As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I’m going to start publishing music recommendations more regularly as their own posts. Here’s the first one, which is pretty long, since it’s been months since I wrote one of these and I have a lot of music I want to reocommend.
Links direct to album.link, which should give you a link through to most streaming services. At least until that site gets acquired and they redirect all the links to crypto websites or whatever. Use ‘em while they work!
THE PICKS
I heard these two performing a still-as-yet-unreleased cover of “Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In” at the end of an episode of Pluribus. It is beautiful, and searching for it led me down a rabbit hole that never did lead to the cover itself, but did lead to this 2025 album from the duo. She, a Portuguese singer/songwriter, he an LA-based producer. I love this album; it sounds like a stiff wind blowing through palm trees.
Fagen’s 2006 solo record kinda passed me by when it came out. I was still pining for the highs of Steely Dan’s Two Against Nature, and wasn’t quite finding it in this, or in their 2003 follow-up Everything Must Go. A listener in the Strong Songs Discord picked this for our listening club and I’m glad I came back to it. It’s a Dan record in all but name, and a relaxing and fun listen. Also it’s got Wayne Krantz.
I’ve recently been on a Sondheim kick, thanks to an upcoming interview episode of Strong Songs that focuses on his music. I was never quite the right kind of theatre nerd to get into him before now, but that has changed. You probably don’t need me to tell you that he is very good, but anyway, this musical is great. I’m excited to see the version with this cast currently in theaters, and even more excited for the Boyhood-esque real-time version currently being made by Richard Linklater. (!!!)
I discovered the Danish New Cool Collective thanks to the video game News Tower, which features their music. These guys can really play. They have a lot more albums than this one, but I appreciate how good they sound live.
Strong Songs listener and Discord mod Tony recommended Couch to me along with the next pick; this is just a fun band, with good songs, and immaculate production. I’m starting to wonder if this sort of ultra-tight pop-funk production will fall out of fashion, and if its purveyors will change tack for a more live, or degraded, or atmospheric approach. In the meantime, this album is a good time.
A cool band that sounds like old bands, but that’s nothing to hold against them! Nice to see people really capturing that Back to Black sound (itself an echo of so many classics) on more current records.
Tame Impala is huge, and this album is being listened to by everyone, but I’m still going to recommend it because it’s great. “Dracula” into “Loser” is the one-two punch that knocked me out. “Now I’m Mr. Charisma, fuckin’ Pablo Escobar.”
Jazz piano great Peter Martin mentioned Miles’ 1965 live ballads record as a formative one for him during our recent Strong Songs interview. I was always a Four & More guy myself; that’s the uptempo sister recording from the same concert. After talking with Peter, I went back to Valentine, and I’m glad I did.
Another album that came up while talking with Peter Martin. Of all of Redman’s 90s records, 1993’s Wish kinda fell through the cracks for me. Just after his debut, and a few years ahead of Freedom in the Groove, the funkier record that was brand new the year I first discovered him. I went back to it after talking with Peter, and man, it is great, and especially fun to hear Redman joined by Pat Metheny on guitar. Not the first or last time he’d have a guitarist in his band, but still, it’s Metheny, man.
This was a Shazaam pick, aka a song I heard during a TV show and managed to press the button fast enough to find out what it was. It’s great, though, and got me listening to Hoffs more broadly.
Jad Abumrad recommended Hopkins’ music to me when he guested on Strong Songs, and RITUAL, from 2024, is the one that’s stuck with me. I don’t listen to much electronic music, but I find there to be something very centering about this one.
I may have shared this guy’s music before, I can’t remember. My friend Woody wrote me after my big Dylan episode to tell me about TTMOE, aka Kristian Matsson, who is extremely Boblike (complimentary). Perhaps the most Boblike thing about him is that I resisted at first, but he won me over.
Fela Kuti: Fear No Man taught me more than any other single piece of media in 2025. I learned a lot about history, about Nigeria, and about Fela as a person, but I also started listening to Fela’s music. This record is the one I come back to most often.
My upcoming Toto episode—and the influence Zappa’s keyboardist Tommy Mars had on Toto’s David Paitch and Steve Porcaro—is actually the thing that got me onto this record. I knew some of the songs on Sheik Yerbouti, but had never just listened to it top to bottom. That’s a fun thing to do, and I recommend it.
This and the next album are both additional outgrowths of that Peter Martin episode. Kenny’s swung like no one else. There was this round bounciness to it, that is hard to put into words. He’s a sideman on some of my favorite jazz records, but I’m glad to have his solo record in the rotation.
Hard Groove has always been my go-to RH Factor album, but I’m coming around on Distractions. Both are albums you should listen to if you haven’t. Lotta new groups are borrowing sounds from this era, the whole Elevado/Electric Ladyland/neo-soul horn thing. I love it and want more of it.
Trumpet friend Benjamin hipped me to these guys, defined by Yukimi Nagato’s distinct vocal style. Dangerously chill.
This must have been another Shazaam addition, though I can’t remember which show it’s from. Regardless, I’m glad it’s in my library. Straight ahead rock ‘n roll done right.
I’m thankful to Sterlin Harjo for a lot of things; for Reservation Dogs, and this year for The Lowdown, but also for introducing me to a lot of great music, including Ken Pomeroy. She even played a role in The Lowdown; an extra bonus.
Joni is 100% getting a second episode in Strong Songs Season Eight; the question has been which song should I cover. I think I prooobably won’t do something off of this record, but it is both beautiful and fascinating. Joni’s jazz records aren’t quite as sought out as her folk and prog/folk stuff, but they’re an important part of understanding her as an artist.
Mehldau and company’s extended opus of Elliot Smith covers is probably my favorite album of 2025. Where do I begin? His duo with Chris Thile on “Colorbars”? The extended Daniel Rossen feature on “Tomorrow Tomorrow”? “Everything Means Nothing To Me” enhanced by Adrian Morejon‘s bassoon? Matt Chamberlain’s drumming, in general? I am a huge fan of both Smith and Mehldau, and in particular of Mehldau’s more elaborate studio work (i.e. Largo), so I’m probably an easy mark for this record. Doesn’t make me love it any less.
I’ll leave you with this pic of Appa, who for some reason took her bone and set up shop on the landing between floors. A dignified photo of a dignified dog.
Take care, and keep listening-
12/26/2025