DYC is a song you never forget where you were the first time you heard it - it rewires your brain. I remember hearing it and thinking "wait a song can do this?" and then it becomes a benchmark for everything afterwards (until you find All My Friends). Each song though has it's own personality - I Can Change, Home, You Wanted a Hit, Pow Pow....too good.
Easily moved into my top releases from 2026. Been sharing with everyone I know - all of whom have been immediately hooked too. Excited to see what's ahead for this group!
Knew this was going to be an auto favorite from 2026 when I saw he was teaming up with J Lloyd-Watson and Lydia Kitto (Jungle)....I was not disappointed. One of those albums you put on while cooking dinner with friends/family (wine is poured...it's golden hour....) - easy listening you can put on and leave on.
It's a masterpiece. The "party girl memoir" with each track being a chapter that reveals another side of that character's life - all of which takes place in the sonic landscape of the brat universe (LOL). Makes for a very interesting album! I love that the original tracks hold up to the remixed versions too - I go back to both versions equally.
This is their first record that doesn't really fall into a genre other than being...The Beatles. So much more variation in production (Norwegian Wood, Michelle) and of course nostalgia is perfectly packaged in the classic: In My Life (how were they just 23/24 when they wrote that?!). A lot of their later work can be foreshadowed from this record.
Honorable mention standouts: You Won't See Me, The Word, Nowhere Man
Fell in love with her voice and these songs when she opened for HS back in 2017?2018? I have such clear memories from high school of singing along to this album in my car (when really all you have to do is drive around with friends). Such an easy listen and one I still go back to at least once (or more) a year.
Oasis has been my hyper-fixation of 2026 - and being Gen-Z I'm happily reaping the rewards of the reunion last year. This is such a balanced and impressive record (in the running for all-time best opening + closing track pairing). Their polarizing dynamic undoubtedly adds something special to the music. Each of them possessing what the other lacks, but coming together to make a timeless, universally celebrated record.
If you haven't seen the documentary of the '25 reunion tour - it's a must watch!!
My standout album of 2026 so far and her best record yet. You can tell so much effort went into every detail and this was a record curated to be listened in order - telling the story from start to finish.
Coming off Sgt. Peppers, I think Magical Mystery Tour gets overlooked and doesn't get enough credit as a full album in its own right (probably because the film was a bit out there). But c'mon, it has some legendary songs (All You Need Is Love, Strawberry Fields, Penny Lane, Hello Goodbye) - not a single skip!
To state the obvious...it's their best album. Perfect from beginning, middle and end. Each member individually has all-time career highlights on this record. It's straightforward, deep, silly and timeless. Side A has some of their biggest hits (Come Together, Something, Here Comes the Sun). Oh Darling is one of Paul's greatest performances ever. 'Because' is a heavenly interlude and a fitting callback to the harmonies that were their rise to fame. Don't even get me started on Side B.
The final lyrics in "The End" capture the thesis of their whole discography. A perfect (seemingly fateful) ending to a decade-long chapter that changed modern music as we know it.
Revolver showcases their ability to experiment across genres and do so successfully (even more impressive they manage to achieve the feat on a singular album). The upbeat tracks - Good Day Sunshine, And Your Bird Can Sing, Got to Get You Into My Life - are infectiously positive. A fan-favorite for a reason!
[While technically this is their third record, I view A Hard Day's Night as the true follow up to Please Please Me]. No skips on this one and (I believe) the first record to be both 100% written and performed by a single band. Incredible!
Honorable mentions for favorite tracks: If I Fell, Things We Said Today and the obvious hits.: A Hard Day's Night and Can't Buy Me Love.
It's short, sweet, simple and the signature sound that started it all. So many GREAT songs. It would be a higher 9 for me with a song or two removed. Baby It's You is one of my favorite covers.
This is my favorite from their catalog primarily because some of my favorite songs are on this record. I Will is one of, if not my absolute favorite song...ever. To me, the album is like a patchwork quilt. Each song is unique and so different from the last but collectively ties together into one cohesive, great record.
Way too many honorable standouts to mention!!!
I understand that the cultural significance tied to this one inevitably brings it to the top of most All-Time lists. I do agree the songs are incredible. I've just never connected to it the way I have with their other records.
Another classic early Beatles record...I feel it's a companion record (older brother maybe?) to A Hard Day's Night. Their songwriting starts taking an introspective turn here in tracks like Help! and Yesterday, moving beyond their formula for (very good) puppy love tracks. I love how history influences music (and vise versa), so a track like Help! is doubly impressive in how it bridges the two - framing the specific chaos of Beatlemania through a universal feeling of loneliness.
Similar to With the Beatles, I think it's fair to contextualize how both records were pushed out quite quickly. Beatles for Sale was released just ~4 months after A Hard Day's Night. There's still gems sprinkled in this one, although it falls a bit flat for certain songs. It does have a Beatles classic (I'll Follow the Sun). What You're Doing is a very underrated Paul song!!
I view this as an extension effort to (quickly) follow up Please Please Me (this was released 8 months later). If it had been packaged as an EP or narrowed down to the bigger hits I think it would be more impressive - it's not the strongest as a standalone record. It does showcase their ability to deliver excellent covers of songs though (Til There Was You, Please Mister Postman, Roll Over Beethoven).
This Is HappeningLCD Soundsystem
