A Month in Records: August 2008

August, then: a month of festivals, and all that entails (mud, booze, excess, tiredness, sleep - usually in that order) - but also a pretty good time for album releases based on this little lot.

RE: the Deerhunter release, it was put out as a download on August 11 but the physical edition is to follow on October 27, and is thus eligible for inclusion here. It's a cracker, but the number one slot goes to...

The Week That Was

The Week That Was

(Memphis Industries)

Says Francis Jones: "Fostered by the fertile imagination of Field Music’s Peter Brewis, The Week That Was’s self-titled is an utterly singular piece of work, 32 minutes of pop noir that prickles with intelligence and intrigue. It's pop at its most outrageously ambitious. Executed with serious flair, it manages the rare feat of being both mentally stimulating and musically satisfying. It is, in every regard, one of the most daring albums you’ll hear this year."

Read the full DiS review HERE

Deerhunter

Microcastle

(4AD)

Says Bret Porter: "A precarious algorithm of pedal guitars, drums, and bedroom experimentation few bands manage to attain. Curators of music history may yet remain unconvinced. In the meantime, there’s no harm taking the liberty of pencilling in Bradford Cox’s name for the next generation’s list of iconic influences."

Read the full DiS review HERE

Jaguar Love

Take Me To The Sea

(Matador)

Says Adam Anonymous: "Longing for The Blood Brothers (or even, of course, Pretty Girls Make Graves) is as futile as rating a current girlfriend against an ex: while both may have inspired your love, all that truly matters is the here and now. And Jaguar Love are very much of today. There is no turning back."

Read the full DiS review HERE

Late Of The Pier

Fantasy Black Channel

(Parlophone)

Says Mike Diver: "Chances are what they come up with next, whatever its shape and style, will be just as brilliantly singular of execution and arrangement. They might borrow from forefathers to lay solid foundations, but Late Of The Pier have proven, with Fantasy Black Channel, that they’re a band with ability well beyond the simple sum of influential parts."

Read the full DiS review HERE

The Walkmen

You & Me

(Gigantic)

Says Hari Ashurst: "On You & Me The Walkmen inhabit the outskirts, looking in at themselves, cities and relationships dulled by the backwards momentum of the past. It’s not a showy record, but one that when peeled apart reveals itself to be a darker and more engaging album than on first listen. But not only that, as it might also be the best thing they’ve ever done."

Read the full DiS review HERE

**Bloc Party

Intimacy**

(Wichita; read the full DiS review HERE)

**Bryan Eno & David Byrne

Everything That Happens Will Happen Today**

(Read the full DiS review HERE)

**Stereolab

Chemical Chords**

(4AD; read the full DiS review HERE)

**Bowerbirds

Hymns For A Dark Horse**

(Dead Oceans; read the full DiS review HERE)

**The Cool Kids

The Bake Sale EP**

(XL; read the full DiS review HERE)

Vessels

White Fields And Open Devices

(Cuckundoo Records)

Says Dom Gourlay: “While some of the influences may be pertinently obvious on White Fields And Open Devices, the places where they crop up and rear their heads may not be quite as easy to spot. Nor, thankfully, is this record an exercise in post-rock posturing. Instead, Vessels have created something that is both unique and alluring which should endear them way beyond the chin-stroking legions of Mogwai devotees. One of the most forward-thinking, non-generic records you're likely to hear this year.”

Read the full DiS review HERE

DiScuss: Was August a good month for records? Did the slew of festivals stop you from listening to much new music? What was your favourite album of the month?