The Blind Buy Records of Spring 2026
A curated list of albums I'm betting on right now.
Pre-ordering an album after hearing just one single is either a sign of great taste, complete degeneracy, or a total lack of impulse control. Possibly all three. But this is the life vinyl collectors have chosen for themselves.
If I could buy stock in artists, I would. Unfortunately, the next best thing is blind-buying their records on faith… and I have too much of it. So consider this part release calendar, part peek into my increasingly questionable purchasing habits.
Here are 13 albums dropping over the next few weeks, including two out today, that I’ve already committed to owning before the rest of the Internet catches up.
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Today, May 15
Rostam - American Stories
Get Vinyl: Coriander (Signed) | Sumac
Genre: Persian Americana
Iranian-American artist Rostam Batmanglij, formerly of Vampire Weekend and producer behind artists like HAIM and Clairo, uses his third record American Stories to explore both his American and Persian roots. Across lyrics touching on Gaza and campus protests, Rostam blends finger-picked guitars, pedal steel, and New York folk with Persian melodies (The Voidz’ Amir Yaghmai plays the lute-like Turkish saz throughout). It’s a record full of fun turns, textures, and “wait, what the hell kind of instrument is that?” moments.
Dua Saleh - Of Earth & Wires
Get Vinyl: Blue Sapphire
Genre: Experimental Soul
I bought Of Earth & Wires on the strength of the first two singles, “Flood” and “Glow,” both of which feature Bon Iver. But there’s more going on here beyond the Vernon bait: Sudanese-American artist Dua Saleh threads together indie, R&B, electronic pop, UK dance, and baile funk into a record asking what happens when technology keeps accelerating and the world around us feels increasingly held together with duct tape.
May 22
Miles Davis - Live in Helsinki • Berlin 1964
Get Vinyl: Black
Genre: Post-Bop Jazz
Live in Helsinki • Berlin 1964 captures Miles Davis with the newly assembled Second Great Quintet of Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and teenage menace Tony Williams, a lineup many consider one of the greatest groups in jazz history. These performances are as much about Shorter as they are about Miles; having only joined the band a few weeks earlier, Shorter was Miles’ most fascinating musical partner since Coltrane.
The big draw here is that the Helsinki performance has never been released before, while the Berlin set is finally getting its full original mono presentation on vinyl. The YouTube channel Milestones is fantastic for Miles performances, and here’s a 30-minute, lower quality snippet from the show.
May 29
Boards of Canada - Inferno
Get Vinyl: Red | Black
Genre: Electronic
I’ll have to resist the urge to kiss my mailman on May 29 when he shows up with three new records, none more anticipated than Boards of Canada’s first album in 13 years.
The Scottish electronic duo will attempt to save the 2020s with Inferno, and the first single delivers in spades, a haunting, hypnotic head-nodder that sounds unlike anything they’ve done before.
Kurt Vile - Philadelphia’s been good to me
Get Vinyl: Wooder Ice | Wissahickon Green
Genre: “Old Time, Lofi, DIY, Rock n’ Roll”
Kurt Vile is dropping his tenth album Philadelphia’s been good to me, an ode to his home city where he lives and records his music. The singles give you that laid-back Vile you know and love — lead single “Chance to Bleed” sounds like one long chorus and opener “Zoom 97” is also a great vibe. This is shaping up to be primo Patio Grooves material.
Manchester Orchestra - Union Chapel London, England
Get Vinyl: Silver | Sea Blue
Genre: Live Acoustic Rock
For my money, Manchester Orchestra is one of the best live acts going. In fall 2023, Andy Hull and Robert McDowell set up shop for a three-night run at Union Chapel in London, stripping everything down inside a gothic church where stained glass windows and natural acoustics did some of the heavy lifting. You can hear that chapel reverb all over these recordings.
Do yourself a favor and listen to encore “The Silence,” a slow-burner that turns into a damn-near spiritual experience by the end.
June 5
Rosa Walton - Tell Me It’s A Dream
Get Vinyl: Yellow (Signed Vinyl, Flexi Disc, Scrunchie) | Blue
Genre: Indie Pop
The Let’s Eat Grandma duo of Rosa Walton and Jenny Hollingworth went their separate ways this year, with Jenny on Holiday’s Quicksand Heart dropping in January and Rosa’s solo debut arriving in June. Rosa is batting 1.000 so far, going three for three on the singles, all bright, ridiculously catchy pop songs.
Vince Staples - Cry Baby
Get Vinyl: Tri Color with Signed Birth Certificate (Sold Out) | Baby Pink | Red
Genre: West Coast Hip Hop
Multi-hyphenate Vince Staples can do no wrong in my eyes, and I’m curious to hear what he does on new label Loma Vista (also home to Manchester Orchestra) after spending more than a decade at Def Jam. After two introspective records (Ramona Park and Dark Times), the Long Beach rapper’s new album Cry Baby is advertised as a more confrontational piece of social commentary. Exhibit A is the music video for single “Blackberry Marmalade,” which was graphic enough that I became very aware of the people sitting around me on the train.
Zoh Amba - Eyes Full
Get Vinyl: Blue
Genre: Appalachian Folk
Zoh Amba has built a reputation as one of the more exciting saxophonists in New York’s avant-garde jazz world, but Eyes Full takes a hard turn back toward their Tennessee roots. This one trades the skronk for muddy blues, recorded at Alex Farrar’s Drop of Sun Studios in Asheville, which has been ground zero for some of the best twang of the decade.
June 12
Kelsey Lu - So Help Me God
Get Vinyl: Bone | Black
Genre: Avant Pop
So Help Me God is the long-awaited second album from Kelsey Lu, arriving June 12 via Dirty Hit. There’s a Murderer’s Row of contributors here: production from Jack Antonoff and Yves Rothman, with appearances from Sampha, Kamasi Washington, and Kim Gordon. Call me Babe Ruth because I’m pointing to the bleachers on this one — based on the first three singles, I think this thing is headed straight for the top tier of my Album of the Year leaderboard.
June 19
Your Brother’s Keeper & Gary Bartz - Where Rivers Meet
Get Vinyl: Black
Genre: Contemporary Jazz
There’s been a passing-of-the-torch happening in London jazz over the last decade, and Where Rivers Meet is another great example of it. The record pairs spiritual jazz legend Gary Bartz, whose résumé includes everyone from Miles Davis to Charles Mingus, with new ensemble Your Brother’s Keeper. If you like modern jazz records that still feel rooted in the smoky, searching energy of the ‘70s, this looks very promising.
June 26
The Strokes - Reality Awaits
Get Vinyl: America | Metallic Gold | Black Ice | Black
Genre: Indie Rock
Last month, The Strokes ended their Coachella set with one of the coldest mic drops I’ve ever seen, playing “Oblivius” over a video backdrop cycling through CIA-assassinated political figures, bombed universities in Iran, and finally “the last university standing in Gaza” before the building explodes onscreen.
Now they’re rolling out their seventh album, Reality Awaits, and as a Strokes vinyl completist, adding the America-colored wax to my cart was never in question. Rick Rubin mentioned all the way back in 2022 that he had recorded with the band in Costa Rica, and four years later we finally get to hear what they were cooking up. The first two singles lean hard into Auto-Tune, and let’s just say I’m hoping it all makes more sense in album form.
Hey friends, thanks for tuning in! I’d love to hear what you’re excited about; let’s take this conversation to the comments or reply to this email.
I send out this publication roughly once a week. For those looking for up-to-the-second vinyl news, drops, and deals, join 25,000 other collectors and follow Vinyl on Sale, the Internet’s #1 vinyl resource!
Until next time,
Jared
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