heavenly Bodies Under The Ground’
(Metal Postcard Records) Review
Various ‘Wagadu Grooves Vol. 2: The Hypnotic Sound Of Camera 1991 – 2014’
(Hot Mule) Review
Kaito Winse ‘Reele Bumbou’
Witch ‘N’ Fox ‘Outfox’
Review
Yellow Belly ‘Ghostwriter’
(Cruel Nature Records) Review
The Monthly Playlist of Choice Music::
Jupiter & Okwess ‘Selele’
Snapped Ankles ‘Pay The Rent’
Phill Most Chill & Djar One ‘Born To Rock’
Ramson Badbonez ‘The Great’
Cthree & Sa-Roc ‘Gold Tablets’
Brother Ali ‘The Counts’
Pacific Walker ‘Induction Ceremony (White Women in White Robes, Clapping)’
Marshall Allen ‘Angels And Demons At Play’
Helen Ganya ‘Share Your Care’
The Men ‘PO Box 96’
The Model Workers ‘Sorry Again’
Salem Trials ‘500 Knives’
The Awkward Silences ‘The Eugenicist is Calling’
AIMING ‘Brianiac’
The Conspiracy ‘White Winter Coats’
Yellow Belly ‘Other Half’
SUO ‘Arms of an Angel’
3 South & Banana ‘Temperance’
John Howard ‘The Man Who Was America’
Mirrored Daughters ‘Unreturning Sun’
Panda Bear ‘Ends Meet’
Extradition Order ‘Consider the Oyster’
Kaito Winse ‘Waabo’
DJ Design & Vermin the Villain ‘Un Chien Perdu’
Confucious MC & Bastien Keb ‘Eyes To See’
Roedelius, Onnen Bock & Yuko Matsuzaki ‘Moon Garden’
Mabe Fratti & Lucrecia Dalt ‘cosa rara – en la playa’
dis.tant, Boundary, Reptiles Reptiles ‘Pasaje Por La Montana (Pt.3)’
Karriem Riggins Ft. Westside Gunn & Busta Rhymes ‘Long Live J Dilla’
Black Milk & Fat Ray ‘ELDERBERRY’
Kungfoolish ‘Recognize The Real’
Forest Swords ‘Lines Gone Cold – Deconstructed’
Oksana Linde ‘Luciernagas en los manglares’
Christopher Dammann Sextet ‘No Hope At All Other Than I Don’t Want To Die Today Pt. 3’
Hi, my name is Dominic Valvona and I’m the Founder of the music/culture blog monolithcocktail.com For the last 15 years me and my various site collaborators have featured and supported music, musicians and labels from across the genres, and from around the world that we think you’ll want to know about. No content on the site is paid for or sponsored and we only feature artists we have genuine respect for /love. If you enjoy our reviews (and we often write long, thoughtful ones), found a new artist you admire or if we have featured you or artists you represent and would like to buy us a coffee at https://ko-fi.com/monolithcocktail to say cheers for spreading the word, then that would be much appreciated.
Our Daily Bread 636: Eamon The Destroyer, Cats Of Transnistria, John Howard, Yellow Belly…
February 4, 2025
BRIAN ‘BORDELLO’ SHEA’S REVIEWS ROUNDUP – INSTANT REACTIONS.
bigflower ‘trip d’
Single Released on the 31st January 2025
‘Trip D’ by bigflower is a cavernous atmospheric journey of yearning and sadness; three plus minutes of guitar solitude with a quite wonderful nagging riff. Once again Ivor Perry showing us why he is rated one of the finest guitarists to emerge from the 80’s Manchester scene.
Cats Of Transnistria ‘Horror’
Single (Soliti Recordings) Available Now
Horror is anything but horrible, but an atmospheric gem of Goth-y dream pop, awash with succulent 80’s keyboards and dreamy vocals. It’s as if the last 40 years been nothing but a dip in the shower with the Man From Atlantis.
Chaos Emeralds ‘Passed Away’
Album (Cruel Nature Records) 21st February 2025
Not to be confused with the Nashville Pop duo of the same name as this, Chaos Emeralds are anything but a pop duo but a rather excellent lo-fi sludge Indie rock duo with the occasional stray into both shoegaze and goth. “Count Me Out” reminds me of very early Psychedelic Furs before they went all Hollywood on us and polished up their prettiness in pink. At other times it reminds me of early 80’s Cure and Smashing Orange, which is not to be confused with smashing an orange, which is a messy and pointless exercise and The Chaos Emeralds are anything but pointless and messy, they are a fine band with a rather wonderful atmospheric sound.
