Alex Gallacher

This week’s Monday Morning Brew opens to a track from the new 4CD set, The Making Of Five Leaves Left, which chronicles the creation of Nick Drake’s 1969 debut album. There’s also music from Songhoy Blues, Ben Whitley, Roadside Graves, Turner Cody, Stringtronics, Laura Cannell, Kathryn Williams, Ancient Infinity Orchestra, Alice Boyd, The Innocence Mission, Darren Hayman and more.

The latest KLOF Mixtape features music from John Francis Flynn, The Deadlians, Lankum, AJ Woods, Joshua Idehen, Adrian Sherwood, Ana Lua Caiano, Cyril Cyril, RíRá, The Spook of the Thirteenth Lock, Skipper’s Alley, Joshua Burnside & Laura Quirke, Cat Clyde & Jeremie Albino, Kevin Morby, Nick Waterhouse, Scott McMicken, Piers Faccini, Jake Blount, The Burning Hell, Rónán Ó Snodaigh and Myles O’Reilly, Alex Rex, Lisa O’Neill and more.

In a new “Nonesuch Selects” video released this week, composer Steve Reich offers an intimate tour of some of his favourite music. He includes recordings that share connections to his work, from the propulsive energy of John Adams to foundational Balinese Gamelan. Part of a celebration including the monumental Collected Works box set, the video is a generous act of aural cartography from a master of modern music.

Acclaimed guitarist and song writer Buck Curran has released ‘ILiad (Slight Return)’, the expansive second single from his ninth album, Far Driven Sun, out August 29th via Obsolete Recordings. The album is an elemental return to Curran’s musical roots, inspired by his reunion with a rare 1990 Stefan Sobell ‘Butterfly’ guitar. He will also be performing at a special Robbie Basho celebration in London, alongside Gemma Khawaja and Toby Hay.

Musician and sound artist Alice Boyd releases ‘Return of the White-Tailed Eagle’, a powerful collaboration with the RSPB. The track marks the 50th anniversary of the successful reintroduction of the UK’s largest bird of prey. Built from ambient woodland sounds recorded at an RSPB reserve, the song is a transportive prelude to the forthcoming conservation film, ‘Return’. A beautiful fusion of art and ecological storytelling.

Accompanied by a music video, Kathryn Williams unveils ‘Tender’, a poignant new single with Polly Paulusma, from her forthcoming 15th studio album ‘Mystery Park’ (out September 26th). Returning to the sparse, affecting sound of her early work, the track explores the weight of feeling like an outsider. It’s the second glimpse into a deeply personal record featuring collaborators like Paul Weller and Ed Harcourt.

Experimental trio Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling, and Andreas Werliin have unveiled “Chahar,” the exhilarating second single from their upcoming album Ghosted III (out August 29th). Pushing further into the exuberant territory hinted at by first single “Yek,” the track is a startlingly funky dance of wild interplay and ricocheting guitar tones, accompanied by a mesmerizing new video ahead of their European tour.

Animal Collective have unveiled “Buddies On the Blackboard,” the dreamy, dub-influenced B-side to their recent single “Love On the Big Screen.” Arriving with a trippy chalk-animation visualizer by Abby Portner, the track will be featured on a limited edition 7-inch vinyl out this Friday via Domino. The new music follows the band’s lengthy and acclaimed 2023 studio album, Isn’t It Now?.

Tuxis Giant have shared “Days,” the final single from their upcoming album You Won’t Remember This, out August 15th. Inspired by Hayao Miyazaki, the buoyant track is an ode to the liminal space between work and rest. It arrives with a beautiful animated video by collaborator Louis Roe, which ties together the album’s visual universe and pays homage to the band’s own creative evolution.

Me Lost Me – the project of Newcastle-based artist Jayne Dent – delights in experimenting with songwriting, creating a beguiling mix of soaring vocals and atmospheric electronics that playfully push the boundaries of genre. Today, she shares tour dates in support of This Material Moment, which she describes as “emotionally raw” and deems her most honest and vulnerable album yet.

Tom Skinner, the dynamic drummer for The Smile and Sons of Kemet, has announced his new solo album, Kaleidoscopic Visions, arriving September 26th via Brownswood and International Anthem. The intricate title track is available now, previewing a record featuring collaborations with Meshell Ndegeocello and Portishead’s Adrian Utley. Skinner will support the release with US tour dates this October and a London show in November.

M. Sage and Fuubutsushi bandmate Patrick Shiroishi have announced a joint US tour this autumn and shared a new single, “Tender of Land (Patrick’s Version).” On the track, Shiroishi’s signature saxophone craft transforms Sage’s composition into a slower jazz ballad. It’s a variation from Sage’s upcoming album, Tender / Wading (out September 26), a serene vision inspired by his Colorado homeland.