A bit late, but for a decent reason: nothing in July besides a handful of albums really grabbed me, shook me, piledrived me into the ground, turned me into soup, shot me into orbit, summoned me in a seance, or forged me into a sword this month. The seven I’ve listed here are by and far the best things that came out of this month, especially the Daniel Bachman album. It seems like this has been one of the rainier summers I’ve experienced in recent memory, and The Morning Star is just perfect to sit around in the humidity and watch a huge rainstorm come in. I know, I’ve done it a few times already this year!

On the flipside of that, Channel Tres is prime cool material for walking around on a pleasant summer evening. SALES is pretty flexible and Denzel Curry is for those times you need an amp up that’ll get stuck in your head. We’ve got a nice handful here, which feels perfect considering the gargantuan wave of albums coming this fall.

Channel Tres – Channel Tres [Godmode]
Driving to the club, down a palm-lined street at night in a very expensive car, but continuing to avoid reaching the club because the playlist you made is too good and you don’t want it to end so soon.

Daniel Bachman – The Morning Star [Three Lobed Recordings]
Sitting on an old, creaky porch during a sweltering, humid afternoon that’s still but not silent, you watch a massive storm roll in from the west, with thunder rumbling towards you in low, ominous vibrations.

Deafheaven – Ordinary Corrupt Human Love [Anti-]
A humanoid demon sent to Earth struggles at first to assimilate into daily Earthling life and find love, but eventually accepts their differences and forges on with scorched earth and numerous malevolent curses on unwitting souls left in their wake.

Denzel Curry – TA13OO [Loma Vista]
A tale in three parts of an accomplished warrior returning to the battlefield to once again eliminate his competition via body, mind and soul.

Ovlov – TRU [Exploding In Sound]
At the local punk house, the porch ashtray is overflowing and the backyard is a swamp.

Rosali – Trouble Anyway [Scissor Tail Records / Spinster Sounds]
Finding a long, glossy black feather amongst a grove of wildflowers.

SALES – Forever & Ever [Self-Released]
Walking aimlessly in the rain and making songs out of raindrops hitting your umbrella.

Don’t Miss These:

• Chastity – Death Lust [Captured Tracks]
• Gossamer – Imperishable [Innovative Leisure]
• Laurel Halo – Raw Silk Uncut Wood [Latency]
• Lotic – Power [Tri-Angle]
• Luluc – Sculptor [Sub Pop]
• Mass Of The Fermenting Dregs – No New World [Flake Sounds]
• Ross From Friends – Family Portrait [Brainfeeder]
• RP Boo – I’ll Tell You What! [Planet Mu]
• Tanukichan – Sundays [Company Records]
• Thin Lips – Chosen Family [Lame-O]
• Tony Molina – Kill The Lights [Slumberland Records]

GR8 SONGS OF JULY::

BEST SONGS OF 2018 SPOTIFY PLAYLIST

• Brandon Coleman – “Giant Feelings”
• Cat Power – “Wanderer”
• Channel Tres – “Jet Black”
• Channel Tres – “Topdown”
• Christine & The Queens – “Girlfriend”
• Daniel Bachman – “Sycamore City”
• Deafheaven – “Canary Yellow”
• Denzel Curry – “Clout Cobain”
• Denzel Curry – “Percs”
• Dirty Projectors – “That’s A Lifestyle”
• Fabiana Palladino – “Shimmer”
• Lonnie Holley – “I Woke Up In A Fucked-Up America”
• Mr Twin Sister – “Echo Arms”
• Ovlov – “Stick”
• Rosali – “I Wanna Know”
• Rosalía – “Pienso En Tu Mirá (Cap.3: Celos)”
• Ross From Friends – “Pale Blue Dot”
• Ross From Friends – “Wear Me Down”
• Ruthven – “Hypothalamus”
• SALES – “Talk A Lot”
• Tirzah – “Devotion (feat. Coby Sey)”
• Thin Lips – “South America”
• Value Void – “Babeland”