A garden of sound in which to plot your next move. Jonathan Richman reunited with Jerry Harrison, unutterably gorgeous ambient pedal steel, heady tunes from New Zealand (via Nashville), Athens, and Chicago.

A primer on the Tape #1 family tree with 75 Dollar Bill & co., weirdo pop from France, a rare jam by indie improv heroes Sonic Youth, & more.

New guitar heroes, most of them women, all of them great.

Sounds to ease into September: brilliant 12-string acoustic guitar, pedal steel, puppet opera dreams, new jazz, & double-drummer thunder.

Music for heads: jams, acoustic guitar, blow-outs, psychedelic percussion (not in that order), featuring Thor & Friends, The Ex, One Eleven Heavy, Man Forever, Sunwatchers, & Alexander

Dreams in sound: electric phin, fuzz bliss, psych-folk, cinematic swirls, & the big jammy jammy, featuring the Gunn/Truscinki Duo, John Andrews & the Yawns, Jeremy Barnes, Drunken Foreigner Band, & Garcia Peoples.

Head alignments: quiet electronics, big jams, celestial harp, & guitars, featuring Oneida (with Lee Ranaldo & James McNew), Secret Drum Band, Mary Lattimore, Ned Lagin, & Elkhorn.