Monolith Cocktail Blog

BRIAN ‘BORDELLO’ SHEA’S REVIEWS ROUNDUP – INSTANT REACTIONS.

Fran Ashcroft ‘Truth Love And Justice’
Single – 28^th January 2026

This is a fine single, a song of wistful tinged country jazz; an arch eyebrowed swipe at Trump and his ICE goons; a song of revolt and revulsion; a resigned whisper of acid dropped venom moanfully performed as the sun goes down on a once great nation as the ghost of Roy Rogers quietly weeps.

Comet Gain City Fallen Leaves’
 20^th Anniversary Reissue Album – (Tapete Records) 13^th February 2026

I love this album. It’s probably one of my most played albums over the last twenty years or so. It’s an album of wonderful lyricism, beautiful melodies and a heartfelt angst, and as any who knows the music of my band The Bordellos, I do love mentions of pop culture in the lyrics.

Comet Gain are one of those special bands (I call the Go Betweens Syndrome) that really deserve to be heard by a wider audience, and you never know maybe a well-deserved reissue of this magical bewitching collection of beautiful beat poetry will help do the trick. I also may add that Draw A Smile On An Egg and The Ballad Of A Mixtape never fail to give me goosebumps no matter how many times I hear them.

Knight’s Ferry ‘The Autumn Leaves On 14th Street’
Single – (Teeth) Out Now

Knight’s Ferry supply us with a cultured jingle-jangle of a guitar indie pop sweetie that was so all-encompassing of my late teen years. Yes, C86, a longtime ago I know but guitar jingle-jangle never grows old, it just grows melancholic with age and teases the memories of how good and bad those days where. Yes, life is indeed like a 7-inch single with a hand drawn label. 

Minor Dents ‘Sitting With The Fish’
EP – (Rose Hill Records) Released 23^rd January 2026

Minor Dents’ Sitting With The Fish EP is an example on how to make interesting and bewitching music. Jazz, psych and krautrock combine to make an EP of delightful curveballs songs – you do not know what is going to happen next -; songs that have a smooth undercurrent of sex and sophistication.

Minor Dents are obviously a band that does not think invention is a  dirty word, and think that music lovers are all brain dead lager drinking Fred Flintstones wannabes who love nothing better than listening to the paint by numbers so called Alt Rock /indie guitar tedium that currently inhabits my inbox.

Occult Character ‘Her Name Is Terrible’
Single – (Metal Postcard Records) Out Now

With the current shitshow in America, Occult Character is by far one of the most important artists in the US Underground today. Her Name Is Terrible is an inventive, short, mad as bonkers single as one could ever wish for.

All you can say about Occult Character is he sounds like no-one else but himself. I am sure it is only a matter of time before one of the big hitters in the music business will discover the genius of the man and get his music out into a wider audience.

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

The subsonic discordant blast of a no-wave fantasy, the Lady Coca Cola EP is a demonstration on the value of the underground. Let’s be honest, you are very unlikely to hear this on primetime national radio and that is a bad thing as experimental fervour is a fervour that needs experiencing at least once in your life. So, I am afraid to say that this three-track ep will go unheard by your friendly neighbourhood milkman unless he is down with the angular tomfoolery of Dandelion radio. And so his whistle will not be heard whistling this gem of angsty experimental punk rock blowing on the breeze on a cold winter’s morning, which is a sad thing indeed. 

Kevin Robertson ‘Birdy In The Window’
Single – Released 16^th January 2026

I am both a fan of Kevin Robertson and Scott Robertson, who have both released some fine guitar music over the last few years, both solo and in their mutual various bands. They are Father and Son, and once again I do like bands/duos that feature the father/mother and their offspring because there to me always seems a melancholy and madness and obvious communication that carries over into their art. 

Birdy In The Window is a fine introduction to their forthcoming album, a song that has one thinking of Teenage Fanclub, Buffalo Springfield, Mathew Sweet, and is rather lovely indeed. 

Schizo Fun Addict ‘Pasteline Dream’
Single – (Fruits de Mer) Out Now

‘Pasteline Dream’ is both a taster for the new Schizo Fun Addict album and a limited-edition lathe-cut 7-inch single release on Fruits De Mer in March. And what a fine single it is too. All shimmering and jangling guitars ala early Stone Roses and those Scottish indie darlings The Pastels, with a wonderful slight whiff of the B52’s girls’ dreamlike magic. ‘Pasteline Dream’ is a wonderful way to start a New Year as it is the first new song I heard in 2026 and hopefully the musical magic will continue all throughout the oncoming year.

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