Monthly Music Rundown

July: a time of summer showers and rising temperatures; all punctuated by great new music. Whether it's Electronica, R&B or straight up Indie Rock; this July saw the release of some great albums. Here's a rundown of my top picks for the month.

Veruca Salt - Ghost Notes
(July 10)

As someone who remembers the 90's fairly well, I recall Veruca Salt's "Seether" and to a lesser degree "Volcano Girls" as being music staples of the decade. Which I'm sure is hard thing for a band to shake. "Ghost Notes" is the band's latest album in nine years and they've managed to retain their sound while still being musically relevant. Much like The Breeder's return from hiatus in 2008, Veruca Salt proves they still have what it takes to produce quality music.

Notable Tracks:

"The Gospel According To Saint Me"

"The Sound Of Leaving"

"Black and Blonde"

"Triage"

Tame Impala - Currents
(July 17)

Encroaching on R&B sensibilities, "Currents" moves more into a dance-oriented direction than previous work.  The album was written, recorded, performed, and produced by primary member Kevin Parker, who meticulously labored over the album since the release of Lonerism in 2012. The title is indicative of the main thematic premise of personal transformation and identity as a man in a modern context. I can't say I loved every track of Lonerism, but I did enjoy the bulk of this album. 

Notable Tracks:

"The Less I Know The Better"

"Yes I'm Changing"

"Let It Happen"

"Eventually"

"New Person, Same Old Mistakes"

Ratatat - Magnifique
(July 17)

Recorded over the process of four years in several locations, Magnifique is New York's Ratatat's latest album in five years. Much hype was built around the album after the release of the single "Cream and Chrome" at Coachella and The Governor's Ball in April. It's safe to say that Magnifique does well not to let Ratatat's fans down. If you've loved their sound from previous albums you'll definitely feel at home with this new addition. 

Notable Tracks:

"I Will Return" (A cover of a 1971 Springwater song)

"Cream On Chrome"

"Drift"

"Nightclub Amnesia"

Wilco - Star Wars
(July 17)

"Star Wars" was presented as a surprise, free download on Wilco's website as a gift of sorts to their fans. It's for sure a Wilco album, and by that I mean a thoughtful, well-produced continuation of their sound. Each track is in themselves powerful stand alone pieces. They've always been a classic band and Star Wars can easily be described as a classic album.

Notable Tracks:

"Taste the Ceiling"

"More..."

"Random Name Generator"

"EKG"

Iron & Wine & Ben Bridwell - Sing Into My Mouth
(July 17)

A cover album featuring the likes of such acts as Talking Heads (for which the title is derived), John Cale and Sade. Sing Into My Mouth is a bitter-sweet mix of sadness and love. Ben Bridwell of the group Band Of Horses lends his vocals and guitar playing to this rich and emotional album. The best part of any covers album is what the artist brings to the original work and Samuel Beam & Bridwell take these songs into their own music domains. 

Notable Tracks:

"This Must Be the Place"

"Bullet Proof Soul"

"No Way Out of Here"

The Chemical Brothers - Born In Echoes
(July 20)

"Born In Echoes" is The Chemical Bros' first album in five years and features guest artists St. Vincent, Beck & Cate La Bon. The Chemical Brothers are known for continually putting out concise and quality music since their debut album "Exit Planet Dust". You either love their fusion of Dance-Rock-Rap or you don't. If you do, "Born In Echoes" won't disappoint.

Notable Tracks:

"Under Neon Lights"

"Sometimes I Feel So Deserted"

"I'll See You There"

"Go"

Vinyl Williams - Into
(July 24)

Where to start with "Into" by Vinyl Williams aka Los Angeles-based multimedia artist Lionel Williams? The best way to describe it is as a Psychedelic-Shoegaze journey across time and space. Williams draws influences from eclectic sources ranging from Egyptian BioChemistry to Russellian science. Which in turn results in esoteric soundscapes seemingly devoid of reason. It's experimental enough to be original yet grounded in a somewhat traditional music making process to be enjoyable.

Notable Tracks:

"Space Age Utopia"

"Gold Lodge"

"World Soul"

Evvol - Eternalism
(July 24)

"Eternalism" is Berlin-based Dark Wave duo Evvol's first studio album. The album is an ethereal mix of Art Of Sound and The Knife sensibilities. The two have created a sound that is all their own and has been described as playing "on dualities – light and dark, entrapment and escape, immersion and surrender." 

Notable Tracks:

"No Love"

"Four Steps Home"

"I See You (I Am You)"

Gwenno - Y Dydd Olaf
(Reissued: July 24)

Welsh-born singer/musician Gwenno Saunders uses the 1976 sci-fi novel (of the same name) as the basis for her latest album "Y Dydd Olaf". Technically a reissue from 2014; the album is too good not to make it on this list. Her dreamy retro Pop sensibilities transport you into a different time and at times a different universe. It's a fun album to fill spaces or just to space out with. 

