August 2026 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for Opera Holland Park’s production of Johann Strauss’ “Die Fledermaus” by 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.

Catching Up: Overlooked Albums and Songs of 2021 (so far)

Rather than compiling a conventional mid-year best-of ranking, I’m acknowledging albums and songs I initially overlooked or previously underappreciated in the first six months of 2021.  Many of the selections are obscure, but millions of people were tuned into songs and albums like “No More Parties” and En Contra De Mi Voluntad long before I caught up.

Top Ten Overlooked and Underappreciated Albums of 2021 (So Far)

1. Marianne Faithfull and Warren Ellis- She Walks in Beauty

Pure poetry.

2. Jaimie Branch- Fly or Die Live

Angry improv.

3. Lambchop- Showtunes

My review.

4. Susan Alcorn, Ingrid Laubrock and Leila Bordeuil- Bird Meets Wire

Hung up.

5. Jimmy Edgar- Cheetah Bend

My review. 

6. La Arrolladora Banda el Limón- En Contra De Mi Voluntad

Stupendous big band.

7. Silicone Prairie- My Life On the Silicone Prairie

Space junk.

8. Michael Wollny- XXXX

Progressive Euro-jazz.

9. Birds of Maya- Valdez

Unfiltered scuzz.

10. Elizabeth Chang- Transformations

Kirchner, Sessions and Schoenberg.

Top Ten Overlooked and Underappreciated Songs of 2021 (So Far)

1. Coi Leray- “No More Parties”

Curfew.

2. Moby, Mark Lanegan and Kris Kristofferson- "The Lonely Night"

Hurt.

3. Celeste- "Tonight Tonight"

Undeniable pop.

4. Karol G and Nathy Peluso- “Gato Malo”

Discussion on the In My Headache podcast.

5. Armand Hammer, the Alchemist and Earl Sweatshirt- "Falling Out of the Sky"

Crash.

6. Roman Alexander and Ashley Cooke- “Between You & Me”

Closing in.

7. Anitta- "Loco"

Crazy-good.

8. Ana Lélia- "Meu Cantinho"

Gentle breeze.

9. Cuee and Joel Leoj- “Ain’t Going Back”

Amen.

10. Sir the Baptist and Anthony Hamilton- "Jesus in the Ghetto"

Can’t tell Him nothing.

My previous monthly rankings of albums, songs, concerts and films are here.

Album Review: Lambchop- Showtunes

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

I was dumbfounded as a child when my dad and grandfather shrugged their shoulders when I’d ask how they acquired minor wounds after finishing a task in a field or garage.  Their inability to recall the cause of the bloodletting struck me as a form of madness.

I get it now.  I’m often unaware of a cut until I spot blood on my clothes.  Scrapes barely register against the gradual acceleration of bodily aches and emotional strain.  Kurt Wagner trots out an apt cliché on the opening track of Lambchop’s Showtunes: “life will be the death of us all.”

The new album sounds like a resigned meditation on the aging process.  Showtunes’ unconventional music and ambiguous lyrics are akin to the literary depictions of akimbo consciousnesses associated with James Joyce and Virginia Woolf.  Accordingly, Wagner and his co-conspirators overlay opera on cabaret and combine electronic gurgles with baroque chamber music.  An overworked hip-hop hype sample introduces a languid meditation on the past.

References to cellist Pablo Casals, Jimmy Webb’s pop hit “By the Time I Get to Phoenix” and the Lord’s Prayer reflect the free association of a lively but aged mind. "The Last Benedict'' is among the songs chronicling an unsettling awareness of decay. We’re all destined to stop bleeding. Showtunes is a cleareyed foreshadowing of the days preceding that inevitable moment.