The best album releases of the month, July edition

July is traditionally a quiet month for new releases, and nothing has changed this year. Usually for this feature I listen to around 30 new releases each month, but during July I only listened to about half of that. I don't think there is any point making a top 10 or 12 for the sake of it, so this time around I have just concentrated on the albums that I really rate this month. Unfortunately there are only six. Fortunately they are all very good.

Meursault 'Something for the Weakened'
My review (the 405)

"I can already imagine people saying that Meursault have "gone mainstream" with this release, although these songs have a heart and soul that will stay with you for ages. It's a warmer album, but I think that adds something to its appeal, and I think it will gain them quite a few new fans."

Dirty Projectors 'Swing Lo Magellan'

More direct and accessible than some of their other work, this sixth album from the Brooklyn is still very intriguing. My early impressions are that this is just as good as predecessor 'Bitte Orca', and I would argue that it is unpretentious and more raw than a lot of people might expect.

Laetitia Sadier 'Silencio'
My review (the 405)

"There is much to admire and lose yourself in, and in this age when a lot of bands are steering clear of politics, I'm glad to hear Sadier remaining true to her original blueprint of intelligent socialist pop."

Aesop Rock 'Skelethon'

His sixth album, but his first self-produced release. It sounds more raw and less cluttered than previous albums, although the familiar clever lyrics twists and turns are present and are hugely impressive. I'm only on my third listen as I just got it, but this could be his best yet.

Frank Ocean 'channel ORANGE'

Impossible to ignore, and perhaps a surprise inclusion for this blog, but I can't deny that 'channel ORANGE' is both a great record and a hugely important release. Presumably this came to a lot of people's attention as Frank came out just before its release, although there are such obvious hints to his sexuality throughout that I'm not as cynical about this decision as some others have been. More in tune with prime period Stevie Wonder than anything else, it's worth it alone for 'Pyramids', an epic piece which is this generation's 'The Message' or 'The Crown'. Essential.

DIIV 'Oshin'

As far as I know this is the debut release from DIIV, a band formed by Beach Fossils guitarist Z. Cole Smith. It is a woozy, fuzzy dream-pop album, which as you might expect tends to flow over and around you. It is initially hard to recall and identify the tracks and the songs seem to merge together effortlessly. Musically it belongs somewhere between '80s post-punk and the prettier end of shoegaze, and ends up as very promising debut.



Here is a Spotify playlist for five of these ('Silencio' isn't available on it yet)

STREAM: Dinosaur Jr, BEAK>, Dirty Projectors, Twin Shadow

I spent a lot of the first six months of 2012 listening to new albums. I think I've heard around 115 at the last estimate. Even though the summer is traditionally quiet it seems that new releases are just piling up to be heard. For this reason I've started using a tumblr page to highlight new tracks when they appear, as a way of keeping them together, so feel free to check

slowthrills.tumblr.com

In theory this should free up this blog as a place for interviews, reviews and features.

Also, I am old-fashioned enough to believe that you should listen a recording quite a bit before you "review" it, so I would rather post the new release streams and info online without comment. The streams will always by people that I am interested in hearing though.

Not everyone likes to have their material embedded by every blogger on the planet, and a fair few prefer site exclusives. Two of the most highly anticipated releases are online as exclusives.

Dirty Projectors Swing Lo Magellan, via the Guardian

Twin Shadow Confess via Urban Outfitters

Two acts that will allow embeds are Dinosaur Jr., and BEAK>. Dinosaur's album isn't out until September but you can hear a track below


and BEAK> have made clever use of bandcamp by sharing an embeddable player for their second album. I had only just heard Drokk by Geoff Barrow (BEAK/ Portishead) and Bean Salisbury this week, and now this comes along in the same month. Anyway, enjoy...