The Conspiracy ‘White Winter Coats’
Single (Metal Postcard Records) 21st January 2025
I am a fan of The Conspiracy. I love their Englishness, and this excellent track really does not disappoint, it’s all seventies Bowie and Mid 80’s Julian Cope and what Syd Barrett might have sounded like if he was not a troubled soul. This is a taster to their forthcoming album, an album I will no doubt tell you all about in the coming weeks.
Eamon The Destroyer ‘Radio Sessions’
EP (Bearsuit Records) Released 21st January 2025
What we have here is an acoustic six track EP of songs recorded for two radio sessions in 2024: and mighty fine they are as well. The songs work well in acoustic form – is there such a genre of folktronica (ED: yes, there is), because if not Eamon The Destroyer has discovered it.
The Wickerman soundtrack, Momus and Leonard Cohen collide in a not so frenzy-like pleasure of subtle sly nods and winks whilst feeding Bagpuss illicit halogenic expressions of drugs gone by whilst showing thumbnail sketches of could and should have Beens. This really is a stunning six track EP of pure epic beauty.
John Howard ‘For Those that Wander By’
Album (Think Like A Key) 14th February 2025
“For Those That Wander By” is an album of sublime eloquence, an album that is steeped in songwriting craft and God-given talent. An album that features eight songs co-written by John Howard and poet Robert Cochrane, set to be released on Valentines Day, which by accident or design is extremely apt. For the album is quite a beautiful thing indeed. It is steeped in a lush wave of warmth, sadness and melancholy.
This is an album that draws on the experience of life and the passing of time; a dream world of haunting memories and ghosts from your past that caress and comfort you in the knowledge, as the old saying goes, that it is better to have loved and lost than not to have loved at all, and the skeletons in your closet are taken out daily and slow danced with under a full and rich moon.
John Howard is, as we all should know, one of England’s great musical hidden treasures, and this album coming exactly 50 years after his debut, the quite marvellous “Kid In A Big world”, goes to show that John has not lost any of his vocal capabilities. If anything, he is singing better now than he ever has, producing an album that Elton John would sell his children to be able to produce. An album of pure magic.
The Men ‘Po Box 96’
Single (Fuzz Club) Available Now
Fuzzy punk grunge with wah-wah guitar solo all in less than two minutes. If you like the sound of that give it a listen, if not give it a listen anyway: it takes longer to open a can of corn beef.
The Model Workers ‘Disaster Punk’
Album – Released 28th January 2025
I really know very little about the Model Workers apart from they are a pretty good three-piece punk band, or pop punk to be more precise: more early Green Day but with a bit more balls than say the Sex Pistols, a band that took me back to the days when my then 15 year old daughter used to text me every Tuesday to remind me to pick up that week’s copy of Kerrang and at the time that mag and its accompanying tv channel was filled with bands of this ilk and like. The Model Workers are indeed very good and I can quite easily imagine “Red Rose” or the extremely catchy “Sorry Again” popping up on the channel or the wonderful Dead Kennedy’s like “Surf Storm”, which is my favourite track on this mighty enjoyable seven-track mini album.
Occult Character ‘Next Year’s Model’
EP (Metal Postcard Records) Released 21st January 2025
Next Year’s Model is sadly not a reworking of the genius Elvis Costello and The Attractions album from 1978, although it does have a 16 second track called Elvis Costello among the seven extremely short tracks that make up this release. Occult Character is of course someone I write about very often in this blog as I like him very much, and he releases an awful lot of music, and this is another off the cuff experimental dementia music ridden foray into the diseased mind of the good old USA. And I love it.
PS: Occult Character ‘Next Year’s Model’ made last month’s choice selection of releases.
Salem Trials ‘Heavenly Bodies Under The Ground’
Album (Metal Postcard Records) Released 24th January 2025
Any album that kicks off with a track that sounds like Magazine covering Television Personalities, How I Learned To Love The Bomb soundtracking Russ spewing juicy gossip to a man he can only see whilst standing in one of the only remaining red telephone boxes left in The UK. And not even a nice part of Britain…we will say the red telephone box by the town hall in St Helens, it stinks of piss and decay but has a lost nostalgic beauty; a one-off memory of exciting times and rushed conversations, which is the perfect description of this wonderful post-punk album.
