5 Albums

A newsletter I read just asked people to post their favourite five albums. I can’t get the commenting there, so I’ll bore myself here.

I had an extremely well written, possibly life-changing list written, and then I lost it in the internet ether. Here is a weakly written facsimile of that list. You’ll never know what you missed.

1. KID A MNESIA or OK Computer or Hail to the Thief - Radiohead

Depends on the day/mood/how therapy went. But one of those. KID A NMESIA is kind of cheating as it’s a deluxe edition of Kid A and Amnesiac along with outtakes and b sides all combined into one gorgeous package. So that’s four Radiohead albums squeezed into the top spot. Sue me.

Watch: “There There”

2. Getting Killed - Geese

Mere 23 year olds from Brooklyn write an album redefining rock music for 2026. The 11 tracks on this album are my 11 most listened to songs of 2026, and it’s not even close. “Taxes” is a great introduction. “Long Island City Here I Come” is my favourite today. Yesterday it was “Cobras.”

Watch: “100 Horses” and “Cobra”

3. Axes - Electrelane

Sometimes the nicest people can make the loudest music. I started listening to them when someone said to me “If you like Stereolab so much, you should try this,” and handed me a copy of The Power Out, the album before this one. I owe that person a debt of gratitude. Verity, the singer of Electrelane, has a new band called Memorials and they just released their first album. It’s one of my favourites of 2026.

Watch: “U.O.R”

4. Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit or Tell Me What You Really Think - Courtney Barnett

I’m pretending that this is a double album so I can include them both. Pavement-esque wordplay and hooks that grab you. My wife will not allow me to play “Depreston” in her presence as she says it’s just too bleak.

Watch: “Pedestrian at Best”

5. Stop Making Sense - Talking Heads

It’s fair to say that this album and movie changed the direction of my life. It opened up a world of exciting new music and ideas for me. It’s one of 50 albums that could go here.

Watch: “Burning Down the House” from Stop Making Sense

When I wrote this earlier before losing this post, number five was Philip Glass - The Symphonies. Lists should be flexible, as music tastes should be (excluding country).