Tal Rosenberg,Reader digital content editor
Mark Snow The guy who composed the X-Files theme. He’s kind of a genius—his score for the show is like Angelo Badalamenti with a broader palette, which probably goes a long way toward explaining why The X-Files gets compared to Twin Peaks so much. Snow’s other credits include Starsky & Hutch, T.J. Hooker, Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, and three recent Alain Resnais films (Private Fears in Public Places, Wild Grass, and You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet!). Talk about range!
Dan Schuld, bassist of Cousin Dud, assistant managing editor at TriQuarterly
Nina Simone, “Suzanne,” live at Teatro Sistina in Rome, November 3, 1969 I stumbled across this gem about a month ago on YouTube, and I’ve been playing it almost every day since. The whole set is worth listening to, but it’s Simone‘s version of Leonard Cohen’s “Suzanne” that really floors me. I’m always impressed when an artist can cover another artist’s masterpiece and make it her own. But what Simone does with this song is beyond taking ownership—she turns it into something sacred, almost human. It’s so natural and fluid: the changes in vocal cadence, how she reaches over and bangs out that perfectly flawed melody on the piano, that amazing moment at 4:49 when she sings to the sound crew without missing a beat (“This mike doesn’t come on”) as if it were part of the song all along. It doesn’t get much better than this.
Mulatto Patriot & Simeon Viltz, Ray Elementary I’ve had this album in serious rotation since it dropped last month. I’m probably going to have this album in serious rotation for a long time. They outfit coffins with stereo systems now, so who knows, I might be like, “Bury me in the navy blue suit and put Ray Elementary on repeat.” Mulatto Patriot’s production is outstanding. It’s funky, it’s dusty, it’s groovy . . . music doesn’t get much sexier than this. Put it in the headphones, and you get this colorful swirl of organs, guitars, and horns swimming around the brain. Consistently great verses from Viltz and a whole stable of guests too. It’s been great for winter walks, but it really is an album best suited for hot summer nights. Windows-down, thighs-stuck-to-the-vinyl kind of shit. Someday.
