Music Diary, Vol. 98

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 Nov. 17-23, 2025

LYRICS: Todd Snider, "Big Finish"

SONG: I love all of Heifetz/Piatigorsky/Baker/Primrose's iconic recording of Schubert's string quintet in C, but it's the vigorous third movement, the Scherzo, with its alternating astringency and sweetness and its headlong tempo, that I always look forward to. Always puts a spring in my step.

ALBUM: Even before he played with Patti Smith, Lenny Kaye earned a place in rock history for this groundbreaking 2-LP compilation of 1960s psych and garage rock (reconstituted here as a YouTube playlist), which he labeled "punk rock" all the way back in 1972.

LYRICS: Catherine Brookman, "If a Song Fades Out"

SONG: Just noticed another fine example of Merle Haggard’s songcraft: the sweet bVII chord he slips under the words “did fly” on this 1971 weeper. It’s the musical equivalent of a rueful grin, and it gives this love-gone-wrong song a gratifying dash of warmth.

ALBUM: Imagine making a record this good when you were 18. Still an utterly absorbing listen after nearly three decades.

LYRICS: Laufey, "Castle in Hollywood"

SONG: After several spins of Tristen's crafty, jangly new record, this twangy bop remains the standout track for me. To me, her music is the sound of a frown turned upside down—a smile haunted by its original shape.

ALBUM: Is there more to the appeal of this Stravinsky suite than mere historical cosplay? Is it the equivalent of a baroque cover album? We can admit that's part of the draw without slighting his contribution: the astringent frame he puts around this old music.

LYRICS: The Stanley Brothers, "Come All Ye Tenderhearted"

SONG: This is the only track I see on Spotify of the New Bulgarian Voices, a descendant of Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, which made some essential records in 1980s. The new group has the same head-spinning precision and piercing beauty; I look forward to more.

ALBUM: The new Foxwarren disc is one of those records that is both immediately pleasing and reveals layers upon layers after repeated listens. The artful braiding of dialogue into the band’s expertly woven folk-pop sound is just one of its many charms.

LYRICS: Jesse Welles, "Join ICE"

SONG: Among the better byproducts of the last season of White Lotus was the Thai pop it introduced me to, including this catchy, clattery jam by Carabao and Center Stage. The flute break sends me.

ALBUM: Brecht wasn’t the only German playwright Weill did great work with. There was also Georg Kaiser, with whom he wrote this gorgeous opera. The only drawback to this 2-disc listen are the long dialogue scenes, but it’s worth it for the moving music.

LYRICS: Brave Combo, "Laura"

SONG: What makes Spike Jones’s shtick stick is that his band could really play. The lush first half of this rendition of David Raksin’s iconic movie theme is among my favorite versions of it by anyone. And then, of course, all hell breaks delightfully loose.

ALBUM: Hard to imagine a project more tailored to my tastes than Rufus Wainwright singing Kurt Weill. The new record does not disappoint: Though its vibe is more supper club than smoky cabaret, RW digs into a wide range of material with both sweep and nuance.

LYRICS: The Police, "Invisible Sun"

SONG: A heartsick plea for true love and religion with a searing melody and a Beatlesque guitar riff—in other words, the quintessential Sam Phillips track.

ALBUM: Came to this Conspirare record to check out the Pizzetti Mass, which I’m watching on a stream from Eastman School of Music today, and stayed for the whole luminous, lovingly rendered collection of contemporary choral work.