August has been another month of fantastic musical output – with an array of outstanding records from artists both new and returning – making this month’s choices more difficult than ever. We trust you will enjoy the selections. Check out our Album of the Month playlist on Spotify here.

Young Jesus – Welcome to Conceptual Beach

Secret Meeting says:

Welcome To Conceptual Beach expands and contracts – holding a mirror to the galaxies we create in our minds. The antithesis to apathy, it challenges you to get comfortable within it as you chart the forests of your mind, before acting as the snapping branches under your feet, reminding you of your own weight and presence. Its ultimate gift is allowing you a moment to stop looking for answers, knowing that being prepared to ask the questions is enough.

Siv Jakobsen – A Temporary Soothing

Secret Meeting says:

To say that Jakobsen has expanded her sound with this record isn’t to merely suggest that she has thrown more instruments into the mix to give it a ‘bigger’ sound. There is no fat in need of trimming here. Every stroke of guitar, every tap of a drum, every exhale, every syllable, every note all feel considered and measured. A Temporary Soothing is a completed jigsaw puzzle, with each oddly shaped piece in sync to create a final, exquisite piece of art for us to marvel at.

Ruby Haunt – Tiebreaker

Secret Meeting says:

A questioning of purpose, here, Ruby Haunt have set themselves free from restriction and reacquainted themselves with the escapism I so dearly love them for. A lake of muted reflection, a landscape of ethereal inquiry, Tiebreaker acts as a merging of microcosms. The American dream, the traditional longing to live off the fat of the land, contrasted with the realities of modern life. Through Tiebreaker, Ruby Haunt have shown it’s just fine to live life on the outside.

Sarah Walk – Another Me

Secret Meeting says:

Another Me is a deeply emotive record. Yes, her commentary on contemporary society is astute, but when she buries into the self – deep into her psyche, like the counselling sessions from which the record was born – she unleashes a very special weapon. Same Road gives a taste of this, but it Take Me As I Am is where she puts it all on the line; she would rather break than lower her expectations. She will not bend for anyone. ‘Alone, it’s only freedom I can find’ – a partner (be that a friend, a lover, or anyone else who enters her life) must be an equal, and treat her as such; she does not fear the isolation of being on her own.

Widowspeak – Plum

Secret Meeting says:

Finishing as it begins, grasping for assurance and rolling in self-doubt, Plum is a great record throughout – and arguably Widowspeak’s best. And they’ve done it with plenty of hushed vocals, hazy, shoegaze guitars and some straight beats. No fuss and without breaking convention – just a fantastic return.

August has been so packed with outstanding music that it feels wrong to limit ourselves to five recommendations. Once you have made your way through the albums above, we would point you towards Jeremy Tuplin’s latest space pop voyage, Violet Waves, and Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was – the returning gem from the irrepressible Bright Eyes.

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