1) Jon Brion, “Meaningless” / Offered up more than 21 years ago, this solo album from one of modern pop music’s great minds is finally receiving proper treatment with a remastered wide release. Brion—whose credits include soundtracks for “Magnolia” and “Lady Bird” as well as production for Frank Ocean, Fiona Apple, Punch Brothers and more—is in fine fashion here, delivering songs which sound familiar and divinely delivered at once. “Meaningless” is a masterclass in songcraft without ever sacrificing the heart for the head’s sake.
2) Guided by Voices, “La La Land” / The latest from the prolific Midwestern standard-bearers offers a needed dose of melancholy melodies, Beatlesque harmonic phrasing and wonderfully gritty guitars. The GBV sound never gets old, always offering a fresh dimension to explore.
3) Ryuichi Sakamoto, “12” / Increasingly, atmosphere has become an important aesthetic value of mine. I want to feel the ambient hum, all the weather, in a novel or painting—certainly in a piece of music. Whether in exquisite solo piano renderings or warmer sound beds, the revered Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto offers atmosphere in plenty here. He leads the listener into the thick of gorgeous moods, then guides them through even greater depths and details.
4) Nighttime, “Keeper is the Heart” / A different sort of atmosphere rings through the latest from Nighttime’s Eva Louise Goodman. This record draws on wonderful folk music traditions, unfurling fine threads that then surround the listener as a cloak. “Keeper is the Heart” offers a sort of beauty you never want to be without.
5) “RU Talking’ RHCP RE: Me?” / With a bit of listening time on my hands at the moment, I’m working backwards through the deep catalog of music podcasts hosted by comic talents Scott Aukerman and Adam Scott. Their Red Hot Chili Peppers pod is ostensibly an encyclopedic look at the band—and they certainly dig track-by-track through RHCP releases. But the show is ultimately for the listener who loves a good digression, loves hearing two established voices take themselves less than serious and enjoys the threads uniting all these elements. The podcast is laugh-out-loud good, a bit of a mind-bender and, in terms of the band it covers, has made me both love and dislike RHCP in new ways.