Lucy Dacus — Forever is a Feeling
Edyn-Mae Stevenson
Lately I’ve been trying really hard to let things take the time they take. And Lucy Dacus’s new album is perfectly on theme, which is why I’ve had it on constant rotation since its release at the end of last month. In the title track she sings, “You knew the scenic route / I knew the shortcut and shut my mouth.” That’s the kind of energy I’m going into the Spring with. Here’s to less shortcuts and more scenic routes!
Paul Simon — You Can Call Me Al
Jamie Kmak
My cousin just had a baby, and she is the most perfect little nugget I’ve ever seen. I had this song on repeat the day she was born. Welcome to the world, Alina 😊
ABBA — Waterloo
Katie Ladrigan
It's that time of year — gorgeous weather, everything in bloom, ice cream and the beach beckon in equal measure! Why not both, with a healthy helping of ABBA's summery bops as energizing soundtrack — sun, surf, and Swedish pop = perfect gateway to summer! (Just be sure to wear your sunscreen ☀️😎)
Eagles — One of These Nights
Julia Marcus
Like that famous line from Jerry Maguire, you had me at the intro! The blues-y string bends and distorted chorus immediately delighted me when I first heard this song. Compared to the rest of the album (and to the rest of the Eagles's discography), this one feels a lil' more gritty. A lil' more nasty. A lil' more wicked. And who doesn't want a song like that every once and a while?
Víkingur Ólafsson — J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fughetta in G Major
William Peacock
I think it’s safe to say I am thoroughly obsessed with Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson. Lately I’ve been catching up on his available body of work, and to my ear, he is somehow able to conjure a sweeping amalgamation of interpretive history in his pianism, from the delicate (and more than occasionally neurotic), spidery touch of Glenn Gould (as well as his mutual devotion to J.S. Bach) to the thunderous crashes of Martha Argerich, it seems he’s got it all.
But it was his interpretation of Bach’s Prelude in G from BWV 902 on his 2018 album release, boldly yet simply titled Johann Sebastian Bach, that has made me a devoted fan. While this would be an adequately suitable piece in any other pianist’s hands, it was Ólafsson’s touch that elevated it beyond the page to something more, seemingly as a processional for the universe. With his thorough attention to minute musical detail expressed in an understated yet virtuosic flurry of the fingers, I feel transcended.
Katie Gavin — Aftertaste
Noor Jehan Ansari
If you're having a yearning-girl spring, let me put you on. Katie Gavin of MUNA leans heavy into some Alanis Morissette vibes for this. It's an ear worm from start to finish.
English String Orchestra, William Boughton — John Ireland: A Dowland Suite: III. Minuet
Laura Carlo
Something about springtime makes my mind yearn for English pastoral music. Had to search for my old Nimbus recording titled "Spirit of England II," which includes works by Elgar, Vaughan Williams, Delius, and Parry. Some of the pieces are peaceful, some reflective, some paint very clear pictures of beautiful spring days in the English countryside. And John Ireland's "Minuet" from his Downland Suite whispers a sunny spring day best of all.
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