Amelie Lens – Fabric Presents Amelie Lens / Deep Dish – Global Underground 021 Moscow / Darren Emerson – Global Underground 020 Singapore / Danny Tenaglia – Global Underground 004 Athens: I was on a bit of a GU kick this week (with one of my favorite Fabric mixes thrown in) as I navigated some tough deadlines at work. Taylor… Read more »
Jon Hopkins – Immunity: There are points on this record where the sound is like walking out of a crowded club and stepping into the open night, where the air is cool and the streetlights glow against the black sky and the extroverted expectations of the club deflate like an exhalation of air. Danilo Plessow – Fabric Presents Danilo Plessow… Read more »
Underworld – Pearl’s Girl: I first heard this single while I was driving to a gig in Trenton NJ. That night, I was playing alongside a sitar player, a drummer, a pianist, a trumpet player, and whoever else showed up. I was so floored by “Pearl’s Girl (14996 Version)” that I incorporated the bass melody throughout our three-hour set of… Read more »
Various Artists – Alterity: I wonder why I don’t listen to more experimental electronic dance music. This has most of the things I love about dance music, and it scratches my itch to challenge my ears and my brain with sounds I’ve never heard before. Ben Watt – Buzzin’ Fly, Vol. III: The beginning of the week was cold and… Read more »
Low – Hey What: This is a good balance of noisy chaos and accessible (maybe even pretty) indie songwriting. It’s not an easy album, but it’s not super difficult either, and it’s worth the effort. There are a lot of layers, both in sound and words, and it’s the kind of record that reveals itself slowly. Pharoah Sanders – Karma:… Read more »
Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers: This album continues to unfold as I enter my second week of listening. “Worldwide Steppers,” “Crown,” and “Auntie Diaries” jumped out this week. As usual, Kendrick challenges us to think about hard things: good and bad, innocent and criminal, dark and light. Also, I love the way he included his longtime… Read more »
Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers: This is my first pass through Mr. Morale, and like all his records, listening is challenging. Not just deciphering the album’s meaning, but also reconciling it with my desire for Lamar to be the moral compass for modern music. But as he says on this album, “Kendrick is not your savior.”… Read more »
After a long break from both listening to and writing about music, I’m itching to do both. I want to try something different though, something that doesn’t feel like a chore and does encourage me to tackle my ever-growing stack of unheard music. I’m going to write a listening journal. I like the idea of combining music and journaling. For… Read more »