Unfolding from a place of quiet familiarity into widescreen cinematic scope, established composer and producer, Rebelski unveils his latest emotive single, “Roads.” A richly layered and immersive track that stands among the most expansive in his catalogue, the long-standing collaborator with artists including Doves, Peter Hook and The Light and Echo and The Bunnymen releases the single, rooted in cinematic, jet-age nostalgia, as he moves closer to the release of his latest album, Algorithms, on March 13, 2026.
Opening in recognizable Rebelski territory, “Roads” begins with a gently unfolding piano motif, intimate and reflective in tone before passing into territory built upon by a lineage of electronic and cinematic greats. Playing into stated late-20thCentury influences, Rebelski hints at David Axelrod’s orchestral soul, Boards of Canada’s hazy electronica and John Carpenter’s deeply affecting, narrative soundtracks in pushing forward Algorithms’ own, structured story.
Having previously light—touch released the first of the album’s singles, “Today,” in late 2025 (subsequently supported with attention from BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio 3) and followed-up with the motorik “Momentum” at the turn of the year, Rebelski detailed Algorithms as the final album in a considered trilogy. Recorded in studios and outdoor spaces across Manchester, Barcelona, and Shropshire, the album follows 2023’s Simplicity and 2024’s Monochrome to form a document of artistic preoccupation, musical experimentation and human connection to vibration, tone and timing.
In releasing “Roads,” Rebelski’s music reads like the soundtrack to an unseen film, playing along to journeys spooling through memory, landscapes seen and moments remembered. Working towards a body of work that challenges the narrative of inevitable technological takeover and leaves untied edges where robotized perfection could attain ‘perfection,’ human-first recording techniques ensure organic detail sits at the heart of each composition.
Rebelski says: “The music on Algorithms tries to occupy the spaces in between motion and stillness and action and pause, taking up its own territory with quiet but definite, assertive confidence. Various influences, from film soundtracks to groundbreaking synth composition have been woven into a framework that’s relevant to the present, trying to balance out feelings of retro warmth and the need to document human presence in the music with recognition of contemporary recording practices.”
Pursuing personal solo endeavors in between meeting the uncompromising demands of international touring, Algorithms was completed in stolen periods off the road while absorbing the influence of each country Rebelski counts himself lucky to pass through.
Inspired by Miles Davis‘ In a Silent Way, Nick Schofield‘s Blue Hour comes along just when we need it most. In a time when everyone is screaming (inward and outward, for right and wrong reasons depending on the individual) and everyone could use some grounding, Schofield helps us all stand still for a bit.
As the story goes, Schofield improvised and recorded the drum and synthesizer parts for the album in one day as he made his own riff of Davis’ classic album. Schofield then teamed up with trumpeter Scott Bevins who also improvised and recorded his parts in one day and without hearing anything Schofield had made beforehand.
The result is another stunning, beautiful record from Schofield. “Sky Cafe” and “Magic Touch” swell, soar, and soothe. The snappy, crisp beats of “Dream On” and its bright synths belong in a meet-cute scene from your favorite lost 1980s romantic comedy. “Goodnight Sun” and “Imagine Space” are almost krautrock-jazz with their looping synths and echoing trumpet.
“Natural Wonder” is like a lone trumpeter is playing across the street from a New Age bookstore that’s playing meditative synth music through their outdoor speakers. “Hidden Corner” will make you want to curl up in one with the song in your ears and a good book. The looping synths of “Hotel Cloud” relax you as Bevins’ trumpet carries your luggage while you chill out at the bar. “Kyoto Kiss” sends you from a hotel in the sky to a nice, modern spa in Japan where you’re in hurry to leave.
The album ends with the simply named “Times” to remind us that time can stretch if we let it. Time can become meaningless and nothing to worry about if we let it. The whole album reminds us of this in a time when we’re all rushed, grumpy, or just plain exhausted. We need albums like this to settle us.
Keep your mind open.
[I dream about you subscribing.]
[Thanks to Gabriel at Clandestine Label Services.]
