De La Soul – Cabin in the Sky: When I saw this, I wondered how De La would move forward without Dave Jolicoeur. When I started playing it, I wondered if Cabin would get lost in annoying skits the way so many of their records do. But then the end of the opening track came, and all my questions were answered with an emotional gut punch. This is one of the best memorial records I’ve ever heard, and it’s also a record the world needs right now.
Colter Wall – Memories and Empties: Mainstream country has adopted a lot of bloated crap from mainstream rock of the 70s and 80s. Colter Wall made me realize that a country underground must exist, and I’d like to learn more about it. Memories and Empties doesn’t do anything new (at least not that I heard on one listen in the car), but its honky tonk honesty sounds fresh and exciting, in a way it wouldn’t have 50 years ago.
Mono – Holy Ground: NYC Live with the Wordless Music Orchestra: Listening to Holy Ground reminds me why, no matter how deep down the rabbit holes of jazz or classical I travel, my heart always comes back to music that embodies “three chords and the truth.” At its core, these are rock songs. Simple, powerful, heart-pounding rock songs.
Daniel Avery – Tremor | Ultra Truth: Avery’s newest is doing very little for me, but in fairness, I keep turning it off after the third track, “Haze.” The first two songs are meh, and “Haze” feels like Avery is rehashing Curve (if I’m being generous) or Garbage (if I’m being honest). I went back to Ultra Truth to see if I still like it as much as I remember. Not only does it still sound amazing, but hearing HAAi’s vocals was like getting hit over the head with happiness. I didn’t know HAAi when Ultra Truth came out, and discovering her voice on this record was like finding an old friend at another old friend’s house.
JJJJJerome Ellis – Vesper Sparrow: Am I glad I listened to Vesper Sparrow? Absolutely. But like many musicians with an interesting technical lens, Ellis has more head than heart in his music. Ellis does put his heart here, though, so I hope I don’t lose this one amidst all the other music I’m excited to hear, even if it does cross into late ‘80s dodgy soft jazz more often than I’d like.
Jay Som – Belong: Continuing with the head/heart metaphor, I typically don’t listen to the way a record sounds because that’s usually a bit too heady for me. Belong sounds so good, though, that I’m excited to play it just for the experience of listening to it. Of course, the songs are sweet and vulnerable and hopeful and full of heart, and if those things weren’t there, the sound wouldn’t matter at all.
Laufey – Bewitched (The Goddess Edition) | A Matter of Time: I’m still deep in Laufey’s rabbit hole and these albums are staying in heavy rotation. When I saw her last month, she compared her voice to a cello. It’s an insightful comparison and listening with this in mind makes these albums even better.
Gracie Abrams – This Is What It Feels Like: After spending most of 2025 with Good Riddance, I finally ventured to the record that came before it. Initially, it feels a bit undercooked, in the same way that The Secret of Us feels a bit overcooked. Good Riddance is a stellar album and it set a bar that I’m not sure any of her other records will meet. I know my opinion will evolve, though, and it’ll be fun to see how it changes.
Shirley Scott Trio – Great Scott!!: Scott’s band covers a couple of Henry Mancini compositions from the 1964 comedy A Shot in the Dark. Their rendition of the title track is on fire, but Scott seems oblivious to Lillian Clark’s vocals on “Shadows of Paris,” which is a shame because the song could have had a beautiful, melancholy vibe. But then I got to “The Blues Ain’t Nothin’ but Some Pain” and that beautiful melancholy is here. This is the first time I’ve heard Scott sing, and her voice is kind of like Billie Holiday, yet totally different and totally wonderful.
Rosalía – Lux: I’ve played this a couple of times but I can’t say anything useful about it yet, beyond the fact that it’s unlike anything I’ve heard before. More to come.
Grateful Dead – 7/1/73 (Studio City, CA): I listened to the first set again this week, this time while I was cooking. It has a laid back vibe that makes it perfect background music because it lets you focus elsewhere then gently taps you on the shoulder and says, “hey, maybe you should pay attention for a few minutes,” and you do, and it’s great.
Record store finds this week: I couldn’t find Rosalía’s Lux on vinyl but I did pick up the CD and I also grabbed a copy of her previous album, Motomami. I also found Townes Van Zandt’s Live at the Old Quarter, Houston, Texas, which has been on my wish list since Bob wrote about it back in 2021.