Sommer hole who? Every year I expect a slower stream of releases, and every summer I get a kick in the nuts. Especially August is always keen to prove me wrong, and August 2022 is no exception. With a shit ton of fantastic albums, the past month is heaven for music lovers all around the globe.
Robohands – Violet
August 4 // KingUnderground
airport people – from nine mornings
August 5 // Whited Sepulchred Records
Turian – No Longer Human
August 5 // Buster Room Records/Wise Blood Records
FLOCKS – you were probably younger then
August 5 // Folded Music
I was praising FLOCKS on The Weekly Recs before for not falling into the trap of modern nu jazz – which tends to be boring, formulaic background music. This band actually writes awesome songs, thinks about how to connect textures and how to pace an album. And they’re succeeding.
Liminal Shroud – All Virtues Ablaze
August 5 // Willowtip Records
Ether Coven – The Relationship Between the Hammer and the Nail
August 5 // Good Fight
Danger Mouse & Black Thought – Cheat Codes
August 12 // BMG
The collaboration we didn’t know we needed. Cheat Codes is absolutely brilliant, and rises to the top in a year with tons of fantastic hip hop already. From every angle, this is executed phenomenally, and it tackles some interesting narratives with elegance and flow.
Oavette – Oavette2
August 12 // Independent
Japanese math rock outfit Oavette are probably the closest we can get to Dawn Of Midi. I thoroughly enjoyed their first EP a couple of years ago, and was very happy to learn there was something new from them going on. This is a continuation of their vibe, and I’m all in for it!
MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS – Awakening:Sleeping
August 17 // Flake Sounds
VLMV – Sing With Abandon
August 19 // Nice Weather For Airstrikes
Szun Waves – Earth Patterns
August 19 // The Leaf Label
I was looking forward to a new Szun Waves album like every other sane human, but I was still very much surprised HOW GOOD this album turned out in the end. For many, this band is just a side-project from one of the guys in Portico Quartet, but with Earth Patterns, it became at least equally as interesting as Portico.
Pencey Sloe – Neglect
August 19 // Prophecy Productions
Triathalon – Spin
August 19 // Lex Records
Ósserp – ELS NOUS CANTS DE LA SIBIL·LA
August 19 // Kremón Records and a bunch of others
Nouns – WHILE OF UNSOUND MIND
August 19 // Independent
Rejoice! The Light Has Come – Untitled 2022 EP
August 18 // Independent
Thanya Iyer – rest
August 24 // Topshelf Records
Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith – Let’s Turn It Into Sound
August 26 // Ghostly International
Dreadnought – The Endless
August 26 // Profound Lore Records
Brown Calvin – d i m e n s i o n // p e r s p e c t i v e
August 26 // AKP Recordings
Hexis – Aeternum
August 26 // Debemur Morti Productions
teen suicide – honeybee table at the butterfly feast
August 26 // Run For Cover Records
The cosmos around teen suicide is fascinating. I was an avid follower back when they were called American Pleasure Club, and I always loved the solo project by Sam Ray, Ricky Eat Acid. This new album is a successful continuation of their vibe, and it’s probably the best under the teen suicie moniker.
Roc Marciano & The Alchemist – The Elephant Man’s Bones
August 26 // ALC/Marci Enterprises/Empire
You already know the ‘what a great year for hip hop’ yadda yadda yadda – in the end, I keep nagging your with that nearly every episode. Nevertheless, the journey isn’t over yet, because this amazing collab between legendary producer The Alchemist and rapper Roc Marciano hits where it needs to hit.
Pomme – Consolation
August 26 // Sois Sage Music
If we are talking about modern chanson, Émilie Simon is my standard. This probably doesn’t say a lot – I’m not very well-versed in chanson in the end. Pomme‘s smooth new album Consolation did spark my interest in the genre once again, besides being great. And I’m thankful for that.
Pantha Du Prince – Garden Gaia
August 26 // Indepedent
I loved Conference of Trees back in 2020, so to see another Pantha Du Prince album pop up was a huge excitement. This is fantastic electronica, so rich and elegant. Listen to it!
Jacob Banks – Lies About The War
August 26 // Nobody Records
About 100 years ago (probably 6-7 years actually), I was an avid follower of the Youtube channel Mahogany. One of the most interesting acts I discovered on there was Jacob Banks, a soul artist from Birmingham, UK. For me, he was about to blow up in fame any minute – something which apparently never happened. Still, I’m checking out all of his releases, including his newest album Lies About The War. I hope he gets the recogintion he deserves some day, because this man is fantastic.
Chef’s kiss excellence. Those beats are so great. LISTEN!
paranoid void – Travels In My Universe
August 26 // Indepedent
Those Japanese math rock trios! Paranoid void were always interesting, but missing this extra something to catapult them to the very top of their craft. With Travels In My Universe., they very much did exactly that. Very impressive.
Soft Captain – Soft Captain
August 26 // Radicalis Music
Pineid – Blue Doom
August 26 // Indepedent
This is exactly what I’m looking for. I’ve never heard of this project before, and I’m obviously not alone with that, but everything from the composition to the arrangement, from the artwork to the production is just done tremendously. There is so much passion and creativity on display with this record that every fan of interesting prog has to check this out!
Matthew Halsall – The Temple Within
August 26 // Gondwana Records
Next to being the founder of Gondwana Records, Matthew Halsall is quite the accomplished jazz musician himself. Well, let me correct myself – his last full-length album Salute to the Sun is one of the best jazz records in recent years, so everything this man releases should be on your playlist. More Matthew is always appreciated!
MARO – can you see me?
August 26 // Secca & CO
I’m so glad that working with Jacob Collier put MARO on the map of many. To finally hear her amazing new album can you see me? is a pleasure through and through – can’t wait to hear what’s next for her!
Thanks for scrolling!
