I like listening to music, and I like writing about music. It just so happens that I get sent LOTS of music by publicists and bands in hopes of getting a review. I also enjoy reading reviews written by people I respect and admire. So, I usually have a deep backlog of albums that deserve my attention. With this monthly series, I’ll tell you about the artists that jumped out of my headphones and grabbed my attention.

What a wild month.

I’ve spent most of my days either working my day job or packing up my phone to move across the country. Honestly, I’m shocked I had time to prepare for this column, much less write it. But when it came down to it, this exercise kept me grounded with some essential normalcy. Besides – I couldn’t let down my loyal readers. And honestly, I couldn’t let myself down either. I like listening music, but I also like thinking about it critically. Which means you benefit from my compulsion. Enjoy!

Boards of Canada – Inferno

For this month’s installment of “Why Have I Never Listened to This Artist Before,” I bring you the eerie and expansive electro stylings of Boards of Canada. This Scottish duo has been creating sublime music for nearly 30 years, but I’ve somehow never paid them any sort of attention. After this month’s deep dive into the band’s catalog, I have no excuse for this lapse in my musical education. At each juncture of my exploration of electronic music, the band has been there, somehow waiting in the shadows, eluding my ears, even as I fell in love with their contemporaries.

Their first album in 13 years, Inferno overflows with a transcendent vision for what truly sophisticated electro should be. Its 18 tracks span an hour, as beats, grooves, patches, and synths engage in a series of precise, yet fluid dances. Reviews written by long-term fans have talked lovingly of how the album harnessed and coalesced the group’s overarching aesthetic without ever dwelling on the past. Songs such as “Prophecy At 1420 MHz” and “The Word Become Flesh” thump with the creeping vigor of an X-Files episode, while “Age of Capricorn,” “Naraka,” and “Blood in the Labyrinth” take the lo-fi ideals of chillwave and elevate them to high art. The entire effect is mesmerizing, and this record will end up on my year-end best-of list.

Alden Hellmuth – Tether

Spectacular postmodern jazz. This magnificent album pulses with the chaotic energy of a punk show, ripples with the verve of a post-punk band, and vibrates with the nuance of a locked-in funk band. Hellmuth possesses a mean saxophone that attacks your ears like an angry metal guitarist, even as her intense arrangement skills reflect profound compositional skills. The players on these eight songs, specifically the kickass upright bassist and sharp-edged drummer, swing with a kinetic fury that showcases a level of improvisational acumen I found completely compelling. Kicking off with abandon on “Microfictions,” the record peaks with “Definitely Not Friends,” and comes to a rousing conclusion with “Face the Wall.”

Alex Amen – Sun of Amen

Magnificent easy listening country. This brilliant blend of ‘70s AM radio and ‘00s indie-folk fills me with unabashed glee. Amen’s mid-range tenor glistens with rich emotions and ample heartache, like a delirious blend of Townes Van Zandt, John Denver, and Jim James of My Morning Jacket. A dexterous blend of backwoods folk and countrypolitan pop, the album reaches its maximum impact on tracks like “Cabin By the Sea,” “Her Spirit Wanders,” and “California Blues.” This robust storyteller wears his heart on his sleeve, all while backed by tremendous musicianship, including organ, pedal steel, and fiddle.

Bye Parula – Something Out of Nothing

Spiky art-pop with soul. Paging 2008 – your millennial hipster revival band is calling. And as someone who was going to shows and working as a music journalist at the time, I can confidently declare that this album transcends cheap nostalgia. This Montreal trio gives me monumental Local Natives vibes, while also channeling Wolf Parade, of Montreal, and Talking Heads. The combination of lilting falsetto vocals and psych rock guitar licks pulls me out of my desk chair to start dancing around my office, but it’s the funky bass licks and syncopated drumming that truly holds my attention. Come for “KISSBURN” and the title track, but you should definitely stay for “Quand vient le soir” and “Burning down the house.”

Family Worship Center – Only Visiting

Glistening ‘70s psych-rock. If you would have told me with no preamble that this was a lost album from the first wave of Christian rock, I would have absolutely believed you. And I mean that to be a sincere compliment. This Portland, OR polycule has me digging deep into the past for points of comparison, including the obvious Fleetwood Mac, but I really hear artists like Larry Norman, Second Chapter of Acts, and Keith Green. The music stretches far beyond simple guitar, bass, and drums by embracing organ, layered percussion, a horn section, multiple lead vocalists, and balanced background harmony vocals. The opening tune, “Malibu By Midnight,” sets the stage with beachy Laurel Canyon vibes, but subsequent selections like “Big Head,” “Strange,” and “Total Monet” are perfect for cruising up and down the PCH at any time of day or night.

Hammok – When Does This Place Become Our Scene?

Breathtaking noise rock. Or maybe it’s hardcore mixed with vintage screamo vibes. Whatever the description, this Norwegian trio kicks massive ass like a profound fusion of Converge, Zao, and Touche Amore. The sinewy guitar licks careen around the room with barely restrained abandon, while the bass delivers thunderous waves of gloom, and the drumming repeatedly kicks you in the gut. But it’s the unabashed fury of the vicious vocals that are the true star, as they wallop your head from every direction, beckoning you to stand up against the injustices of the world. Please join me in the pit for some headbanging and slamdancing along to “The Scene,” “Gooning for Free,” “Tap Water,” and “Confidence of a Beaten Horse.”

Tasha – You Are Spring!

Liminal R&B meets spoken word poetry. Oozing with a palpable sensuality, this album delivers everything you might want in 21^st century indie-fied soul. Tasha enjoys deep stylistic conversations with her forebears and colleagues, including Erykah Badu, Solange, India Arie, and Kelela. Across 11 gorgeous songs, her achingly smooth alto croons and coos with a pensive passion as clever, understated pop provides a dreamy bed for her art. The overall effect is inviting and intoxicating, especially on standouts like “Clarion, “Ending,” and “Actor.”

Other Stuff I Enjoyed Listening to This Month

• Aja Monet – The Color of Rain
• Big|Brave – In Grief or In Hope
• Brown Horse – Total Dive
• Genesis Owusu – REDSTAR WU & THE WORLDWIDE SCOURGE
• Karyyn – Physics Universal Love Language
• Rhododendron – Ascent Effort
• Vince Staples – Cry Baby