Japanese Breakfast – For Melancholy Brunettes (and Sad Women): “Here is Someone” feels like it ends too soon. There’s more to this song and more to this story. To be clear, that’s a compliment. They left me wanting more. Maya Delilah – The Long Way Round | Lucy Dacus – Forever Is a Feeling: I made it through three songs… Read more »
Japanese Breakfast – For Melancholy Brunettes (and Sad Women): Jubilee spent a lot of time in my ears and my brain, and the first notes of “Here Is Someone” make me hopeful that Melancholy will do the same. Modern Jazz Quartet – No Sun in Venice: I love records with a narrative arc, and I wouldn’t have understood the arc… Read more »
Sleeping Bag Records Greatest Mixers Collection: Larry Levan, Francois K., and Danny Krivit all on one record?! The two mixes by John Morales & Sergio Munzibai are the immediate highlight, but Krivit’s mix of “Chill Pill”—which is somehow tied to a junior high in Brooklyn—is definitely the coolest thing here. Pink Floyd – Animals: I’m grateful that 15-year-old Chuck skipped… Read more »
Ela Minus – DÍA | Maribou State – Hallucinating Love: On Friday, I listened to the new Maribou State and thought it was overproduced and overly commercial. Then I put in Ela Minus and loved the experimentation and confusion. On Saturday, I tried listening to DÍA and it did nothing for me, so I put on Hallucinating Love and was… Read more »
Tim Hecker – Shards: It’s short! Only seven songs, clocking in at just over 30 minutes. This is a good intro to his scoring work, and I’m surprised by how different it is from his recent non-film music. Amina Annabi – Belly Dancer: The song feels like a questionable soundtrack from an early ‘90s indie romcom about a hot belly… Read more »
Ezio Bosso – And the Things that Remain: After a week off, I made it back to Bosso and this collection that mixes his own compositions with his takes on traditional pieces. The choices from other composers are often simpler pieces (and I use the word “simple” knowing that simple music is rarely simple) like Debussy’s “La Fille Aux Cheveux… Read more »
Underworld – Barbara, Barbara, We Face a Shining Future: Together, Karl Hyde, Rick Smith, and Darren Emerson had a collective magic. None of them achieved the same heights without all of them. Barbara Barbara is fine but I see few reasons to pick it over one of the three core albums from the 1990s. Dennis Ferrer – In the House:… Read more »
Honey Dijon – DJ-Kicks: This entire mix is fantastic. It hits its stride on “Dear Father in Heaven” and kept my rapt attention to somewhere around “Bessie.” This is one of the best new house DJ sets I’ve heard in years. Andrew Ryce’s review at Pitchfork is better than anything I could write, but don’t let his 7.7 rating scare… Read more »
Drive-By Truckers – Southern Rock Opera: This has been on my “need to listen” list for ages. I spent 90 focused minutes with it this week, then played it in the background a few times. I wouldn’t give it 5-stars, but it’s a solid 4 and maybe 4.5. Three things I enjoyed about it: Charles Mingus – Mingus Ah Um:… Read more »
Sly and the Family Stone: Stand!: I listened to What’s Going On a few months ago, and the words struck me as overly simplistic. Stand! lands in a much better place and the words here resonate so much more. Plus, unlike What’s Goin’ On, there’s no flute, just raw, fiery funk. Alice Coltrane: The Ecstatic Music of Alice Coltrane Turiyasangitananda:… Read more »