Greg Loiacono & Stingray have released “Nothing Can Come Between Us,” a reimagining of the classic Sade song. Over the last two years, the Bay Area–based collective has been steadily building a following throughout Northern California, fine-tuning a retro soul sound that makes reinterpreting Sade a natural extension of their musical identity. A lone conga opens the track before the band falls into a magnetic groove, setting the stage for Loiacono’s falsetto vocal, which delivers the song’s themes of faith and trust with a palpable conviction. “I’ve been in love with Sade since hearing her for the first time as a kid in the backseat of my mom’s Chrysler Cordoba,” says Loiacono. “Something about hearing her voice and the band moved me deeply then and still does today. So when our drummer Michael Urbano brought ‘Nothing Can Come Between Us’ to the table as a cover for Stingray, I was delighted.” Urbano adds: “When we first tried playing ‘Nothing Can Come Between Us,’ I jumped into the same groove and tempo from Sade’s recording. The band’s percussionist Vicki Randle immediately stopped and said, ‘Don’t play it like that, do something different.’ So I slowed it down, went quarter notes on the hat, and swung the kick feel. She smiled and said, ‘There ya go.’ Once she jumped in on congas over that beat, it felt like we had our own thing goin’ for the song. Greg’s falsetto performance, run through producer Damien Lewis’ tripped-out effect, is its own thing as well. I love playing this song live; it’s like casting a spell that slowly gets a hold of the crowd. It’s not immediate. It’s one of those things that brings them to us, rather than us going to them.””Nothing Can Come Between Us” is the third single released by Greg Loiacono & Stingray from sessions produced by Damien Lewis at 2200 Studios in Sausalito, CA. The first two tracks, “Hope We Get To Dance” and “Come Back Home,” were released in 2025 via RPF Records / Royal Potato Family. Stingray is led by vocalist/guitarist Greg Loiacono, who is also a founding member of the legendary San Francisco rock band The Mother Hips. He’s joined by drummer Michael Urbano, percussionist/vocalist Vicki Randle, bassist/vocalist Kofy Brown, keyboardist Danny Eisenberg, and guitarist Tom Ayres. The six-piece is currently headlining shows throughout California.
Upcoming Shows: 3/21 – Templeton, CA – Club Car Bar 5/17 – Big Sur, CA – Hipnic XVII 6/20 – San Luis Obispo, CA – Live Oak Music Festival
Keep your mind open.
[Nothing can come between you and the subscription box.]
Here we are at the top ten albums I reviewed last year. The choices get tougher as the numbers get lower. Let’s get to it.
#10: The Limiñanas – Faded
A salute to forgotten models, actresses, singers, and to lost friends, Faded is another solid album from the French psych-rock duo. It has all the elements you want from The Limiñanas – wild guitars, heartbeat drums, smoky vocals, and a sense that they’re re-creating something you’ve forgotten.
#9: Blackwater Holylight – If You Only Knew
It was great to get a new recording from Blackwater Holylight last year (and a new full-length album is already on the way), and If You Only Knew marked a turn toward shoegaze for them. I’m all for it. The heavy guitars and deep, often sad lyrics are still there. Perhaps doom-gaze is a better description of it. Then again, why bother describing it? Just let overwhelm you.
#8: Frankie and The Witch Fingers – Live at KEXP
I’ve been waiting for a live Frankie and The Witch Fingers album for a little while, and this recording of a raw, raucous show for KEXP didn’t disappoint. It’s difficult to capture their live show energy, but they did it. The fact that they open the show with “Brain Telephone” (an oldie) makes it even better.
#7: Roi Turbo – Bazooka EP
This, simply put, is the best house music record I heard all last year. It makes you crave a longer record. These guys are having a lot of fun and thankfully they invited us to the party.
#6: Joe Alterman & Mocean Worker – Keep the Line Open
This jazz-funk-trip-hop record is a delight from start to finish as pianist Joe Alterman and producer / DJ Mocean Worker pay tribute to funky legend Les McCann. Every song is highly danceable and will brighten any time of day.
Up next, the top five, which includes two welcome returns, another legend, electro upstarts, and brash post-punks!
It’s time for my annual review of my favorite albums of the previous year. Who made the top 25 (or 40+) albums I reviewed? Read on!
#25: GoGo Penguin – Necessary Fictions
This is a solid jazz / prog album full of great beats and slick piano work. It was a pleasant surprise to discover it and this band last year.
