“Punk rock will never die, until something more dangerous replaces it”-Jello Biafra
July (!) is not typically a very dynamic month in terms of both album releases and gigs. It is a month during which a lot of festivals are being carried out worldwide, 
offering the chance to enjoy the releases of the previous months. One could argue that the soundtrack of the month should always be just the sound of the cheers of the crowds who enjoy outdoor festivals. This month’s independent music releases create quite a melancholic and dark atmosphere that sometimes feels impenetrable and other times otherworldly and menacing. We have listened to 55 albums and we picked those ones that had the strongest impact on us. This time, they can take you to a coldwave, deathrock, experimental, industrial, synthpop, garage rock, IDM, dream pop sonic trip. Enjoy it here:
Thom Yorke, is the ultimate guide of this soundtrack, as he has unveiled the next chapter of his solo work, entitled ‘Anima‘. This album is the epitome of experimentation into sonic abstraction and minimalism and thus it creates the perfect artistic portal for us to enjoy all the other albums that have been included in this month’s soundtrack. Its title and perhaps its whole style has been inspired by Carl Jung’s concept of ‘Animus and Anima’ which is part of his theory about the collective unconscious. Anima, according to Carl Jung was the unconscious feminine side of a man who, like animus, transcends the personal psyche. The album’s title, as Thom Yorke has explained is also a critique of the way technology has allowed us to be distanced from the things we say and do by ‘hiding’ behind an avatar or a digital persona. This album follows the release of ‘Suspiria’ in 2018, an album that was used as a soundtrack to Luca Guadagnino’ s film of the same title, that was inspired by Dario Argento’s 1977 film of the same title. ‘Anima‘ is also the soundtrack of a musical film directed by Paul Anderson. Thom Yorke performs the songs and stars in the film, while the music is multidimensional with a deep, reverberating sound. Listening to this album feels as if reading a book with many chapters; each track has a different energy and a different performing style and Thom Yorke’s signature timbre, is making sure that we are kept in a dreamy, almost hallucinatory state where the sound of the voice is echoing and the meaning of the words is unclear. Thom Yorke has said that ‘…if you don’t dream enough, you don’t process enough…‘ and this cannot describe better, the effect his music and his performing style have been having throughout his career but especially through this new album. As far as ‘Anima’ is concerned, in a recent interview he has said that: ‘…on a musical and technical level i was deliberately trying to find something as ‘cold’ as possible to go with it…‘ while its sound, has been inspired by styles that challenge the traditional songwriting ways, such as noise and music concrete.
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March was a dark month, especially in the UK as it was the month when the lockdown measures were put in place, creating a new situation even for the reclusive misfits of society. The sonic output of this month was rich but we did not find it as easy, to identify truly exceptional releases. There were many EPs and albums that confused us both with the plurality of their influences and with the fact that the bands seemed to be unable to make sonic sense out of all this. Once again it was the most experimental approaches to sound that fascinated us and a spirit of relentless energy that has been retained and enhanced from all-time favourite bands.
