Ever since 2010 I’ve kept track of the music I listen to each month. It’s fascinating to see how some bands stay with me over the years whilst others have their moment on my stereo before vanishing from my mind… well, until years later when I check out to see what I was listening to way back when in any case!

Anyway, I ran a Top 50 (which turned in to a Top 100) bands of the month chart on various social media platforms recording my listening habits for posterity and to share my earworms of the month. I listen to a lot of music when working, and also when relaxing. My tastes are fairly broad and I love discovering new bands, as well as new sounds and genres.

January saw 7 new entries hit my Top 100 for the first time. Leading that pack at 17 ois Heartworms. Other new entries were Djo (40), Princess Goes (53), Nick Drake (60), The Black Dog (61), Olivia Dean (87), Rocket from the Crypt (96). Djo and Princess Goes are performers better known as TV stars – Djo is Joe Keery aka Steve Harrington from Stranger Things) and the lead singer of Princess Goes is Michael C. Hall aka Dexter from, er…well, Dexter! Olivia Dean also made the Top 100 on the back of her fantastic performance on Jools Hollands New Years Eve show which lead me to check out more of her material.

There were also 25 re-entries this month, with the highest at 22 being A.A. Williams. Some of the other re-enteries included Covenant (23), Queen (25), Type O Negative (29), Tori Amos (35), Joni Mitchell (38), KMFDM (48), Cabaret Voltaire (81), and Skinny Puppy (97)

Several of Januarys bands have appeared courtesy of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die book group I’m now in, where one random album is selected from the book each day for us to listen to and review. Some have been great – either new finds or beloved classics – others less so. But it has meant that a few of those artists have started appearing in the monthly Top 100s.

Anyway, here’s my Top 100 for January 2026…

Fields of the Nephilim – Psychonaut

Top 100 Bands – January 2026

Position	Last Month	Band
1	2	Fields of the Nephilim
2	3	Holly Humberstone
3	4	Kaelan Mikla
4	7	Scott Walker
5	46	Mind.In.A.Box
6	9	Pixies
7	11	Bjork
8	50	Metric
9	6	Conjure One
10	67	Paris Paloma

Metric – Monster Hospital

11	15	Chvrches
12	14	Mothica
13	41	Somewhere off Jazz Street
14	8	The Sisters of Mercy
15	18	Cocteau Twins
16	17	Project Pitchfork
17	NE	Heartworms
18	24	Air
19	27	Saint of Sin
20	98	Toni Castells

Heartworms – May I Comply

21	23	ZZ Top
22	RE	A.A. Williams
23	RE	Covenant
24	33	The Velvet Underground
25	RE	Queen
26	31	Spiritualized
27	32	Suede
28	RE	Type O Negative
29	34	Billie Eilish
30	10	Sprints

Type O Negative – Black No. 1

31	37	Gary Numan
32	38	Midnight Smoke
33	40	Pat Benetar
34	54	The Kilimanjaro Darkjazz Ensemble
35	RE	Tori Amos
36	42	CASHFORGOLD
37	71	Fat Dog
38	RE	Joni Mitchell
39	45	Mazzy Star
40	NE	Djo

Djo – End of Beginning

41	44	Florence & The Machine
42	43	Flower Face
43	RE	Meg Myers
44	RE	Murcof
45	92	Stevie Wonder
46	95	Bruce Springsteen
47	49	Delerium
48	RE	KMFDM
49	RE	London Grammar
50	RE	Lowering

KMFDM – Amnesia

51	52	Now, Now
52	RE	Funker Vogt
53	NE	Princess Goes
54	69	All India Radio
55	RE	Bohren & der Club of Gore
56	RE	Dog Race
57	RE	Kalandra
58	56	Sleep Token
59	63	Ladytron
60	NE	Nick Drake
61	NE	The Black Dog
62	59	The Smashing Pumpkins
63	60	The White Stripes
64	51	Snakes of Russia
65	RE	:Of the Wand & the Moon:
66	65	Hole
67	90	Massive Attack
68	RE	NewDad
69	77	Peter Gabriel
70	RE	So Below
71	68	Sonic Youth
72	72	Fred Neil
73	73	George Harrison
74	22	HEALTH
75	74	Moloko

Princess Goes – Ketamine

76	76	Pavement
77	79	Creedence Clearwater Revival
78	29	Portishead
79	1	The Mission
80	RE	Aerosmith
81	RE	Cabaret Voltaire
82	84	Morcheeba
83	91	Radiohead
84	RE	:Wumpscut:
85	RE	Shadowdream
86	93	The Pentangle
87	NE	Olivia Dean
88	96	Cream
89	19	Enigma
90	20	Gazelle Twin
91	RE	Lana Del Rey
92	39	New Model Army
93	81	Priest
94	RE	Royksopp
95	99	Public Enemy
96	NE	Rocket from the Crypt
97	RE	Skinny Puppy
98	13	The Cure
99	100	The United States of America
100	RE	The Devil & The Universe

Rocket from the Crypt – On A Rope