#24: Beta Voids – Scrape It Off EP
This is a wonderfully nuts punk EP with songs about women kicking ass, people named Alan, and how much toxic masculinity sucks. A full LP from Beta Voids is in the works, so watch out before they run you over and laugh on the way out of town.
#23: Ric Wilson – America Runs on Disco EP
Speaking of good EPs that came out last year, here’s another. Ric Wilson is still somehow a secret force despite being a top-notch producer, songwriter, rapper, and cheerleader for the overly maligned city Chicago (Don’t believe what you hear. Go spend a couple days there, especially in the summer.). This EP is funky and joyful, which was exactly what we needed when it was released and still need right now.
#22: Bonnie Trash – Mourning You
On the opposite side of the spectrum, here’s an album about grief that’s one of the heaviest records of the year. The lyrics cut deep if you’ve lost a loved one, or even witnessed someone’s grief from afar.
#21: Dusty Rose Gang – A-One from Day One
Just when you thought rock might be taking a vacation for a little while, along comes this quartet to deliver one of the best straight-up rock records of 2025.
Take piano from cool jazz cat Joe Alterman and mix it with beats, bass, samples, and loops from Mocean Worker in a tribute to a late jazz and soul legend, Les McCann, and you get a downright groovy record – Keep the Line Open.
Starting with McCann’s high-pitched, hysterical laugh on “I Love It!, I Love It!, I Love It!,” Alterman (who counted McCann as a mentor and friend) and Worker have a blast right away, zipping along city streets (Are those traffic and train samples I hear?) with the windows down and at least three pretty ladies in the back seat. Worker’s bass line on “Yay Yay Yay” is designed to make you strut, and Alterman’s piano is designed to make you dress sharp for the evening.
On “Burnin’ Coal,” McCann tells a story of how he paid an announcer fifty bucks to introduce him with grandeur at an early gig in California, and then Alterman and Worker slide into a sweet groove complete with samples of ladies cheering, clapping, and stomping in the background. “Never have I seen a tuning fork ever,” says McCann as he talks with Alterman on learning how to play on and out of tune piano. “I never knew the difference,” he says, and then “Gimme Some Skin” breaks open with one of the happiest grooves on the record (and that’s saying a lot, considering the whole album is a happy delight) as Alterman rips on his electric piano.
“Circus Going Backwards” is a smoky, mysterious number. How can it not be with a title like that? “Get This to the People” could’ve been a hip hop jam in the golden era of 1990s rap (and still could be – someone needs to get on this). “Moses Gonzales” is so smooth that you could roll marbles across it in a straight line. “Lemme Tell You Somethin'” thumps and bumps in all the right spots.
The album closes with “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly / Les Has the Last Word” (as he should) – a great track of simple honkytonk piano from Alterman and a recording of McCann encouraging him (and us) to continue learning and growing.
Earlier this year, “Americana darling” (Bandcamp) Valerie June released her new album, Owls, Omens, and Oracles, via Concord to high acclaim. NPR Music deemed the album “inspiring…music that’s bringing people together,” while Paste described June as “one of roots music’s premiere cosmic travelers.” Today, June unveils a new single, “Runnin’ and Searchin’,” accompanied by a visualizer filmed by Dr. Ietef Vita in Big Sur, California.
Owls, Omens, and Oracles was a means for June to explore the discovery of a glimmer of hope in challenging times. “Part of the reflection is realizing that we are all oracles who write the future with every choice we make throughout the day,” June explains. “To write about our future, we must know something of the past. From heartbreak to poverty, oppression, injustice, failures, and pain, we all experience loss. ‘Runnin’ and Searchin” is a song that encourages us to use our setbacks as a doorway as we steadily step into the uncertain and unknown path that lies awaiting us with every tomorrow we’re gifted.”
June’s singular sound and energy is an undeniable north star. Her Tennessee twang grips listeners, with her expansive sound growing from her psychedelic folk, indie rock, Appalachian, bluegrass, country soul, orchestral pop, and blues root system. Halfway through a decade of immense and rapid global change, Valerie asserts a multidimensional Blackness steeped in laughter, truth, magic, delight, and interdependence.
“The resolutely upbeat Valerie June” (New York Times) is an author, poet, Grammy®-nominated singer-songwriter and three-time Americana Music Honors and Awards nominee. She’s been praised by Bob Dylan and written music for Mavis Staples. She is the subject of an exhibit at the National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM) in Nashville featuring artifacts from her storied career. She has shared the stage with Willie Nelson, Dinosaur Jr., John Prine, Tyler Childers, Brandi Carlile, Elvis Costello, Robert Plant, Meshell Ndegeocello, and well beyond.
Following a run of shows in Tokyo and the southwestern United States, this fall and winter, June continues on her Big Ole Worldwide Tour.
Valerie June Big Ole Worldwide Tour Dates Sat. Nov. 15 – Barcelona, ES @ Feroe’ 25 Festival Sun. Nov. 16 – Valencia, ES @ 16 Toneladas Tue. Nov. 18 – Madrid, ES @ Teatro Magno Wed. Nov. 19 – Bilbao, ES @ Bilborock Thu. Nov. 20 – Santiago de Compostela, ES @ Outono Códax Festival 2025 (Sala Capitol) Sun. Nov. 30 – Paris, France @ New Morning Mon. Dec. 1 – London, UK @ EartH Theatre – SOLD OUT Tue. Dec. 2 – Brussels, BE @ Orangerie Botanique Wed. Dec. 3 – Amsterdam, NL @ Zonnehuis Thu. Dec. 4 – Rotterdam, NL @ Bird Fri. Dec. 12 – New York, NY @ Town Hall Thu. Jan. 15 – Mon. Jan. 19 – Puerto Aventuras, Q.R. @ Wilco’s Sky Blue Sky – SOLD OUT Wed. Feb. 11 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Carnegie Lecture Hall
Bassist/producer Mocean Worker (aka Adam Dorn) and pianist/composer Joe Alterman have come together for Keep The Line Open, a funky, feel-good tribute to the late soul jazz legend Les McCann. Out September 26 via MOWO! Inc., the nine-track collection taps into the genre-blurring spirit that defined McCann’s music, as well as his influence on Dorn and Alterman, who knew him as a mentor, collaborator and close friend. With credits ranging from Eddie Harris and Ramsey Lewis to Hal Willner, Marcus Miller, and Brian Eno, Dorn and Alterman fuse their distinct artistry into an electrifying set that celebrates McCann’s essence while standing on its own as a joyous, party-starter. Keep The Line Open‘s first single, “Yay Yay Yay,” is out today (listen/share).
Dorn and Alterman created Keep The Line Open by melding sampling with live instrumentation to pay homage to an era when the groove reigned supreme and the vibe was decidedly danceable. It’s an album with that ‘live thing’ without actually being a live album. It invites the listener to shake their hips, stomp, shout, and exuberantly raise the collective vibration. Drawing from years of conversations recorded for posterity, saved voicemails and other aural documents of McCann, they’ve woven his voice, laughter, and ever-present sense of humor throughout the album, which threads in and out of the tracks. The infusion of McCann’s raspy timbre is the bond that holds the music together. “We wanted to make a record that harkened back to an era, but use the technology of the current era that says, ‘here’s a party and you can come to the party and not feel like you are being preached at…’” explains Dorn. Alterman concurs: “The idea of music making people feel good and enjoy themselves is one of the things Adam and I definitely have in common. It’s how we got into the music and live with the music, and that’s a point of this project for sure. Hopefully you’ll listen to it and think it’s a live party.”
