My lifelong love of music is littered with abandoned relationships. Numerous passions of previous years now seem like fleeting fancies. The Clash is among the indispensable bands of my teens that now seem childish infatuations. I abandoned my passion for roots music about 15 years ago. Given my current immersion in highbrow art music, my ongoing attraction to Earl Sweatshirt is unlikely. Yet much as Doris floored me in 2013, I’m currently infatuated with the grimy Voir Dire. My allegiances may be fickle, but I’ll be surprised if I’m not listening to Earl for the remainder of my life.
September 2023 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency
Screenshot of Opéra de Lille’s production of Verdi’s Falstaff by There Stands the Glass.
Top Ten Albums of September (through 9/22)
1. Angelika Niescier- Beyond Dragons
Monstrous fire.
2. Yeule- softscars
Are friends electric?
3. Escher Quartet- Terra Incognita
Unexplored territory.
4. Tomas Fujiwara- Pith
With Patricia Brennan and Tomeka Reid.
5. Willie Nelson- Bluegrass
Pleasing redundancy.
6. James Brandon Lewis- For Mahalia, With Love
Wade in the water.
7. Mireya Ramos & the Poor Choices- Sin Fronteras
Possibly the year’s best non-jazz album out of Kansas City.
8. Irreversible Entanglements- Protect Your Light
My least favorite album by my favorite band.
9. Laufey- Bewitched
10. The Count Basie Orchestra- Swings the Blues
Top Ten Songs of September
1. Yahritza y su Esencia- "Rositas"
Cool kids.
2. Cultura Profética- "Para Mi"
My kind of Margaritaville.
3. Camilo and Diljit Dosanjh- "Palpita"
Culture clash.
4. James Blake- "Fall Back"
Tripping.
5. Tirzah- "Stars"
Outer space.
6. Tinashe- "Uh Huh"
Validated.
7. Earl Sweatshirt and the Alchemist featuring Vince Staples- "The Caliphate"
Haram.
8. DOE- "Holy Hands"
Sanctified.
9. Bad Bunny- "Un Preview"
Unstoppable.
10. Carrie Underwood- "Drunk and Hungover"
Formulaic fun.
Top Ten Performances of September
1. RP Boo at the Encore Room
2. Thee Sinseers, The Altons and Alanna Royale at Lemonade Park
3. Mahani Teave at the Folly Theater
4. Queens of the Stone Age, Viagra Boys and Jehnny Beth at Starlight Theatre
5. Alan Voss Quartet at Swope Park Pavilion
6. Dan Clucas at World Culture
7. OJT at the Prairie Village Jazz Festival
8. Electric Blue Yonder at Tin Roof
9. The Jazz Disciples at the Blue Room
10. Hudspeth & Taylor at Ward Parkway Shopping Center
The previous monthly survey is here.
August 2023 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency
Screenshot of the trailer for a recent production of Il Signor Bruschino at Rossini at Wildbad by There Stands the Glass.
Top Ten Albums of August
1. Karol G- Mañana Será Bonito (Bichota Season)
Pop perfection.
2. Jaimie Branch- Fly Or Die Fly Or Die Fly Or Die (world war)
This ain’t no picnic.
3. Jonathan Blake- Passage
4. Bonnie “Prince” Billy- Keeping Secrets Will Destroy You
Spill the beans.
5. Grupo Frontera- El Comienzo
A celebratory debut.
6. Arnold Dreyblatt- Resolve
Classical grit.
7. Evan Parker- Etching the Ether
8. Miguel Zenón y Luis Perdomo- El Arte del Bolero, Vol. 2
Transcendent duo.
9. Bobby Rush- All My Love for You
He’s the one.
10. Ratboys- The Window
Heartland rock.
Top Ten Songs of August
1. L’Rain- “Pet Rock”
Heavy.
2. Turnstile and Badbadnotgood- “Underwater Boi”
Aqualung.
3. Noname with $ilkmoney, Billy Woods and Stout- “gospel?”
Fight song.
4. Kirk Franklin- “Try Love”
The gospel truth.
5. Armand Hammer with Elucid, Billy Woods and Pink Siifu- “Trauma Mic”
Crisis of faith.
6. Earl Sweatshirt, The Alchemist and Mike- “Sentry”
Drowsy.
7. Snoh Aalegra- “Wait a Little Longer”
Patience.
8. Doja Cat- "Paint the Town Red"
Walk on by.
9. Miguel and Lil Yachty- “Number 9”
Pet sounds.
