Best of August
Megafauna - And So I Watch You From Afar
In addition to being the best live band on the planet, ASIWYFA have sneakily added a touch of sobering emotion to their crushing muscle. Plenty of Megafauna works on mosh pit logic, but the pseudo title track and especially song of the year contender “Years Ago” work in a riveting sense of melancholy between the guitar solos.
Natural Science - Lindsay Reamer
For our Katy Kirby lovers, and or anyone into indie-folk with a sad, but charming twist. Natural Science’s eye for small details reminds me of Jens Lekman’s own microscopic storytelling and, as the title implies, plenty of critters and plant friends join in.
The Glass Frog - Greg Foat
Hey it’s Greg! Recent interviewee and space mage Foat is back with another damn album, this time an ECM style jazz meditation anchored by the 12-minute long title track.
How Will I Live Without a Body? - LOMA
Cross Record were one of Central Texas’ secret weapons, a dark, eerie reflection to the pillowy slowcore Austin was making in the mid ‘10s. Now they’ve reformed as Loma, bringing that same shadowy energy to an unspooling record that seems ever descending.
Sun Glories - Chuck Johnson
Another ambient thinkpiece from steel pedal cosmonaut Chuck Johnson. But with a twist! Combining his usual chamber ideals with a full band means Chuck gets to (relatively) rock out from time to time, leading to full post-rock explosions like opener “Teleos.” It’s thrilling (and a bit infuriating) to realize that folks like this could succeed in any genre and tempo.
The Prophetic Silence - Gråt Strigoi
An impressive mash of different metal subgrenes, Glasgow’s Grat Strigoi start with twisted, shockingly angular riffs, then crush their way into more traditional beatdowns. The full span of human brutality on display.
BETA - Peter Cat Recording Co.
Plush and luxury can be, partially, bought through sheer excess. But it’s much more impressive to deliver velvet lined tunes with grace and restraint. Peter Cat Recording Co. have delivered one of 2024’s most resplendent pop offerings with absurdly sharp songwriting chops and a uncanny ear for the tiny, tidy details. Try not to fall in love.
回返 Coastland Revisited - Cicada
Another interview alum returns with a stunning reworking of old tunes. Cicada’s last album was a gentle trek through the forest. Coastland Revisited is a more desolate scene, all of the grief and wonder of a stormy shore in winter perfectly captured by the ensemble.
Jūra - Nortas
An underrated sub-sub-genre of techno: chilling at home beats. Though Lithuania's Nortas might quibble that these are tunes to go on a nature walk to. Either way, Jura is a deeply thoughtful, and just plain deep, listen.
Alex Izenberg & The Exiles - Alex Izenberg
Music that’s out of time plays a neat trick on the mind. It pulls from a deep well of previous greats and trends, mashing them together until they resemble a false version of the past, complete with a half remembered half made up nostalgia. Alex Izenberg, with his baritone croon, penchant for twangy guitars and painted on harmonies, dredges up a modern album that seems to have one foot in ‘69 and one in ‘81. Of course, at the center of all of it is his songwriting chops, enthralling and mischievous.
Wet Your Beak! - Doll Boy
Hell yeah, a band I can barely find any info on and seems somewhat mysterious! They appear to be from Scotland, but the grooves go sideways from Eastern European dread to Southwestern United States shootouts. Helps to have a sort of gothic-rock vibe that spirals downward into madness within the first two songs.
Festa na Roça - Toninho Ferragutti e Neymar Dias
Lovely, pastoral Brazilian folk music from a subgenre I didn’t know existed before this week. You know in Kiki’s Delivery Service when Kiki first gets to the seaside bakery she’ll work at? That. Exactly that.
A Ilusão da Quietude - SANGRE DE MUERDAGO
Deeply eerie and spooky Portuguese music. The song lengths (two quarter hour tracks!) should point to the ambition on display. But beyond that, this ensemble crafts an entrancing tale of sorrow and loss, no need for any study of romance languages. These are tunes to search shipwrecks to.