Records we’ve Loved so far in 2026

‘Record of the year’ lists have become all the rage as the nights get darker and we creep towards the new year, but by then we have sometimes forgotten about some of the great records that were released at the very beginning of the year. So we thought we would have little trip back over the last six month and take another look at some of the titles that have stuck with us and got a regular play in the Travelling the Groove office.

We are concentrating on new albums, rather than reissues (we might do a blog on those as well), although there is one reissue but it has never been on vinyl before, so we’re bending the rules a little.

January

It was a strong start to the year with the ladies leading the way. First up we have the new one from Lily Allen, West End Girl. We had never been big fans of previous releases by Ms. Allen , but this one struck a chord with us. I think anyone who has listened to it will agree that the subject material make it a tough listen, her break up from David harbour, and her open and candid lyrics certainly lay it all out there for everyone to hear. Lyrically tough, but as an album, musically excellent work and a strong return to the musical limelight.

Arriving a little earlier in the month, our second female lead is also a musical powerhouse of reinvention going from You Tube cutie to metal screamer, Poppy. Now this sort of music is not for everyone, but we have been fans since her 2021 album ‘Flux’ and this years ‘Empty Hands’ is another step forward. Completely written by Poppy, the album steps into multiple subjects including the end of relationships, betrayal and coming out the other side, flowing from gentle to being fired up and letting you have it both barrels.

Honoury mentions: The Cribs – Selling a Vibe, Cast – Yeah Yeah Yeah and Madison Beer – Locket

February

February was overflowing with great albums and picking two for this blog caused a lot of back and forth.

The first one we settled on is impressive in that it is such a great album and came less than a year since their previous release. The album in question, Prizefighter by Mumford and sons. Whilst their sound has changed a little over the years, less banjo, they continue to stick to what they do well and that is to make feel good music, regardless of the subject. The addition of some guest vocalists (Gracie Abrams, Hozier, Gigi Perez and Chris Stapleton) just took this album to another level and perfectly complimented that Mumford sound.

Equal first place in February was everyone favourite virtual band, Gorillaz, and their new album ‘The Mountain’. As with all Gorillaz albums you never really know what you are going to get as they take so many different influences and blend them with their signature electronic/guitar sound. There were clues in the title (written in Devanagari) and the art work and sure enough it draws heavily on India Classical instrumentation and includes vocals in multiple languages and from previous Gorillaz collaborators who had passed away. Whilst the album isn’t as accessible as some of their earlier work, it challenges the listener just enough without it becoming an exam, there are still plenty of sing along songs.

Honoury Mentions: Laughing Hyenas – That Girl: Live recordings 1986-1994, Puscifer – Normal Isn’t, Joe Bonamassa – B.B King’s Blues Summit 100

March

For the albums in March it was very tempting to go with the Help(2) charity record, if you haven’t heard it or heard of it, it is well worth a listen just for the song selection by the artists involved, but we will save that for an honorary mention. Instead we are going with two very different musical styles, the first up is the electronic wizardry of Xylitol and her album Blumenfantasie. Blending influences from early jungle, garage, electro and drum and bass, this is an instrumental journey with a sense of melancholy but there is also a lot of beauty to be discovered throughout. The sort of record you can either have playing in the background or you can allow it to wash over you.

After the chaotic beats of an electronic album we take it down a notch with Honora, the debut solo album from Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, and it’s not what you would expect. This album is inspired by Fleas love for jazz and he provides trumpet, bass and spoken word vocals throughout the album. Flea lets it all go on this album with a variety of different styles from fast moving Be-bop to smooth club jazz through to more modern contemporary compassions. Not the sort of album you would expect to sell a lot of copies, but the label struggled to keep up with demand as this one struck a chord with many people who would not normally have any Jazz in their collection.

Honorary Mentions: Various Artists – Help(2), Foy Vance – The Wake, The Black Crowes – A pound of Feathers

Part 2 will feature our album selections from April to June. Thank you for reading

James