July is usually a very quiet month for new releases. This year has been different for some reason. Lots of great singles, EPs and albums were released in July, so again, this post will be huge. As usual I overuse words like “beautiful”, “dreamy”, “wonderful”, “brilliant” and “great”, but hey, I am from Norway and have no clue how to write English, so please have me excused. 🙂

Here is my summary of the releases I loved the most in JULY.

The list is in no particular order, but the ones I loved the most are marked with a red ||.

A Spotify playlist with songs from this list can be found below or via this link.
A huge, ever-growing playlist with all the music I have enjoyed from 2018, can be found here.

Did you miss the other posts in this series? Click the link to view them.

SINGLES I LOVED THIS MONTH

Battery Operated Orchestra

From the singles this month, I especially liked the new songs from:

Battery Operated Orchestra – “Strange Goodbye”  I am really excited about this dark synthpop gem from DIY duo Battery Operated Orchestra. It starts with a minimal arrangement of analogue sounding synths and gorgeous vocals from Brigitte Rose, and then it builds and builds and I get almost in trance when it all reaches a climax in the last half of the song. (Spotify)

The Muldoons – “Lovely Things”  This single from Scottish band The Muldoons was a real WOW!-experience for me. Super-catchy, jangly indiepop that reminds a bit of The Smiths, Northern Portrait or The Margarets. Both songs on this single are amazing. I’m a fan! (Spotify)

The Fortuna Pop! Allstars – “You Can’t Hide Your Love Forever”  The label Fortuna Pop! ends their impressive career with an impressive last single. Here they have put together a huge indiepop-supergroup of over 20 of the label’s bands. The single is a cover of Comet Gain’s classic single and it sounds absolutely fantastic! Goodbye, Fortuna Pop! – you will be missed. (Spotify)

Lacuna Bloome – “I am”  The Madchester sound is definitely back! This is a big sounding track with soaring guitars and a huge takeoff towards the end. (Spotify)

Frontperson – “Tick Tock (Frontrunner)”  A dream collaboration for me; Kathryn Calder of The New Pornographers and Mark Andrew Hamilton of Woodpigeon. I love both these bands, and now I also love Frontperson. Very good! (Spotify)

(…I just can’t stop, so there are more singles below the photo)

Fröst

Fröst – “Record still spinning”  Johanna Bramli, sound artist and vocalist for the Stereolab offshoot Imitation Electric Piano, and Fujiya & Miyagi’s Steve Lewis are Fröst, and their single has a lot in common with Broadcast, Stereolab and even Kraftwerk. Lovely, lovely vocals, motorik beats, great melody and interesting explorations of sound. (Spotify)

Saintseneca – “Ladder to the sun”  Everything in this song grabs my attention. Insanely catchy. It reminds  bit of the pop-songs of The Decemberists. (Spotify)

Marlaena Moore – “You Love Me”  Warm, emotional and also very powerful. Her voice has so many levels of intensity. Many followers of this blog like the band Cigarettes after Sex, and this has something in common with their sound. (Spotify)

Jeph – “Hey Baby/Henry”  Two really good, energetic and infectious indie songs from this Isle Of Wight-band. “Hey Baby” is difficult to get out of your head when you have listened to it. (Spotify)

The Boys With the Perpetual Nervousness – “Nervous man”  Great track with a Teenage Fanclub/The Byrds sound, soft vocals and a strong melody. (Spotify)

Gulp – “Claudia”  They never stop making brilliant songs, and this one will also be on my list of Gulp-favourites. The Cardiff based duo is made up of Super Furry Animal-member Guto Pryce and Lindsey Leven. Dreamy, warm pop with a sound that reminds of a mix between Saint Etienne and Broadcast. (Spotify)

It is also worth mentioning some great cover songs released this month. Check out Lowland Hum‘s beautiful version of Nico’s “I’ll be your mirror”, Poppy‘s cool cover of “Metal” by Gary Numan, Rhye‘s version of Procol Harum’s “A whiter shade of pale” and First Aid Kit covering Kate Bush’ “Running up that hill”.
Speaking of covers, this time the prize for “worst cover art of the month” goes to The Goon Sax. Horrible.

