Music Diary, Vol. 8

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. 26-Mar. 3, 2024

LYRICS: David Ackles, "American Gothic"

SONG: A friend recommended Adia Victoria to me because he thought her music sounded a bit like a bluesy Kurt Weill. Much as I’ve come to love her,  I never really heard the connection—except maybe on this woozy, slightly creepy, chromatic taunt.

ALBUM: It’s got a slower build than some of her previous records, but Gaby Moreno’s new release is another choice collection of Latin-inflected Americana, heartily recommended (and not just for the sexy Dylan cover or the buoyant Oscar Isaac duet).

LYRICS: Taylor Swift, "I Bet You Think About Me"

SONG: Just had the brainstorm that this Zeppelin classic would be a perfect James Bond theme, and now I can’t unhear it. Also: The bridge at 2:12 always stops me in my tracks (in the best way).

ALBUM: Kali Malone’s organ music is a reliable heartbeat regulator, and her writing for other ensembles (vocal, brass) is similarly meditative and expansive. On her new record, alongside the usual minimalist touchstones I hear hints of Machaut.

LYRICS: Jens Lekman, "A Postcard to Nina"

SONG: The bright, prickly sound of the requinto guitar, Xavi’s distinctively old-school vocal style, and the circling Andalusian cadence make this corrido tumbado an irresistible and resonant jam.

ALBUM: Kodály’s orchestral works are a blast, of course, but it’s his string quartets—which have the astringent yet tuneful bittersweetness I think of as a signature Eastern European sound—that I particularly cherish.

LYRICS: Tom Waits, "What's He Building?"

SONG: Even when with Garfunkel, Paul Simon did this early tune, made of equal parts abject longing and Travis picking, as a solo. So do most singers on this playlist, which is why I cherish the harmonies added by Belle-Skinner and The Secret Sisters.

ALBUM: In some ways a warmup for RED HEADED STRANGER, this Willie Nelson concept album from 1974 lacks the mythic Old West frame of that later masterpiece, but it’s got a similar sidelong intimacy, as well as a tendency to relax into triple meters.

LYRICS: Elvis Costello, "American Without Tears No 2 (Twilight Version)"

SONG: I no longer try to second-guess why certain songs float into my consciousness unbidden, even if I haven’t listened to them in many years; now I just welcome them back as old friends. Today’s: This sweet, sad, Lou Reed-y Violent Femmes ballad.

ALBUM: Marcus Roberts takes Gershwin’s most famous concert piece both back to blues and forward to modal jazz, and makes it swing and sing. And his take on James P. Johnson’s soulful “answer” piece “Yamekraw” is a must. A towering record.

LYRICS: Alex Newell (McAnally/Clark), "Independently Owned"

SONG: I had to check when it came up on shuffle that this wasn’t an early Bee Gees tune. Nope: It’s the sprightly title track from John Cale’s disarmingly charming 1973 record, which turns inter-war European history into beguiling chamber pop.

ALBUM: A decade before boygenius there was case/lang/viers, 3 distinctive creators who made one perfect record of finely hewn, subtly strange Americana in 2016, their voices not so much blending as weaving together like colored rubber bands.

LYRICS: The Flying Burrito Brothers, "Sin City"

SONG: Always had a soft spot for this simple, sparkling Concrete Blonde ballad, and even found an occasion to play it at Greenpoint Reformed Church a few months ago. In the darkness, after all, any light can show you the way.

ALBUM: It’s not pop music, but the steady tabla beat and unmistakable melodic hooks make this record by Sikh singer Bhai Niranjan Singh a joy to spin for both spiritual and secular reasons. Its final title track really sticks the landing.