There Stands the Glass

The Top Ten Albums of August 2026
1. Linda May Han Oh and Melissa Aldana- Beneath Lifted Skies
Stunning duo #1.

2. Miguel Zenón y Luis Perdomo- El Arte del Bolero, Vol. 3
Stunning duo #2.

3. Skúli Sverrisson and Bill Frisell- For All Your Flowers
My review of stunning duo #3.

4. Sarah Davachi- The Will of Tongues
Deific whispers.

5. Bruce Liu- Lunaris
Celestial piano.

6. Henry Threadgill, Vijay Iyer and Dafnis Prieto- Fifteen
Gold-plated improvisations.

7. Jorja Smith- What Are the Odds
The sweetest taboos.

8. Evil Island- Terraform the Afterlife
My review.

9. Erykah Badu and the Alchemist- Before the World Blows
Faded.

10. Ben Goldberg- Dog Hypnotic, Spillway Four, Optical, Trouble Trouble, For Bobby, Dreaming Upon Waking, Just What You Thought You Wanted and Rock Band
My review.

The Top Three Reissues and Compilations of August 2026
1. The Cramps- Gravest Gravy
Be-bop-a-lula.

2. Iréne Schweizer- Prelude to a Kiss and More
Solo piano at Volkshaus Zürich in 1986.

3. John Williams- Legacy
My review.

The Top Ten Songs of August 2026
1. Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats featuring Yabba- "Difference"
Prog rap.

2. Nicole McCabe and Savannah Harris- "Monstera"
The sound of the moment.

3. Sylvie Courvoisier- "At Risk"
With Patricia Brennan, Thomas Morgan and Dan Weiss.

4. Mike Shabb featuring Mike- “Dontsweatit!”
Swampy.

5. Fat Joe, Pusha T and Dre- “Set of Keys”
Unlocked.

6. Ela Minus & Nick León- "qué les pasó a mis amigos?"
Fast friends.

7. Natanael Cano- “Mar Azul”
Asea.

8. Karol G- "Alguien que te amaba"
One of the better tracks from a disappointing album.

9. Lambchop- “Just West of Nicollet”
Darkness.

10. The Odyssey Cult- “Our First Trip”
Freak scene.

The Top Ten Performances of August 2026
1. J. Cole at the T-Mobile Center
My review.

2. French Organ Festival at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
My Instagram clip.

3. Logan Richardson at the Gem Theater
My review.

4. The Kansas City Symphony with Blake Pouliot at Helzberg Hall
My Instagram snapshot.

5. Steve Cardenas, Forest Stewart and Brian Steever at Ted’s Taproom
My review.

6. Charles Williams, DeAndre Manning and Kenny Watson at First Baptist Church
My Instagram clip.

7. Made in France at French Market
My Instagram clip.

8. David Chael, Aaron Sizemore, Greg Whitfield and John Kizilarmut at Music House
My Instagram clip.

9. Twice on Sunday at Thompson Park
My Instagram snapshot.

10. Jam session at 515 Music Hub
My Instagram snapshot.

The previous monthly recap is here.

I’ve always been embarrassed for old guys who gradually abandoned their once-fervent passion for rock and roll. Then I hit sixty. The sound of hotly tabbed rock bands like Geese, Wednesday and Wet Leg made me wish I was listening to jazz or classical music during the past several years.

It’s not as if I turned soft. The sudden fashionability of yacht-rock- a form of music for people who don’t like music- mystifies me. Instead, only punk-rooted bands like Militarie Gun and Poison the Well satisfy me. I’m pleased to have stumbled upon a similarly dangerously scuzzy recording.

Terraform the Afterlife rings my bell. The new album by Evil Island makes me feel like a hormonal teenager. The sleazy nihilism of songs like “Death by Cop” is precisely the sort of wild-eyed idiocy I want from rock. The bubblegum screamo of “Tiger Baby” and the Stooges update "Melted Heart" are also gloriously dumb.

"T-Hexx" conveys what I imagine the sensation of a first hit of street meth feels like. “Evil Island Death Cult National Anthem” might be a field holler transmitted from hell by shackled members of the New York Dolls. “Blinding Rage” resembles Royal Trux doing a sea shanty. Thanks partly to Evil Island, I won’t be going gentle into that good night.

August 2026 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Album Review: Evil Island- Terraform the Afterlife