Ben Frost – The Centre Cannot Hold: On my first pass, there are some structural decisions in these tracks that just don’t make sense to me. That makes me realize I want to listen more, preferably in headphones.
Japanese Breakfast – Sable and Jubilee: I attempted to listen to Sable while driving in rush hour at dusk, but it made me sleepy so I spent some quality time with Jubilee. I made my way through the rest of Sable later in the week, and although I like each vignette-like piece of music, I doubt I’ll revisit this.
Maribou State – Fabric Presents Maribou State: This is turning into a late-fall staple. I love the way “Settle Down” blends into “Slow Down,” very cool mixing choice. This mix has a great flow.
Various Artists – The Sound of Philadelphia: Gamble & Huff’s Greatest Hits: A couple of realizations: 1) I need to listen to more from Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes; 2) Why do MFSB only sing about “people all over the world” in the title song? I mean, shouldn’t they be singing about people all over Philly?
Daryl Hall & John Oates – Abandoned Luncheonette: Continuing with my Philly theme, I decided to dig into the catalog of Hall & Oates since I only know their hits. I started with this early album due to its 5-star rating on Allmusic. I don’t get it though. This sounds like early ‘70s soft-rock reinterpretations of all the great artists from the previous few years. The songwriting and performances are solid and ambitious but there is nothing original here.
Pole – 1/2/3 (Box Set): Last year, I wrote about my discovery of Pole. I’m still thrilled to know these records.
Stefan Goldmann – Call and Response: After reading Pitchfork’s review, I figured this had a high risk of being one of those experimental albums where the concept overshadows the music. I enjoyed listening to it, though, even if it doesn’t stand up against some of my favorite experimental artists.