ALBUMS I LOVED THIS MONTH

Young Scum

Young Scum – Young Scum || Could perfect pop be more perfect than this? Brilliant indiepop with really good songs throughout the album. Jangly guitars and warm, melodic popsongs. Very, very good. (Spotify)

Dot Dash – Proto Retro || This is the 6th album from the Washington, DC trio Dot Dash and the 42 (!) release of their brilliant label The Beautiful Music. On Proto Retro, the band let the melodies shine and turn down the noise a bit, but there is still a lot of power and attitude in their songs. Songs like “Unfair Weather” and “Dead Letter Rays” deserve to be indiepop classics. I love this album. Powerpop/Jangly indiepop.  (Spotify)

Massage – Oh Boy || This album was released just a couple of days before July became August, but I have listened a lot to it since the release. Oh Boy, I like it! Their singles “Lydia” and “Oh boy” were among my chosen favourite singles in last month’s post, and there are more gems like that on the album. They mention The Go-Betweens, Sarah Records, The Lemonheads, Twerps and Flying Nun records as inspiration, and you can hear that in their jangly, warm, melodic songs, – but still Massage has a unique sound. This is great music! (Spotify)

77-78 – Jellies || I have missed The Bees so much, and 77-78 is a new project from The Bees’ Tim Parkin and Aaron Fletcher. It is definitely not The Bees, but I like this very much too. It is still fairly psychedelic, still soulful, still unpredictable and still very melodic. (Spotify)

RVG – A quality of mercy  || Jangly pop from Australia, with self-mentioned influences from both The Go-Betweens, The Smiths and The Soft Boys. The vocals have much in common with Robert Forster and Echo and The Bunnymen’s Ian McCullough. The songs are very well written. Interesting lyrics and melodies. (Spotify)

(more releases after the photo)

Tanukichan

Tanukichan – Sundays || Hannah van Loon is the guitarist/keyboardist in Trails and Ways, and as Tanikichan she has taken a step away from her band’s sound into very melodic dream pop. Underneath the beautiful airy vocals and sweet, pleasant, dreamy sound, you find slightly distorted bass and guitars, – just enough to give it an interesting edge.  (Spotify)

Fraser A. Gorman – Easy Dazy || Melbourne artist Fraser A. Gorman’s second album is a real pleasure to listen to. I loved his debut, and this one is a good follow up. I love the laid-back melodies and his calming voice.  (Spotify)

Smokescreens – Used to yesterday || Smokescreens, featuring members of Terry Malts and Plateaus, have released a wonderful new album on Slumberland Records. This is their second, and it is filled with 10 good, jangly indiepop tracks. In their bio, they describe their sound as “deeply indepted to the jangly pop of early Flying Nun bands and the noisy rush of c86-style indiepop, with a little punk energy thrown in for good measure”. I think that describe their music very well.  (Spotify)

Wimps – Garbage people || Rough, fun, punky pop with lyrics ranging from gender pay inequality, declining bee populations, insomnia to stealing other people’s pizzas. The Spotify version is abridged to 6 of the original 13 album tracks.  (Spotify)

(more releases after the photo)

Collections of Colonies of Bees

Collections of Colonies of Bees – HAWAII || With a background from the post rock group Pele, Collections of colonies of bees have elements of post rock in their sound, but their sound is now an interesting blend of many different genres. I love the mix between female and male vocals and their cool experimentation with effects on both vocals, guitars and looping elements (kind of similar to the way Tunng or The Notwist works, but still different). It is a really interesting and inspiring album.  (Spotify)

FREE / SLOPE – Abracadabra || Drifting, instrumental kosmische kraut-pop, with nods to both NEU! and Spacemen3. His second album “Abracadabra” is very beautiful and it easily makes you forget the troubling world we live in.   (Spotify)

The Cradle – Bag of holding || I guess you can put this in the folk category, with acoustic guitars, strings and flutes. Paco Cathcart’s soothing voice is in front, and he is accompanied by other singers who sings with him on some songs. It is a very unusual and beautiful folk-styled album.  (Spotify)

