Elijah’s Top 5:

Carpe Diem, Moonman, Psychedelic Porn Crumpets (What Reality?). What if Arctic Monkeys had shunned mainstream success and instead heavily indulged in psychedelics in the deserts of Australia? Well here’s your answer! Catchy riffs and a manic energy propel the heavily English-accented singer to the Moon and back, and you along with him.

+ Där Skogen Sjunger Under Evighetens Granar +, Vildhjarta (Century Media). The third full-length offering from the fathers of “thall”, Vildhjarta’s signature fragmentation of melodies and grooves find new emotional depths when set against more conventionally tonal atmospheres. A perfect example of subverting subversive music with convention.

Even in Arcadia, Sleep Token (RCA). The anonymous English project’s newest release is probably their most fully realized yet. The songs are still as catchy as ever (read: VERY), but feel less formulaic than those on previous releases, being allowed more room to breathe in instrumental passages and explorative song structures.

I Don’t Want to See You in Heaven, The Callous Daoboys (MNRK Heavy). Wildness incarnate! The underground darlings of mathcore have surely catapulted themselves into the upper echelons of their genre-fluid niche. With added touches that spark the listener’s imagination, from framing the record as an artifact being heard hundreds of years in the future (exhibited in the “Museum of Failure”) to the motif lifted directly from an early Björk album placed in the center of an 11-minute track, this album keeps you gripped through every one of its myriad twists and turns.

Pythagoras, Pyramids (The Flenser). Pyramids have always been a sonic enigma, but never in a million years would I have expected their comeback release after 10 years to be almost entirely black metal riffs and shoegaze atmospherics slammed into reggaeton beats and Spanish rapping. But you know what, it works and it’s a good time, so go and listen to it.

Adriane’s Top 5:

Evangelic Girl is a Gun, yeule (Ninja Tune). The princess of glitch returns with their latest dark femme dreamscape, a kind of sonic manic episode that, for all its breezy tones, feels like pure catharsis. Shades of trip-hop and 00s indie pop are strong (it’s reminding me of Korean duo Belle Époque), ramping up especially at the end to a claws-out take on UK garage.

Nilam, ganavya (LEITER). Every note that comes from the body of singer and multi-instrumentalist Ganavya Doraiswamy sounds like pure devotion, equally prayer and music in that most intimate medium of vocal expression. A technically and spiritually stunning album that works at the level of the nervous system. When I put it on for my cat, he started purring. What better recommendation can there be?

RAIO, Tagua Tagua (Wonderwheel). Led by producer Felipe Puperi, Paulistano act Tagua Tagua makes neon synthpop for city life. In their latest work, this ranges from blissful electric ballads to near-nu-disco, powered by funk, soul, and strong songwriting. Cool, psychedelic rhythms and lyrical depth make this the newest descendant of oughties indie sleaze–but much, much better.

Trésor Magnétique, Francis Bebey (Africa Seven). Twenty previously unreleased recordings from the legendary performer and scholar Francis Bebey come to light on the fantastic Trésor Magnétique. It’s a posthumous gift from one of the most important pioneering producers of early electronic music, each piece another brilliant facet of his Central African folk-influenced synthpop innovations. The satirical pieces need a bit more context than you can get from just a quick listen, but you’ve got the internet, so have some dang media literacy.

funk

West Riviera, West Riviera (Sleep Walk). Funk! Soul! Italia! West Riviera is all these things, and their new self-titled release is full of danceable rhythms. A cameo from Parlor Greens guitarist Jimmy James gives them that much more credibility. I spent much of May thinking Hey! Gianni! and I regret nothing.