Tom Dunne: My top 10 albums of the year so far
Gorillaz, Kneecap, Rónán Ó Snodaigh and Myles O'Reilly, and Morrissey feature among Tom Dunne's favourite albums of 2026 so far.
June is in the rear-view mirror. Before we know it we will pondering dumping turkey remains in the bin across the road. We can put it off no longer: It is time for our midterm review of the music that has floated our boat so far in 2026. Quiet at the back.
It hasn’t been easy. TBH, 2026 mic drop albums have been few and far between, so disparate, so driven by personal taste, that I briefly considered an The Album is Dead type column. “It wasn’t like this in 1971” I was prepared to declare. But guess what? Turns out it was!
Yes, 1971 may have eventually turned into the Best Year for Classic Albums Ever, but during 1971 you might not have noticed. You’d have been too busy wading through releases from Dust, Egg and The Holy Modal Rounders. Perspective takes time but still, how is 2026 shaping up?
My gut feeling is that it is only finding form. The coming months will see releases from Madonna, The Rolling Stones, Phoebe Bridgers and Pulp, all of which I am excited about. Not to mention Arab Strap, Beth Orton, Interpol, Brandon Flowers, Muireann Bradley, Scullion, Jack White and The Strokes.
But if I could only pick ten, right now, this be them.
The fall off from this to second place is steep. For me the Album of the Year to date by a country mile. If it was a fight the ref would step in. Too many ace collaborations to even mention.
I love them, exciting, controversial and above all fun. Great collabs too, most notably with Radie Peat and the brilliant, inspiring Kae Tempest.
A stunning collaboration, hypnotic dance beats, bodhrán and Irish language vocals interweaving to seductive, mesmerizing effect.
A collection of 55 songs recorded over 70 years ago. This style of music, spacey, jazz-influenced is very much back in vogue but the vocal quality on songs like Try a Little Tenderness or Come Rain or Come Shine is breath taking. A time capsule of happiness.
Featuring tracks from 26 artists including Arctic Monkeys, Pulp, Beth Gibbons and Damon Albarn this is a another stand out collection in a series that has never disappointed. Stand out is Olivia Rodriogo’s version of the Magnetic Fields The Book of Love, but Arooj Aftab’s version of Lilac Wine is delicately beautiful too.
This is an interesting one. It is a rich and varied collection of his numerous, always impressively recorded, BBC sessions – lovely take on Billy Eilish’s What was I Made For – but guess what, if you want it, you’ll have to but a physical copy!! Yes the Spotify backlash is in full swing. If you don’t believe me try and find Massive Attack and Tom Waits’ Boots on the Ground there.
It would be churlish to ignore anyone with such exquisite taste in music - The covers (CMAT, Magnetic Fields, Fontaines DC), the Robert Smith fixation, the list just goes on. She is impressed by people who know all the words to “Just Like Haeven.” We are those people: enough said.
Currently still 100% on the naughty step for past well documented very bad behaviour, this is a collection of demoes and outtakes from just after the Heartbreaker golden period. It is a statutory reminder of his god like genius. The voice, the guitar, the songs, the emotion, it is jaw dropping. You do need to be able to separate the art from the artist. But if you can.
Speaking of which, if you can separate what Morrissy says from what he sings, this is one of his best ever albums. If it had been released earlier in his career, before the toxicity kicked in, The Monsters of Pig Alley would be feted as a Morrissey classic.
Album number 154, I think. And no duds. He just breathes songs and heartache.
So, no Angine de Poitrine – Vol 2. Yes I know. What can I say? We didn’t fight the punk wars for some exceptionally well played jazz funk fusion. It’s French for chest pain. That is not where I am feeling it.