(more releases after the photo)

The Ophelias

The Ophelias – Almost || The four girls in The Ophelias have played together since high school, and come from very different musical backgrounds, ranging from garage rock, surf to opera. Today they play “a blend of rock, baroque pop and wide-skied atmospheres”, as they write in their bio. The album is one of my favourites this month, with gorgeous pop melodies, smart lyrics and strong vocals. I also really like that a violin is an important part of their music.  (Spotify)

Luluc – Sculptor || New York based Australian duo Luluc’s music is harmony based pop with a strong root in late 60s/early 70s folk music. They remind me somewhat of Weyes Blood, and the drummer worked with is also connected to Weyes Blood’s band. Other musicians on the album are members of The National and surprisingly also Dinosaur Jr’s J Mascis. “Sculptor” is a really beautiful album.  (Spotify)

You said strange – Salvation prayer || French band You Said Strange’s sound is somewhere between 60s psychedelia and 90s shoegaze, with powerful and hypnotic drums, cool rhythmic guitar riffs, always moving bass lines and lovely multi-layered vocals. (Spotify)

(more releases after the photo)

Western Medication

Western Medication – Taste || They are from Nashville, but they sound like they are from Manchester, UK. Glittering, groovy and fun pop with a good Madchester vibe. Add a tiny bit of psychpop and a bit of the sound of the early days of Creation Records, and you’re almost there.  (Spotify)

Trust Fund – Bringing the backline || I really enjoy this album, which sadly is their last release. I always seem to like the latest Trust Fund album better than the one before. It happens every time, and still I always think the one before was brilliant. So, for me, this is the best Trust Fund album. (Spotify)

Clearance – At your leisure|| I haven’t listened enough to this to give a proper “review” here, but I really like what I hear at first listen. The band draws inspiration from 60s UK pop and 80s indie from New Zealand, as well as 90s slacker pop and contemporary bands like Rolling Blackout Coastal Fever and Omni. (Spotify)

Team Callahan – Dog days || The husband and wife duo of Kathleen and Nick Arnal make charming, sunny popsongs on the weekends. This is their second album, mostly recorded in their own home studio. Lovely vocals and lovely melodies.  (Spotify)

(more releases after the photo)

Dentist

Dentist – Night swimming || This is a brilliant, catchy, fuzzy, jangly indiepop album. The melodies are amazing, and I have trouble to resist moving around to their energetic popsongs. Very good!  (Spotify)

Mia Doi Todd – Music from a Midsummer Night’s Dream || Mia Doi Todd is a unique and very interesting artist. She is always exploring and searching for new ways to develop her music. On this album, which I believe is her 12th, she collaborates with diverse artists like Dntel, Dungen, Erin Barnes, Saul Williams, Money Mark and more. The result is a really beautiful musical world to explore. It is a mix between between folk, psychedelic pop, electronic based songs, jazz, dub and more experimental music. Her vocals are always lovely.  (Spotify)

Pascal Babare – Endless room || Listening to Pascal Babare’s calm, soothing voice and songs is the perfect way to calm down after a stressful day. His first two albums are among my favourite albums, and this new one has taken some time to finish, – it’s 5 years since he last released an album. The new release includes both interesting pop and calm folky songs. All beautiful. (Spotify)

The Innocence Mission – Sun on the square || The music of The Innocence Mission is special to me
. I love Karen Peris’ voice, the fragile melodies and the calming instrumentation. This is their 10th studio album, and not their best, but I am still very happy with this.  (Spotify)

EPs I LOVED THIS MONTH

Odina (Photo by Hannah Mae Clark)

Odina – Nothing makes sense EP || A unique voice and an unique songwriter. Infell in love with her single “I’m not asking”, and fell even deeper in love when she released her stunning cover of Joy Division’s “Love will tear us apart”. She has similarities with artists like Joanna Newsom, Bon Iver and maybe also the calmer sides of Sufjan Stevens, but as I said, still unique. I love this. (Spotify)

