Music Diary, Vol. 6

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 Feb. 12-18

Lyrics: Mason Jennings, "The Field"

Song: Damo Suzuki could intone sweetly, almost diffidently; he could also babble and shout like a mad street preacher. On this arresting Can classic he does a little of both.

Album: Remembering Seiji Ozawa with this lively recording with Rostropovich of 2 pieces written expressly for the Russian cellist by Prokofiev and Shostakovich.

Lyrics: Paul Simon, "The Coast"

Song: I think I figured out what’s so magnetic about this Mazzy Star classic, apart from everything about it: in the chorus, the way Hope Sandoval draws out the words “into” and “never.” You couldn’t score that (and just try singing along with it).

Album: I enjoyed his earlier EP, but Omar Apollo’s first full-length is a pop-soul breakthrough, lushly crafted and beautifully sung. I admit I’m especially drawn to the acoustic textures of tracks like “Waiting on You” and “En El Olvido.”

Lyrics: The Everly Brothers, "Down in the Willow Garden"

Song: Dylan, Joni, Liz Phair: When a guitarist pivots to piano, the results are often revelatory. That's definitely the case with this piercing tune by Julien Baker, with its wrenching chord changes and abject, unflinching lyrics.

Album: It's easy to marvel at the speed and dexterity of Merle Travis's playing, or that he remains an unparalleled exemplar of the picking style named for him. What I take away from this exquisite record is his mastery of tone and sheer musicality.

Lyrics: New Order, "Blue Monday"

Song: Like Chaplin or John Carpenter, Satyajit Ray scored his own films, and I admit I’ve heard more of his work than I’ve seen it. Case in point: As I’ve never watched CHARULATA, I can’t say why this evocative cut from its soundtrack seems to quote “Molly Malone.”

Album: If you love Nico but have always wondered how she’d sound if she were English and prone to intricate finger-picking folk, Bridget St. John is the artist for you. Her 1969 debut album is a dream and a delight.

Lyrics: Moon Mullican (Ed McGraw), "Make Friends"

Song: This indelible Suzanne Vega track for the DEAD MAN WALKING soundtrack is almost too literal, from its clanging prison door groove to the straightforward lyrics from Sister Prejean’s POV, but its icy reserve and off-balance phrasing make it stick.

Album: My favorites on this Peggy Lee classic are the swirling title track and the salty cocktail “Sans Souci,” but her chill takes on bread-and-butter standards are also eminently companionable and often moving.

Lyrics: John Denver (Randy Sparks), "Saturday Night in Toledo, Ohio"

Song: With its jarring but euphonious major-minor shifts and rangy melody, “Der Abscheidsbrief” is one of my fave tracks uncovered by THE UNKNOWN KURT WEILL. This rendition in English by Patricia O’Callaghan makes its kiss-off lyrics sting.

Album: I wouldn't quite say that Beethoven's Op. 59 No. 1 quartet encompasses or summarizes his whole personality, but hearing it again through ears opened by Josh Weilerstein's podcast, I am newly dazzled by its range, theatricality, and ambition. 

Lyrics: Julien Baker, "Distant Solar Systems"

Song: Nothing can touch the perfect Jeff Buckley rendition of this odd, vivid medieval hymn set by Britten, but this beautiful choral version brings out the unsettled dissonance of the verses vs. the ringing consonance of the “Lu li lu lay” choruses.

Album: Forest Hills, where I live, has a large community of Bukharan Jews from Uzbekistan. Their music is a unique blend of Central Asian influences, with the standard lute and frame drum backing modal vocals. This vibrant record makes a great intro.