It’s a weird, hot, messy summer. I spent most of July into August with my parents, as my father went in and out of hospital emergency rooms, until we finally uncovered the cause of his wild, diffuse range of medical issues: COVID-19. No surprise, in retrospect, but we spent weeks dealing with missed diagnoses, incorrect treatments, and exhausting trips back and forth. Throughout the month, I tried to find solace in drones and meditative music, but I ultimately needed heavy albums that came crashing through the speakers, knocking me down and out. Enter Colin Webster, Mette Rasmussen, Julien Desprez, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, and Paal Nilseen-Love (for what it’s worth, I so badly want to hear this as a quintet lineup now, it would be scorching [pun intended, sure why not]).
Each of these albums feels appropriately big, the ensembles wearing hearts on sleeves, the music raw and bold and as unpredictable as everything all around us. Wherever you are, I hope you’re all safe and loved.