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.
REVIEWS/Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea
Brian ‘Bordello’ Shea joined the Monolith Cocktail team in January 2019. The cult leader of the infamous lo fi gods, The Bordellos, has released countless recordings over the decades with his family band of hapless unfortunates, and is the owner of a most self-deprecating sound-off style blog. His most releases include The Bordellos beautifully despondent pains-of-the-heart and mockery of clique “hipsters” ode to Liverpool, and, under the guises of the Idiot Blur Fanboy moniker, a stripped down classic of resignation and Gallagher brothers’ polemics.
Each week we send a mountain of new releases to the self-depreciating maverick to see what sticks. In his own idiosyncratic style and turn-of-phrase, pontificating aloud and reviewing with scrutiny an eclectic deluge of releases, here Brian’s latest batch of recommendations.
With all live gigs and events more or less quashed for the foreseeable future, buying music (whether it’s physical or through digital platforms such as Bandcamp) has never been more important for the survival of the bands/artists/collectives that create it. We urge you all to keeping supporting; to keep listening.
Princess Thailand ‘And We Shine’
(À Tant Rêver du Roi and Luik Records) Album/Available Now
If the swooning sound of post punk is the thing that swings your swinger then this fine album by Princess Thailand is the thing for you. Siouxsie and The Banshees attitude and early Cure like darkness melts over the proceedings like a black-hearted vamp of loneliness offering you one last grasp of togetherness. Guitars and sultry vocals merge with the feeling and memories of 80s post punk and, dare I say it, Goth to bring together an enjoyable flange filled half hour or so of dark sparkle angst.
Sir Robert Orange Peel ‘Are You Mod Enough’
(Metal Postcard Records) Single/Available Now
Welcome to another musical history lesson from Sir Robert Orange Peel; this time teaching us all about the mod culture fashions from the 60s: myself being too young to remember such a thing, but old enough to remember the late 70s revival. The joys of being a rockabilly in the early 80s, leather jacket winklepicker boots and huge Stray Cats like quiff surrounded by the be-parkered ones at a early 80s Kinks gig: and what a gig it was.
This is a joyful hipster swing of a track; one you could imagine Michael Cain sipping on a whisky and coke to, wearing horn rimmed glasses whilst watching the mini skirted beauties shaking their tail feather and there long lank hair swaying to this organ led beat happening at the London groovy discotheque.
Sir Bobby Jukebox ‘Friendship Gift’
(Already Dead Records) Album/22nd May 2020
Is there anyone out there old enough to remember the early 90’s and the wonderful joyful happy sounds of the Frank And Walters, who mastered in releasing catchy indie pop with melodies that caressed all the parts you wanted caressing by joyful indie music whilst hiding the dark underbelly of sadness.
Well if you do, this could well be for you. It has the same magical qualities but with the added spice of diy everything but kitchen sink woozy psychedelia, the injection of a “nah nah” chorus rush frenzies, and the Postcard era jangle of guitars – especially on ‘the has Edwyn entered the room’ ‘You Only Dance’. A joyful sugar rush of an album.
Bigflower ‘Hold You In Place’
Single/Available Now
Another day in lockdown and another slice of dark wonderful distorted searing guitar from the equally wonderful bigflower, an artist that should be celebrated not ignored: if this was the 90s when people still gave a shit about new music bigflower would be all over late night radio and in the serious music press. As this is Monolith Cocktail, and one of the only remaining serious music blogs still standing [no clickbait 10 songs about making tea from us] it is our duty to review and to publicize such a serious talent.
If dark beautiful guitar music that you can dive into and totally submerge yourself in is your thing, bigflower is certainly the man/artist/band for you. Get downloading: it’s free. And tell your guitar loving friends to do the same.
Palavas ‘Centerpiece’
(Wormhole World) Album/Available Now
Discordant noise merges with electro soundscapes that paint a sweeping aural picture of dark beauty, sometimes verging on the slightly psychedelic industrial sound that Throbbing Gristle used to thrive in producing; and I would advise any fans of Throbbing Gristle to give this festival of noise [noise in the best way] a go as I think they could well enjoy and be intrigued by this sound wash of danger. Once again Wormhole World Records produce the goods.
Salvatore Baglio ‘Sonic Doom: A Lo- Fi Home Companion’
Album/Available Now
Lo-fi is what I do best musically, so when I’m introduced to a 25-track album of such lo-fi beauties I’m indeed like a pig in muck. Recorded in various places on various recording equipment over the last 20 years by Salvatore Baglio, and compiled into this gem of a release.
Songs that makes one think of XTC, Guided By Voices, Cleaners From Venus, Clinic, and The Beach Boys at their crazy best amongst many other, what these songs have are invention, melody and tongue in cheek humour, and a great amount of songwriting talent.
There is the wonderful warmth that one gets from using cassette tapes to record that this album and these songs benefit greatly from; the warmth most of these songs, if not all of these songs, couldn’t be improved upon by using a state of the art 64 track studio, for what people do not quite grasp is that to succeed in making truly great lo-fi music you have to be a hugely talented songwriter with a inventive mind as you cannot hide behind 32 tracks of synths or millions of overdubs and get some producer to cover up some of your weaker tracks with studio trickery, and this album really does not have any weak tracks.
From the experimental instrumentals to stunning guitar pop all are polished gems. Some achievement that over the 25 tracks one does not find their minds wandering or wanting to skip songs. This really is a album all music lovers need to dive into and lose themselves in; a truly wonderful album and a masterclass in songwriting.
Nightingales ‘Four Against Fate’
(Ting Global Productions) LP/22nd May 2020
The Robert Lloyd warble is a thing of punk and post punk beauty, and here we are still in 2020 still enjoying the lyrical dexterity and humour of the great man: and long may it continue. As always songs of post punk verve leap from the speakers drenching you in memories of late night glories of listening to the much-missed John Peel; it really is like the last 35 years have not happened.
This album is simply timeless guitars jangling and twisting and distorting – as all great post punk guitars should do. Melodies reach out and throttle you while gently pulling on your heart strings reminding you no matter how bad things seem to be getting their are wonderful bands and characters like the Nightingales making enjoyable discordant pop songs full of wit adventure and wonder.
Xqui ‘Microchasm’
(Wormhole World) LP/15th May 2020
Found sounds or found zounds if you want to be funky, and I’m in a funky mood, the kind of mood where I feel like listening to cut up sounds welded together to make music with or without melody, the kind of thing you may find attractive whilst cutting a garden hedge or two. You can imagine Fred Astaire walking down a staircase whilst surrounded by beauties in fine gowns in black and white photos, whilst some guy is annoyingly recording the clip clop of his feet and making a strange trance like dance track from the aftertaste of the be-swathed one.
Found Zounds as I am now fond of calling them are something to be admired and beholden in a fashion not known by man, or men depending how many there are, or women even – let’s not be sexist about this. If you want to start and experiment into making found zounds you could not do worse than giving this a listen and losing yourself in the found zound wizardry of Xqui.
Simon Klein ‘Cat’
(Gare Du Nord) Single/Video/15th May 2020
Ah at last I was just beginning to despair of finding something I liked enough to be kind to in a review when this bountiful in bounce beauty came into my email box; a song that flounces with a fine subtle rockabilly beat, the kind of song that one twists to in their kitchen whilst waiting for the kettle to boil. And did you notice I wrote song and not track for it has lyrics and melody and everything. It is a song you can both dance to and stroke your chin to: hurrah!
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