Current Vibes - March 2026

Around the beginning of every month, I try to journal about the albums I've been bumping on repeat recently.

Instead of keeping that locked up in my journal, why not post about it here?

If you're looking for something new to listen to, here's what I would recommend right now¹:

The Rezillos - Can’t Stand the Rezillos

Probably a top 5 favorite album at the moment, been on the list for a while, it's so great. It's great British punk/new wave.

The B-52s - Time Capsule

Heh, I threw this greatest hits album on as a lark, and I couldn't believe it. Turns out I'm a B-52s fan? They remind me of A Flock of Seagulls and The Rezillos; a bit new wave-y/punk-y in their early years, eventually landing on a delightful early 90s alternative rock sound. They've also got some of the weirdest lyrics and riffs I've ever heard ("Where's my umbrella? Where's my umbrella?").

System of a Down - Toxicity

I’ve been jonesing for some music to be angry at authority with, and this fits the bill.

Nirvana - Nirvana

I came across a last.fm stats website the other day and played with the race chart for a solid 15 minutes. Watching Nirvana climb the charts as it approached current time made me so happy. I love this band. It’s okay to like basic things, right?

Movements - Feel Something

This came across shuffle the other day and it scratched my recent itch for emo music.

Emapea - Dreaming Zone

Still the GOAT for helping me get into flow. Sort of lo-fi, but also sort of jazzy instrumental?

The Beths - Expert in a Dying Field

Another top 5 favorite album, slotting into the spot that at one point in my life was dominated by Rilo Kiley. It's smart and emotionally-rich indie rock.

Pynch - Howling at a Concrete Moon

Also a top 5 album. Whenever I'm feeling lonely, this album puts its arm around my shoulder and tells me it's gonna be alright.

NewJeans - Get Up

More music to get into flow. A great backing track when cleaning the house.

Blink-182 - One More Time

Sometimes, you need some pop punk, man. Anthem Pt. 3 is my anthem for 2026.

Bonny Light Horseman - Keep Me On Your Mind / See You Free

Another top 5 album. I learned this week that Anais wrote Hadestown, and I also learned our local high school is performing it in the spring. I can't begin to express how pumped this makes me.

The Linda Lindas - No Obligation

Moar good punk. Makes me so happy to hear such excellent music from the youths.

Kupla - Dragonfly

I’m not 100% sold on this one, but I do like having it come across shuffle when I'm working. If anyone has any recommendations for lo-fi artists, I’m all ears.

Mumford & Sons - Rushmere

When we went to volunteer at Feed My Starving Children this past week, Shan threw on Mumford & Sons’ essential tracks, and both of the kids said they loved this band. That really made our week. We also got tickets to see them in the summer, which means my wife gets to see her favorite band twice in a single year!

The Beths - Straight Line Was A Lie

New albums from bands I love always worry me because it takes me multiple listens to get used to them doing new stuff. I’m officially past that phase with this album; it’s incredible and perhaps even better than Expert in a Dying Field.

The Cords - The Cords

Within the first 15 seconds of hearing this album, I bought it on Bandcamp. Totally brings me to happy times around my college years. It’s an instant jangly indie rock classic.

Pynch - Beautiful Noise

Much like Straight Line Was A Lie, there was a moment this past month where this Pynch album finally clicked for me. I still prefer Howling at a Concrete Moon, but I am sold. I dig this album.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - February 2026 Double A Side

I came across this two-track release and felt like Ted Leo was speaking directly to me at the moment, so I picked this one up from Bandcamp as well. Definitely looking forward to hearing more from him in the coming year.

Mumford & Sons - Prizefighter

Still need to bump this a bit more, but there are several songs on here that the kids absolutely love, which makes me happy that we’ve got an album we all agree on that isn’t by Huntrix.

New Found Glory - Listen Up!

Brand new release from these dudes. You know what? They still slap.

Oh, and in case anyone's curious: I'm still working on Lunara. I tried building a custom crossfade engine to replicate how songs transition in Plexamp, and it's causing way more issues than I anticipated.

But on the plus side, I didn't write any of this damn code so I am totally on board with having multiple conversations with Claude to get it whipped into shape for me.

My favorite feature that I added since I last posted is a digital gardening assistant. From any album or artist, I can tap a "🌱" button and it pops up a new screen. On this screen, I can type in a quick description or tap a button with preset actions ("Delete", "Fix album art", etc.). This information, along with the album and artist, get sent up to an admin section that I can use to prune my library when I'm back at my laptop.