Purchase log picks, June 2019

[Frida - Something's Going On]

Amanda Shires, To the Sunset

I gave this album a cursory preview when it first appeared in mid-2018, but I didn’t follow up till now. Shires’ husband, Jason Isbell, sang the album’s praises, and he’s right — To the Sunset is ambitious.

John Luther Adams, Become Desert

I went to the Saturday world premiere of this work in 2018, so it was pretty much guaranteed a spot on this list.

Frida, Something’s Going On

This album would be akin to Janet Jackson’s Control in the way Frida distances herself from ABBA.

Shiina Ringo, Sandokushi

No, this album won’t dislodge Shiina’s first three albums off the pedestal, but it’s her most diverse since Karuki Zaamen Kuri no Hana, and Shiina on an off-day is still many leagues interesting than most artists at their apex.

Soundtrack, Macross: Ai Oboete Imasu Ka?

My experience with anime can be divided in two: before “Do You Remember Love?” and after “Do You Remember Love?” I will always treasure Robotech for introducing me to Japanese animation, but that show really did butcher the source material.

Madonna, Madame X

The singles preceding Madame X‘s release did not do the album justice. It’s a far more ambitious work than the singles let on.

Re-Flex, The Politics of Dancing

The Politics of Dancing is a reliably 80s synth album, but that title track is an unshakable earworm. Cherry Red in the UK is giving it an expanded reissue in July 2019.

Roger Daltery, Under a Raging Moon

This album is steeped in the ’80s, which is probably why it appeals to me so much.

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