Music Diary, Vol. 100

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 Dec. 1-7, 2025

LYRICS: Billy Joe Shaver, "Old Five and Dimers Like Me"

SONG: Though written by pianist Jon Cowherd, the meditative, hymn-like title track of this great 2014 Brian Blade Fellowship record starts with a searching solo by Chris Thomas on bass, and somehow the whole song feels conceived from within the soul of a bass.

ALBUM: Another thing I can thank Kirk Hamilton's great Strong Songs podcast for: pointing me to this essential Roy Hargrove "crossover" record from 2003. It's a jazz-hip-hop-funk party in a box.

LYRICS: Magnetic Fields, "A Chicken With Its Head Cut Off"

SONG: Orville Peck has made some essential music since he made a splash with this 2019 single, but for me this ode to an unrequited love remains the purest expression of his beautifully lonesome sound.

ALBUM: I consider it just one mark of Hoagy Carmichael’s greatness that this unprepossessing grab bag of tunes, bordering on novelties, which contains only one of his great standards, was my introduction to his music; even his tossed-off stuff is genius.

LYRICS: Beck, "Sexx Laws"

SONG: I’ve always had a soft spot for this cheerfully perverse Beatles waltz, in which the narrator lusts for a widow and, most callowly and callously, refers to her mourning for her dead husband as “only a whim.” Still, the vocal harmonies on the bridge are searing.

ALBUM: Though named for its distinctive organist, Booker T. & the M.G.'s sound was uniquely equilateral, more like a jazz ensemble than a rock band: Jones's groovy organ, Al Jackson's kicking drums, Lewie Steinberg's solid bass, Steve Cropper's blazing guitar.

LYRICS: Matt North, "A Good Day in Nashville"

SONG: 3 minutes and 22 seconds of pop perfection, this Booker T. classic is most impressive for its flawless dynamic control. The way the volume drops after the raging chorus, falling off the cliff of Al Jackson's unfussy drum fill, at 1:12 and 2:22—if you could bottle that, you could sell pure cool.

ALBUM: I always get strong solo-George-Harrison vibes from this breakthrough Tom Petty record, which I mean as a high compliment.

LYRICS: Nellie McKay, "I Wanna Get Married"

SONG: I present to you the songwriting debut of Oliver Kendt, 16, who just released a 4-song EP with his band, Barricade. I especially like when his vocals cut loose. And I can’t wait to hear more.

ALBUM: Punk isn’t usually my thing but when it’s as fast and funny (and English) as on the Lambrini Girls’ latest, I’m all in. Thanks to Sound Opinions for the tip.

LYRICS: Lambrini Girls, "Nothing Tastes as Good as It Feels"

SONG: The way Matt North transmutes his righteous anger at bullies and snobs into a semi-chill but still razor-sharp midtempo number on this brand new single puts me in mind of Lou Reed. I also dig the high backup vocals and the very Beatles chord at :48 (II in first inversion).

ALBUM: It may never replace her stunning debut record, Zanaka, in my heart, but Jain’s 2018 follow-up is a solid, eminently replayable collection of deep beats and bouncy hooks. Fave tracks: “Star,” “Abu Dhabi,” and the title tune.

LYRICS: Railroad Earth, "Like a Buddha"

SONG: Really feeling this Donny Hathaway gospel classic, which modulates up with every chorus and is back-phrased within an inch of its life. The spirit has seldom moved so well.

ALBUM: Spent the morning with this (literally) undersung Holst cantata, based on a Sanskrit poem about a wayward spirit trying to repent and reconnect. It’s genuinely stirring and light on exoticism. I would not be surprised to learn Philip Glass had heard it.