Records To Die For

Necrophagist: Epitaph
Relapse 6628-2 (CD). 2004. Christoph Brandes, Muhammed Suiçmez, prods., engs.

On the heavy metal family tree is a tiny branch with only a few leaves: German technical death metal. Necrophagist was the spawn of guitarist Muhammed Suiçmez, active from 1992 to 2010 yet only releasing two albums before disappearing, literally, as Suiçmez hasn't been heard from since. While he was almost solely responsible for the debut album Onset of Putrefaction, the follow-up, Epitaph, has an actual band and much more fully realizes Suiçmez's aesthetic mélange of brutal tempos, nearly-impossible guitar lines, and metrical upheaval. Listening to Epitaph is like reading a calculus textbook upside down while on a roller coaster.

Lionel Bart: Oliver!
Various Personnel
Colgems COSD-5501 (LP). 1986. Unknown, eng.

While Lionel Bart never attained the heights of other musical theater composers, he was solely responsible for creating Oliver! in 1960, for which he would win a Tony Award for Best Original Score and whose 1968 film adaptation received six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Score of a Musical Picture. This movie soundtrack LP was released on the obscure Colgems label (whose precursor, Colpix, was home to both The Monkees and Nina Simone) and features the stage production's most beloved numbers. So many wonderful performances, but none better than Ron Moody as Fagin singing "Reviewing the Situation."

New Order: Substance
Factory FACT 200 (LP), FACD 200 (CD). 1987. New Order, Martin Hannett, Arthur Baker, John Robie, Shep Pettibone, Stephen Hague, prods.; Michael Johnson, eng.

When New Order's Substance dropped, I was a sophomore in high school. I remember devouring it on vinyl, a perfect blend of post-punk grit meets electronic music. It was the first album I ever bought on CD and the soundtrack to my paper route. The album kicks off with "Ceremony," a track pulsing with urgent melancholy. And then there's "Blue Monday"—it can still ignite a dance floor decades later. Substance is a perfect compilation; every track emphasizes New Order's genius at pairing soaring melodies with introspective, often haunting lyrics. Every time I listen to Substance, it's a reminder of New Order's massive influence and incredible artistry.

Coil: Love's Secret Domain
Torso TORSO 33181 (LP). 1991. Coil and Danny Hyde, prods.; Danny Hyde, eng.

Listening to Love's Secret Domain on vinyl in 1991 was like stepping into a world of twisted conventions and broken boundaries that felt fresh and fearless. I eventually bought the CD, but I kept the record. The swirling rhythms of "Disco Hospital" that open the album quickly lull you into a hypnotic trance. Exotic instrumental samples and sculpted electronic sounds weave in and out of the mix. By the time you reach the album's end, the title track draws you into a feverish psychedelic haze—it's intoxicating, disorienting, and addictive. The mix is brimming with vivid details and hidden layers. Field recordings, haunting melodies, bizarre sound effects feel placed with intention and part of an organic whole—there's still nothing quite like it.

Bernstein: Songs
Roberta Alexander, soprano; Tan Crone, piano
Etcetera Records ETC 1037. 1985. Klaas A. Postuma, prod.; Christian Stegmaier, mastering.

As a composer, Leonard Bernstein is best remembered for his musicals (West Side Story, Wonderful Town) and for his classical orchestral works (Age of Anxiety Symphony, Kaddish Symphony). In this recording by soprano Roberta Alexander and pianist Tan Crone, we're reminded that Bernstein also wrote intimate, lyrical songs. Alexander's rich, humorous delivery and Crone's playful touch let the songs' inherent charm shine: Bernstein's "La Bonne Cuisine" offers musical settings of recipes in both French and English, and "I Hate Music: A Cycle of Five Kid Songs" grew out of conversations the composer had with children (and one with his roommate, who provided the cycle's ironic title). The album rounds out with songs Bernstein wrote for a play version of Peter Pan and some selections from larger-scale works like 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and Mass.

Michael Friedman: The Fortress Of Solitude Original Cast Album
Ghostlight Records 84488. 2015. Kurt Deutsch, Dean Sharenow, prods.

One of the most shocking moments in the musical-theater world in the past 10 years was the death of composer and lyricist Michael Friedman, at age 41, best known for Broadway's Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson. Far fewer people got to see his innovative show Fortress of Solitude at New York's Public Theater, but I was there, and I'll never forget it. The original cast album (a surprising extravagance, given the size of the production) stands as testament to the play's multicolored musical universe.

Fortress of Solitude, based on the Jonathan Lethem novel and featuring a book by Itamar Moses, follows the lives of two boys—one Jewish (Adam Chanler-Berat) and one Black (Kyle Beltran)—from their meeting in a Brooklyn public school in the 1970s through heir inevitable growing apart in the coming decade. Friedman's songs range from quiet introspection to pop power ballads, with heavy helpings of jazz and R&B (especially for André DeShields's preacher character) along the way.