Favorite Music Collections
Summertime
I always thought of Paul Desmond’s performances as dishonest through their failure to aesthetically acknowledge the hardship and complexity there is in life. While I still think his style does not properly acknowledge these things, I grew some “trust” that lets me enjoy it by understanding that it is a (constructive) break from those realities.
The Elements
I am honestly not sure how to describe this album in a way that does not place its cultural influences first, which are quite palpably Indian (via Alice Coltrane’s spiritual pursuits) and African-American. I like to listen to this half-awake and let it sequester my attention. Although it is not meditative (it is very “boppy”).
Moon Beams
In particular, I love the intricate drumwork of Paul Motian in Re: Person I Knew, apart from the clear, saturday-evening chords given by Bill Evans in other songs. It turns out that my favorite recording of If You Could See Me Now is the one included in this album. But I find Chet Baker’s recordings simpler (in a nice way).
Comfort y Música Para Volar
Although it has more the feeling of a compilation and missed out on Génesis, I love the contemplative side of this release. Planeador, my favorite song in the album, has slow instrumentals that eventually blend with breathing-like vocals. Also, Té Para 3 is a great musical shoulder to cry on.
Ballade, Op. 24 in G Minor
Rubenstein’s interpretation of the theme of Op. 24 reminds me of a parent gently and lovingly scolding their child. I interpret the variations in the same way, where that now-adult child scolds themselves internally without the parental kindness they once received, transfiguring a caring message through extreme emotions.
Relaxin’ With The Miles Davis Quintet
My friend Graham showed me this one. I love how energetic it can be while keeping a softness in taste (not too “boppy”?). This album has also benefitted from me liking Miles Davis’ muted trumpet more and more as time goes by. My favorite aspects of his playing are perfect in You’re My Everything.
Koi No Yokan
I was in bed one night unable to sleep, listening to music. Rosemary started playing, and I just said “holy shit.” Aided by being half-asleep, I still remember that as one of my most memorable experiences with music. The trascendental spirit of the album in the midst of Deftones’ pace and intensity is just fantastic.
Undercurrent
Listening to Jim Hall’s decisions in this album is delightful. His contribution to the recording of My Funny Valentine included made it my favorite. While the album is played quite rubato (as is usual for Bill Evans), I love the closer impressionistic parts in Romain and Dream Gypsy. I certainly listen to those three songs the most.
Artaud
Having listened to a lot of Spinetta’s music without knowing it, I listened to this a lot after my friend Diego showed the album to me. The songs in it draw an extremely wide stylistic instrumental spectrum, from waltz-like to polyrhythmic. Also, their lyrics are very poetically rich. It is so impressive yet casual-sounding.
Reencuentro
It feels crazy to write about José José in English, but if you speak Spanish, you are already better off just having a listen. This is an album of music about love sung in a long and deeply intense voice. My favorite song on here is Gotas de Fuego. To paint a picture, it begins “your silence is my torture, come back to me love.” 🥀 🥀
You Must Believe In Spring
According to me, this is Bill Evans’ best work. One of the most prominent aspects of the album is the mix. The persistence of the bass and the mile-away drums make give it a gravity that Bill Evans is rarely in the context of. I love the implementation of tension in in The Peacocks, and the opening of B Minor Waltz is incredible.
FERXXO (VOL 1: M.O.R)
This album is quintessential early Feid. It is affectionate and has cute elements of child-like happiness made by Sky Rompiendo. I think EL CUARTO DE FERXXO is at the heart of this aspect. The album is also super sexy at times, especially with the very underappreciated VIDEITOXX. I really miss these early albums.
Tremors in the Static
I rarely listen to chamber recordings, and I am glad I listened to this one. The cover of this book, Love Your Grace, is one of the most sincere and romantic things I have heard in my life. Listening to this compensatorily makes me feel oddly comfortable in big cities, so it has become a meditative emergency kit.
Dire Straits
My friend Emilio showed me this on vinyl. I am glad I stream my music, because I would have etched right through that record. Something about the southern style and wild-west-ish lyrics here is just real fucking cool. Listening to this in New York City with the guys on a hot Summer day over some beers was pure rock and roll.
Néctar
Growing up, I had heard Luz de Día here and there. I picked it back up in university and probably listened to it more than anybody else in the world. After my friend Emilio showed me Cordillera and we saw Enanitos Verdes play, I opened up to the whole album. Nowadays my favorite song from it is La Banda de la Esquina.
