What We’re Listening To This Week: May 8, 2026
Story by:
Chris Guest
Each week, the Live Music Blog team takes stock of what’s been populating their playlists and getting endlessly stuck in their heads from the week that was. These can be new releases, obscure tracks in niche genres, or classic albums dusted off due to nostalgia (or because they’re simply awesome). Enjoy what we’re listening to this week… and listen along with us if you so choose!
Deeper into the Well – Kacey Musgraves (2024)
If you couldn’t tell from my contributions to the What We’re Listening To series of late, I’ve been on something of a Kacey Musgraves kick over the past few months. And can you blame me? She’s already one of the most decorated country artists of her era, and her chameleonic ability to sound comfortable across a variety of genres—and yet still sound singularly like herself—is truly laudable, especially by modern music’s standards.
In advance of her newest album, Middle of Nowhere, I got caught up on her 2024, Deeper Well, and, in particular, the expanded version entitled Deeper into the Well. While the standard album is strong, the expanded version stands out as the definitive edition thanks to the presence of incredible bonus tracks like “Ruthless” and the Leon Bridges collaboration “Superbloom,” which marks their first meet-up since 2016’s all-time classic Christmas banger “Present Without a Bow,” which is turning 10 years old this year.
Top Tracks: “Cardinal,” “Ruthless,” “Superbloom,” “Heart of the Woods,” “Anime Eyes”
Listen Next: Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves, Tapestry by Carole King, Unhalfbricking by Fairport Convention
Sol.Hz – Seefeel (2026)
A notable group whose first album in particular, Quique, is often lumped in with the shoegaze genre, Seefeel’s over-30 year career cannot be easily pigeonholed into a single genre. On Wikipedia alone, seven disparate genres are listed for the group: “Post-rock, electronica, IDM, dream pop, techno, ambient, and shoegaze”… and even that feels like selling their kaleidoscopic and singular sonic experiments somewhat short.
While seemingly out of the blue, this Seefeel release perfectly captures the group’s sound and ethos, showcasing they’ve lost none of their style and verve despite not releasing a full-length album for 15 years prior to this one.
Top Tracks: “Brazen Haze,” “Ever No Way,” “Falling First,” “Until Now”
Listen Next: Quique by Seefeel, Selected Ambient Works 85-92 by Aphex Twin, Psychic by Darkside
Out of the Blue – Electric Light Orchestra (1977)
Speaking of Out of the Blue, this massive double album serves as, arguably, the finest-ever release from Electric Light Orchestra and their fearless leader Jeff Lynne.
Suffused with all the charm, style, and pleasant melodies and harmonies that the albums’ grooves could fit, this 1977 masterpiece was written in less than a month by Lynne and recorded in under two months after that. If that kind of work ethic sounds crazy by today’s standards, it’s because it is.
Still, highlight tracks abound, with perhaps none better known than the all-timer “Mr. Blue Sky,” which still sounds fresh and spectacular nearly 50 years after the album released. A classic for a reason, and ELO’s most successful album ever.
Top Tracks: “Mr. Blue Sky,” “Turn to Stone,” “Sweet Talkin’ Woman,” “It’s Over,” “Summer and Lightning,” “Starlight”
Listen Next: A New World Record by Electric Light Orchestra, Leftoverture by Kansas, Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles
Jailbreak – Thin Lizzy (1976)
An absolute banger album that stands out as some of the finest guitar work ever recorded, the twin-guitar attack of Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson is on full display here, as are the unique vocal and lyrical talents of the incomparable Phil Lynott, who also happens to hold down a meaty bass backbone for the group.
Boasting arguably one of the best songs of the 1970s, “The Boys Are Back in Town,” alongside another notable single via the title track, “Jailbreak,” as well as deeper cuts like “Romeo and the Lonely Girl,” “Fight or Fall,” and the surprisingly jaunty pop ditty “Running Back,” it’s no surprise that this is one of the best albums turning 50 in 2026.
Top Tracks: “The Boys Are Back in Town,” “Jailbreak,” “Fight or Fall,” “Running Back”
Listen Next: Led Zeppelin III by Led Zeppelin, Machine Head by Deep Purple, Disraeli Gears by Cream
Another Week Full of Great Music
What did you listen to this week? It’s never a bad time to revisit some of your favorite songs and albums or branch out into something you thought you’d never listen to. If you’re in need of inspiration, explore our “What We’re Listening To” archives:
Header Photo Courtesy experimentaclub/Wikimedia Commons
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