10. EST Gee with Yo Gotti- “A Moment with Gotti”
Time stands still.
Top Ten Performances of August
1. Kassa Overall and Omari Jazz at Mississippi Studios
2. Parker Quartet at Polsky Theatre
3. Randy Porter, Tom Wakeling and Todd Strait at the 1905
4. Truth Cult, Young Mvchetes and Burning Bush at Howdy
5. The Clientele and Papercuts at Mississippi Studios
6. Culture Club, Howard Jones and Berlin at Starlight Theatre
7. The Phil Collins Experience at Barkley Square
8. Jass at Second Presbyterian Church
9. Claes Almroth Trio at Starday Tavern
10. Rich Hill Trio and True Lions at Volker Park
The previous monthly survey is here.
Feelin’ U: The Top Albums and Songs of 2022
The Top 50 Albums of 2022
1. Moor Mother- Jazz Codes
2. Mary Halvorson- Belladonna
3. Natalia Lafourcade- De Todas las Flores
4. Oren Ambarchi- Ghosted
5. Joyce DiDonato- Eden
6. Rosalía- Motomami
7. Nate Wooley- Ancient Songs of Burlap Heroes
8. Pusha T- It’s Almost Dry
9. The Weeknd- Dawn FM
10. Dave Douglas- Songs of Ascent: Book 1- Degrees
11. Sarah Davachi- Two Sisters
12. Billy Woods- Aethiopes
13. Bad Bunny- Un Verano Sin Ti
14. Tim Bernardes- Mil Coisas Invisíveis
15. Brad Mehldau- Jacob’s Ladder
16. Bobby Watson- Back Home in Kansas City
17. Anat Cohen- Quartetinho
18. Caroline Shaw and Attacca Quartet- Evergreen
19. Miranda Lambert- Palomino
20. François-Xavier Roth and Les Siècles- Claude Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande
21. Vince Staples- Ramona Park Broke My Heart
22. Sault- (God)
23. Matthew Shipp Trio- World Construct
24. Mitsuko Uchida- Beethoven: Diabelli Variations
25. Beyoncé- Renaissance
26. Hermon Mehari- Asmara
27. Samantha Ege- Black Renaissance Women
28. Danger Mouse and Black Thought- Cheat Codes
29. Tyshawn Sorey- The Off-Off Broadway Guide to Synergism
30. Nduduzo Makhathini- In The Spirit of Ntu
31. Silvana Estrada- Marchita
32. Carolin Widmann- L’Aurore
33. Robert Levin- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: The Piano Sonatas
34. Megan Thee Stallion- Traumazine
35. Gerald Clayton- Bells on Sand
36. iLe- Nacarile
37. Jóhann Jóhannsson- Drone Mass
38. Lucrecia Dalt- ¡Ay!
39. Lise Davidsen and Leif Ove Andsnes- Edvard Grieg
40. Daniel Villarreal- Panamá 77
41. Wilco- Cruel Country
42. Sault- 11
43. Tedeschi Trucks Band- I Am the Moon III: The Fall
44. Cyrille Dubois and Tristan Rais- Fauré: Complete Songs
45. Clarice Jensen- Esthesis
46. Caroline Shaw and I Giardini- The Wheel
47. Tony Malaby’s Sabino- The Cave of Winds
48. Benny the Butcher- Tana Talk 4
49. Sault- Air
50. 2 Chainz- Dope Don’t Sell Itself
The Top 50 Songs of 2022 (Spotify playlist)
1. Porridge Radio- “End of Last Year”
2. Kae Tempest featuring Lianne La Havas- “No Prizes”
3. Celeste- "To Love a Man"
4. Anna Butterss- "Doo Wop"
5. Ice Spice- “Munch (Feelin’ U)”
6. Jana Rush featuring DJ Paypal- “Lonely”
7. Jimetta Rose & The Voices of Creation- "How Good It Is"
8. Lee Fields- "Forever"
9. Rod Wave- "Cold December"
10. More Eaze featuring Claire Rousay- "floor Pr. 2"
11. DJ Snake- “Disco Maghreb”
12. Anitta featuring Chencho Corleone- "Gata"
13. Horace Andy- "Watch Over Them"
14. Kaitlin Butts- “She’s Using”
15. Soul Glo- “Gold Chain Punk (whogonbeatmya–)”
16. Drake- "Down Hill"
17. Leikeli47- “LL Cool J”
18. Babehoven- “Fugazi”
19. Sunny Sweeney featuring Vince Gill- “Married Alone”
20. Cécile McLorin Salvant- “Ghost Song”
21. Steve Lacy- "Bad Habit"
22. Aldous Harding- “Fever”
23. Ibibio Sound Machine- “17 18 19”
24. Blackstarkids- “Sex Appeal”
25. Camilo and Nicki Nicole- "Naturaleza"
