As the leaves began to change color, the air cooled, and the children returned to school, my listening habits shifted from summer dance beats to a more introspective, jazz-influenced vibe. This September, I found myself exploring a mix of new and old sounds and filling a few overdue gaps in my music library. From the Afro-Cuban jazz fusion of Ezra Collective to the timeless rock and blues of The Black Crowes, this selection reflects September’s journey through different moods and genres.
Let’s dive into these albums — some fresh discoveries, others well-worn favorites
My Favorite Album of September
Maldito Animal
by The Point
I became a big fan of the Austin-based band Khruangbin last year, but as I mentioned back in April, Khruangbin’s latest album, A La Sala, “lacks the innovation to distinguish itself from their previous works.” That innovation is present in The Point’s new album, Maldito Animal.
Also based in Austin, The Point offers a globe-spanning psychedelic-rock sound, drawing influences from West Africa, Colombia, and Italy. Maldito Animal, produced by Grammy-winning guitarist Beto Martinez, showcases a high-energy blend of punchy guitar riffs, propulsive drums, and danceable keys — and like The Doors, their keyboardist handles the groovy bass lines.
Where Khruangbin’s laid-back style is minimalist, The Point amplifies the energy, driving the melody and rhythm simultaneously. The album feels like an evolution of the instrumental Southwestern sound, offering listeners songs that are familiar yet thrillingly fresh.
Eight Albums That Excited Me
These albums gave me a little thrill when they popped up in Apple’s “New Releases” this month. Some of the bands have been favorites of mine for years — even decades — while others are new discoveries from earlier this year. While a few hit closer to my heart than others, each one brought a zing.
Something is Working Up Above My Head, By Shovels & Rope
The only way I know to describe Shovels & Rope’s music is “punk folk.” The married songwriters who drive this band offer a Nashville vibe, but you can hear the raw edge in their music — they sound like people who have buried a body in the mud of the upper Mississippi River, the scene lit by the headlights of their rusted-out pickup truck, tears streaming down their faces because the dead body belongs to someone they used to love, but who, for whatever reasons, needed to die.
Inflatable Graveyard, By Tropical Fuck Storm
I discovered Tropical Fuck Storm in August, and they’ve quickly shot to the top of my list of bands to watch. This live album proves they’re just as disturbingly powerful on stage as they are in the studio. It was a relief to hear their chaos and intensity translate so well live — it could have easily gone the other way given how unhinged their sound can be. Inflatable Graveyard delivers raw energy that cements their ability to orchestrate beautiful chaos. I’m enjoying the hell out of this album.
Atriums, by Trey Anastasio
In April, Phish played the Sphere in Las Vegas, and Trey was inspired to compose ambient guitar music for the common areas of the venue — the “Atriums.” Whenever Trey releases a solo album, I take a deep breath before hitting play. His lyrics are often cheesy, his voice too much like a “Broadway musical,” and there’s usually a ballad or two that feel like a dad trying way too hard in front of his teenager’s friends. But Atriums took me by surprise. This is purely ambient music — perfect for reading, yet unexpectedly powerful.
Wild God, by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
I first discovered Nick Cave in the mid-nineties when I bought Murder Ballads simply because I liked the title. While Cave has always been an acquired taste for me, Wild God is a powerful, moving album. Over the last decade, Cave has endured unimaginable grief, losing two sons — one in 2015 and another in 2021. Wild God feels like the culmination of that sorrow, but it also speaks to the resilience of the human spirit. As Cave sings, “We’ve all had too much sorrow; now is the time for joy.” For those who miss Bowie, Leonard Cohen, and Lou Reed, we at least still have Nick Cave.
Embers, by God Is An Astronaut
I stand on the edge of a cliff. In the distance, the world burns. A tree on fire, its roots smoldering through the soil, captures the end of it all. An angel appears before me and says, “You will survive, and so will music. But only the music of one genre. You must choose.” It wouldn’t take me long to choose the atmospheric, cinematic soundscapes of post-rock — the kind that bands like God Is An Astronaut create. While I favor the nuanced brilliance of Do Make Say Think, Embers offers a vast emotional experience that will do for now.
Dance, No One's Watching, By Ezra Collective
I first discovered Ezra Collective in April, dove into their past albums in June, and in September, they released a brand new album! Dance, No One’s Watching brings more of the Afro-Cuban jazz funk fusion by the way of the UK. Every track on this album is special — some make you get up and dance, others have you swaying and bopping while you type, and a few beg you to find a loved one and cut a rug together. It’s such a great album.
Highway Prayers, by Billy Strings
Early in the summer, I picked Billy Strings’ Live, Vol. 1 as my favorite album of July. I hadn’t dug too deeply into his music before that, not feeling the need to add another bluegrass artist to my rotation. But the incredible guitar work on Live, Vol. 1 made me realize just how essential Billy Strings is to today’s music. His latest studio album, Highway Prayers, co-produced by the legendary Jon Brion, is more of a straight bluegrass offering. There’s less of Strings’ fiery electric guitar and more of his acoustic mastery — and the fiddle player in his band deserves serious love for the way he weaves between the banjo and guitar like it’s nobody’s business. If bluegrass is your thing, this album won’t disappoint.
Luck and Strange, by David Gilmour
A couple of weeks ago, I texted my brothers, saying, “I’m gonna go out on a limb and say David Gilmour has one of the most recognizable guitar sounds alive.” I was listening to — literally — the first guitar note on his new album, Luck & Strange, and even in that single plucked string, you could hear the man’s heart and voice. I know some Pink Floyd fans prefer Roger Waters, but for me, I’d rather be on an island, getting lucky and strange, with Gilmour’s laid-back mystical guitar playing in the background, dreaming of “a one-off peaceful golden age.”
