My 2026 Exploration

I've been working hard on 2026 recently, and have been checking out at least one 2026 album a day, but often I have to go through some other albums by said artist before I do so, that way I can properly gauge the albums and the artist's growth.  So it's been a crazy adventure just to get a proper 2026 chart going, especially since a good chunk of the most well-recieved albums on the website are metal and I've been trying to branch out into a number of musical territories beyond just metal.  So this is gonna be the place where I post commentary and reviews on whatever 2026 album I'm checking out.

Here are my current top 

1. Boards of Canada - Inferno (IDM, Downtempo): 100

2. Gorillaz - The Mountain (Art Pop, Electropop, Neo-Psych): 97

3. Heavensouls - Westside Trapped (Jazz-Funk): 96

4. Pat Metheny - Side-Eye III+ (Jazz Fusion): 96

5. Hemlocke Springs - The Apple Tree Under the Sea (Synthpop, Dance-Pop): 96

6. Panopticon - Det hjemsøkte hjertet (Atmo-Black Metal, Post-Metal): 94

7. Jane Remover (Leroy) - Status Update Music (Dariacore, Hard Dance): 94

8. Jill Scott - To Whom This May Concern (Neo-Soul): 93

9. Hallas - Panorama (Prog Rock, Hard Rock): 92.5

10. Neurosis - An Undying Love for a Burning World (Sludge Metal, Atmo-Sludge Metal, Post-Metal): 92.5

11. friends& - Folx (Glitch Pop, Neo-Psych, Folktronica): 92.5

12. Converge - Love Is Not Enough (Metalcore): 92

13. Underscores - U (Electropop, EDM)L 92

14. Genesis Owusu - Redstar Wu & the Worldwide Scourge (Political Hip Hop, Neo-Soul, Rock): 92

15. Naked Flames - First Name Naked Second Name Flames (Outside House, Downtempo, Ambient Dub / Ambient Chillout): 91

16. Death's Dynamic Shround and Galen Tipton - Mobile Suit Gym Rat (EDM, Post-Club): 90.5

17. Immolation - Descent (Death Metal): 90

18. Damián Antón Ojeda (Letterstoyou) - ...Maybe Someday Became Today (Screamo): 90

19. By Storm: My Ghosts Go Ghost (Exp. Hip Hop, Electronic): 89

20. Inundaremos - Tanquemante (Chamber Pop, Indie Rock, Indie Folk): 88.5

21. Bruno Pernadas - unlikely, maybe (Jazz Fusion, Art Pop, Neo-Psych, Prog Pop): 87.5

22. CAVS - Sojourn (Jazz-Funk, Jazz Fusion): 87

23. Damián Antón Ojeda (Letterstoyou) - Moonlight (Emoviolence): 87

24. J McClendon (You Are an Angel) - It's Fine to Dream (Indie Rock, Emo-Pop (Alt-Rock, Pop Punk)): 86

25. Lip Critic - Theft World (Synth Punk, Digital Hardcore EDM, Industrial): 86

26. Slayyyter - Wor$t Girl in America (Electropop, Electroclash, Electro House): 86

27. The Lemon Twigs - Look for Your Mind! (Power Pop, Pop Rock, Psych Pop): 86

28. Nando Garcia - Lover Man (Indie Folk): 84

29. The Sidepieces - Darklight (Exp. Hip Hop, Southern Hip Hop, Glitch Hop, Epic Collage): 83.5

30. Sturgill Simpson (Johnny Blue Skies) - Mutiny After Midnight (Country Rock, Funk Rock): 83

First review:

Mild Sorrow Integrated (sueter7) - Todo salió bien en la sencilla Villa Quién

Genres: Indietronica, Indie Rock

Already familiar with the MSI works, I was a bit surprised to look this artist up on the RYM charts and find a new alias for a beloved new album.  It's already building up some love online.  I would've checked out the earlier seuter7 EP titled Diario, but since this is one of those "multiple alias" artists, I didn't really feel like that one EP would really prepare me for a whole new layer to explore, since this is the artist's first studio album under that name.  This album seems to musically be about bringing you through a journey into the complex yet simple and catchy world of modern indie's wonders, kind of like a tour.  The bulk of this is made up of the peppier side of indie, the kind of cutesiness you may expect to find in the power pop days of New Pornographers, but with some of that clever sophistication of those artsy Windmill Scene bands.  Throughout all the whimsy is a surprisingly progressive collection of layers that maintain simplicity alone while all going perfectly well together.  As a result of this, leading melodies and riffs may not be the most inventive, but there's plenty of creativity to go around, and a lot gets done even though they remain largely within indie constructs.  De Chungking a Mendoza and Miedos de Transporte are two of the best examples of how all these layers compliment each other.  In fact, I was having so much fun with this album that when I checked to see how long I got in the 9-minute closer, Todo Salio Bien, I was a full four minutes in but I thought it was only two and a half.  Yeahm, this refreshingly "springtime in the city" album was that breezy, and it really wasn't when the laws of nature are concerned.  Easily an album I would return to if I'm ever in an indietronica mood.

90, now my #18.

16. Death's Dynamic Shround and Galen Tipton - Mobile Suit Gym Rat (EDM, Post-Club): 90.5

17. Immolation - Descent (Death Metal): 90

18. Mild Sorrow Integrated (sueter7) - Todo salió bien en la sencilla Villa Quién (Indietronica, Indie Rock): 90

19.Damián Antón Ojeda (Letterstoyou) - ...Maybe Someday Became Today (Screamo): 90

20. By Storm: My Ghosts Go Ghost (Exp. Hip Hop, Electronic): 89