26. Hailey Whitters- “Everything She Ain’t”
27. Plains- “Hurricane”
28. Big Joanie- “In My Arms”
29. Horse Lords- “Rundling”
30. SleazyWorld Go featuring Offset- “Step 1”
31. Rauw Alejandro featuring Baby Rasta- “Punto 40”
32. Cole Swindell- “She Had Me at Heads Carolina”
33. Willie Nelson- “I’ll Love You Till the Day I Die”
34. Tank and The Bangas featuring Lalah Hathaway and Jacob Collier- “Where Do We All Go”
35. Drake and 21 Savage- “Major Distribution”
36. SZA- “Kill Bill”
37. Big K.R.I.T.- “So Cool”
38. Emily Nenni- “On the Ranch”
39. Ohma- “Seeing Beyond What Is Here”
40. Thotcrime- “You’re Like a Black Hole, The Way You Expect My Life to Revolve Around You”
41. The Smile- “Opposite”
42. Jon Pardi- “Mr. Saturday Night”
43. Lyle Lovett- “12th of June”
44. Animal Collective- “Cherokee”
45. Hiatus Kaiyote- "Get Sun (Georgia Anne Muldrow remix)"
46. Coi Leray- "Players"
47. Leland Whitty- "Awake"
48. Regina Spektor- “Becoming All Alone”
49. Craig Finn- “Messing With the Settings”
50. Peter Lehndorff- “Nothing Can Change”
The Top 25 EPs of 2022
1. Earl Sweatshirt- Sick!
2. Tom Skinner- Voices of Bishara
3. Drug Church- Hygiene
4. DJ Premier- Hip Hop 50, Vol. 1
5. The Adam Larson Trio- With Love, From Kansas City
6. Sault- Aiir
7. Iceboy Violet- The Vanity Project
8. Shabaka- Afrikan Culture
9. Your Old Droog- Yod Stewart
10. Christian Nodal- EP #1 Forajido
11. Christina Aguilera- La Fuerza
12. Flee Lord- Pray for the Evil 3
13. Duckwrth- Chrome Bull
14. Ryley Walker- So Certain
15. Your Old Droog and Tha God Fahim- The Wolf On Wall St. 2
16. WiFiGawd- Chain of Command
17. Chubby and the Gang- Labour of Love
18. Brain Tourniquet- Brain Tourniquet II
19. Lil Uzi Vert- Red & White
20. Khruangbin and Leon Bridges- Texas Moon
21. Otoboke Beaver- Super Champon
22. Portico Quartet- Next Stop
23. Elvis Costello- The Resurrection of Rust
24. Flatland Cavalry- Songs to Keep You Warm
25. Lil Ugly Mane- I Believe the World Would Be a Better Place Without You
The Top 25 Reissues, Compilations and Reimaginings of 2022
1. Charles Stepney- Step on Step
2. Saturno 2000: La Rebajada de Los Sonideros 1962-1983
3. Miles Davis- That’s What Happened 1982-1985: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 7
4. Brian Harnetty- Words and Silences
5. Prince and the Revolution- Live
6. Son House- Forever On My Mind
7. The Beatles- Revolver: Super Deluxe
8. Ray Charles- Live in Stockholm 1972
9. Pastor Champion- I Just Want to be a Good Man
10. Bert Jansch- Bert at the BBC
11. The Pyramids- Aomawa: The 1970s Recordings
12. Quattro Modigliani- Schubert: The String Quartets
13. Elton John- Madman Across the Water: Deluxe Edition
14. África Negra- Antologia Vol.1
15. Andrew Cyrille, Elliott Sharp and Richard Teitelbaum- Evocation
16. Pavement- Terror Twilight: Farewell Horizontal
17. Biluka y Los Canibales- Leaf-Playing in Quito, 1960-1965
18. Geri Allen, Charlie Haden and Paul Motian- Live at the Village Vanguard: Unissued Tracks
19. Cecil Taylor- The Complete, Legendary, Live Return Concert at the Town Hall N.Y.C. November 4, 1973
20. Charles Mingus- The Lost Album from Ronnie Scott’s
21. Norah Jones- Come Away With Me: Super Deluxe Edition
22. Nancy Mounir- Nozhet El Nofous
23. Marius Constant- Xenakis: Syrmos, Polytope de Montréal, Medea, Kraanerg & Oresteia
24. Staples Jr. Singers- When Do We Get Paid
25. Pauline Oliveros and James Ilgenfritz- Altamirage
January 2022 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency
Screenshot of the trailer of The Face of Another by There Stands the Glass.
