1) Dawes, “Live from the Rooftop” / Pre-pandemic, one of my last concert experiences was a revelatory show from Dawes in St. Louis. The band played two sets, no opener; beside me, my wife wept through much of the show while I absorbed the songs like scriptures. The closest feeling I’ve had since is thanks again to the band’s new live record. Particularly poignant readings of “St. Augustine at Night,” “A Little Bit of Everything” and “When My Time Comes” work on you, reorienting heart and head toward empathy and elusive hope.
2) S. Carey, “Break Me Open” / The latest from the gently evocative songwriter and Bon Iver cohort hooked me right away with this opening triad of titles: “Dark,” “Starless” and “Sunshower.” Carey writes light and dark, loneliness and warmth in a way that only meets its match in poets like Ted Kooser and painters like Ben McLaughlin.
3) Kurt Rosenwinkel and Jean-Paul Brodbeck, “The Chopin Project” / I love the invention behind this record, as great guitarist Rosenwinkel, pianist Brodbeck and their band adopt and adapt Chopin’s work for the jazz idiom. They honor the master and reimagine him in the most delightful ways.
4) Gabriel Kahane, “Magnificent Bird” / On his lush latest, Kahane continues to tease out the classical influences in Brian Wilson-styled pop songcraft without doing disservice to either end of the spectrum. There are so many wondrous little surprises here and the promise of depth and detail within multiple listens.
5) Dave Eggers, “The Museum of Rain” / Read in one sitting, this quirky and generous novella follows in the footsteps of a family-reunion diversion, as an elder relative leads younger charges toward the mysterious title location. The book is short and sweet (without growing overly sentimental), and includes a couple images which will stick with me for a very long time. I judged this one by its gorgeous cover design, and was rewarded.