“Heavenly Bodies Under The Ground” could well be the Salem Trials best album yet, which is pretty much high praise as all The Trials many albums are pretty good indeed. One day Cherry Red Records will release a CD boxset of The Salem Trials and it will be hailed as the complete collection of one of Britain’s finest guitar bands.
Yellow Belly ‘Ghostwriter’
Album (Cruel Nature Records) 21st February 2025
The shimmering glisten of the beautiful awakening of the first summer steps of the handwritten rhyme. The melody of the clouds casting dark shadows of the night pulling dream like caricatures of memories past. The haunting bewitching soundtrack to the forever young in your mind. Yellow Belly dives deep into the subconscious and slowly teases the sadness and delight, offering the hope of the gentle and the meek, being the beacon of light that slowly emits the slow electronic drumbeats of yesterday, the vocals encapsulating the art that is found in all great pop music, the heart rendering yearning of the modern songbird or the memories of Julee Cruise floating through the speaker of your old radio kidnapping your beating heart and holding ransom to the melancholic wishes of yesterday. Yellow Belly’s Ghostwriter is an album touched with the dark hand of beautiful heartache and a bewitching stillness that is totally entrancing.
The Monthly Playlist For November 2024
November 29, 2024
CHOICE/LOVED/ENJOYED MUSIC FROM THE LAST MONTH ON THE MONOLITH COCKTAIL: TEAM EFFORT
The Monthly Revue for November 2024: All the choice, loved and most enjoyed tracks from the last month, chosen by Dominic Valvona, Matt ‘Rap Control’ Oliver and Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea. As always our selection features a real shake up and mix of tracks that we’ve both covered in our review columns and articles over the last month, plus those tracks we didn’t have room to feature at the time.
Covering many bases, expect to hear and discover new sounds, new artists. Consider this playlist the blog’s very own ideal radio show: no chatter, no gaps, no cosy nepotism.
___/TRACKLIST_____
Les Amazones d’Afrique ‘Wa Jo’
Mulatu Astatke & Hoodna Orchestra ‘Major’
Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp ‘Speak by the E’
Marcelo D2 & SambaDrive ‘Samba de Primeira/Encontro com Nogueira’
Les Sons Du Cosmos ‘LAUNDRY’
Ric Branson Ft. Relense ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
Juga-Naut Ft. Mr. Brown ‘Camel Coat’
Nowaah The Flood ‘On Location’
Blockhead ‘Orgy At The Port Authority’
Berke Can Ozcan & Jonah Parzen-Johnson ‘The Saint’
Elea Calvet ‘Landslide’
Roedelius ‘217 09’
Lolomis ‘Kristallen den Fina’
The South Hill Experiment ‘Silver Bullet’
Sparkz & Pitch 92 ‘Genius’
Jack Jetson & Illinformed ‘Pray’
Spectacular Diagnostics & Kipp Stone ‘BUCKET LIST’
Cavalier & Child Actor ‘Knight Of The East’
Walking The Dead ‘Fun Facts’
Humdrum ‘See Through You’
The Conspiracy ‘Tick Tok’
The Awkward Silences ‘Mother I’m on TV’
Trupa Trupa ‘Sister Ray’
Neon Kittens ‘Demons’
Bloom de Wilde ‘Dwindi’
Bell Monks ‘Before Dawn’
Spaces Unfolding & Pierre Alexandre Tremblay ‘In Praise of Shadows Pt. 2’
Gasper Ghostly ‘Floor Thirteen’
Son Of Sam & Masta Ace ‘Come A Long Way (Jehst Remix)’
Hegz & Dirty Hairy ‘Ruby Murray’
Glowry Boyz ‘FREE FALL’
Django Mankub ‘BEATSEVEN’
Sly & The Family Drone ‘Joyless Austere Post-war Biscuits’
Lolomis ‘Sieluni tanssimaan’
Cumsleg Borenail ‘Parade You ‘round Town’
Sam Gendel, Benny Bock & Hans P. Kjorstad ‘Charango’
Yazz Ahmed ‘A Paradise In The Hold’
Maalem Houssam Guinia ‘Matinba’
Baldruin ‘Hinein, hinaus, hinuber’
hackedepicciotto ‘Aichach – Live in Napoli’
Hornorkesteret ‘Krekling’
The Muldoons ‘Hours And Hours’
Juanita Stein ‘Motionless’
Sassyhiya ‘Take You Somewhere’
John Howard ‘If There’s a Star’
The Tulips ‘Haven’t Seen Her’
Jamison Field Murphy ‘Ermine Cloak’
Graham Reynolds ‘Long Island Sound’
Mauricio Moquillaza ‘___’
Kotra ‘Trials Of Discernment’
BRIAN ‘BORDELLO’ SHEA’S REVIEWS ROUNDUP – INSTANT REACTIONS.
