Doom soul, trip hop, and new songs from Sinead make up the top picks for August. 

By Pierce Courchaine

August’s sweltering grip has finally relaxed. Fall is around the corner along with the promise of falling leaves and, thank friggin’ god, football. For this Ann Arborite, if it’s quiet enough, I can almost hear the Michigan marching band playing already. Here are some of my favorite releases from August that will help you close the summer with a bang.

Sinead O’Connor – “James Brown (with Seun Kuti)”

Perhaps unfairly, I always classified O’Connor as kitschy ’90s pop. Her August LP – the timely named, I’m Not Bossy, I’m the Boss – is a modern, varied pop album. “James Brown,” an homage to the late, great soul singer, is a funky track smack dab in the middle of the album. A peppy horn drives the song while O’Connor sings at a loud whisper. Some of the lyrics are a little clunky (“I know I may look a little square / I know I look like a wooden chair”), but that’s okay. The song is damn good fun anyway.

FKA Twigs – “Closer”

I’m pretty “meh” about FKA Twigs’ debut album overall, even though a lot of critics out there are drooling over it. Hell, Pitchfork put it into their “Top 100 Albums of the Decade So Far” list even though the album has only been out a couple weeks. The track “Closer” mixes a frenetic beat with FKA Twigs’ church choir voice. Lead singer Tahliah Debrett Barnett’s blend of trip-hop and R&B isn’t for everyone, but “Closer” is a great entry-level track for newbies.

Susanna / Jenny Hval – “O Sun O Medusa”

Susanna’s latest album, a joint project with Jenny Hval, is like a horror-laden walk through a haunted house. Around each corner are sparse tracks dripping with spooky vocals, dramatic organs and song titles like “The Black Lake Took” and “House of Bones.” My favorite, though, is “O Sun O Medusa,” which features both singers’ voices floating in and out like wraiths. It’s beautiful in the same way black-and-white photos of abandoned buildings are beautiful.

Jessie Ware – “Say You Love Me”

I’m taking some liberties with what constitutes an August release. Ware’s new album isn’t due to drop until October but her single “Say You Love Me” came out in August. “Say You Love Me” starts with Ware’s maximalist voice and a minimalist acoustic guitar meant for a beach campfire before blossoming into a fuller sound with backing vocals. This progression is what makes the song solid, even when it dips a little too close to Jason Mraz territory for my liking (no offense, Mraz fans).

Cold Specks – “Bodies at Bay”

Lead singer Al Spx evidentially wrote Cold Specks’ new album, Neuroplasticity, in a cabin during winter much like Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. The dreary surroundings have created an album that Spx classifies as “doom soul,” and the label fits. “Bodies at Bay” is one of the more upbeat songs on the album in terms of instrumentals, though. Spx experiments with tempo changes and elongates syllables to create a stumbling, unconventional track.

Pierce Courchaine is a contributor for The Riveter. You can follow him on Twitter at @PJCourchaine.