Wednesday afternoon highlights:
Bluegrass
- Talking In Your Sleep-The Hillbenders (I have to respect any ensemble that reworks a pop hit this successfully in a completely different genre. I never envisioned this hit by The Romantics as a steeplechase, but it works much better than I would have imagined.)
Canadian Indie
- Janet Planet-TOPS (I was taken instantly with the steady rhythm and lyrics. The echo on the vocals creates an appropriate otherworldly atmosphere. Who doesn't feel like finding a better planet, metaphorically speaking, once in a while?)
- Better Now-The Weather Station (Fitting, sensitively sung lyrics for anyone resolved to move past a breakup. The tune swells effectively from quiet vocals to ear-catching crescendos.)
Chamber Music
- W.A. Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K.331: III. Alla turca (Allegretto) (Alfred Brendel, piano) (Brain lapse fixed! Three days ago, this melody that my mother used to play on the piano came to my mind, and I was trying to remember the movement and piece from which it originates. Hearing it today reminded me of why this movement is among Mozart's most popular melodies. It would be appropriate underscoring for someone riding into town on a horse and saving the day in some heroic fashion. Brendel takes a slightly more stately, deliberate approach to certain passages than I've heard in other renditions, but I enjoyed hearing this childhood favorite again--and being reminded of its source.)
The Chill Lounge
- Cold Comfort Farm-Ishmael (This well-sustained throbbing beat almost demands a pulsating light.)
Classic R&B And Soul
- Summer Madness-Kool & The Gang (This is the appealing earlier, jazzier side of Kool & The Gang. This laid-back, trance-inducing instrumental's chill guitar and keyboards maintain the mood for the duration.)
Cocktail Lounge
- Snowfall-Henry Mancini & His Orchestra (This instrumental might become my new go-to version of the tune. It fuses lush strings, brass, and tasteful piano and vibraphone with a heading-back-to-the ranch guitar part.)
Cool Jazz
- The Look Of Love-Martin Taylor (Tasteful, understated guitar that's appropriate for this standard.)
Folk Roots
- Ever Gonna Fly-Jaspar Lepak (Lyrically, this shows an honest, endearing vulnerability. Instrumentally, it straddles the line between bluegrass and folk compellingly.)
Smooth Jazz
- Moon Over Gotham-Keiko Matsui (Uptempo, melancholy piano and trumpet.)
