Better late than never. A third of the way into 2023 may seem pretty late in the game to post about the best of 2022, but life is busy and I got lazy (lazier than usual) about my comments. Well, here is is … finally. Ismatic Guru – “I Didn’t Like It” (from Ismatic Guru II EP): This is just… Read more »
A lot going on in life, so I’ve dumped some highlights of the past few months into a single list. Antonin Dvorak – Rusalka: It’s like the Little Mermaid but with murder! In the first act, I love the personification of a wave as a woman who is hugging the man she loves. Claire Rousay – Everything Perfect Is Already… Read more »
Richard Strauss – Four Last Songs / Antonin Dvorak – Rusalka: As I listened to Victoria de los Angeles last week, I realized two things: most of my favorite opera recordings are more than 60 years old and I know virtually nothing about opera. This week I’m digging into singers and compositions that I don’t know. Renee Fleming’s recording of… Read more »
Pantha du Prince – Conference of Trees: I’m loving the experience of immersing myself in these sounds. One minute it reminds me of old Orbital, the next I hear Tangerine Dream, and the next I hear Bonobo. Not all those things are necessarily good, but the good on this record far outweighs the bad. It’s great in the background, yet… Read more »
Maribou State – Fabric Presents Maribou State: The middle of the album – beginning with Nu Guinea’s “Je vulesse” – leaves me a bit cold. I’ve fallen hard for the first nine songs, though, and they put me in the same mood as Norman Jay’s Journeys by DJ, which is one of my favorite deep house mixes. Taylor Swift –… Read more »
Faithless – Reverence and Sunday 8PM: I completely dismissed Faithless back in the ‘90s, so when I read about the passing of Maxi Jazz, I took a belated listen. There’s nothing groundbreaking, but they would have been a good way to pass time between Massive Attack releases 25 years ago. Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers: The… Read more »
Bob: Right out of the gate on Controversy, Prince plays explicitly in the extremes of his spiritual/sexual divide. We had to look for it a bit on Dirty Mind, but it’s front and center here. I read that Dirty Mind taught him that he could do whatever he wanted, so maybe that freed him to explore his dichotomy completely openly. … Read more »
Billie Holiday – All or Nothing at All: I’ve been listening to a lot of Ella Fitzgerald lately, but the days leading up to Christmas were grey and gloomy, so Billie Holiday fit a little better. This was recorded a few years before she died, and her voice possessed a sense of wisdom and experience that eluded her earlier recordings…. Read more »
Ben Frost – The Centre Cannot Hold: On my first pass, there are some structural decisions in these tracks that just don’t make sense to me. That makes me realize I want to listen more, preferably in headphones. Japanese Breakfast – Sable and Jubilee: I attempted to listen to Sable while driving in rush hour at dusk, but it made… Read more »
Ben Frost – AURORA: I’m not sure how I missed out on Ben Frost for the past 15 years, especially given the constant presence of Tim Hecker in my ears. On first listen, “Nolan” stands out in a big way. Tim Hecker – Ravedeath, 1972: Despite being one of his most highly regarded albums, I’ve had a difficult time getting… Read more »