PHOTO IMAGE: THE TULIPS
In Alphabertical Order::::
Armstrong ‘Future In The Present Tense’
Single (Self-Release)
Armstrong usually deal in producing quite beautiful pastoral pop, and to be honest Julian Pitt (aka Armstrong) has a god given talent for writing quite sublime melodies, and “Future In The Present Tense” has all the usual heavenly pop wonder he usually releases. But this time he has swapped the acoustic guitar for a synth and instead released a sublime synth pop single, one you could imagine buzzing around the charts in the early to mid 80’s. Once again naggingly catchy and rather beautiful.
Aiden Baker/Jack Chuter/Ryan Durfee ‘Laika World’
Album (Cruel Nature Records)
“Laika World” was made as a tribute to Laika the soviet Space dog, the first animal to ever orbit the earth, on November the 3rd 1957. How many other animals have since orbited the earth I do not know: I suppose if you have the burning need, just Google it.
This album is a strange sonic but relaxing adventure of floating in space ambiance, a totally relaxing and dreamlike set of instrumentals that is all reverb guitars and floating soothing synths and the far in the distance echoes of drums and tinkling keyboards with the occasional treated and cut up vocal, which on “Night Capsule Demand” sounds like a countdown to entering heaven.
“Laika World” is an excellent and rewarding listen, and is the ideal accompaniment for when you need that time to yourself to drift off into semi consciousness and enjoy your own thoughts.
bigflower ‘The King’
Single (Self-Release)
Another new track from bigflower; there really is no stopping the man. “The King” is a sonic escapade of ambient guitar and swamp jazz, a song that deals with having a dream of entering Graceland and finding Elvis dead on the floor; an atmospheric musical tale of ethereal sorrow and tragedy set in a mist like state of transient bliss and soft focus solitude.
Bloom De Wilde ‘The Circular Being’
Album
I love the muse and the music of Bloom de Wilde. It has a tender all-consuming innocence and hope that calmly plays Rock Paper Scissors with a wistful sadness and melancholy.
Bloom writes songs that offer hope against all the odds; songs that embrace the eccentrics and outsiders, all the underdogs in life. Maybe that is why I feel a connection to her music and at times find myself totally engrossed with her beautiful tapestry of pop, jazz, folk and psychedelia, which she has woven with great love and skill to make great art.
Bloom is a fine songwriter, which may sometimes be overlooked due to the wonderful eccentricities of her personality and is a quite an accomplished and original lyricist, as this fascinating eleven song album of love, hope and magic shows.
Empty Cut ‘Allens Cross’
Album (Cruel Nature Records)
Allens Cross is a leftfield album of derision and distorted beauty, music that incorporates electronica, hardcore, dub, jazz and industrial shoegaze and punk rock to quite magnificent affect. At times reminding me of the latter work of the Godlike genius of Scott Walker, and at other times like Throbbing Gristle – sometimes difficult to listen to but ultimately always rewarding.
There is a darkness and granite slab graininess that celebrates the everyday mundane life but fascinating in its unique perspective on their childhood growing up in Birmingham that inspires this fine album. “Fidget” is Black Sabbath like in its heaviness and desolateness, and “Spleen” is a sludge heavy dose of modern-day psychedelia with whirring synths and cut up spoken samples. All eight tracks on Allens Cross take you on a fascinating aural trip, and it really is a journey worth taking.
