It’s June already. Let that godforsaken truth sink in. Apologies in advance for the sour tone, but 6 months ago, it seemed like the world was moving as usual (on crutches and with bloody constipation pains), and now it’s in a violent coma that could change any day now, or not. It’s a distressing time for sure, one that renders my practise of harping on about music very hokey and unnecessary, if we’re being honest. But, it could be said that the strongest act of defiance in the face of advertisity is to carry on regardless, so after tossing and turning with this list, here we are.

This list will begin with releases from this year, and then divert into some older records. Some of these artists may be brand new to you, or these albums could be shown in a new way that you may not have previously seen. For some, it could just be a gentle nudge to dust off these records and spin them once more. Who knows, these listens could even help your chances of having a half-decent summer this year. Which they definitely will.

Charli XCX - how i’m feeling now (2020)

Watching Charli XCX transitioning into the head huncho of the PC Music-created avant-pop movement has been a treat. Last year, her journey away from the status quo culminated in her album Charli. With her biggest artistic statement yet (even if it did shift down a few gears in its second half), a follow-up wasn’t expected so soon - but how i’m feeling now is a knee-jerk care package for the times. Dropping just 36 days after being announced on her regular Instagram livestreams, the record has the almost-reactionary spontaneity that comes from such a time constraint.

Imagine watching a load of stars from the worlds of 2000s pop, Eurodance, EDM and noise music brawling each other like that one scene from Anchorman 2. And also eating each other. how i’m feeling now is precisely that image.

Tame Impala - The Slow Rush (2020)

Earlier this year, I wrote a review of the new Tame Impala project for the Let It Happen site. To write the follow-up record to an album whose lead single is the namesake for that site was an honour, but it also gives me a great opportunity to sit back and let me from the past talk about The Slow Rush. Take it away!

Australian neo-psychedelia outfit Tame Impala is the working title of Kevin Parker, and his fourth record The Slow Rush has been making his worldwide legion of fans rabid for some time. It’s his first LP in 5 years, following 2015’s Currents, and it’s quite the monumental album to follow up – it was not just another large evolutionary step for Kevin, but also one of the most impactful records of the decade. Presenting his lo-fi brand of psychedelia to the world of synth-pop, the record solidified Tame in succeeding the Grateful Dead and Red Hot Chilli Peppers as this generation’s definer of that West-Coast-of-America bliss. As his headline set at Coachella last year proved, Tame Impala is the sound of the Sonoran Desert. The Slow Rush only furthers this.

Also, the ‘Imaginary Place’ mix is a good way to play the album in the peripheral:

Knxwledge - 1988 (2020)

Knxwledge is one of the most creative hip-hop producers out there at the minute, but his output is almost too profilic to handle. This new project, 1988, is a more substantial offering than his usual beat tapes, and attached is a brilliant concept - all the track titles piece together into one larger message which I won’t spoil.

What’s even more impressive is how the beats often relate to certain track titles, sometimes with an old soul sample looping part of the slogan. Carrying the baton from the likes of Dilla and Madlib, Knxwledge brings a remarkable concept to a fantastic beat tape.

Red Axes - Red Axes (2020)

Red Axes are an Israeli house duo that have pushed through with a new self-titled album. They do a tonne of interesting fusions with the typical house formula, and many refreshing influences can be seen as spectres across these 11 tracks. The bright electro-clash of Simian Mobile Disco, the robotic pop melodies of Kraftwerk. But there’s something else there, an rich flavour that likely comes from their Middle-Eastern roots. Well worth a listen for dance music fans.

Monophonic - It’s Only Us (2020)

Albums that were ahead of their time have been a key talking point for music nuts, but there is something to be said of albums that are time-travels back. That appears to be Monophonics’ bag, as it is inconceivable upon listening that It’s Only Us could be new. Even down to the noir recording style, this sounds like it was ripped from old soul 45s from yesteryear, but with all the songwriting styles of today. An absolute achievement.

Khruangbin - Mordechai (2020)

This record is not even out yet, but there is pretty much a guarantee that this will be a fantastic record for the sun-drenched months. Khruangbin have become an indie darling very quickly with their last couple releases, particularly 2018’s Con Todo El Mundo. The band’s genre is incredibly loose, but the syrupy guitar playing can range from tranquil funk jamming to intense ‘Tarantino-core’. Hopefully Mordechai will continue Khruangbin’s intercontinental flow, since tracing their sound would be a long and very expensive trip that would loop the planet several times over.

D’Angelo - Voodoo (2000)

Through the 70s, 80s and 90s, the pinnacle R&B record was seen to be Marvin Gaye’s What’s Going On. A timeless voice lathered in arrangements that still sound heavenbound today, it was the diamond standard for lush soul records to look towards. Then in the new millenium, D’Angelo took that podium spot, and twenty years later, it is still the genre’s unparalled zenith. The tracklist here is incredibly slack despite breezing up to nearly 80 minutes, because of how each song runs like a jam session, encrusted with caramelled basslines, just-off-centre drums patterns and vocal riffing to boot. It’s an incredibly easy listen that’s ripe for those citrus-coloured afternoons in a rare moment of idleness.

M83 - Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming. (2011)

An pure synthpop odyssey, M83’s double record is one of the most touchingly youthful bodies of work out there. With the sound of the 80s coming back to pop music in full swing this year, Hurry Up could provide an extra helping of that sound - saxophone solos are abound (particularly on the huge single from this, ‘Midnight City’), drums are only shipping with that signature gated boom and synthesizers are as obligatory as bricks on a house. The French project fittingly split the album into ‘masculine’ and ‘feminine’ discs, meaning that every interaction with the two will rarely leave you without something new.

Lovesliescrushing - Xuvetyn (1996)

Lovesliescrushing was once part of the shoegaze scene that going steady in the mid 90s, but the band was always a bit left-of-centre. A natural extension of the ethereal swirl of guitar contortions, Xuvetyn is a prime pick for a mood record. The ambience is oxymoronic - blurred yet hectic, angelic but shrieking. But what makes it all so special is the divine vocals that dream pop fans will lap up for sure. Anyone looking for someone new ambient music should really open up this Pandora’s box.

Boredoms - Vision Creation Newsun (1999)

Recently, the KEYMAG Instagram page posted a mini-review of Fishmans’ Long Season, and lovers of that record will definitely be into this. Boredoms are another Japanese experimental rock band who peaked with this crowd favourite. Combing the lush atmosphere of space rock with the Motorik intesity of krautrock was a genius idea, and the instrumental illumation is just like the cover art - utterly beaming.

With the track names being reduced to abstract symbols and the bonkers psychedelia at times, Vision Creation Newsun sounds like what happen if the crew on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine formed a rock band. Quark would undoubtedly be the Axel Rose type, the little f*ckhead.