My Favorite Albums of August
Hey folks. Time for my first monthly roundup. I have so much fun looking back at the month and putting these lists together, and I hope this will come in handy. There were fantastic releases all across August and—if I’m being completely honest—these albums were so good, they broke me out of my slump that I’ve been in for the last few months and got me to start writing about music again. So a pretty inspirational month to say the least. I’ve scratched the surface of these albums on my TikTok, which I’ll try to link at the bottom of this post if you’d like to give it a watch. But first, let’s get down to business.
Imaginal Disk - Magdalena Bay
Listen if you like: Experimental Synth Pop, Charli XCX, Y2K themed dance parties
Right from the start of this album I was floored by how fresh the production on it sounded. The LA duo have a great knack for making old sounds and textures feel new with a style I can only call experimental disco. The opener “She Looked Like Me” kicks the album off with a really unique collage of samples that creates a rhythm for the track to evolve from. Then some deep, SOPHIE-esque beats really get things moving with singer Mica Tenenbaum taking center stage. Then we waltz into “Killing Time,” which has a more conventional, disco-inspired drive to it. Between that song and “Death & Romance,” there’s no shortage of infectious grooves across the album. Mica‘s vocals are so lovable on this and I just can’t get enough of producer Matthew Lewin’s kaleidoscopic array of synth lines accenting each song. The creative formula these two have slid into is clearly working after two very solid efforts and it’s exciting to be hearing something so fresh and inventive, while also digging up a fair share of nostalgic styles. I was listening to this while mowing the lawn and I had to stop a few times to just stand there in awe of the textures I was hearing on a few of these songs. Definitely listen on nice headphones if you can, your ears will thank you.
Romance - Fontaines D.C.
Listen if you like: Post-Punk, Shame (the band, but also maybe the feeling), The scenes in Akira where they’re riding through neo-Tokyo on motorcycles
This album feels like a huge departure from these Irish post-punks and it’s an evolution that I’m a huge fan of. Where their last record Skinty Fia felt almost hopelessly gloomy and filled with disdain for a cold world, Romance offers an alternative, almost Utopian musical world. The record shimmers with these beautiful strings peppered throughout and each song feels carefully pieced together, with all the edges of their past releases sanded away into a much smoother product. “Starburster” is a definite highlight for the record. It’s just got so much swagger and a quite a few interlocking elements that make listening to it so very addictive. A couple other high points for me are “Here’s The Thing” and “Bug,” with the latter having just the slightest hint of U2 in it. I feel like usually when a punk band softens their sound they’re met with groans from their fans (understandably so, usually it means they’ve sold out), but Fontaines D.C. steps into this style so well, I’ve got nothing but praise for this effort.
Flight B741 - King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
Listen if you like: The Rolling Stones, 70s Southern Rock, drinking a Foster’s in the passenger seat with the windows wide open baby
The shapeshifting Aussie madmen are back and this time they’re exploring the world of twangy blues rock. This is one of the most straightforward rock albums I’ve heard from the band and its clear they’re having a lot of fun with it. With 26 albums under their belt, King Gizz have explored quite a bit of sonic territory from psych rock to thrash metal to synth-pop, so it’s refreshing to hear them making some good ol’ nostalgic blues rock that’s more concerned with feelin’ good than it is pushing sonic limits. There will certainly be plenty of time for the latter in King Gizz’s future, but Flight B741 offers us up a chance to catch our breath before the boys get back to pushing the envelope. With a loose concept exploring a theme of “When Pigs Fly,” there’s a lot of joy across this and a lot of boogie to be had. And it’s been a great companion in these sweaty late summer afternoons.
I Lay Down My Life for You - JPEGMAFIA
Listen if you like: Experimental hip-hop, Death Grips, the sonic equivalent of putting your brain in a blender
It’s hard to put into words what the experience of listening to JPEGMAFIA is like because it always feels right on the cutting edge of hip-hop today. Every time I feel like I have a handle on Peggy’s production, he immediately switches it up on me, always keeping me on my toes as a listener. Take the opening track, the hilariously titled “i scream in the mirror before i interact with anyone,” where Peggy spits over traditional rock instrumentation of drum kit and distorted guitars before it switches up at the 1-minute mark to hardcore EDM for a few seconds. Then, the following track “SIN MIEDO,” mixes more electric guitar riffs with a vocal sample before closing out with a cyber-house beat that sounds straight out of TRON. It’s a head-spinning experience to say the least, and Peggy covers so much sonic territory it’s hard to get a grip on it after just one or two songs. It’s not easy listening by any means, but if you’re looking to hear one of the most mind boggling, boundary-pushing hip-hop producers in the game, this is it.
Hex - DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ
Listen if you like: House music, George Clanton, Pure serotonin in audio form
The sample heavy instrumentals that make up DJ Sabrina’s music always feel like such a breath of fresh air to me. Over the massive 2 hour run time on Hex, I’m filled with hope and joy almost constantly, which makes it a great companion to have playing while doing chores or running errands in this late summer heat. Over such a long listen, it’s not entirely necessary to be listening closely the entire time. Instead, Sabrina’s hypnotic house songs are, in my opinion, best experienced as an accent to the day—brightening things up as you go about your daily routines. The songs transition so seamlessly into one another, it begins to feel like you’re tapping into this permanent, ever-shifting experience of life… and man does it feel great to align yourself with it. If you can imagine the most euphoric feel-good dance party of all time taking place in the heavens, I can almost guarantee they’ll have DJ Sabrina running the boards.
So that about sums up my favorite listens of August. Can’t wait to see what September brings! But I’m looking forward to new releases from Fred Again, MJ Lenderman, Floating Points, and Xiu Xiu. Looks like it’ll be a pretty stacked month. Check out my companion TikTok video below:
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