Ex-Vöid ‘Swansea’
Single (Tapete Records)
What we have here is another enjoyable romp of indie guitar rock. Yes, more of it. But unlike a lot of the indie guitar rock I’m hearing lately “Swansea” has a melody and fine Dinosaur Jnr like guitars, quite lovely male female vocals, which are almost folk-like but not in a way of old tin whistles and feeding the whippet the last of the bacon kind of way. I suppose this just gives it something slightly different feel to the other 1001 indie rock tracks I’ve heard this week. One that floats to the top like a becoming jellyfish with a sting in its tale. [if Jellyfish had tales].
Fun Facts ‘Apartment Rock’
Album 22nd November 2024
There is a lovely warm heavenly wonkiness to this album I very much appreciate, it has a certain dreamy like pop/psych experimental charm that comes on like Stereolab discovering the age of Aquarius in the local bar where hipsters hang out. Yes, it has the same slightly off kilter but straight-ahead pop that I so admire the great Schizo Fun Addict for. They have the same love of melody, and supply music that could soundtrack an angel licking ice cream from a cone whilst you wait in the dying embers of the day for your future true love to walk by and catch the glint in your eye and return it with honey wrapped heartfelt kisses. A fine album of pure blissful pop music.
Jamison Field Murphy ‘It Has To End’
Album (Tomato Flower) 11th November 2024
Ah yes this is more like it. At last, an album with warmth, soul experiment and beauty. Just when I was beginning to think that it was a thing of the past James Field Murphy turns up with this home recorded gem, an album that combines all the things I love about the magic of music: songs with melody, “That Boy” could well be an outtake from The Beach Boys Smiley Smile album, and “It has To End” has a wonderful bonkers McCartney feel to it [remember McCartney was the most experimental of all the Beatles], and this track combines pop with experimental to a beautifully short and wistful degree. “Hate” is another beautiful song; yes indeed, a hate that is alright to love and love it I do. I love the tape pops in the background: you really cannot beat recording on tape.
It Has To End is a rare thing, an album you do not want to end. It’s an album I will be returning to on a regular basis over the coming months as James manages to balance off pop/psych beauty with experimentation perfectly.
John Howard ‘If There’s A Star/ Little Prince’
Single 8th November 2024
I love the music of John Howard as it is just so elegant and eloquent. There is a timelessness to his songs; he writes songs that could have graced the stage in the days of Coward and Berlin, or, in the days of Ray Davies or even McCartney in his genius Ram days, or, in even more recent times, Neil Hannon who waved a stylish wand over the lads and birds debauched Brit Pop era whist arching his eyebrow and sipping a dry sherry.
John Howard has the same qualities of all these genius composers and with this fine single he supplies us with two short and sweet pop songs of baroque poptitude that most of us really do not deserve. If only life was like a John Howard piano ballad.
Humdrum ‘Every Heaven’
Album (Slumberland Records)
Humdrum must have a death wish, or a band with a massive amount of confidence. I mean, fancy calling yourselves Humdrum and then making an album of out and out pure jangle. Yes, need I say more. We all know what it sounds like, nothing that really steps out of the indie pop jangle. But it is a fine jangle album, at times reminding me of a jangly Cure but without the uniqueness of Robert Smiths voice: actually, the instrumental “Every Heaven” could well be a Cure backing track.
Yes, the usual influences; I’m sure every member of Humdrum have the complete collection of Sarah Records 7-inch singles and every edition of the C86 Boxset and own a Pastels badge. But that is what we love about jangle bands, their out and out passion for jangle. And this album I’d recommended for all those jangly guitar fiends.
Neon Kittens ‘Trick’
EP
The Neon Kittens are back with a 4-track EP to celebrate Halloween with four horror themed songs. The EP is called “Trick” and it is actually a bit of a treat for myself and the ever growing army of Neon Kittens fans. The obstreperous guitar wizardry once again all tangent shapes of misguided ridicule and delight taunt and encourage the ice cool aloofness of the no wave Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward into some quite deliciously salacious tales of horror and misadventure.
The Neon Kittens are not just a band worthy to write home about but are actually worthy enough to leave home just so you can write home about them.
