In Dream Life, Marta Del Grandi crafts a captivating art-pop landscape where reality and imagination blur. Moving beyond the “oil painting” textures of Selva, this album embraces a detailed, contemporary “photobook” style. From the staccato energy of the rhythmic single “Antarctica” to the hazy, shifting title track, Del Grandi delivers a sophisticated, ground-breaking collection that redefines pop music for 2026.

Drag City unearths Echo Park, a long-lost collection of “glitter-light” pop from LA jazz legend Tommy Peltier. Mixed and mastered by Jim O’Rourke, the album captures Peltier’s 1970s transition into a soulful troubadour. Lead single “Flight of the Dancer,” out now, is a lush, 1976-tracked ballad featuring ethereal vocals and sensuous slide guitar reminiscent of George Harrison.

From street-busking in Carlow to collaborating with Boygenius, Ye Vagabonds’ journey culminates in ‘All Tied Together.’ Releasing January 30, their fourth album swaps traditional covers for deeply personal original songwriting. Produced by Phil Weinrobe, it’s a masterful blend of earthy folk and experimental textures—shimmering synths and soaring strings—capturing the grit of their past and the warmth of home.

This week’s Monday Morning Brew Playlist is filled with new releases from the likes of Ulster Trio TRÙ, Bill Callahan, Courtney Barentt, Susan O’Neill & Valerie June, Cat Power, Cat Clyde, Setting, Gregory Uhlmann, Chantal Acda and more.

A globetrotting Mixtape extravaganza featuring Afel Bocoum, Damon Albarn, Toumani Diabaté and Friends, Herbie Hancock (Feat. Tinariwen, K’naan and Los Lobos), Goat + MC Yallah, Bachar Mar-Khalifé, Minami Deutsch, TEKE::TEKE, Xylouris White, Brigitte Fontaine, Bedouin Jerry Can Band, Rachid Taha, Bassekou Kouyate and Ngoni Ba, Msafiri Zawose, Terakaft, Noura Mint Seymali, Songhoy Blues and more.

Lande Hekt’s Lucky Now marks a sophisticated evolution for twee pop. Blending the political optimism of Amelia Fletcher with the introspection of Sarah Records, Hekt expands the genre’s boundaries using 90s alt-rock grit and sparkling production. From the jangly title track to the sharp social commentary of “Circular,” these three-minute gems establish Hekt as a highly individual, accomplished artist.

A deep dive into the music and influence of Anne Briggs with rare live footage, interview, and an extensive four-hour playlist featuring both her music and those she has influenced (Also available on KLOF Mag’s Substack).

Flutist Rachel Beetz returns with Tone Keepers, on February 6. The album track “Reverb” explores an “alien harmonic orbit” built from spacious multiphonics and cyclical breath. Beetz treats sound as physical touch—a transduction of energy through air to the eardrum. Experience the album in full at Rhizome DC on February 4, featuring a large ensemble including Animal Collective’s Geologist and Alma Laprida.

“low clouds hang, this land is on fire” is such a beguiling album; the music is gentle and beautiful in places, yet you know there are turbulent emotions beneath the surface. Only an artist with perfect control of their medium could bring so much meaning into and invite so much interpretation from solo guitar music. This is spellbinding and significant; Tashi Dorji operating at the highest level.

French folk artist Aure unveils “A ti te tengo,” a rhythmic Spanish-language single from her debut album printemps, out March 20th via Mayway Records. Moving from architecture to minimalist music, Aure crafts a “discreet love song” that celebrates finding beauty after the storm. The track’s repetitive guitar and intimate vocals highlight a delicate, multilingual sound inspired by Sibylle Baier and Leonard Cohen.

Wendy Eisenberg announces their self-titled album, arriving April 3 via Joyful Noise Recordings. Led by the baroque-pop single “Meaning Business,” the record marks a creative milestone for the Brooklyn virtuoso. Drawing from a “personal exorcism” and influences like Judee Sill and David Lynch, these formally daring folk songs offer a spacious, urgent vision of recovery, self-understanding, and profound musical relief.

With The Fallen By Watch Bird, Jane Weaver found a definitive and singular voice, sloughing off psych-pop signifiers for trancey, kraut-inspired rhythms and expansive synth flights. This expanded reissue, with ‘The Watchbird Alluminate’ (featuring various guests), confirms her lavish vision, blending folkloric dreaminess with motorik rhythms. It remains a crucial album in her oeuvre, proving Weaver was a progenitor of hauntology and freak folk whose formative work still stands up.