Top Ten Albums (released in January)
1. The Weeknd- Dawn FM
2. Andrew Cyrille, William Parker and Enrico Rava- 2 Blues for Cecil
3. Earl Sweatshirt- Sick!
4. Tony Malaby’s Sabino- The Cave of Winds
5. Silvana Estrada- Marchita
Not unlike peak k.d. lang.
6. Modern Nature- Island of Noise
Jazz-stained freak-folk.
7. Lise Davidsen and Leif Ove Andsnes- Edvard Grieg
8. John Mellencamp- Strictly a One-Eyed Jack
9. Pan Daijing- Tissues
Industrial opera.
10. FKA twigs- Caprisongs
Peculiar pop.
Top Ten Songs (released in January)
1. The Smile- "You Will Never Work in Television Again"
Static.
2. Big Boss Vette- "Heavy"
The weight.
3. Christina Aguilera- "La Reina"
I knew she had it in her.
4. Barbara Hannigan- "Youkali"
Well done Weill.
5. Che Noir- "Split the Bread"
Food for thought.
6. The Streets- "Wrong Answers Only"
“I am a God: I can turn wine into vomit.”
7. Banda Los Recoditos- "Me Siento a Todo Dar"
Drinking and dancing.
8. Love Regenerator featuring Sananda Maitreya- "Lonely"
Terence Trent D’Arby!
9. Sebastián Yatra featuring Rosario and Jorge Celedón- "Dharma"
Dance, laugh, cry.
10. Benny the Butcher and J. Cole- “Johnny P’s Caddy”
The Butcher arrives.
Top Ten Movies, Television Broadcasts and Streaming Programming (viewed for the first time in January, in lieu of live music)
1. The Face of Another/他人の顔 (1966)
Freaky Japanese psychological thriller.
2. Jeopardy! (2022)
Amy Schneider’s remarkable 40-game streak ends.
3. Handsome Serge/Le Beau Serge (1958)
Très barbare.
4. Buffalo Bills vs. Kansas City Chiefs (2022)
The NFL is made for TV.
5. Mary Lou Williams and Carline Ray- At Les Mouches (1978)
6. The Lost Daughter (2021)
Grief in Greece.
7. The Royal College of Music’s Die Zauberflöte (2021)
8. The Catered Affair (1956)
Ernest Borgnine, Bette Davis and Gore Vidal.
9. Winter JazzFest (2022)
A handful of the virtual performances are stunning.
10. From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration 2022
Life goal.
Links to previous monthly surveys begin here.
EP Review: Earl Sweatshirt- Sick!
The fear, doubt and anguish expressed by Earl Sweatshirt on Doris mirrored my state of mind at the time of its release. The harrowing masterpiece was my top album of 2013. I’m in a much better place now. Unfortunately, Earl’s new EP Sick! indicates he continues to struggle. Seemingly short of breath and resigned to hopelessness, the grimy aesthetics of Sick! are matched by correspondingly anguished lyrics. Emotionally invested in the well being of the prodigiously talented rapper, I’m torn by my admiration of art inspired by unrelenting pain. I still care about how he feels.
November 2021 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency
Screenshot of the trailer for Valerie a týden divů by There Stands the Glass.
Top Ten Albums (released in November)
1. Irreversible Entanglements- Open the Gates
2. Summer Walker- Still Over It
Number one with a bitterness.
3. Malcolm Jiyane Tree-O- Umdali
Valiant South African jazz.
4. Brian Wilson- At My Piano
Tragic beauty.
5. Attacca Quartet- Of All Joys
Partly Pärt.
6. Terrace Martin- Drones
Flying high above Silk Sonic.
7. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss- Raise the Roof
An old-fashioned barn burner.
8. Cevanne Horrocks-Hopayian- Welcome Party
Knock knock.
9. Anna Netrebko- Amata dalle tenebre
Aching arias.
10. Anuel AA- Las Leyendas Nunca Mueren
Legends never die.
Top Ten Songs (released in November)
1. Willie Nelson- "Too Sick to Pray"
On bended knee.
