0003 : Some Of The Best Of The First-Half (2026)

I spend a lot of time engaged in new-music discovery. On a weekly basis I sample dozens of albums - some by bands I am familiar with, others from artists I have never heard of. I am always listening with a critical ear for what's new and interesting.

When albums sound promising, I save them as a playlist. Then, within a few weeks I make a decision to keep or discard it. After living with the album it either cements itself as a keeper or it is deleted from my library. It is through this initial selection and weening process that I have amassed my digital music collection. Thousands of albums by hundreds of artists, released by hundreds of labels, in dozens of genres - all albums that I like and some that I have loved for decades.

With such a dynamic and ever-growing collection of music, I occasionally like to take inventory. Twice a year, in June and December, I compile lists of my favorite new albums. The list I produce in June is called "Some Of The Best Of The First-Half". The 2026 edition is detailed in this article.

To accompany my bi-annual best-albums lists I make a playlist that features one-song from each album. I find this is an effective way to share the music with others. For me personally, listening to one of my "best-of" compilations from 5, 10, or 15-years ago takes me back in time just like looking at old photographs.

Some Of The Best Of The First Half (2026)

01. Diles Que No Me Maten - Escrito En Agua - Moonlight Activities

02. Gia Margaret - Singing - Jagjaguwar

03. Gun Outfit - Process & Reality - Upset The Rhythm

04. Zoh Amba - Eyes Full - Matador

05. Twisted Teens - Blame The Clown - Chain Smoking Records / Jazz Life

06. JuJu Rogers - Pink Guitars, Spaceships, Voodoo Dolls - Kounterkultur

07. Hedge Burners - Fall Out Of The Future - Legless Records

08. Sunday Mourners - A-Rhythm Absolute - Curation Records

09. Drug Stop - Love You All The Time - Drug Stop

10. Ages & Ages - Fine Thanks And You - Needle & Thread Records

11. Monster Rally - Echoes of the Emerald Sands - Flowering Jungle

12. Widowspeak - Roses - Captured Tracks

13. EXEK - Prove The Mountains Move - DFA Records

14. Hen Ogledd - Discombobulated - Domino Recording Co.

15. Fabric - Until We Are Free - Four Files

16. IDK - e.t.d.s. A Mixtape - .idk

17. Vince Staples - Cry Baby - Loma Vista Recordings

18. Squarepusher - Kamer Konzert - Warp Records

19. Torn Hawk - I’ll Be There For You - Valcrond Video

20. Turner Cody - Out For Blood - Capitane Records

21. Kevin Morby - Little Wide Open - Dead Oceans

22. Langkamer - No - Breakfast Records

23. Rami Gabriel - Tenderizer - Scooper Records

24. Solid State Radio - Lower The Ghost Light - Terminus Hate City

25. The Wave Pictures - Gained / Lost - Bella Union