Music Diary, Vol. -46

For the rationale behind this mad effort, explanations here. The full series of Music Diary posts are here. The full playlist is above, also here.

Week of Feb. 20-26, 2023

LYRICS: Redbone, "We Were All at Wounded Knee"

SONG: Love this gorgeous bilingual rendition of Paul Simon’s Bach-inflected despairing patriot’s national anthem by Gaby Moreno and David Garza (even despite David’s endearing lyric flub “not at ease”).

ALBUM: I didn’t love the musical GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY but one thing I thank it for is leading me into the thrall of this underrated 1978 classic, in which you can hear Dylan’s Christian sound taking shape (and hear the influence of Springsteen).

LYRICS: Ry Cooder, John Hiatt, Jim Dickinson, "Across the Borderline"

SONG: The Chicago band Finom is entirely new to me but I already think I’m in love, based on this headlong power pop jam. Tight vocal harmonies? Check. Muscular rhythm guitar? Check. Odd meter? Check. It’s a snack-sized feast.

ALBUM: With its glistening guitars and blissed-out major-key scales, the Meat Puppets’ third is still their peak achievement to me—the best capture of what their producer Spot called, mysteriously yet absolutely clearly, the band’s “gelatinous sound.”

LYRICS: Liz Phair, "What Makes You Happy"

SONG: WIth its delicate hammer-on, pull-off guitar figures and lush orchestration, this Curtis Mayfield instrumental deserves a full listen beyond its memorable "Resentment" sampling.

ALBUM: Did I originally buy this Thelonious Monk record because I liked the Laszlo Kubinyi mixed-media cover art? Maybe, but I'm so glad I did, as it's a stone-cold masterpiece of fractured blues, with covers as original as the originals.

LYRICS: Randy Newman, "Same Girl"

SONG: I find most of TROUT MASK REPLICA a tough listen, honestly, but this rolling, grooving track is a total blast.

ALBUM: If you only know Satie for his Gymnopedies and Gnossiennes, this record of some of his more rambunctious feints and stunts will surprise and, if you like your music funny and slightly mad, delight you.

LYRICS: Todd Snider, "This Old Guitar"

SONG: The great Mathis Picard makes a pianistic feast of one of John Williams's most yearning themes.

ALBUM: Rush already sounded very much like themselves on their 2nd record, even as they still evinced strong Led Zeppelin influence (Geddy's wails, the clear "Heartbreaker" lift in "Beneath, Between & Behind," Tolkien folk). In short, they sound great.

LYRICS: Joni Mitchell, "Black Crow"

SONG: I could get lost (and often have) in Kaki King's electro-acoustic guitar constructions. This spiky, clattery, propulsive track makes a fine intro to her special genius for creating rich, resonant music out of angles and textures.

ALBUM: Kurt Weill wrote 2 string quartets—one liltingly tuneful, the other anguished and dissonant—and both deserve to be more widely known staples of the repertoire. (This fine recording also includes a bonkers piece by Hindemith.)

LYRICS: The Original Chuck Wagon Gang, "As the Life a Flower"

SONG: This gorgeous Big Star tune expresses spiritual striving not only in its lyrics but in its music: the upward swoops of the slide guitar, the surprising flat-6th chord at 1:00. Even without the vocal it’s a prayer.

ALBUM: This Alice Coltrane record from 1976 is equal parts ecstatic and disorienting, and that’s even before she ends up covering part of “The Rite of Spring.” This is music that will rewire your brain.