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 De Lin,” and the effect highlights the emotion of his own works. The emotions get a bit overwrought sometimes, but the sense of melancholy is perfect for February.
Kathleen Edwards – Asking for Flowers: I haven’t listened to Edwards since Voyageur captivated me 10 or so years ago. Flowers is different than that album, but it’s equally as good and, in ways, it’s more powerful. The lyrics are political and angry, which is a good reminder that the grass is not always greener across our northern border. The highlight of the record, though, is “Goodnight, California.” I’m a sucker for a long and emotional closing track, and this unquestionably fits the bill.
Mark Farina – Mushroom Jazz (Vol. 1): I found this in a used bin not long ago, and I was finally motivated to listen to the disc that kicked off the Mushroom Jazz series. In many ways, it reminds me of the Good Times series from Norman and Joey Jay, but it’s more constrained than the Jays’ mixes, which helps with the focus but makes the highs a little less high. It’s a fun disc but honestly, by the end, I was ready for it to end.
Old friends who made it into rotation this week: Joe Jackson: Body and Soul; Orbital: In Sides; The Orb: The Orb’s Adventures Beyond the Ultraworld; All Hands_Make Light: Darling the Dawn; Rachel Chinouriri: What a Devastating Turn of Events; Grateful Dead: 10/17/72 (St. Louis, MO)
Record store finds this week: The record (and CD) gods smiled on me this week. A decent copy of Exile on Main Street on vinyl for $3, a beautiful old copy of Blues for Allah, also on vinyl. A couple Frank Sinatra CDs and a couple Miles Davis CDs for dirt cheap. The one I’m most excited about, though, is a vinyl copy of Pulse of Defiance by Yoshinori Hayashi, which blew me away when it came out a few years ago.