Music Diary, Vol. -63

The rationale behind this mad project is here. The full playlist is above, also here.

Week of Oct. 24-30, 2022

LYRICS: Tom T. Hall, "I Love"

SONG: I've listened to this mesmerizing new Kimbra song maybe 20 times? More? No shade on any other pop diva's new work, but this is a new record I could spend many midnights listening to.

LYRICS: Taylor Swift, "Anti-Hero"

SONG: This Björk banger may be best known from its batshit Spike Jonze video, but heard apart from that it's an extraordinarily beautiful and strange piece of pop songcraft; for the moment at least it's my favorite cut from Medúlla.

LYRICS: Gillian Welch, "Everything Is Free"

SONG: Oh, the places Emmet Cohen and his band take this reliable old horse—er, horse-drawn vehicle—of a tune. Rodgers and Hammerstein are rocking in their graves.

LYRICS: Randy Newman, "The Great Nations of Europe"

SONG: I’m a sucker for the Zeppelin tracks where the groove lands in unexpected places yet still rocks hard, where Page is less lead guitarist than part of the Jones/Bonham rhythm section, as on this deep cut from Physical Graffiti.

LYRICS: Weird Al Yankovic, "CNR"

SONG: If you don't know the great Congolese Belgian rapper Baloji, this affirmation of his binational identity is a great intro, with its irresistible standup bass groove, tasty organ solo, and the lyric: "Black thought is a prism/It's not Ham's curse."

LYRICS: Rihanna (Hermansen/Eriksen/Smith), "Take a Bow"

SONG: I know her best for "Step Inside Love," the song McCartney wrote for her, but the British pop diva Cilla Black is well worth a deeper dive. This soaring, nervy Bacharach/David tune, produced by George Martin, is a hit in some alternate universe.

LYRICS: Leonard Cohen, "Anthem"

SONG: This morning at Greenpoint Reformed Church, this vintage Josh White spiritual will be our opener.