Cruisin’ with Junior H
Corridos are extremely musically rich. Many of my friends and I are very emotionally attached to them, since a lot of people love them where we are from. This album makes me a bit sad that the genre has never really gone international like reggaeton has. My favorite song in it is Tingo y Tango.
demo three
My friend Celeste showed me this album, along with some of Damian Ojeda’s other projects. I found it to be very innovative and raw. I love how unashamed it is with its implementation of shoegaze-style grunge and how progressive it can sound from a composition perspective. My favorite track here is Paroxis.
Technicolor
Covet and Ivette Young’s playing represents art that I feel extremely identified with. In a sense, it fulfills my personal needs precisely. That way, this album “understands” me more than any other work that comes to mind. I love the windows of minimalism in its tracks and how expressive its use of technique is. Nero makes me so happy.
Días en la Isla
In this record, Kris Floyd shares an intimate and tropical feeling of love and longing while back at home. I love how catchy and undeniably “new school” the tracks are. Kris Floyd’s interpretation is masculine, young, flowy, and enjoys the warmth of the latin american essence. Rezan2 gives me nostalgic “highschool crush” feelings.
Lund Quartet
Turntables in jazz often disregard tradition with elements like four-on-the-floor beats. In this album, the turntable functions as an equal voice, maintaining straight-ahead jazz while acknowledging its unique character. For example, you can hear its stylistic influence on the trumpet in Tulipan, my favorite track.
Glassworks
Out-of-context Philip Glass was shocking to first listen to without prior introduction or an exposure to classical minimalism. I remember a first impression of absurdity that was followed by “unreasonably” strong emotion. This composition is stimulating and, for me, has a specially accessible capacity for inducing a meditative state.
I Let It in and It Took Everything
Shoegaze, ambient, and math rock elements in a trascendental package and great production. My friend Pablo showed me the album. I love its themes of introspection and longing with intense emotion but also first-class rhythmic structure. It is great at evoking an emotional response from me. My favorite track is A Sad Cartoon.
Explorations
The title helped me thematize and understand this album. When I started listening to descendants of bebop, the vast expressive space felt hopeless to explore, which was initially a turn-off. But this album shows that despite the vastness, compositions of this style can feel complete and cohesive. I think Israel is the best track.
Harmony of Difference
I believe my friend Celeste showed me this album, or at least Truth. Regardless, this is one of the clearest expressive experiences in music. The “message” provided by the composition feels almost palpable, albeit ineffable. The trascendental delivery of this hopeful “message” is completely awe-inducing and indisputably human.
Lateralus
It is interesting to reflect on Tool. Their albums feel like massive discoveries, but for most people, burnout is almost inevitable. I think it is due to how corny they are. But the fact of the matter remains that they are fantastic works. My favorite aspects of this album are its rhythmics and how cohesive the instrumentals and lyrics are.
Symphony No. 6
Now here is a way to reliably get me to cry. If I were to describe this in a single word, I would say “disarming.” This symphony suspends you in the air, shows you there is nothing around you, and lets you be with yourself. Remembering its history and its given name, pathetic, is completely disarming. Just disarming.
Voluma
Playful, pretty, and feeling. León Larregui’s range fits perfectly in calm instrumentals across (mostly) love songs. It very stylistically coherent as an album, such that if you can play one song, you can definitely play them all. It reminds me of that worry-free period when two people begin dating. I love the song Birdie.
Suite del Ángel
It is generally difficult for me to consume tango. It feels almost morally disconnected from the modern world. But Astor Piazolla shows such human colors in this suite that its evocative capacity just takes ahold of you. Oblivion has brass that reminds me of Miles Davis’ slower side. My absolute favorite part is Milonga del Ángel.
Préludes, Book 1
In the spectrum of music, I think of this book as closest to free-form poetry. Standing quite free of many compositional “formalisms,” it first struck me as liberated, atomic, and elemental in the space of musical expression. Apart from being beautiful, it has helped me distill the beauty of other works by projecting them onto this book.
INTER SHIBUYA - LA MAFIA
This stuff is very close to my heart, and I could write a lot about it. I will restrain my remarks to say that I love its texture, intensity, and production. My relationship to the album is very experience-based, and it reminds me a lot of my friend Emilio. I think CORONE and PURRITO APA are my favorite tracks.