Music Diary, Vol. 77

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

Week of June 23-29, 2025

LYRICS: Chico Baurque, “Construção”

SONG: The rock edge and New Wave vibe are what first the catch the ear in this Rihanna banger, but what holds my attention (and improves on the New Order track it cites) is the third chord, a major VI, which gives the melody a chromatic brightness and bounce, the musical equivalent of a wink.

ALBUM: Spent the past week sampling various playlists of Iranian pop, mostly from the pre-revolutionary era. This collection may be the best gateway, from the percussive Bandari jams of Zia to the quasi-Latin jazz sound of Googoosh and many more.

LYRICS: Kathleen Edwards, “Six O’Clock News”

SONG: Just happened to notice one thing that makes this Earth, Wind & Fire classic work so well: They make us wait an extra 12 bars for the second chorus to drop. Why don’t you listen?

ALBUM: I loved Alvvays's 2014 debut so much that I've given short shrift to their follow-up discs. That ends today with fresh spins of their sonically expansive, relentlessly tuneful, droll yet deeply felt 2022 record.

LYRICS: The Stranglers, "Curfew"

SONG: The Tchaikovsky piece I find most moving is the delicate, quietly warm second movement of his famous piano concerto. Though it flares up into a moment of antic, nervy drama, à la the rest of the concerto, it is quickly absorbed into the movement's gentle stream. Here's Argerich's take.

ALBUM: 11 years ago Susan Lambert and I made this record of Shakespeare-themed songs for kids. No shade on the fine tunes by yours truly, Cinco Paul, and David Tobocman, but the songs I return to most are the ones by Madison Scheckel (now Wolfy) and Ray Bokhour.

LYRICS: Fairport Convention (Sandy Denny), “Who Knows Where the Time Goes?”

SONG: When Remi Wolf’s Big Ideas came out last year, I gulped it all down without savoring the particular pleasures of each track. This one is a keeper, adding psychedelic sweep and an unmistakable aftertaste of longing to her usual sun-kissed pop sound.

ALBUM: Today I'm enjoying the 2015 debut record by Damahi, a band that fuses the music of Southern Iran with folk, folk-rock, and jazz sounds. Dara Darai's eloquent, loping bass is a particularly prominent element.

LYRICS: LCD Soundsystem, "Someone Great"

SONG: It’s not just that famous stuttering fill—Alan White’s drumming throughout this Lennon classic is the key to its expansive, knockabout sound, at least as much as or more than the vocal. Superstar.

ALBUM: When Lalo Schifrin met Dizzy Gillespie in 1960, he was inspired to write a whole jazz concerto for Dizzy and his band. The result (the first of several such collaborations) is a blast, often literally. Best of all, it gets better with each movement.

LYRICS: Madonna (Peter Brown/Robert Rans), “Material Girl”

SONG: Still absorbing the joys of Haim’s new disc but I already know my fave tune so far: this bittersweet ode to youthful hormones and recklessness, which kicks off with some disarmingly deadpan vocals, then ascends to an insistent chorus with a faint but apt echo of “Lust for Life.”

ALBUM: What a breath of fresh air this new record of freshly uncovered Satie pieces is. In addition to his familiar modes (prankster, minimalist, charmer), these pieces show an experimental mind at work. Standout track: the aptly and simply titled “Mélodie.”

LYRICS: George Harrison, "Any Road"

SONG: Sometimes it’s the verse that hooks me more than the chorus. Case in point: This classic by Prof. Alex Bradford and the Abyssinian Baptist Gospel Choir, in which I most adore the two-note dominant-7 melisma that ends the first 2 phrases (on “night” and “light”). God is in the details.

ALBUM: Richard and Linda Thompson’s first record after they converted to Sufi Islam is not officially streaming, but it’s worth seeking out for its strong, resolute folk-rock sound and fine-grained songcraft. Is it devotional? Debatable. Is it great? No argument.