Laufey – Tiny Desk Concert | Amazon Songline: I’m still riding the wave of last week’s concert in DC, so Laufey was my go-to this week. The more I learn about her background—the way her Icelandic and Chinese and American experiences and her classical and jazz and pop influences all swirled together into a unique whole—the more I appreciate her talent. I loved her comment about how composers never repeat a melody in a classical piece the exact same way twice, and how she demonstrates that approach in “Promise.” I was also struck by how “California and Me” is based on compositions by Liszt and Chopin, but the average listener (like me) would never know it.
Pretty Girl – Fabric Presents Pretty Girl: This has stayed in consistent rotation since it came out and every time I listen to it, I find something new to appreciate. The positivity and love of RONA.’s “Be My Medicine” grabbed me this week in the same way Maribou State’s newest album grabbed me hard during the first half of 2025. Fabric Presents Pretty Girl is one of my favorite electronic releases so far this year, and that’s saying a lot considering how much new stuff I’ve loved in 2025.
Kali Malone – The Sacrificial Code: I had a headache on Saturday and everything I listened to felt like pounding inside my skull. Everything but this, that is. I can’t explain why, but the droning organ is both soothing and stirring.
Lamb – Back to Mine: The more I listen to this, the more I like it. The songs flow perfectly. I’d stopped going to raves and clubs by the time this came out, but it makes me appreciate how so many artists’ efforts to fuse different styles bloomed in the early aughts. I can imagine Mark Farina and Norman Jay and Larry Levan all sitting together as the sun comes up, digging on this mix.
Orbital – Back to Mine: Lamb’s set made me revisit Orbital’s contribution to the series. It leans more on classic film scores and reggae tracks, but it throws in some curveballs with artists like PJ Harvey and Jethro Tull. On first listen, it didn’t move me the way Lamb’s mix did, but I still enjoyed it.
Grateful Dead – 10/30/73 (St. Louis, MO): After my ho-hum reaction to the second set of this show last week, I spent more time with the Dark Star > Stella Blue > Eyes > Weather Report run. The “Mind Left Body” jam in the middle of Dark Star is what loses me, but even if I’m not emotionally connected, I’m still amazed at how fluidly the band followed each other into different moods and songs. This performance of “Stella Blue” is gorgeous, but even that didn’t pull me back in. It’s a good show, but it doesn’t stand out as a favorite.
Old friends who made it into rotation this week: Laufey: A Matter of Time | Bewitched | Hollywood Bowl | Everything I Know About Love
Record store finds this week: I found a cheap copy of Isaac Hayes’ Hot Buttered Soul. In the spirit of using my turntable to listen to albums I’ve completely missed over the years, I picked up Interpol’s Turn on the Bright Lights. And while I don’t often buy stuff online, I ordered cheap copies of seven more titles in the Back to Mine series.