Gracie Abrams – Good Riddance: When I choose to listen to an album slowly, I always face the conflict of when to move ahead. Do I keep bathing in side A as if these four songs are the only songs available, knowing I might lose interest at any moment? Or do I dive into side B and shift my focus… Read more »
Gracie Abrams – Good Riddance: Why do some voices hit us so much harder than others? Certainly, some of it is objective: I am drawn toward breathiness and away from melisma, but that doesn’t explain why I feel no draw to many breathy singers and a strong draw to a handful of melismatic vocalists. So what is that je ne… Read more »
Gracie Abrams – Good Riddance: My favorite thing about Abrams is the fragile vulnerability of her voice, and it’s so much more present here than it is on The Secret of Us. I’ve only made it through the first four songs of the extended release, and I’m looking forward to slowly unwrapping this gift. The Joy Formidable – The Big… Read more »
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 »