Bearwear – e.g. || Bearwear is an indiepop duo from Japan, and this EP includes two songs and a remix of the title track. Driving basslines and drums, colourful jangly guitars and catchy melodies on both tracks. I especially like the way “e.g.” Includes both male and female vocals (the guest vocals by Emily – no surname mentioned – are so beautiful). (Spotify)

Jetstream Pony – Self-destruct reality || THIS IS SO GOOD!! sorry for using all caps and double exclamation marks here, but to compensate, i am using only lower case letters and no exclamations in this sentence, so that i can justify using more caps later in this little “review”. The new EP from indiepop band Jetstream Pony easily puts them among the most interesting indiepop bands in 2018. Brilliant songwriting, irresistible melodies, jangly guitars, amazing vocals and harmonies. So, if you haven’t understood it yet, here it comes in all caps and exclamation points: WOW!!!! I CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF THIS!!! THIS IS BRILLIANT POP!!! Ok. Finished now. Almost. Jetsream Pony includes members of Trembling Blue Stars, The Wedding Presents, The Popguns, The Fireworks and other “indiepop-stars” (Spotify)

Hontatedori – Konata Kanata || Hontatedori is the trio of Japanese artists Taku Unami, Moé Kamura, Tetuzi Akiyama, who all have interesting separate careers in music. As Hontatedori, they make calm, fragile songs with the beautiful, delicate vocals of Kamura in front, accompanied with the acoustic guitars of Akiyama and Unami. Not for everyone, I guess, but please take 18 minutes of your day to listen to this. Maybe you will love it as much as I do. It is experimental and sounds almost improvised, and at times stunningly beautiful. Konata Kanata means something like Here There in Japanese.

Cult Party

Cult Party – And then there was this sound || This is one of my favourite EPs this month, – or maybe it is an album? 4 songs with a total time of 35 minutes, where the longest is 20 minutes. The long track changes shape several times, so it kind of feels like several songs in one. The songs almost feel like poetry, both in words and music. The focus of the songs is an acoustic guitar and Leo Robinson’s deep, hushed vocals, but cello, violins, organ, brass, percussion and a choir of friends are also used and adds beauty to these already lovely, interesting songs. (Spotify)

Good Good Blood – Old mountain || On their Facebook page, there is only a short description of their music; “sad folk gems”. I would call it warm, rich sounding, interesting songs. Their style is not easy to describe without asking you to listen for yourself. There are so many interesting sounds and elements that you discover when you listen to the songs, and I feel that it is a box within a box within a box of things to discover here. A lovely release.  (Spotify)

Ortolan – Down deep || It’s been a while since these 3 sisters and a sister-in-law released music. I think their previous album came in 2014. Several of them (or maybe all) sings, and the music is full of their wonderful harmonies. Their songs can go from calm, almost folky into explosions of rough power

. (Spotify)

Happy Spendy – Take care of yourself || Happy Spendy is a collaboration between members from Marble Gods and Sister Collective, and here they do bedroomy lo-fi synth pop, mostly calm in sound, with lovely, airy, whispery vocals and strong lyrics. (Spotify)

Underworld + Iggy Pop – Teatime dub encounters || An unlikely pair, two legends from two different genres drink tea together and make music. Iggy tells stories about life, friends and stolen shirts. It works surprisingly well.  (Spotify)

OTHER INTERESTING THINGS THIS MONTH

Hologram Teen

Hologram Teen is the solo project and anagram of former Stereolab keyboardist Morgane Lhote. Apart from some voice samples, her new album is an instrumental, mostly electronic album. (Spotify)

Squirrel Flower‘s beautiful debut album is now out in a deluxe version with two extra tracks.  (Spotify)

A 19 track live- and rarities album of Judee Sill recordings was released in July, and it features some lovely home recordings, outtakes and demos, as well as concert recordings. (Spotify)

Sound of Ceres has released a twin version of their latest album “The Twin”, where you will find early recordings of the album made before they recorded the final version in Iceland. (Spotify)

Listen to most of the songs from this list on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/user/eardrumspop/playlist/2RYE1NzM7RUyebSpF3vUdT?si=-WDN05Y6QYKwUtsJnN7PsA