Andreas Weith, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons (Swabian village Eberhardzell, Germany )
Good morning! I’m publishing this piece early to give you plenty of time to read it before you get snockered.
I wanted to take a moment to share my plans for 2026 and let my readers know that I will continue to explore music beyond the borders of the United States. There will be no reviews of American music this year, and any requests to review American artists will be saved in a Word document and ignored for the foreseeable future.
As I don’t want to be seen as singling out Americans, I will henceforth ignore the music of any country led by a right-wing government or dictator. I had planned to review two albums featuring Chilean music and continue my exploration of Argentina’s rock scene, but those plans have gone kaput. I loved my three visits to Chile, and we had made the country our backup plan in case Ireland was engulfed in a war—but seeing pictures of Chileans wearing “Make Chile Great Again” baseball caps made me want to puke, and the voters made it crystal clear they don’t want immigrants like Alicia and me to dirty their country. Crossing over the Andes, I had been on the fence regarding Milei, but his support for U.S. policy regarding Venezuela crossed a red line with me. Yes, Maduro is a total asshole, but war never solved anything, and only the innocent suffer in the end. I’m sick and tired of far-right dick-waving.
No, I’m not egotistical enough to believe that my ban on those three countries will change a fucking thing. I simply don’t feel comfortable celebrating the artistic achievements of any country that embraces authoritarian values.
My “plan” for 2026 is not so much a plan as it is a wish list. In addition to the possibility of a continental war, I may leave my job at the EU if funding for human rights takes a back seat to defense, or if the politics continue to sour and Von Leyen is unable to convince EU leaders to accept the truth that the United States is not an ally but a dangerous adversary. The Grand Cheeto’s accusation that Europe is falling apart because we’re not racist enough—combined with his backdoor attempts to give Putin all he wants—confirmed that the USA is not a friend but a serious threat to our way of life (as also confirmed by The Economist in the article “More Reasons for America’s Friends to Plan for the Worst: A strategy that scorns Europe, bullies Latin America and is vague on Asia.”) All this instability may result in having to abandon my weekly schedule at some point, which will really piss me off. On the plus side, Ireland was recently named one of the five safest countries in the world, so I may be able to avoid the worst of the storm. For those who thought I was crazy to abandon the paradise known as the French Riviera, it turns out that I was ahead of the curve.
The wish list for the first half looks like this: Canada (9), England (8), Australia (3), Ireland (2), Scotland (1), Brazil (1), Senegal (1), and Mexico (1). I pushed back my follow-up reviews of Leonard Cohen to spring, as I don’t think I can handle Songs from a Room and Songs of Love and Hate in the dead of winter. The good news for fans of Canadian music is that by delaying Leonard, I now have the opportunity to take a deep dive into the music of The Tragically Hip. I have also warmed up to Rush, removed them from my no-fly list, and will publish my first review in March.
Regarding the second half of the year, I’m taking a wait-and-see approach due to the continuing collapse of international law triggered by the United States. If the world is still functioning next summer, I’m fairly certain that Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the U.K., and Brazil will be well-represented, and assuming they manage to stem the rise of far-right populism, I would like to explore the music of Germany, Spain, and the Nordic countries.
Over half of the upcoming reviews feature artists suggested by readers or those identified as underrated by participants in response to my recent invitation. So, thank you all for helping me expand my horizons, and let’s hope for a miraculously great New Year!