The Flash-Cult August Issue
What is this thing?
Welcome to "Flash-Cult", swift insights for the advice-averse!
Each month, join us on a journey from the electrifying strums of rock to the soothing melodies of jazz, from the serene waves of ambient to the pulsating rhythms of electronic. No need for long reads—just a quick, fun glimpse and an invite to explore the best tunes we've discovered.
Flash-Cult choices of the month
Our special selection of great music released during this month.
Triple Seven
Wishy
Shoegaze
Generally, at least in my experience, layering layers of distorted guitars is a great way to talk about the unbearable weight of existence: what if shoegaze wasn't all there was to it? What if you could also be carefree while playing the guitar? Wishy put together a mix where a massive composition of guitars and effects on the voice marries very jangling melodies and decidedly adolescent lyrics, which talk about loves that never began and heartbreaking goodbyes at the end of school. In short, an interesting mix: the sounds may appeal to old fans of the '90s, the lyrics... basically too. Great to listen to if at the end of August you always feel a bit sad for the end of something - and I'm not just talking about the holidays.
Flash Advice Song: Triple Seven
Romance
Fontaines D.C.
Rock
Fontaines D.C. take a bold turn in Romance, leaving their raw Dublin roots behind for a cinematic journey through the darker sides of fame and disenchantment. The album effortlessly merges the energy of Britpop with a haunting and gothic atmosphere, creating a unique sonic landscape. Grian Chatten's vocals have undergone a powerful transformation, moving from nervous intensity to a captivating vulnerability, perfectly mirroring the emotional weight of the music. Every song balances precariously between moments of brilliance and a profound sense of melancholy. Romance is a daring step forward for the band, a mesmerizing and stylish unraveling that leaves the listener feeling unsettled yet completely captivated.
Flash Advice Song: Starbuster
Ink&Oil
Storefront Church
Art pop
This album fits into the British songwriting scene with great ease, moving easily from more bombastic and baroque episodes to more intimate and personal tracks. The writing is certainly of a high standard, with refined lyrics, but it is the arrangement and the overall musical vision that are most striking. The general tone is very English, with a certain predilection for minor scales, which give everything a melancholic but never desperate feel. If I had to compare it to something, I would say Divine Comedy playing the saddest songs of early Coldplay. I sold it to you, tell the truth.
Flash Advice Song: Melting Mirror
beabadoobee
This is How Tomorrow Moves
Pop
Beabadoobee embraces a significant shift in her artistry in This Is How Tomorrow Moves, moving from a glossy '00s pop sound to a more intimate and introspective folk-pop style. This marks a subtle but meaningful evolution in her music. Co-produced by Rick Rubin, the album's minimalist production emphasizes Beatrice Kristi's growth as a songwriter, trading youthful exuberance for thoughtful reflection. However, there are instances where the album's sweetness becomes excessive, slightly overshadowing the depth that distinguishes its most impactful tracks.
Flash Advice Song: Take a bite
When I'm Called
Jake Xerxes Fussell
Americana
Acoustic guitars, a warm voice, the typical melodies of the great American tradition: I admit that sometimes it takes very little to convince me, but it doesn't work with all folk music. There must be a soul, deep and rooted, made of emotions and sincerity. In those cases, rhythms and cadences of American music work like missing pieces of the puzzle of emotions and are fixed in that perennial void that melancholic people keep in their spirit: they don't fill much, but they generate that emotional warmth that, in certain moments, you damn well need.
Flash Advice Song: Leaving Here, don't know where I'm going
Ryuichi Sakamoto
Opus
Classical | Experimental
Ryuichi Sakamoto | Opus offers a moving and intimate look at a legendary composer facing his own mortality, while still deeply engaged in his creative pursuits. Directed by his son, Neo Sora, the film documents Sakamoto's final performances, where each note and silence carries the weight of time and the profound beauty of imperfection. The accompanying album, a melancholic yet uplifting reflection, showcases Sakamoto's vulnerability, transforming his final act into a deeply human tribute to the lasting power of music.
Flash Advice Song: Andata
Nevermind The Tempo
I hate my village
Art rock
At the second attempt, I Hate My Village produce a surprisingly well-played and arranged album, very raw and direct: it is clear that the quartet wants to play for fun, but to do it at a level that also represents a minimum challenge for four musicians used to performing at the highest levels allowed by Italian stages - so rather low, it must be said. The result is a slightly dated, but very effective rock, like an excellent carbonara, without cream, eaten in the center of Florence: it doesn't fit in with the context, but oh, it's damn good, what do you want?
Flash Advice Song: Come una poliziotta
Navy Blue
Memoirs In Armour
Rap
Memoirs in Armour marks a return to Navy Blue's raw and introspective origins, stripping away the lush production of his earlier works. This minimalist album prioritizes his stark lyrics and unflinching self-examination, transforming each track into a confessional where existential weight is laid bare. With his steady cadence and somber delivery, Navy Blue's latest offering is a haunting meditation on life's heaviest burdens, leaving listeners with the sense that each word is both a revelation and a reckoning.
Flash Advice Song: Pumpkin
Historical milestone
Every month, a fresh milestone from music history served up for you.
Gladys Knight & the Pips
Every Beat of My Heart - 1989
Soul
The best collection of Knight's pre-Motown sides, including both of their big early-'60s hits (the title track and "Letter Full of Tears"), but concentrating more heavily on their mid-'60s sessions. Generally speaking, sometimes you don't need a "great album" or a "masterpiece" to make some records an hidden gem for your collection, you just need very good stuff, very well played and recorded and let it play on your platform or device, in order to enjoy. I paid this record something like 7€ but it is one of the most-often and better-sounding vynils I have. It is soul music, it is very very simple soul music. But damn, it is good like embracing the one you love on Saturday morning like there is anything else to do in the wolrd apart dancing in the kitchen while you're waiting weekend breakfast is ready to eat. With every beat of your heart, of course.
Flash Advice Song: Every Beat of My Heart
