ALBUM REVIEW

ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Apollo by Gene (June 2026)

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

Tracklist: London, Can You Wait?; Be My Light, Be My Guide; We Could Be Kings; Where Are They Now?; Truth, Rest Your Head; Your Love, It Lies; Long Sleeves For The Summer; Sleep Well Tonight; Save Me, I’m Yours; O Lover; Speak To Me Someone; A Car That Sped; Walking In The Shallows; Haunted By You; Olympian; For The Dead; Sick, Sober and Sorry; Fighting Fit; I Can’t Help Myself; Who Said This Was The End?

It’s 8 months after Gene’s 1st London gig for 21 years and the perfect time for this live album to drop ahead of Camden Roundhouse shows this autumn.

  • Read on for reasons including how Apollo proves a startling reminder of both how incredible Gene were and could be again
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Too Much Not Enough by Daði Freyr (May 2026)

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

Tracklist: I Don’t Wanna Talk; Me And You; Hot Damn; With You; P-E-R-F-E-C-T; Beautiful Day; Flying Fuck; I’m Out And I Wanna Go Home; Feel It; Why?; Good Enough; Wildfire

Freyr stands 6 ft 9.9 inches tall and for those seeking a cure for post-Eurovision Song Contest depression he could be just the giant to keep the party going.

  • Read on for reasons including how this is the sound of Freyr capturing that special magic in 1 place once more
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Wildfire by Loreen (April 2026)

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: *****

Tracklist: Where Do We Go From Here?; Feels Like Heaven; Weapons; Is It Love?; Can’t Pull Me Down; Melt; Wildfire; Coming Close; Set Me Free; Tattoo; Lose That Light; Kiss The Sky; True Love

It’s been almost 3 years since Loreen became the 1st woman to win Eurovision twice and, despite the wait, this album’s exceptional quality makes it all worthwhile.

  • Read on for reasons including how this is easily Loreen’s best and most cohesive album
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Sexistential by Robyn (March 2026)

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

Tracklist: Really Real; Dopamine; Blow My Mind; Sucker For Love; It Doesn’t Mean A Thing; Talk To Me; Sexistential; Light Up; Into The Sun

We last saw Robyn onstage at The 02 as special guest of Charli XCX in 2024 and this summer she headlines there with this comeback album.

  • Read on for reasons including how Robyn’s a trailblazer who’s maturing while still horny for Prince influences despite new motherhood post-break up
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FILM REVIEW/ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Wuthering Heights by Charli XCX (February 2026)

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

By Aline Mahrud

WORTH A LOOK?: Album ****/film ***

The best thing about Emerald Fennell’s (Cinderella, Gillian Lynne Theatre) reimagining of the Emily Bronte classic is the soundtrack by Charli XCX which adds an appropriate modern gothic haunting gloom.

  • Read on for reasons including how the Wuthering Whites casting detracts from what could have been a more effective film
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Beautiful Madness by Agnes (January 2026)

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: *****

Tracklist: Interlude; Beautiful Madness; Trigger; Got Any?; Milk; Focus; Wake Up; Balenciaga Covered Eyes; Not Capable; Ego; Masterpiece; Sign It; Pre; Lovesongs; Uterus & Universe

‘Life is a beautiful madness, and it’s when we stop chasing perfection that the truly interesting things happen,’ says Agnes as she releases this new album and prepares to headline London’s KOKO next week where we join her.

  • Read on for reasons including why this is the 1st great album of 2026
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Everybody Scream by Florence And The Machine (December 2025)

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

Tracklist: Everybody Scream; One Of The Greats; Witch Dance; Sympathy Magic; Perfume And Milk; Buckle; Kraken; The Old Religion; Drink Deep; Music By Men; You Can Have It All; And Love

‘The closest I came to making life was the closest I came to death,’ says lead singer Florence Welch. ‘And I felt like I had stepped through this door, and it was just full of women, screaming.’

  • Read on for reasons including how this can lay claim to Welch’s most personal album to date
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: LUX by Rosalía (November 2025)

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: *****

Tracklist: Sexo, Violencia y Llantas; Reliquia; Divinize; Porcelana; Mio Cristo Piange Diamanti; Berghain; La Perla; Mudo Nuevo; De Madruga; Dios Es Un Stalker; La Yugular; Sauvignon Blanc; La Rumba Del Perdon; Memoria; Magnolias

Music is the original international tongue and Rosalía’s use here of 13 languages appears to be an attempt to maximise its appeal.

  • Read on for reasons including how the need for repeat listening is required to appreciate the ambition, breadth of ideas and astonishing realisation of them here
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ALBUM OF THE WEEK: There’s Always More That I Could Say by Sigrid (week beginning Saturday 8 November 2025)

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

TRACKLIST: I’ll Always Be Your Girl; Jellyfish; Do It Again; Kiss The Sky; Two Years; Hush Baby, Hurry Slowly; Fort Knox; There’s Always More That I Could Say; Have You Heard This Song Before?; Eternal Sunshine

Sigrid muses on change, friendship, keeping it all in and experimentation on her 3rd and most musically adventurous album which entered the UK chart at 12 this week, her 1st not to make the top 5.

  • Read on for reasons including how Sigrid’s lyrics are at their most interesting, her performance is front and centre and the pop songs show more musical depth
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ALBUM OF THE MONTH: Rainy Sunday Afternoon by The Divine Comedy (October 2025)

Posted on by mrmonstagigz

WORTH A LOOK?: ****

Tracklist: Achilles; The Last Time I Saw The Old Man; The Man Who Turned Into A Chair; I Want You; Rainy Sunday Afternoon; All The Pretty Lights; Down The Rabbit Hole; Mar-a-Lago By The Sea; The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter; Can’t Let Go; Invisible Thread

The loss of a parent is a universal experience but not 1 which pop music usually troubles itself with.

  • Read on for reasons including where to see the band on tour in the UK and in Europe 2025/6
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