Duffy x Uhlmann - “Public Life”
Meg Duffy and Gregory Uhlmann’s second collaboration as Duffy x Uhlmann is full of skeletal, interlocking gems like “Public Life.” There’s always room in my heart for more slow motion instrumentals like these.
Sam Amidom & Sam Wilkes - “Sally Gooden”
Speaking of killer collabs between experimental/indie/folk/ambient/jazz/whatever guys, the too-brief Froggy EP from Sam Amidom & Sam Wilkes is such a treat. Two Sams playing bass and fiddle together with incredible results.
Worlds Worst - “Angus”
I’m over a year late to the party here but I’ve been really enjoying this record American Muscle by World’s Worst. Smoking Room manages to find some of the coolest guitar bands operating at the intersection of shoegaze and noise rock.
Dead Sullivan - “Like an American”
One of the main ways I’m finding out about new bands these days is seeing who’s going on tour with who. I may have never encountered Dead Sullivan if I didn’t spend some time looking into the handful of acts joining perennial Horse Combination favorites Wishy on tour this fall. This song is so good.
One of the main ways I’m finding out about new bands these days is seeing who’s going on tour with who. I may have never encountered Dead Sullivan if I didn’t spend some time looking into the handful of acts joining perennial Horse Combination favorites Wishy on tour this fall. This song is so good.
National Park - “National Park”
The song “National Park” by the band National Park is one of the cooler songs I’ve heard this year. Despite having been active on and off for nearly 30 years, the band has never released a full length LP, favoring singles, EPs, and compilation tracks instead. Outside is the first album length collection of their work and it’s so fucking good. Just some good old fashioned meat and potatoes Yo La Tengo/Galaxie 500 style college rock. Nothing better!
John Prine - “The Bottomless Lake”
There were multiple mentions of John Prine throughout Meaghan Garvey’s excellent new travelogue/memoir Midwestern Death Trip, which inspired me to revisit some of the corners of his catalog I was less familiar with. 1984’s Aimless Love was a standout for me during this latest discog dive, with the rambling, shaggy dog tale “Bottomless Lake” my favorite new discovery.
There were multiple mentions of John Prine throughout Meaghan Garvey’s excellent new travelogue/memoir Midwestern Death Trip, which inspired me to revisit some of the corners of his catalog I was less familiar with. 1984’s Aimless Love was a standout for me during this latest discog dive, with the rambling, shaggy dog tale “Bottomless Lake” my favorite new discovery.
Jeremiah Chiu - “Plastic Mind / Elastic Machines”
This new Jeremiah Chiu record is so cool and weird. Nobody doing it quite like him!
Luke Bergman, Jason Burger, Martin Nevin - “Don’t Let It Bring You Down”
This awesome Bergman/Nevin/Burger record has been in regular rotation since seeing Stefan from Golden Brown post about it on Bluesky. It’s a totally gorgeous collection of covers (plus a few originals) for pedal steel, double bass, and drums featuring interpretations of a wide range of masters, from Duke Ellington to Neil Young to Angelo Badalamenti.
This new Jeremiah Chiu record is so cool and weird. Nobody doing it quite like him!
Luke Bergman, Jason Burger, Martin Nevin - “Don’t Let It Bring You Down”
This awesome Bergman/Nevin/Burger record has been in regular rotation since seeing Stefan from Golden Brown post about it on Bluesky. It’s a totally gorgeous collection of covers (plus a few originals) for pedal steel, double bass, and drums featuring interpretations of a wide range of masters, from Duke Ellington to Neil Young to Angelo Badalamenti.
Colloboh - “Mystic You”
We saw the modular synth wiz Colloboh open for Visible Cloaks at a tiny church in Wicker Park in August and it totally ruled. This track off his 2023 LP Saana Sahel is really good too, but I can’t remember if he played this one specifically.
We saw the modular synth wiz Colloboh open for Visible Cloaks at a tiny church in Wicker Park in August and it totally ruled. This track off his 2023 LP Saana Sahel is really good too, but I can’t remember if he played this one specifically.
Spencer Radcliffe - “Your Shoes Are Gonna Explode”
Ohio indie rock Spencer Radcliffe returns with the exact kind of shit talking, no holds barred state of the industry address I love. Come for the takedown of tired DIY subgenres but stay for the extended riff on various John Mayer album and song titles. Thank you, Spencer!
Visible Cloaks - “Shapes”
I mentioned above that we saw the singular environmental music duo Visible Cloaks all lit up in a church recently, but it bears repeating. The folks at Age of Reflections are behind some of the coolest live shows in the country right now and I’m so happy to live in a city where they regularly put on events.
Check out the full August 2026 playlist embedded below: