2026 Q3 Albums

Recommended by Flamed Fury; this one is a banger. Some solid stuff here and you can really notice Mikey’s progression from early days.

Hard rocking tunes for a frustrating week. Hey, it’s the last day of work before a vacation day...this is super helpful to get stuff done.

I heard one of their songs on a “recent” episode of the CBC Radio 3 podcast (from 2006) and I wanted to hear a full album. This one is great, the lead track is fun.

An album I discovered while culling my music library. I wasn’t sure what this one was, and instead of just deleting it outright, I played a snippet of the title track. Great pop stuff.

My friend Melissa recommended this album for a Bandcamp Friday purchase, and she did well. A great, fun blend of 80s New Wave with Punk Rock (leaning more toward the Punk Rock side).

I love the Alabama Shakes and this is a fantastic album. Great way to start your Tuesday (that’s really more of a Monday on a Labour Day long weekend).

Forget where I read about this but it’s a short album of covers (tributes, really) by various bands. Different styles but other than Barns Courtney it’s a very hard-rocking album.

I’ve been a fan of Matt Mays since I heard “On The Hood”.

I think a lot of people knock them for “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” and then sleep on the rest of this album. “Get What You Need” is underrated.

“Like a Surgeon” and “Yoda” make this album worth listening to by themselves. The rest is really good, too.

Heard this on 2006's July 21 CBC Radio 3 podcast, specifically "3-D Breeze". The album was lovely and is exactly as Grant Lawrence described it:

"If your a fan of one of England's greatest bands - The Kinks, or one of America's greatest bands - The Apples in Stereo, or one of Wales greatest bands - the Super Furry Animals…you will no doubt enjoy this next band, from Chatham, Ontario, the Maple City…here is the Square Root of Margaret!" - Grant Lawrence, CBC Radio 3 Podcast #61

I've been hearing "Rest of My Life" play often on the local rock station and it's probably my favourite Sloan song. Thought it was a good idea to listen to the whole thing.

I sometimes like to re-listen to albums that are viewed as "seminal" or "essential" listening. Pet Sounds is largely considered to be a masterpiece. I like this one, for sure.

I have no idea where this came from, other than it showed up on my iPod as a downloaded album in Spotify. I enjoyed it.

On a Brian Eno kick, I thought I'd try this one from 1984 (Spotify listed it as a "favourite"). It's my birth year so I figured, why not? It's not the same experience as the other two albums, but in a "neutral" way. It's wonderful to listen to.

I was intrigued by the name—I know of liminal spaces, so wondered what the music might sound like. This was a good one to start my day. I was not expecting lyrics.

I was looking for some music to put on in the background while I read outside Sunday evening. It worked out perfectly!