Musicwhore.org Music and memory

Hilary Hahn, Eclipse

Jesus, that Ginastera concerto is a monster!

Taylor Swift, Midnights

I don’t know if Taylor Swift has a Dirty Computer or Karuki Zaamen Kuri no Hana in her, but it feels like she’s tip-toeing in that direction. I doubt she’d ever go fully weird because her branding is too big to fail.

Judy Tenuta, Buy This, Pigs!

I’ve known about Judy Tenuta since high school, but my media consumption somehow managed never to cross paths with her stand-up. YouTube has since rectified that, and upon hearing the news of her passing, I felt compelled to seek out her comedy debut album, which has so far never been reissued on CD or fully digitized on a streaming platform.

Huey Lewis and the News, Picture This

Sports is the 800-pound gorilla in the Huey Lewis and the News oeuvre, but Picture This is no slouch either. I rather thank it’s been unfairly overshadowed by its immediate descendant.

Hajime Chitose, Shima Kyora Umui

It’s taken me 20 years to purchase an actual physical copy of this album. Hajime’s major label career has mostly ignored these earlier youthful recordings, but they’re super informative on her singing style, let alone how well she adapted it to a pop setting.

Royal Wood, What Tomorrow Brings

Wood calls this album the first he’s didn’t abandon, paraphrasing the quote: “Art is never finished, only abandoned.” It definitely shows. He makes some slight but adventurous tweaks to his sound, incorporating more synths and drum machines without losing his folk crooner vibe.

Miami Sound Machine, Primitive Love

The singles from this album were ubiquitous at the time, which dissuaded both my brother and me from staking claim on it. Enough time has passed to reveal those singles to be incredibly durable and fitting well with the album on the whole.

The Dismemberment Plan, Emergency & I

You kinda need to have this album if you remotely like Changes.

These fourth quarter picks can be found in the Favorite Edition 2022 Year Final:

• Charlie Puth, CHARLIE
• Robin Holcomb, One Way or Another, Vol. 1

And one more pick can be found in the Favorite Edition Catalog 2022:

• Club Nisei, Japanese Music of Hawaii

Tags: charlie puth, club nisei, hajime chitose, hilary hahn, huey lewis, judy tenuta, miami sound machine, picks, purchase log, robin holcomb, royal wood, taylor swift, the dismemberment plan