Struggling a bit this month in part because I’ve used August to catch up on albums I missed earlier in the year and haven’t paid as much attention to new releases as I normally would.
Two albums really stand out for me in August though:
The Microphones - The Microphones in 2020. First time I heard this I thought it wouldn’t be something that stands up to further listens but I’ve now heard it 7 or 8 times and it is still rewarding.
Alex The Astronaut - The Theory of Absolutely Nothing - much of this was familiar as many tracks have been released as singles but it holds together really well as an album
My next three I am less familiar with but left a good first (and second) impression and I look forward to spending more time with
Girl Friday - Androgynous Mary
Calum Martin, Craig Armstrong - The Edge of the Sea (uses Gaelic Psalms as it basis and is quite beautiful)
The Microphones album feels more like a singular experience than a regular rotation album, but it’s a great one.
Narrow Head is for fans of 90s alternative. They’re on record as being heavily influenced by The Smashing Pumpkins and Deftones, and I’m also hearing some early Feeder and a bit of Trail of the Dead / Sunny Day Real Estate, among others. I’m really enjoying this and it’ll be the album I listen to most from this month going forward.
Double Grave feels in some ways like lower stakes, bouncier early Strange Ranger (especially vocally) mixed in with a bit of Yuck and Ovlov’s midtempo stuff maybe? It’s neat how the album suddenly turns into an early Pumpkins psych drone near the end, especially with it being slightly hinted at and quickly abandoned in one of the opening songs.
Also enjoyed Young Jesus, I Like Trains, Kelly Lee Owens, The Microphones, Double Grave, Richard Dawson, The Lemon Twigs, James Dean Bradfield, Bright Eyes