Rich Ruth – I Survived, It’s Over: This is creeping into my thoughts so I pulled it out again this week. The thing that stands out most is the way Ruth and his band touch on so many feels—jam bands, ‘60s free jazz, ‘80s dodgy jazz, IDM, new age—yet never land squarely in any of them, instead forging their own sound and feel across the record. I’m increasingly understanding why several people I trust put this on their best-of-2022 lists.
Ricardo Villalobos and Max Loderbauer – Re: ECM: This is a contender for my favorite record of the 2000s. It wouldn’t win, but it’s certainly in the running. Unlike so much “experimental” music that is composed of random bleeps of noise, these tracks deconstruct classic ECM songs and use the bones to create a soundtrack that still enthralls me after 12 years of listening.
Deep Dish – Global Underground 021 Moscow: My work week was brutal and this is one of my go-to choices when I need to spend long hours thinking and processing information and writing. Of the dozen or so GU mixes I know, I come back to this one most of all, including probably 10 listens this week alone.
Old friends who made it into rotation this week: Everything I listened to this week was something I’ve listened to many times before.