So much music, so little time
Summer is well underway in my part of the world, and there’s so much good music to share. That must mean it’s newsletter time!
Some Things I Did Recently
Before we get to those sweet records, here are a few things I’ve done lately:
Went on the Boards Alive podcast to talk about the bad/good 80s movie The Running Man.
Went on the “99 Questions” podcast to answer 99 questions about myself, life, food, music, etc.
Composed new theme music for the fantasy tabletop game Arydia: The Paths we Dare Tread, which you can hear in their recent trailer on YouTube, or on my Soundcloud page.
Published episodes of Strong Songs on Kimbra, Oliver Nelson, Muse, Carole King, and a collection of cover songs, in addition to a bunch of Q&A episodes. I also ran interviews with pianist Carmen Staaf, Broadway aficionado Lindsay Ellis, world famous songwriter Imogen Heap, and producer/mix engineer Brian Bender.
Published a bunch of episodes of my video game podcast Triple Click, and have definitely played a lot of good games. Highlights include Monster Hunter Rise, Overboard, Returnal, Overboard, Chicory: A Colorful Tale, and most recently, Death’s Door.
Completely rearranged my studio and the flow is soooo much better:
That’s enough of that! Let’s get to the music.
So Many Music Recommendations
Parekh & Singh - Science City - A killer pop duo out of Kolkata, this record is just a bunch of beautiful songs with a great mix. A pick from the Strong Songs Discord listening club.
Little Tybee - Little Tybee - Another Strong Songs listening club pick, this is a group out of Atlanta that never quite does what I expect them to do. Fabulous guitar parts, wonderful singing, beautiful writing.
Little Dragon - Ritual Union - My buddy Russ hipped me to this one, and every time I say I hadn’t heard of this group, people act astounded. But hey, maybe you’ve never heard of them either? So, go listen.
Ray Charles - New Sounds in Country and Western Music - A classic, via my pal Tyson. This record is like a bubble bath for the ears. I ship the lead male and female backup vocalists.
Dirty Loops - Phoenix - An absurd chops explosion that makes up in chutzpah what it lacks in restraint. How fun would it be to be this good at literally anything?
Nina Simone - Nina Simone and Piano - A beautiful, straightforward record from one of the greatest musicians of all time.
Donny Hathaway - Live - What a record. This one featured on my episode about Carole King’s “You’ve Got a Friend,” and was actually the reason I decided to focus on that song.
Laura Mvula - Sing to the Moon & Pink Noise - I may have already recommended Sing to the Moon in a past newsletter, but Pink Noise is also killer. Strong Songs guest (and noted producer) Brian Bender thinks that the Jam/Lewis Control-era Janet sound is coming back around, and he would know.
Gavin Turek - MADAME GOLD - Case in point - this one that also came via Bender, what a mix on this. Those guitar tones!
Ben Williams - I Am a Man - The first of two records produced and mixed by Bender. It’s so wild that the dude who introduced me to Akira when we were 12 is also the dude who mixed an album this good.
José James - No Beginning No End 2 - Beautifully mixed, performed, and conceived. James has got such a great voice, and you gotta love those handclaaaps.
Bobbie Gentry - The Delta Sweete - One from the Strong Songs discord, a singer I’d known of but never really listened to. She’s got her own whole diggable country vibe.
Bo Burnham - Inside (The Songs) - I talked a bit about how much I liked Burnaham’s Netflix special on Triple Click a while back; suffice it to say, I liked it a lot. This album is a fun listen on its own, and I continue to be impressed by this Burnham’s songwriting skills.
Hiatus Kayote - Mood Valiant - A complex and nuanced record from a band that hasn’t missed for me. Prog, jazz funk, idk - they’ve got their own whole kind of groove.
Chick Corea - Children’s Songs - I recently learned that my next-door neighbor Don is a lifelong jazz pianist; he and I have subsequently spent a lot of time trading record recommendations. He hipped me to this one, a series of short solo piano compositions intended for children. It’s an incredible listen, and a distillation of Chick’s irreplaceable talent. Rest in peace.
Paul Simon - Still Crazy After All These Years - My pal Shawn spun this one at a recent board game meetup, and I was struck by how unfamiliar I was with this earlier solo-Simon era. His voice sounds so great on this record, and man, that Gadd groove on the title track!
Muse - Origin of Symmetry (XX Anniversary REmiXX) - About a week after I dropped my Strong Songs episode on Muse, the band dropped a remix/remaster of both of the songs I featured. I’ve never loved the crushed/smashy master on Origin, as much as I love the album, and I’ve found this remix to be fascinating. Most of the songs are clear improvements, though interestingly, I prefer the original mix on the two tunes I covered - “New Born” and “Micro Cuts.” Likely some kind of listening bias there, but what can I say?
Everything Everything - Arc - Strong Songs listeners have got me listening to this band over the past year, and I really enjoyed this record. Angular rock with a fascinating singer, wacky and fun arrangements.
St. Vincent - Daddy’s Home - No one can do what she does like she does it. One of the great musicians of our age.
Imogen Heap - Sparks - My conversation with Imogen came back to this album a few times; it’s a fantastic, ambitious record, particularly “The Listening Chair,” which has such a strong concept behind it. I’m looking forward to the new minute she’ll be adding.
The Lemon Twigs - Songs for the General Public - A band I learned about thanks to a listener question. Just strong, straight-ahead pop rock.
Sigrid - Mirror (Single) - Love a new Sigrid single; can’t wait to listen to the new Sigrid album.
Robert Palmer - Sneakin’ Sally Through the Alley - I’d only really been familiar with Palmer’s famous radio stuff; this early record is pretty killer, and what a band.
Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway - I wound up on this album via that Carole King episode; damn, what a record it is. I can’t get enough Donny these days.
Upstate - Healing - I heard their tune “Weekend” during the credits to an episode of Mythic Quest and immediately stopped and said, wait, what band is this? I tracked them down and man, what a fun record. The grooves have this distinct sound that reminded me of the Wood Brothers, and then I checked and… surprise surprise, the Upstate record was produced by Wood Bros. drummer/keyboardist (and fellow U Miami alum) Jano Rix.
Noname - Telefone - The rhythmic flow on this record defies categorization, and I enjoyed the challenge of trying to articulate that during a Strong Songs Q&A. Sometimes you don’t have to chart out every septuplet; sometimes you just relax, go with the music, and hear its message.
Pino Palladino & Blake Mills - Notes With Attachments - An ambituous, strange, and wonderfully recorded album. I aspire to be able to create sounds half as deep and rich as this.
PJ Morton - Gumbo Unplugged - I’d never really listened to Morton before this record was recommended to me, but man, his live show can’t be beat. I gotta catch him on his next tour.
Jon Batiste - WE ARE - Speaking of New Orleans sons, I dug the hell out of Batiste’s new one. One of the most life-affirming records I’ve heard in a while, at a time when I really needed it.
Onward
Phew! That’s a lot of music. I hope you’re able to check out even just a few of those; they’ve all brought me joy these past few months.
That’ll do it for this latest edition of Kirk’s Notes. As ever, you can find me on Twitter and Instagram, and if you dig this newsletter, I hope you’ll tell people about it.
I’ll leave you with this pic of Appa winking, because she’s got a secret. And the secret is: she’s a good dog.
Stay safe, take care, and keep on listening.
~KH
7/30/2021