BEACH FOSSILS : somersault : Bayonet (out now) // After the rather disappointing “Clash The Truth“, former Captured Tracks darling Dustin Payseur and his Beach Fossils project is back on form with “Somersault“, which feels like the cheerful and well-educated older brother of their raw self-titled debut from 2010. Just when you thought you’re done with this rather jangely, summery sound once and for all, an album like this comes around to prove you wrong. 7/10

REBOLLEDO : mondo re-alterado : Hippie Dance/Kompakt (30.06.17) // The concept of a remix album usually sounds a) like a quick cash-in, or b) like a complete unnecessary endeavor as soon as the original content is as pitch-perfect as Rebolledo’s “Mondo Alterado“. In this particular case though, the original hippie dance instructor gathered friends and freaks for a showcase of sheer excellence that´s almost too good to be true. 9.5/10

’68 : two parts viper : Cooking Vinyl (out now) // The two-man wrecking crew is back with album number two, and once again they merge blues with hardcore, and garage with sleazy rock’n roll. The result is a no-nonsense attack of eardrum-rattling yet skillfully crafted songs reminding you that a duo can easily have more punch than a full band. Do yourself a favor and check them out live, as they play Germany between June 23 − 29. 7.5/10

SCOTT GILMORE : subtle vertigo : International Feel (16.06.17) // Mark Barrott luckily continues the exploration of the album format with his ever reliable International Feel mothership. After the free-floating Talamanca System longplayer, IF surprises with a proper slice of weird yet atmospheric library music from LA-based Scott Gilmore that sounds like a jam session between Tommy Guerrero and Sukia on peyote - which actually is meant to be a compliment. 8/10

BEACH HOUSE : b-sides and rarities : Bella Union (30.06.17) // I’m not the biggest fan of these kind of albums, since in the very majority of cases, there’s a good reason why band, label and management decided to not add a particular song to an album. Could be for conceptual reasons, could be a marketing thing - but most likely it comes down to quality. As much as I still like the dreamy pop of Beach House, this compilation of unreleased tunes sadly confirms my point. 4/10

KANE STRANG : two hearts and no brain : Dead Oceans (30.06.17) // Don’t know if this is influenced by his dad’s record collection or if he found some homemade best-of-compilations of MTV’s “120 Minutes“ at a yard sale, but it’s a bit scary almost how a young dude from New Zealand can manufacture this early 90s indie rock sound to perfection, even though he looks as if he just finished high school a few weeks ago. 6.5/10