Dorn’s relationship with Les McCann began through his father, the legendary Atlantic Records’ staff producer Joel Dorn, who worked closely with McCann on several albums, including rare-groove classics like Layers, Invitation to Openness, and the multi-platinum Swiss Movement, which also featured electric saxophone pioneer Eddie Harris. As a kid, the younger Dorn would often overhear long conversations between his father and McCann who shared a deep friendship. As he grew older, he himself began a profound relationship with McCann via extended phone conversations. It led McCann to hire Dorn, an accomplished bassist in his own right, to be part of his rhythm section on live dates. Alterman, meanwhile, started out as a devoted fan of McCann who received the rare opportunity to open for one of his heroes at The Blue Note. The two connected instantly, forging a friendship that lasted for years, primarily through near daily, hour-plus phone conversations. Although plans to record and tour together never materialized due to McCann’s health issues, they did co-write the song “Don’t Forget To Love Yourself.” Alterman would later release Joe Alterman Plays Les McCann: Big Mo & Little Joe, a heartfelt tribute to his mentor and friend. It was ultimately McCann’s passing that brought Dorn and Alterman together. They had both become aware of each other through their independent friendships with McCann who would mention each of the artists in his conversations with the other. Following his death, they’d finally meet and quite organically the idea of making a record of original material inspired by McCann was hatched. Dorn began writing sections of music, creating beats and rhythmic ideas that he’d send to Alterman over which he’d improvise. Dorn would then take those parts and shape them into songs. “It’s all constructed to sound organic, but if you saw the sessions, they look like a Jackson Pollock painting,” recounts Dorn. “It’s like someone who knows how to work with samplers that’s actually a jazz musician. Joe would solo over little ideas and I’d make big arrangements out of them.” Alterman adds: “I’d send Adam four or five solos and he’d piece together the catchy parts to make it what you hear.” The result is an album that is immensely funky (“Gimme Some Skin“), with nods to Latin grooves (“Moses Gonzalez“), and always heavy on the backbeat (“I Love It!, I Love It!, I Love It!“). There are times on Keep The Line Open where the listener will feel as though they are being taken to church (“Yay Yay Yay“), and at other times being taken on a trip to Haight-Asbury in the ’60s (“Circus Going Backwards“), and yet simultaneously the music to feel modern and of the moment (“Lemme Tell You Something“). There is a Les McCann cover tune (“Burnin’ Coal“), there is a moment for Alterman to thrill with his considerable stride piano skills (“Isn’t She Loverly“), and throughout there is Les, commenting on the proceedings with his inimitable wit, humor, and loving nature, making it all seem like it is being played just as he’d imagined. The limited-edition, 180-gram orange vinyl also includes a 10-page insert with extensive liner notes by Alterman, Dorn and Michael Smith, author of In with the In Crowd: Popular Jazz in 1960s Black America, alongside rare and previously unpublished photos of McCann by Sharon Josepho. And while Les McCann is the driving force, the entire spirit of his era, from Ramsey Lewis to Ahmad Jamal, Eddie Harris to Cannonball Adderley, lives in the music. It’s this inspiration that guides Mocean Worker and Joe Alterman through each of the nine tracks. Keep The Line Open is a musical celebration that, like Les McCann himself, makes you feel alive and happy and ready to party.
Part-classical, part-jazz, part-krautrock, part-techno, and part-funk, GoGo Penguin‘s newest album, Necessary Fictions, is a neat blend of styles that’s difficult to pin down, but an enjoyable listen. The band (Nick Blacka – bass, Chris Illingworth – piano, and Jon Scott – drums) explore some new territory on their seventh record, mainly synthesizers.
“Umbra” is a bumping track with rich bass and subtle synths to evoke a slight sense of darkness, but not skimping on creativity. Illingworth’s piano on “Fallowfield Loops” is a delight to hear, as it sounds like he was having a fun time playing it. “Luminous Giants” features a rarity on a GoGo Penguin album – vocals. They’re provided by singer-songwriter Daudi Matsiko.
“What We Are and What We Are Meant to Be” is a standout, with the band embracing synths and creating neat textures suitable for a new Blade Runner movie. Blacka’s bass almost becomes vocals on “The Turn Within.” Apart from having a cool name, “Living Bricks in Dead Mortar” has some of Scott’s hardest drumming on the record, swelling up with the synths to create a brief industrial riff. “Naga Ghost” refers to a pepper that builds in heat when you eat it, and the track builds in speed and intensity as it goes along.
Rakhi Singh‘s guest violin on “Luminous Giants” is beautiful. “Float (Loi Krathong, 2003)” is a bass-led track about Blacka attending a floating lantern festival in Bangkok. The eight-piece string ensemble Manchester Collective joins the band on “State of Flux” – a cool, sharp track in which GGP rocks out a bit while the strings dance around them. The closing track, “Silence Speaks,” takes the band, and the album, from electronica to acoustic and brings everything to a nice close.
It’s a lovely record, and I hope GGP continues this trend of blending jazz with electronics. It’s a good mix.
