Transcendence

Stridulum

STRIDULUM - ZOLA JESUS
It's not Kate Bush or Diamanda or Siouxsie or all the other girls she gets mentioned with. Dropping the power electronics but none of the feeling.. these songs are better than any I've heard for a very long time.






















NEW AMERYKAH PART ONE - ERYKAH BADU
I know she has a new record out, but I can't stop listening to this one! Erykah is one of the very very few people out there truly doing what can easily be called the future. Last week I played this about five or six times in a row. "Me" and "Soldier" get me every single time.





















IRM - CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG
My best friend.





















LOVE COMES CLOSE - COLD CAVE
Ground zero. Desert island bliss. Peerless and life-changing.






















S/T - THE XX
I never get tired of this, it is something I can play and play and play again and it always sounds better than the last time. Really, it's just perfect.























BLACKSUMMER'S NIGHT - MAXWELL
So sophisticated and just so beautifully written, this is what I imagine early '90's highrise cocktail parties sounded like.






















I WILL BE - DUM DUM GIRLS
I hesitated with this one at first, but finally gave in. Even though it is short, it does get a bit much toward the end. It sounds best when you're getting ready to go.























HUNTINGTON ASHRAM MONASTERY - ALICE COLTRANE
I could never choose one Alice album as a favorite, but this one has been suiting me really well lately. It just seems to play and play forever. Fluid is an understatement.






















MOSES - ELIZABETH FRASER
I know I've written about this already, but I just can't get enough.























A SUFI AND A KILLER - GONJASUFI
Speaking of the future, I think this is right up there with Erykah. Worldbeat psychedelic soul music at its best.























TEEN DREAM - BEACH HOUSE
This is so lush and romantic and lazier than any summer I've ever known. Good for long bus rides, Echo Park, or getting ready for bed.
























AMOURS DES FEINTES - JANE BIRKIN
My favorite Jane Birkin album. It doesn't get any better than this.
























THA CARTER III - LIL WAYNE
My most-listened-to record the past few months. Deeper than the oceans, all of them.













JJ Nº 1 / JJ Nº 2 / JJ Nº 3 - JJ
All-time classics. Words won't do.

Undercover

UNDERCOVER


The right album cover is essential. It's often what draws us in or makes us pay attention to something we've never heard before. It provides the images that can summarize the meaning and the tone, the very heart, of the music's story. Can you imagine Avalon by Roxy Music without the cover? The Runaways without the photos? One of the all-time great covers was the first album by the The Durutti Column, which was made of sandpaper in order to scratch whatever record sleeves where next to it. Another great concept was Public Image Ltd.'s Metal Box which was packaged in a metal film canister. Christina Carter's releases on her own Many Breaths Press are all handmade and often come with pages of books, watercolor paintings, tissue paper, and even shreds of her diary in them. There is a long history of artists who have done significant work with album covers, among them: Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol, Mati Klarwein, Richard Avedon, and Annie Leibovitz, just to name a few. Several artists often work extensively for certain labels or artists. These are the best in the business:

Kim Hiorthøy for Rune Grammofon/Smalltown Supersound
Maya Miller for Heavy Tapes
Dennis Tyfus for Ultra Eczema
Peter Saville for Factory Records
The Designers Republic for Warp
Jon Wozencroft for Touch
Julian House for Ghost Box
Klas Augustsson for Häpna
Hedi Slimane for Phoenix, Gaga, etc
23 Envelope for 4AD

Now on to the covers. Two of the album covers closest to my heart are the Peter Hujar photos of Candy Darling on her deathbed as used by Antony & The Johnsons. For some reason, I just didn't feel right adding them to my list. These 22 images are everything that a great cover should be - iconic, bewildering, mystifying, and not easily forgotten.