Earth is burning in a very literal way, so I guess the number one question right now is how are we gonna soundtrack that? I have a few suggestions. This is Cool Stuff For Cool Lifeforms: August 2023!
Gaadge – Somewhere Down Below
Gotta be honest with you, I don’t know how Gaadge is going to top this one without going in a slightly different direction on their next album because they absolutely perfected their Sonic Youth through a pop-punk filter aesthetic on this one. It feels like those moments in late summer when you’re nostalgic as the moment is happening. You’re having fun, but it’s kind of hazy and sad because you know it’s coming to an end. Hey, kind of like Earth! See? This is definitely a good album to soundtrack the death of our planet! Fun, but ya know, kinda sad.
Bruiser and Bicycle – Holy Red Wagon
I suppose this would be called a folk album in that there are certainly acoustic guitars and sometimes sweet vocal harmonies, which are things folk albums are known to have. But this thing is just too noisy and weird to pigeonhole it like that. This is the kind of musical adventure that feels both personal and triumphant. These are songs that could have been little folk songs in the hands of a less capable group, but they got blown out into statement pieces instead. The easy, most obvious version of these songs wasn’t enough. Only the perfect, weird, fucked up version would do.
Grocer – Scatter Plot
I’m not going to go too long on this one because I just don’t know how to properly describe this EP. I suppose the best I can come up with is to imagine if Swearin’ and Deerhoof formed a band and made an album that was all over the place in the best possible way. That would be every Grocer album, but especially Scatter Plot, the most aptly named album on this list.
Die! Die! Die! – This Is Not An Island Anymore
Die! Die! Die! has been around forever, but this might be their best work. It’s quick, running at only 25 minutes. It’s heavy as shit, grinding and oozing through its 9 songs with everything dripping with layers of effects like it’s not possible for anything — even the vocals — to sound ugly enough. And it’s beautiful for it.
Jana Horn – The Window Is The Dream
This shit is genuinely pretty, but it also gets weird and sometimes even gnarly, especially as you get further into the album. Horn reminds me a bit of a much less depressing Basement on the Hill-era Elliott Smith where these pretty, haunting songs sit side by side with these other songs that have these cool but kinda ugly guitar parts stuck out against otherwise pretty arrangements. The juxtaposition is breathtaking and seamless, and it feels all part of the musical world Horn has created for us.
Lync – These Are Not Fall Colors
This masterpiece is about to get reissued! And if you like post-hardcore and/or emo at all, this is a must-listen. While it doesn’t get the same kind of respect Slint gets in the post-punk community, it’s absolutely a work of art on that level. And with emo and post-hardcore no longer being quite as underground as they were when this was released in 1994, maybe this will finally get a fraction of the attention and influence it deserves. An absolute classic of screaming, noise, beautiful guitars, amazing, propulsive drumming, and emotion. Even in August 2023!
If you’re a cool lifeform who enjoyed the cool stuff of August 2023, please consider previous installments here.