Hollie Kenniff – We All Have Places That We Miss: This is, by far, the record I listened to most this week. It’s a gentle record with a sense of hope. It makes me imagine a quieter and more subtle Explosions in the Sky. I’m a sucker for songs that build around a repeated motif, and I absolutely love the way Kenniff plays with 4/4 time against a three-note motif on “Salient.”
Laufey – Everything I Know About Love: Hooray that Laufey is exposing a new generation of young women to Ella Fitzgerald and Chet Baker. Also, hooray that she combines the wittiness of a lyricist like Irving Berlin with the intimacy of a modern female songwriter like Taylor Swift. I find the actual songs kinda boring, though, more like Norah Jones than Chet Baker.
Ariana Grande – Eternal Sunshine: I read a handful of things in passing that said Eternal Sunshine was rooted in house. It isn’t. As pop records go, it’s better than most, but it’s not my thing.
Grateful Dead – Chicago 4/26/1969: I listened to this in the background as I was looking at the last room in the National Gallery of Art’s “Mark Rothko: Paintings on Paper” exhibition. Usually I try to find music that sonically mirrors Rothko’s visuals, but I went with period-appropriate music for Rothko final paintings and it made for a surprisingly good soundtrack.
Grateful Dead – Saint of Circumstance (6/17/1991): Two things on this one: First, this show is a great reminder of how much I like Bruce Hornsby’s brief tenure in the band, and second, they way they flirt with “Dark Star” but never fully commit to it is both maddening and awesome.
Keith Fullerton Whitman – Playthroughs: This is a fantastic album and he takes the time to let each note languorously unfold, something surprisingly few ambient artists do. Interestingly, it reminds me of a piece of music that I imagined 30+ years ago and that still no one has composed. Maybe it’s time for me to do so.
Old friends who made it into rotation this week: Daniel Avery: Ultra Truth; Laurel Halo: Atlas