Notable Tracks:

"Sisial Y Môr"

"Chwyldro"

"Patriarchaeth"

Field Music - Music For Drifters
(July 24)

The sixth studio release by English Indie-Rock trio Field Music. To me, this album has a mature quality to it that separates it from their previous work. It's subtle and nuanced. The tracks aren't trying too hard to show off and that's what I appreciate the most about Indie music. 

Notable Tracks:

"Batten Down"

"Quayside, Pt. 2"

"Hauling"

"Out of the Harbor"

Lianne La Havas - Blood
(July 31)

The second album release by singer, songwriter and guitarist Lianne La Havas; "Blood" is an immaculately produced album blending her own brand of Funk & Soul. Drawing inspiration from her Jamaican & Greek roots the album delves deep into Lianne's own blood. Her heritage & identity are all subjects methodically approached with thoughtful fervor. Definitely a personal album & one not to be missed.

Notable Tracks:

"Green & Gold"

"Wonderful"

"What You Don't Do"

"Unstoppable"

Honorary Mention:

De Lux - Generation (June 23)

Returning with a darker sound, De Lux's "Generation" is Post-Punk / Art Rock gold. The album was greatly influenced by the music of ESG, Can & the uninhibited lyrics of Karen Finley and it definitely shows. To me, this album reminds me a lot of Marque Moon & Talking Heads. Two of my favorite bands.

Notable Tracks:

"When Your Life Feels Like A Loss"

"Oh Man The Future"

"LA Threshold"

First Impressions: Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp

First off, I'm a big fan of the original Wet Hot American Summer. I was introduced to it by friends in high school and I still feel like it has a lot of originality to its humor. It played like an updated, more self-aware Meatballs. Where Meatballs derived humor from the camping experience, WHAS utilized a similar concept as a vehicle to also poke fun at tropes from movies & TV shows of the 70's & 80's; while also injecting scenes of absurdist comedy. 

When I heard they were bringing the original cast back to produce more content from the original concept I got excited. I was skeptical when I heard it was going to be prequel, but I decided to wait until I saw it to judge. I haven't even finished the first episode and I'm already noticing problems.

The idea to make it a prequel doesn't really work. The actors are noticeably aged and the original joke of older actors playing younger parts is even more of a stretch this time around. I guess that's the joke, but it's mostly just distracting. Some of the actors are drastically different from the first WHAS (and that's being polite about it).

I feel like there's a missed opportunity to continue on the story in say the mid-to-late 90's as the original film alluded to at its conclusion. It would've opened up the humor to new jokes and characters, but what we get seems like a cashing in on an established, beloved movie without doing anything new or original. Which again, could be a joke in itself but I highly doubt it's THAT self-aware. Mostly because it doesn't play that way. 

Hopefully, as I watch more episodes my initial opinion will change. As these things often do. I will remain optimistic and open-minded.

Morning World & The Polarizing Effects of Change

My first impression of the "Morning World" single by Teen Daze is that it's definitely a more "traditional" Indie Pop track. If there is such a thing. Teen Daze or Jamison (that's it, no last name given), has been praised for his atmospheric, electronic soundscapes and I think it's a great direction he's decided to move into. 

So often artists get pigeon holed into genres that could be seen as fads. For instance, Washed Out aka Ernest Greene is widely considered to be one of the progenitors of the Chill Wave genre. A scene that has been criticized for being a momentary blip in musical genre. Greene originally worked mostly with sample-based arrangements which he eventually found to be limiting when played live. He then went on to transform that frustration into the album Paracosm, which was recorded and performed in a more traditional fashion with noted success from fans & critics.

There's this elitist attitude against artists who use laptops and software to produce and perform their work and I feel like there's a type of legitimacy that people find in more analog or established means of creation. I think that's perhaps a component in the reasoning Jamison took in recording this album. Which has been stated to be recorded at the "all-analog" Tiny Telephone Studio in San Francisco. Teen Daze has been seen in the past utilizing a laptop & MIDI controllers (namely the Akai APC40) to perform his music.

Conversely, this type of transition isn't always welcomed by fans who have enjoyed the accustomed sound of their favorite bands. Daft Punk's 'Random Access Memories' or 'RAM' immediately comes to mind. Known for being a flagship act for the French House or French Touch genre, Daft Punk's previous albums used predominantly electronic & digital equipment to sample and mix their music. RAM on the other hand, was an homage to music production of the 60's & 70's. Even going so far as to use Nile Rodgers of Chic fame, who also produced numerous albums notably of the 70's & 80's eras on three of the albums tracks. The album was instantly polarizing to fans. Some really liked it, while others filled YouTube comment sections with their extreme distain for it.


Only time will tell if fans of Teen Daze will gravitate towards the album with open arms or openly express their dissatisfaction with the work. My guess is it'll be a bit of both. For what it's worth, the music of "Morning World" is of a high quality and in my opinion still in line with Jamison's previous work.

"Morning World" will be released by Paper Bag Records on August 14th. 


You can watch a trailer for the album here and listen to the titular track here. 


You can also pre-order the album here.