Music Diary, Vol. 84

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 Aug. 11-17, 2025

LYRICS: War with Eric Burdon, "Spill the Wine"

SONG: I can’t be the only one who, every time I go to or even just hear about Barry Diller’s Little Island in the Hudson, hears Elton John singing this odd, earnest lament for the fading of the British empire, from Randy Newman’s Faust. Or is it just me? Anyone?

ALBUM: Unlike their previous records, Lord Huron's dreamy new release has only grown on me slowly. I think my issue was that most of the uptempo songs are stacked near the top; it has taken me several listens to relax into the ebb and flow of the whole thing.

LYRICS: Lord Huron with Kristen Stewart, "Who Laughs Last"

SONG: Another for the “single chords that make all the difference” file: the bright bVI in this Michael Jackson chorus—appropriately enough, under the “light” in “sunlight.” It’s a little jolt that makes the whole thing wake up, like a second wind.

ALBUM: Made in the afterglow of their 2019 masterpiece If You're Not Afraid I'm Not Afraid, this 4-song EP by Queen of Jeans might be retitled "hiding in plain sight"; I tend to privilege full-length LPs and have given this gem short shrift.

LYRICS: Bruce Springsteen, "Glory Days"

SONG: Though written for a South African character, this blues-inflected ballad from Lost in the Stars is as full-throatedly American as anything Kurt Weill wrote in his adopted country. I’m partial to this juicy Patricia O’Callaghan rendition.

ALBUM: If the great Gaby Moreno ever settled into one style, she might be the megastar she deserves to be—but then she wouldn't be the protean artist we love. On this 2008 record, she's in blues-rock/KT Tunstall territory, with some nods to an old-timey vibe.

LYRICS: Frank Sinatra & Celeste Holm (Cole Porter), "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"

SONG: When a lyricist known for dashing wordplay and a vocalist known for big notes go small and quiet, it’s worth leaning in. Cole Porter never met k.d. lang, of course, but I’ll be damned if this is not the perfect marriage of song and singer. A blue flame is the hottest.

ALBUM: Birds on a Wire is a French-American-Brazilian duo that covers everything from Fauré to Pink Floyd and makes it all sound as natural as breath. On this 2020 record their set includes Elizabeth Cotten, Jacques Brel, and Simón Díaz. Why not ask for more?

LYRICS: Olivia Rodrigo, "Get Him Back"

SONG: Like the Beatles’ “For No One,” Madison Cunningham’s beautiful new single is one of those 4/4 tunes that feels like a waltz, and it has a similar heartsick quality, though it’s more besotted ode than breakup lament. Her switch to piano from guitar is also noteworthy.

ALBUM: There are no shattering revelations (ravelations?) on this new Ravel record from Orchestre de Chambre Nouvelle - Aquitaine under Jean-François Heisser—just the continuing realization that this century-old music still sounds ever fresh, bright, and clear.

LYRICS: The Arcadian Wild, "The Graduate"

SONG: Lot of shady stuff going on in this vintage Bowie glam rocker, inspired by a New York Dolls after-party: the lead vocal submerged in the mix, like someone shouting across a crowded room; the sudden key change into chorus; lyrics of loathing and envy. 10/10, no notes.

ALBUM: If their debut more or less captured the sparse, nervy sound they’d developed live, Talking Heads’ second record sounds in retrospect like the true beginning of their path-breaking work as studio experimenters—more ambitious, no less sleekly aggressive.

LYRICS: ZZ Top, "Jesus Just Left Chicago"

SONG: Written for one of the all-time great holiday specials, Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas, this delicate Paul Williams tune is as fine a non-denominational spiritual as I know. If music can smile, this is Exhibit A.

ALBUM: You can certainly appreciate this exquisite Phil Keaggy acoustic instrumental record without knowing it’s a tribute to C.S. Lewis; I initially did. I especially love how Keaggy can elaborate and complicate folk and hymn-like material without making it fussy.