2. Del McCoury Band- "Once Again"
That high, lonesome sound.
3. Earl Sweatshirt- "2010"
Don’t call it a comeback.
4. City Girls- "Scared"
“Ain’t no way I’m stopping.”
5. The Bug featuring Jason Williamson- "Treetop"
Out on a limb.
6. Idles- "Stockholm Syndrome"
Brainwashed.
7. Frogpond- "I Really Don't Care"
Meat-and potatoes heartland rock.
8. NRBQ- "I Like Her So Much"
Still ticking.
9. Adele with Erroll Garner- "All Night Parking"
The best song on 30.
10. Cécile McLorin Salvant- "Ghost Song"
Spectral.
Top Ten Concerts of November
1. J.D. Allen, Eric Revis and Nasheet Waits- Blue Room
2. Oleta Adams with Isaac Cates & Ordained- Old Mission United Methodist Church
3. Mary Gauthier- Knuckleheads
4. UMKC Opera’s “Acis and Galatea”- White Recital Hall
5. Dare- 7th Heaven
6. Rod Fleeman Trio- Green Lady Lounge
7. The Kansas City Symphony’s “Coming to America”- Helzberg Hall
8. Renée Fleming- Helzberg Hall
9. Richard Thompson- Folly Theater
10. Sentenced 2 Die- 7th Heaven
Top Ten Movies (viewed for the first time in November)
1. Popiół i diament/Ashes and Diamonds (1958)
Bloody Polish power grab.
2. La Strada/The Road (1954)
Giulietta Masina and Anthony Quinn convey crippling sadness.
3. Der junge Törless/Young Törless (1966)
Unflinching teen brutality.
4. Sparrows (1926)
Mary Pickford leads escape from foul baby farm.
5. De Slag om de Schelde/The Forgotten Battle (2020)
World War II in Holland is hell.
6. Valerie a týden divů/Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970)
Frightfully freaky fairy tale.
7. Taking Tiger Mountain (1983)
A very bad trip.
8. The Harder They Fall (2021)
Wild, wild west(ern).
9. La bestia debe morir/The Beast Must Die (1952)
Argentinian noir.
10. Arsène Lupin (1932)
Sexy criminal caper.
October’s recap and links to previous monthly surveys are here.
Catching Up: Overlooked Albums and Songs of 2021 (so far)
Rather than compiling a conventional mid-year best-of ranking, I’m acknowledging albums and songs I initially overlooked or previously underappreciated in the first six months of 2021. Many of the selections are obscure, but millions of people were tuned into songs and albums like “No More Parties” and En Contra De Mi Voluntad long before I caught up.
Top Ten Overlooked and Underappreciated Albums of 2021 (So Far)
1. Marianne Faithfull and Warren Ellis- She Walks in Beauty
Pure poetry.
2. Jaimie Branch- Fly or Die Live
Angry improv.
3. Lambchop- Showtunes
4. Susan Alcorn, Ingrid Laubrock and Leila Bordeuil- Bird Meets Wire
Hung up.
5. Jimmy Edgar- Cheetah Bend
6. La Arrolladora Banda el Limón- En Contra De Mi Voluntad
Stupendous big band.
7. Silicone Prairie- My Life On the Silicone Prairie
Space junk.
8. Michael Wollny- XXXX
Progressive Euro-jazz.
9. Birds of Maya- Valdez
Unfiltered scuzz.
10. Elizabeth Chang- Transformations
Kirchner, Sessions and Schoenberg.
Top Ten Overlooked and Underappreciated Songs of 2021 (So Far)
1. Coi Leray- “No More Parties”
Curfew.
2. Moby, Mark Lanegan and Kris Kristofferson- "The Lonely Night"
Hurt.
3. Celeste- "Tonight Tonight"
Undeniable pop.
4. Karol G and Nathy Peluso- “Gato Malo”
Discussion on the In My Headache podcast.
5. Armand Hammer, the Alchemist and Earl Sweatshirt- "Falling Out of the Sky"
Crash.
6. Roman Alexander and Ashley Cooke- “Between You & Me”
Closing in.
7. Anitta- "Loco"
Crazy-good.
8. Ana Lélia- "Meu Cantinho"
Gentle breeze.
9. Cuee and Joel Leoj- “Ain’t Going Back”
Amen.
10. Sir the Baptist and Anthony Hamilton- "Jesus in the Ghetto"
Can’t tell Him nothing.
My previous monthly rankings of albums, songs, concerts and films are here.