Getting later and later with these. Regardless, here’s what I loved from the month of August. From mostly-instrumental guitar freakouts, to revitalizing jazzy soul, to intriguing offerings from newcomers; August 2022 had a lot to offer.

Chris Forsyth – Evolution Here We Come [No Quarter]
Traveling back in time to give your classic rock-loving dad lessons in jazz improvisation and a cosmic imagination.

Claude – a lot’s gonna change [American Dreams Records]
Leisurely floating down a river in one of those super soft, pillowy bean-bag-like chairs on a cloudy day.

Eli Winter – Eli Winter [Three Lobed]
Wild grasses rapidly sprouting through highways and parking lots across North America.

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith – Let’s Turn It Into Sound [Ghostly]
Befriending a computer program that’s taken over a human husk, who then shows you the world through their eyes.

Kokoroko – Could We Be More [Brownswood]
A high-impact run-into-hug with someone you haven’t seen in a long time, that includes lots of squeezing, swaying side to side, screaming, crying, laughing, jumping up and down, all while hugging.

Marci – Marci [Arbutus]
You just went on a shopping spree at the mall and you’re now driving home, but in reality you just shoplifted a lot of expensive clothes and the police are after you. But that doesn’t fit the fantasy.

Panda Bear & Sonic Boom – Reset [Domino]
There is a living man that’s been floating in Palm Springs pool since 1965, his brain and organs sustained by acid flashbacks of dancing palm trees, talking clouds and bizarro commercials.

Rachika Nayar – Heaven Come Crashing [NNA Tapes]
A drifting satellite and a shooting star pass so close together in our sky, a fleeting embrace.

Recitals – Orbit I [Flying Nun]
Building a staircase out of books you’ve collected off the street to embrace a crystal chandelier hanging in an abandoned mansion.

Thee Sacred Souls – Thee Sacred Souls [Daptone]
Sitting in a vinyl-lined booth at an old diner across from a romantic partner, with the smell of fresh flowers drifting from their vicinity.

GR8 SONGS OF AUGUST 2022::

• Brijean – “Angelo”
• Chris Forsyth – “Experimental and Professional”
• Claude – “claustrophobia”
• Claude – “roses”
• Claude – “turn”
• Danger Mouse & Black Thought – “Aquamarine (feat. Michael Kiwanuka)”
• Divino Niño – “XO”
• Eli Winter – “Dayenu”
• Eli Winter – “Unbecoming”
• Grotto Terrazza – “Long Aryan Ice-Tea”
• Hot Chip – “Down”
• Julia Jacklin – “Ignore Tenderness”
• Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith – “Check Your Translation”
• Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith – “Is It Me Or Is It You?”
• Kokoroko – “Age of Ascent”
• Kokoroko – “Ewà Inú”
• Kokoroko – “Home”
• Kokoroko – “We Give Thanks”
• Lifeguard – “Fifty Seven”
• Lifeguard – “I know I know”
• Marci – “Entertainment”
• Marci – “Immaterial Girl”
• Marci – “Terminal”
• O’Flynn & Frazer Ray – “You Need Me”
• Panda Bear & Sonic Boom – “Danger”
• Panda Bear & Sonic Boom – “Livin’ In The After”
• Rachika Nayar – “Death & Limerence”
• Rachika Nayar – “Heaven Come Crashing (feat. Maria BC)”
• Rachika Nayar – “Promises”
• Recitals – “Gradient”
• Recitals – “Slowfast”
• SRSQ – “Used to Love”
• Stella Donnelly – “Lungs”
• Sylvan Esso – “Alarm”
• Sylvan Esso – “Echo Party”
• Thee Sacred Souls – “A Trade of Hearts”
• Thee Sacred Souls – “One You Know (Then You’ll Know)”
• Thee Sacred Souls – “Overflowing”
• Tomato Flower – “Construction”
• Tomato Flower – “Taking My Time”