Music Diary. Vol. -22
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 Aug. 7-13, 2023
Lyrics: Lyle Lovett, "I Married Her Just Because She Looks Like You"
Song: I have to credit a mix by Eric Ting for turning me on to bağlama virtuoso Arif Sağ, who on this crackling track from 1973 sounds for all the world like the Kurdish Dick Dale.
Album: My first exposure to the lapidary genius of Leonard Cohen was this crystalline Jennifer Warnes record from 1986, which built to a killer triptych: "Song of Bernadette," "A Singer Must Die," "Came So Far For Beauty." (This deluxe edition, of course, adds extras.)
Lyrics: Nirvana, "In Bloom"
Song: Well, this is a find: guitar pioneer Mickey Baker jamming with the Coleman Hawkins Quintet in the south of France. There’s a bit of a ships-passing-in-the-night quality to the sound, but it’s a joy and a wonder nonetheless.
Song: Well, this is a find: guitar pioneer Mickey Baker jamming with the Coleman Hawkins Quintet in the south of France. There’s a bit of a ships-passing-in-the-night quality to the sound, but it’s a joy and a wonder nonetheless.
Album: I’ve been enjoying this new record from singer-songwriter Lane Steinberg (formerly of the overlooked Florida trio The Wind), which puts me in mind of the ambitious homemade pop of Eels, Richard Swift, Emitt Rhodes…you get the idea.
Lyrics: Miyeshi Umeki (Rodgers & Hammerstein), "A Hundred Million Miracles"
Song: Great songwriting trick in this early Tom Waits classic: the extra measure it takes on nearly every line, as it hangs on a suspended chord (a G7sus4), then resolves. It is the sound of hesitation and surrender, over and over, till he's done for.
Song: Great songwriting trick in this early Tom Waits classic: the extra measure it takes on nearly every line, as it hangs on a suspended chord (a G7sus4), then resolves. It is the sound of hesitation and surrender, over and over, till he's done for.
Album: Though I much prefer the Spanish-language selections on this iconic Shakira collection, what the whole record has in its favor is strong, surf-influenced guitar, and just the right amount of accordion.
Lyrics: Robbie Robertson, "Somewhere Down the Crazy River"
Song: I came late and sideways to Band fandom, which may explain why this lugubrious jam from CAHOOTS, distinguished by Robbie Robertson’s chiming guitar, Richard Manuel’s pained vocals, and some odd chords in the pre-chorus, somehow became a favorite.
Song: I came late and sideways to Band fandom, which may explain why this lugubrious jam from CAHOOTS, distinguished by Robbie Robertson’s chiming guitar, Richard Manuel’s pained vocals, and some odd chords in the pre-chorus, somehow became a favorite.
Album: In the wake of Robbie Robertson’s passing, there’s no question in my mind which record I turn to first.
Lyrics: Rosetta Life (Bragg & Edington), "We Laughed"
Song: In the category of songs about dancing as a metaphor for sex, I rank this No Doubt banger very high, not least because its slippery chromatic chord progression (G and G#) feels like the aural embodiment of a grind.
Song: In the category of songs about dancing as a metaphor for sex, I rank this No Doubt banger very high, not least because its slippery chromatic chord progression (G and G#) feels like the aural embodiment of a grind.
Album: I picked up this great Creatures collection from 1989 for the infernally catchy anti-harassment jam “Standing There,” and fell in love with the whole weird, kitschy thing. It’s like a funk record made by aliens.
Lyrics: Housewife, "Fuck Around Phase"
Song: The entire Bénin International Musical record is worth a listen, but this track makes an ideal intro to its mix of funk, hip-hop, and voodoo rhythms.
Song: The entire Bénin International Musical record is worth a listen, but this track makes an ideal intro to its mix of funk, hip-hop, and voodoo rhythms.
Album: Every shredder owes a debt to the great Mickey Baker, who in this wide-ranging 1959 collection laid down prescient templates for surf and twangy rock guitar. He’s also just an irresistible showman, so it’s a joyous listen.
Lyrics: Sufjan Stevens (Moses Sumney), "Make Out in My Car"
Song: Will open today’s service at Greenpoint Reformed Church with this banger by U2 and Robbie Robertson, which fuses Native American and Christian spirituality as fluently as it does the Edge’s and Robertson’s guitar sound (we will have no effects pedals alas).
Song: Will open today’s service at Greenpoint Reformed Church with this banger by U2 and Robbie Robertson, which fuses Native American and Christian spirituality as fluently as it does the Edge’s and Robertson’s guitar sound (we will have no effects pedals alas).
Album: From what I’ve read, the devotional music of the Bauls of Bengal is syncretic of many Indian religious traditions, and from what I hear on this essential collection, it is definitely tapped into the universal divine.
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