quinnie — baja bird
Edyn-Mae Stevenson
Wistful girl summer is back, baby! Singer-songwriter quinnie's Flounder has been my go-to summer album for three years running, so I was absolutely thrilled to get some new material to play to death. I think I've listened to this song at least once a day every day since June 1st? And July shows no signs of stopping.
Madeleine Dring — 3 Pieces for Oboe & Piano: No. 3, Tango
Emily Marvosh
This was a recent find, and it’s perfect for a breezy Saturday morning (rain or shine). Not a lot of Dring’s works have been recorded, so enjoy these fun works with a light Latin flair.
Diana Krall — A Case of You
Jamie Kmak
Lately I’ve been really into this playlist called Songs to Test Headphones With. I had it on shuffle while at the gym one day when this song came on, and the song stayed for the rest of my workout. Let me tell ya, this is an odd song to lift to. I’d heard the original by Joni Mitchell before, but this cover is so hauntingly beautiful it made my stomach sink.
London Symphony Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas — Debussy: La boîte à joujoux: Prelude
William Peacock
Claude Debussy might be best known for pieces like La Mer, Clair de lune, and Children’s Corner, which have all rightly earned their place in the repertoire. But the man wrote a LOT of music, and so much more of it deserves to be heard; enter the ballet La boîte à joujoux, or The Toy-Box, one of the last scores Debussy ever composed and my latest ear-worm.
Orchestrated by previous collaborator Andre Caplet, this piece occupies similar musical territory as Children’s Corner and even borrows material from it — it's at once a childlike, playful romp and a modernist masterpiece. Debussy deftly incorporates many musical quotes, including several from the then-recently-premiered Rite of Spring by Stravinsky, which famously scandalized the Paris musical scene. The piece is truly a gem, and this recording with Michael Tilson Thomas leading the London Symphony Orchestra is second to none.
Dasha — Austin (Boots Stop Workin')
Greg Ferrisi
You can take the girl out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the girl, I guess. Whenever we're driving around town, my daughter's got control of the music. Lately it's been all country, mostly Morgan Wallen, but this hit from a couple of years back really gets her fired up. And I have to admit, I'm digging the boot-stomping vibe, too.
Gallant, Wooyoung — underpressure!
Kendall Todd
R&B singer-songwriter Gallant is a master of low-key, high-impact songwriting. His latest, "underpressure!," scratches my brain just right: a crunchy beat, mellow vocals, and some really killer harmonies and ad-libs have kept this one on heavy rotation.
The Beach Boys — God Only Knows
Katie Ladrigan
With the recent passing of Brian Wilson, I've been digging back through the Beach Boys catalog, enjoying all their hits, like "Sloop John B," "Help Me, Rhonda," and "Wouldn't It Be Nice." I come back to "God Only Knows" time and time again, and have to agree with Rick Beato and Hans Zimmer during a recent YouTube discussion — it really is a perfect song.
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You can enjoy this month's picks below, or listen to the full Instant Replay playlists here.