It’s been a long but fast month for me. I traveled for fun and for work, and felt busy and slightly overwhelmed for most of the month. (That’s not even taking into consideration news and world events.) I don’t know if it was just an emotional month for me or if this crop of albums is especially good, but a number of the albums in this list are likely end of on the list of my favorites this year.
The September Equation – Frail Formations (Bandcamp)
Warm analogue glitch soundscapes. Pastoral and inviting with intricate details like a thriving synthesized forest.
Menace Beach – Black Rainbow Sound (Bandcamp)
Bratty post-punk swirling with synthesizers and motorik beats that would be all transcendent and stuff if it wasn’t too busy just having fun.
Dustin Wong – Fluid World Building 101 with Shaman Bambu (Bandcamp)
N-dimensional sonic structures spoken into being by enchanted electric guitar. A delight to explore and inhabit.
Tuluum Shimmering – Dark Star (Bandcamp)
Organic drone that feels birthed directly from jammy 70s folk rock. Fully transportive and immersive. (Not on Spotify)
Cryptacize – Mythomania (Spotify)
Breezily experimental rock equally indebted to Les Paul (and his Les Paulverizer) and Koji Kendo’s Legend of Zelda soundtrack with flat out gorgeous vocals from Nedelle Torrisi.
Indian Wells – Where the World Ends (Bandcamp)
If you could construct dance music out of flowers in some sort of Inception/Doctor Strange folding dimension, you’d get close to what this sounds like.
Casino Versus Japan – Suicide by Sun (Bandcamp)
Immersive soundscape blankets that you can wrap yourself in. There’s an invigorating hint of guitar here too, so you might find yourself simultaneously relaxed and stoked.
Richard Swift – The Hex (Bandcamp)
Finished weeks before his passing this year, The Hex really cements together Swift’s songwriting prowess with some of his more out-there production while being more honestly sad than I’ve ever heard him.
Crooked Man – Crooked Man (Bandcamp)
Throwback grooves that hint at carefully-tapped pop sensibilities while deploying bass precisely to get your butt moving.
Sandro Perri – In Another Life (Bandcamp)
Two sides of an LP or a cassette as two single songs, written and played buy a dude who is king of sonic texture and no slouch when it comes to writing perfect songs. Low-key but masterful.
Advance Base – Animal Companionship (Bandcamp)
Owen Ashworth excels at writing songs that trade in the mundane joys and sadness of real life, with hints towards transcendence. His dreampop production here definitely helps the astral planes come out.
Tim Hecker – Konoyo (Bandcamp)
If you play this loud enough, the whole world fades away.
Mountain Man – Magic Ship (Bandcamp)
The sonic equivalent of a rustic mountaintop retreat amongst the elves. Stark, yet warm and inviting.
Danielson – Snap Outtavit EP (Bandcamp)
A slab of kick-in-the-butt songs that get right to your heart from the chaotic good force of nature that is Daniel Smith.
It’s October now, so keep an eye out for a bonus spooky playlist from me!