Occult Character ‘Don’t Come To Mars’
EP (Metal Postcard Records)
The second October-released EP from Occult Character is here, and as I wrote in the review of their earlier Swifties EP, he is not always the easiest of artists to listen to but always fascinating. Once again these three tracks are not just fascinating but also highly enjoyable, especially the dark comedic and spot on lyrically “Cyber Cult” and “Jupiter Cellphone Survey”. All three tracks on this EP capture all the madness and darkness of modern life. Occult Character is an artist I recommend that you the listener get acquainted with.
The Tulips ‘Stars Dream Of You’
Single
“Stars Dream Of You” is a rather beautiful little pop song; a lovely sedate musical stroll down the winding paths of the totally besotted. Yes, a song that captures the first throes of love and yearning; a song that will remind you what it is like to feel that special feeling once again.
Author of this spread, Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea and his lo fi cult maverick band, have recently released a clutch of “Lo Fi Misses” , via Metal Postcard Records, on both Bandcamp and Spotify.
The Monthly Playlist For September 2024
September 30, 2024
CHOICE MUSIC FROM THE LAST MONTH ON THE MONOLITH COCKTAIL: TEAM EFFORT
The Monthly Revue for September 2024: Fifty choice tracks from the last month, chosen by Dominic Valvona, Matt ‘Rap Control’ Oliver and Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea. Features a real shake up and mix of tracks we’ve both covered in our review columns and articles. We’ve also added a smattering of tracks that we either didn’t get the room to feature or missed at the time. Covering many bases, expect to hear and discover new sounds, new artists. Consider this playlist the blog’s very own ideal radio show: no chatter, no gaps, no cosy nepotism.
TrAcKliSt
David Liebe Hart ‘James Earl Jones’
Mosik Rhymes & Tha God Fahim ‘E.S.P.’ – this month’s cover art
Seez Mics & Metermaids ‘Walter Wrong’
Kong The Artisan, Essa & Phat Kat ‘Get Nasty’
Etran de L’Air ‘Amidinine’
Carmen Souza ‘Amizadi’
Daniel Inzani ‘Beyond The Pale’
Zerrin ‘Spring Cleaning’
Black Artist Group ‘For Peace And Liberty Part 2’
Michal Urbaniak ‘UrbTrap’
AINON ‘Komorebi’
Derrero ‘Painting with Sound’
Neon Kittens ‘Lika Like’
SHITNOISE ‘Gum Opera’
The legless Crabs ‘Piercings And Tattoos’
I do You do Karate ‘Jabiru’
Cuushe ‘Faded Corners’
Inflatable Men ‘He’s Going Out With Marilyn’
Inre Kretsen Grupp & Prins Emanuel ‘Volta Semantron’
Phantom Handshakes ‘Dusk Enchanted’
Xeno & Oaklander ‘Via Negativa (in the doorway light)’
Beauty Stab ‘Use Me As Bait’
Wings Of Desire ‘OTTAMYMIND’
Nonpareils ‘Bring It On’
Short Fuze & 4Most ‘3AM Thoughts’
Desert Camo, Heather Grey & Oliver the 2nd ‘Sun Lord Mixtape’
leisure fm ‘illuminated manuscript’
Ghostwriter ‘Satan, Your Kingdom Must Come Down’
Elea Calvet ‘Trigger – Acoustic’
Holy Matter ‘The Dove’
Trust Fund ‘The Mirror’
Christopher Haddow ‘Look Homeward’
John Howard ‘Great Horse’
Minarets of Nessef ‘Instrumental’
Daniilaioi Brotherhood Choir ‘Christos Anesti, Mode Plagal A’
Umlaut ‘Gaze back into you’
Anja Ngozi & OKI ‘Utanobori’
Will Lawton and the Alchemists ‘Fossils of the Mind – Sebastian Reynolds Rework’
The New Tigers ‘Saba’
Viktor Ori ‘Vsetci sme v tom spolu’
Banca De Gaia ‘Electric Sheep’
Tanya Morgan, 6th Sense & Rob Cave ‘The Motion’
The Doppelgangaz ‘W.I.T.H.H.’
Xray & Monsta Island Czars ‘Evacuate The Club’
Jon Phonics ‘U JUST A LYING ASS HOE’
Ant ‘4-Track Beyond Beat 1996’
Leonard Charles ‘Rose’
Dr. Syntax & Pete Canon ‘Robot Problem’
Diamond D & KRS-One ‘THE KINGS’
Dead Players ‘Just Above Water’
Monolith Cocktail Blog 