I like listening to music, and I like writing about music. It just so happens that I get sent LOTS of music by publicists and bands in hopes of getting a review. I also enjoy reading reviews written by people I respect and admire. So, I usually have a deep backlog of albums that deserve my attention. With this monthly series, I’ll tell you about the artists that jumped out of my headphones and grabbed my attention.

Welcome to February 2026! I’m proud of myself for keeping this little project going yet another month. I told myself when relaunching the blog last month that it was important to give myself space and grace to NOT write when I didn’t feel like it. Lucky for you that I still feel like it. Enjoy these albums!

Roc Marciano – 656

Technically, this album dropped in January 2026, but I didn’t listen to it until Treble Zine wrote about it in early February. This powerful and energetic record overflows with superb lyricism, impeccable beats, and genuine charisma. Tracks like “Childish Things,” “Vanity,” “Trapeze,” and “Melo” contain soulful sections, jazzy fills, and robust heart. While I hung on every word, I was equally fascinated by the choices he made in terms of instrumentation, layering, and pacing.

I’ve been aware of Marciano for years, but his body of work has absolutely fallen through the cracks of my musical knowledge. Thus, I was inspired to do a deep dive into his artist’s back catalog – much like I did last month for Ulver. What I found was an extremely talented rapper and producer who embraces both realism and metaphor without ever getting too raw or dreamy. His music hits me in the gut like remarkable autofiction set to relaxed, forward-thinking grooves that still have lots of heft.

Along with the brand-new album, I heartily recommend The Skeleton Key, The Elephant Man’s Bones, Behold a Dark Horse, and Marci Beaucoup.

August Ponthier – Everywhere Isn’t Texas

Musically, August Ponthier is both of-the-moment and timeless. Much like Sabrina Carpenter, they make impeccable midtempo pop that owes a hefty debt to country and folk moods, especially Dolly Parton. Aesthetically, they come from the Chappell Roan school of powerful coming out stories in album form. But what I really hear is an affection for the confessional storytelling that Lucy Dacus, Amy Grant, and Carole King have made for decades. While I might wish they had given us one over-the-top campy bop as a single, Ponthier delivers ten heartbreaking stories about family, love, loss, and figuring out who you are on your own terms.

Boy Golden – Best of Our Possible Lives

Whew. This album kicks ass. Who knew that I needed some intensely sociopolitical country this month, much less that I would actually like it. The stage name of Liam Duncan, Boy Golden crafts blue-eyed country soul that rejects saccharine symbols and prefers earnest stories. And get this – he’s from Canada! Channeling a fascinating blend of Tyler Childers, Ryan Bingham, and Jim Croce, this album talks candidly the shitty state of politics while also offering warm reflections about their love life, growing, up, and experiencing a wider world.

Eliza Noxon – Good Monsters with Bad Habits

The joy of being more open-minded as a music critic and fan is being able to appreciate albums like this one. Eliza Noxon has crafted a batch of fun and fresh pop-rock tunes with sturdy folk songwriting chops. It’s stuff I snobbily dismissed in my 20s. This 2000s-coded album sits right in the middle of a Kelly Clarkson, Vanessa Carlton, and Feist Venn diagram, right down to the big anthems and heart. But it’s the heavy Sharon Van Etten sensibilities that send the project to the next level, as Noxon gives herself permission to express a wide range of emotions, thus beckoning listeners to go on a similar journey for themselves.

Nicole McCabe – Color Theory

I will be the first to admit that I’m not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to jazz. Yes, I’ve been listening to it on and off since college, but I still don’t feel like the genre is in my critical wheelhouse. But that doesn’t stop me from enjoying the stuff and knowing what I like. And this Nicole McCabe album hits all the right notes for me. Led by her brilliant saxophone work, her ensemble creates engaging jazz with bright horns, warm piano, and appealing dynamics. Sitting right in the heart of post-bop jazz before ‘70s funk and ‘80s traditionalism started fighting for dominance, these songs have massive swing, big grooves, and just enough free-wheeling improv to keep a few generations of jazz fans happy.

Other Stuff I Enjoyed Listening to This Month:

• Asher Gamedze – A Semblance: Of Return
• Cootie Catcher – Something We All Got
• Daphni – Butterfly
• Landowner – Assumption
• Lucid Express – Instant Comfort
• Mandy, Indiana – URGH (my Bearded Gentlemen Music review)
• Ratboys – Singin’ to an Empty Chair (my Bearded Gentlemen Music review)
• The Soft Pink Truth – Can Such Delightful Times Go On Forever?