Adrienne Lenker — Fool
Edyn-Mae Stevenson
Adrianne Lenker, queen of my heart, has graced us with a new album and I have no choice but to fill every quiet gap in my day with her lovely warbling. In Bright Future, Lenker is tormented by a lover who cannot make up their mind. She handles this sometimes with tenderness, other times with justified rage, and at all times with her excellent lyricism. "Fool" is Lenker at her most good-humored and it’s been stuck in my head ever since my first listen.
Sonny Rollins — Four (Evening)
Jeff Robinson
I've been listening to jazz tenor sax titan Sonny Rollins for a good while now. I love this Miles Davis composition, "Four," from his album Live At The Village Vanguard, recorded in 1957. I love the interplay between Sonny and drummer Elvin Jones on this track when they trade fours, as well as Sonny's sound on the horn and energy. I love everything Sonny has ever recorded. He was the first Jazz musician to record live at the Vanguard. Now, it's part of jazz for an established artist to record live at the historic venue.
Jacob Collier — 100,000 Voices
Jamie Kmak
This is the first track from the fourth and final installment of Jacob Collier's 4-part album. It was hard to pick just one song; I've had the whole album on repeat from top to bottom. If you've never heard of Jacob Collier and your music tastes span any and all genres, strap in. I don't know how to describe his music. I don't know what genre I'd call it. And I don't know how to appropriately capture the range of emotions I felt as I watched him (successfully) whip a mallet at a gong from across the stage during his 2022 concert.
Meghan Trainor, T-Pain — Been Like This
Katie Ladrigan
As a long-time fan of the Charleston (both the tune and the dance), the opening of Meghan Trainor's latest song grabbed my attention from the start — add a little T-Pain magic, and boom! An earworm that's been on repeat since it came out. Whether walking around the city, or dancing along in my apartment, this absolute jam gets my energy up and my legs moving every time. Check out the music video to watch T-Pain throw a few of those 1920's dance moves in the mix.
Waxahatchee — Right Back To It
Phil Jones
Who's cooler than Waxahatchee? She's got some Southern warmth and tenderness in her songs, but it's balanced with a lyrical bite that never quite turns into snark, a bit of Bob Dylan and a bit of Sheryl Crow. I've loved her songwriting since her knock-you-out genius album American Weekend showed up a dozen years ago, and I can't believe she keeps getting better. The music video is just about perfect, as she floats along a river draped in Spanish Moss, joined by her duet partner MJ Lenderman. Whatever they're floating on reminds me of Boston's Swan Boats, which returned to the public garden this week. It just makes me happy. Crank up "Right Back To It" and let yourself unwind in a sunbeam. It's the best feeling.
Aaron Larget-Caplan — Spanish Candy (Album)
Laura Carlo
Although I listen to guitar music all year long, springtime reminds me to take another look at my ever-growing guitar CD collection. It has been sheer joy listening to Spanish Candy, a 2023 release by Boston-based guitarist Aaron Larget-Caplan. I had interviewed and featured him in my April 2022 blog post for International Guitar Month and have been a fan for even longer. There are ten tracks that take you into that mysterious, romantic land called Spain, including the Albeniz's "Sevilla" and "Granada," and Tarrega's "Recuerdos de la Alhambra." This is how you treat yourself to a mind-vacation, and not have to worry about the TSA or additional luggage fees.
Víkingur Ólafsson — Rameau: The Arts and the Hours
Will Peacock
I have been completely unable to pull my ears from anything Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson does. From his intimate arrangements of Bach to his introspective and storied performance practice, his musicality is arresting and irresistible. Of late, I cannot stop listening to his arrangement titled “The Arts and the Hours,” an orchestral interlude arranged for solo piano from Rameau’s Les Boréades, an opera Rameau never heard in his lifetime. While it retains characteristic baroque ornaments and stylistic elements, its rich overlapping dissonances give the illusion that it could be composed yesterday, not over 200 years ago. For me, this is a true instant replay — play it again!
Search Results — Enter the Blip
Sai Patel
I'm all over Irish post-punk trio Search Result’s debut album Information Blip this month. I especially wanted to highlight the opening track, “Enter The Blip” (which, I’ll be honest, I heard for the first time mere hours before I started writing this). It's absolutely entrancing. A thoroughly enjoyable listen, it has a fast-paced rhythm, with fun and spirited guitar, and solemn lo-fi-esque vocal that all transform into a spacious chorus that plays with harmony and bits of dissonance in a way that has me captured. With that playfulness, this track feels wonderfully loose and free, almost explorative, which I find incredibly charming. Even better, the remainder of the album keeps this energy up. Fusing punk with jazz and little sprinkles of pop, this is one to check out.
Caetano Veloso — Um Canto de Afoxe Para O Bloco do Ile (Ile Aye)
Marc Cohen
I saw Caetano Veloso in Boston recently at the end of his "Farewell US" tour. His music came to my attention through a compilation by David Byrne of Brazilian "Tropicalismo," a 1960s fusion of Brazilian pop with rock and roll and avant-garde music. Although I don't speak Portuguese, his voice and melodies on that CD made me a fan. It was a wonderful experience to be in the audience with a full house of people — young and old — who knew every word to his songs, and sang with him (a spry 81 year-old) in what was a truly loving and festive manner.
Joni Mitchell — Night in the City
Julia Marcus
Huzzah! There's nothing like the first warm night of spring. This song from Joni (which she wrote in her early 20s!) is all about shaking off winter, taking off your "stay-at-home shoes," and having a grand ol' night out on the town! As Joni reminds us, "There are places to come from and places to go."
P.S. For fans of live performances, here's a video of Joni singing "Night in the City" on a Canadian tv show in 1966, when Joni was just 23.
Slade — Run Runaway
Nicholas Benevenia
Every once in a while, I find myself back in the fabulous world of Glam Rock, and no band puts a bigger smile on my face than Slade. Criminally under-appreciated on this side of the Atlantic, these gents have it all: silly outfits, big riffs, and killer vocals. The call-and-response structure of the lyrics gives the entire single a storming, anthemic energy; and even with a 5:00 runtime, I'm always disappointed when it ends.
ATEEZ — Dreamy Day
Kendall Todd
I've been listening to the K-pop group ATEEZ a lot these days, especially following their history-making set as the first K-pop boy group to perform at Coachella. This song, from their most recent album, is a sweet, yearning little pop track about the kind of day you wish could last forever, an ode to the things that make you happy and the people you love.
Enjoy the full Instant Replay playlist here, or listen to the April playlist below.