Five Jazzy-ish Albums
I found some luck with a few of @somewhere_soul‘s recommendations this month. The albums had a mellower vibe compared to previous months, but that makes sense for September — the end of summer signals a shift from booty-shaking backyard dance parties to more introspective, armchair intellectual pursuits. Still, don’t be surprised if a few tracks on these albums get your toes tapping as you dive into deep philosophies and scientific theories
Zero, by Forest Law
I first discovered Forest Law’s Zero this month, and it’s an eclectic ride through sun-drenched Balearic funk, experimental bossa nova, and psychedelic folk. Forest Law, aka Alexander Burke, recorded the album in locations as diverse as Icelandic fish net factories and a garden shed in London. His guitar work is the backbone of the record, while collaborations with soulful voices add an emotional layer. It’s a vibrant, worldly album that balances groove and space, perfect for mellow reflection with a dash of funk
Awakening, by Àbáse
Awakening was recorded in just four days in Berlin and seamlessly blends Afrobeat, Brazilian rhythms, Hungarian folk music, electronic textures, and the modal jazz of John Coltrane, with spiritual echoes of Alice Coltrane. The result is a vibrant, modern fusion of sounds. It’s the perfect soundtrack for an overcast afternoon — when you’ve got the energy to be productive but also want to reflect on the morning’s wisdom while keeping your hands busy.
Birds, Bees, The Clouds, & The Trees, by Harrison
Harrison’s Birds, Bees, The Clouds, & The Trees is summer hip-hop jazz, conjuring nostalgia for a simpler time. Like the album cover, it feels like sitting on a park bench, watching a prop plane drift over the trees, smoking a cigarette, and laughing at the scars of yesterday’s earthquake. The Canadian pianist and producer creates an entire world on this album, one reminiscent of the life we had as kids, when we were innocent and willing to play with dangerous things.
Future Pasts, by Konkolo Orchestra
Future Pasts by Konkolo Orchesta is pure Afrobeat jazz, and that’s just fine by me. The trumpet solos, the tight percussion, the bass — it all sounds great without needing any extra fusion. Add in some self-help lyrics that wouldn’t be out of place on a child-friendly Lizzo track (“Be whoever you want to be. Don’t lose your integrity. Create your own reality.”), and you’ve got yourself a perfect album for bring some enthusiasm and confidence to either a Friday night or a Monday morning.
From the Fire, by Audrey Powne
Melbourne-born, UK-based Audrey Powne is one of the most well-regarded jazz musicians you've never heard of. Inspired by the devastation of the 2019 Australian bushfires, From the Fire is Powne's debut album. The album blends soul-jazz, classical music, and hip-hop, showcasing her versatility as a composer, lyricist, trumpet player, and producer. Powne demonstrates complete creative control over her project, producing, arranging strings, and playing multiple instruments on the record. This is future jazz married to tradition, vision married soul. You won't be dancing to this one, but you will be moved.
Precipice, by Ill Considered
Ill Considered first landed on my radar back in June when I described their 2017 self-titled album as “groove-heavy jazz… characterized by spontaneity and improvisation crafted by organically evolving bass lines and plaintive saxophonic melodies.” On 2024's Precipice, the plaintiveness is less present, replaced by frenetic bebop-influenced horns, hip-hop rhythms, and smooth-as-silk bass lines. The most “jazzy” album of this month, Precipice will make a great addition to any collection.
A Few Old Friends
As usual, I found a few gaps in my music library this month and decided to fill them. These arrived in my purview thanks to a podcast interview I listened to with Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes.
Three Snakes And One Charm, by The Black Crowes
Released in 1996, Three Snakes and One Charm came out after I had already jumped off the Black Crowes train. After seeing them headline the H.O.R.D.E. Tour in 1995 (still one of the worst live performances I’ve attended), I didn’t stick around for this album. But listening to it almost thirty years later, it works for me. The Crowes’ unique blend of frontman rock and roll, blues-driven guitar, and the hippie nostalgic, mid-‘90s jam-band scene is timeless. It’s just good, down-home music.
A Nod Is As Good As a Wink... To a Blind Horse, by Faces
I snagged this one after Chris Robinson referenced it on WTF! with Marc Maron, and I’m glad I did. You’ve got to love Faces — sure, Rod Stewart may have become a 1980s parody of Tom Jones, but the man can sing. Add in Ronnie Wood’s blues guitar, Ronnie Lane’s bass and vocals, and Ian McClagen’s organ, and you’ve got one of the great lost bands of the ’70s. This album belongs in everyone’s collection.
Ooh La La, By Faces
Once you add A Nod Is As Good As A Wink... to your library, how will you sleep at night unless you add Ooh La La as well? This is what pop sounded like in the early '70s — you can hear the barroom in the sound, smell the rug in the cheap hotels, taste the bad whiskey, and hear the giggling of too-young girls trying to piss off their too-strict fathers. "So Cindy, get your coat on, turn your music so loud, let's attract a big crowd; we'll drink a round to this town and goodbye!"
Maybe you’re in the mood for frenetic bebop. Maybe you’re looking for nostalgic rock. Or perhaps introspective jazz is more your thing. Regardless, this month’s picks offered something for every music lover. I hope these albums bring as much joy and reflection to your ears as they did to mine. And, as always, I look forward to sharing even more sounds next month — until then, happy listening!