Records To Die For

Franz Ferdinand: Franz Ferdinand
Domino Recording Co. DNO27CD (CD DNO27CD; Qobuz 16/44 file). 2004. Tore Johansson, prod.; Jens Lindgård, Stefan Kvarnström, eng.

I've struggled to describe this album's style to friends and have come up with something like "catchy, danceable post-punk art rock with modern glam rock flair." First, the angular guitar hooks, well, hooked me in. Next, the quiet lead-ins erupt in sudden, ecstatic, noisy bursts, rocking our world. Suggestions of after-hours dancing, darkness, and debauchery pop up amid minor-key tones and chords. Hints of influences from Bowie (gender ambiguity on "Michael") to the Beach Boys (lively harmonies on "Tell Her Tonight" and "The Dark of the Matinée") keep the fun surprises coming. There's nary a dull song in the album's pacey 39 minutes.

Alex Kapranos's earnest vocals seem perfectly poised, conjuring a late night out on the town, possibly up to no good—but having a good time doing it (whatever it might be). This Glaswegian band's debut had a moment in the spotlight, too, receiving a Best Alternative Album Grammy nomination.

The album is also great driving music: The CD has spent a disproportionate amount of time in my car on repeat, even serving as the soundtrack for my 200-mile round trip to see them play live for the first time some years back. It's a banger, and a keeper.

Various Artists: Marie Antoinette (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
Polydor/Verve Forecast B0007822-02 (2 CD). 2006 (recommended); 2024 reissue on 2 LPs. Sofia Coppola, exec. soundtrack prod.; Brian Reitzell, prod.; Dan Hersch, mastering.

Sofia Coppola's delectably offbeat yet sympathetic film interpretation of a Marie Antoinette biography comes vividly alive with a soundtrack as giddily anachronistic as it is delightfully diverse. Its score is stuffed as a cream puff with New Wave and post-punk gems from Siouxsie & the Banshees, The Cure, et al. Interspersed among those are some baroque selections from Couperin, Vivaldi, and Scarlatti. A few contemporary classical tracks from Dustin O'Halloran and the ambient Aphex Twin, Air, and others round out Coppola's unorthodox choices. Yet somehow everything seems to hang together well, while receiving reverence. The sugar-buzzed silliness of Bow Wow Wow's "I Want Candy" might not be your bag, but stick around for their apt rendition of "Fools Rush In." Gang of Four's driving "Natural's Not in It" and New Order's sublime "Ceremony" also fit the film's bill thematically. The first disc delivers the more upbeat tracks; the second turns more mellow. The soundtrack's overall effect lends a sense of timelessness, transcending the fallen young royal's life and world of excess to feel relevant today.

Melissa Aldana: Echoes Of The Inner Prophet
Melissa Aldana, tenor saxophone; Lage Lund, guitar; Fabian Almazan, piano, effects; Pablo Menares, bass; Kush Abadey, drums
Blue Note Records/UMG Recordings 00602458277470 (CD). 2024. Melissa Aldana, Lage Lund, prods.; Lage Lund, eng.

This year Echoes of the Inner Prophet by Chile-born, New York–based tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana reigns as my favorite recording. She enters into a personal journey that's storytelling and contemplation. Her singular voice has imaginatively strengthened with the power of her moving and mysterious compositions that inform her whispered musings and profound discoveries. Former Thelonious Monk Jazz Saxophonist awardee Aldana has been on a search for intimate soul in her past six recordings. The new album is her second for Blue Note. The dreamy but grounded title track (dedicated to one of her mentors, Wayne Shorter) opens with an "inner prophet" wisdom and clarity that continues throughout the rest of these eight tunes that express a deep spirituality rather than ego grandstanding. Aldana's band plays exceptionally, intuitively following their leader's introspective passage. On a personal note: The first time I saw Aldana at the now-defunct New York club Jazz Standard several years ago, I was struck by her unique saxophone voice and knew she had a glowing future. Echoes confirms that.

Yes: Fragile
Steve Howe, electric, acoustic guitars, vocals; Rick Wakeman, organ, grand piano, electric piano, harpsichord, Mellotron, synthesizer; Chris Squire, bass guitars, vocals; Bill Bruford, drums, percussion; Jon Anderson, vocals
Atlantic Records SD 7211 (LP), US 1972 (LP). Yes, Eddy Offord, prods.; Eddy Offord, Gary Martin, engs.

Even though I had dabbled in several albums by the Moody Blues as my alternative from Beatlemania '60s and the rise of acoustic singer/songwriters, it was prog-rock band Yes that threw me into an overwhelming appreciation of the creative possibilities of sonic wealth. I bought The Yes Album in 1971, but the next year's uniquely brilliant Fragile took me over the top.

I was first drawn in by the AM radio oddity, "Roundabout," an edited version of the LP's full-fueled spin into its sci-fi fantasy journey. Throughout, I was struck by alto-tenor vocalist Jon Anderson's emotive voice and sometimes bizarre, almost esoteric lyrics (the "Tell the moon dog/tell the march hare" refrain on "We Have Heaven"). I was knocked out by the display of virtuosic diversity, including Rick Wakeman's flashy, synth-heavy Mellotron expansions, Steve Howe's gripping electric guitar flights, and Bill Bruford's funk grooves. While five of the nine pieces are short showcases of each band member, they serve perfectly as pauses between the full Yes charge into longer, tighter, unusually rhythmic and angular tunes with tempo shifts from drive to introspection. Plus, enter the running footsteps mixed in twice in comic relief.

Serge Gainsbourg: Histoire De Melody Nelson
Light in the Attic LITA 040. 2009. Jean-Claude Vannier (conductor, arranger, musical director); Jean-Claude Desmarty, prod.; Jean-Claude Charvier, eng.

Originally released on French Philips (6397 020) in 1971, Serge Gainsbourg's mini-opera/concept album, Histoire de Melody Nelson, is among my all-time most admired, most enjoyed long playing records. When it came out, critics and fans agreed: it's a masterwork on every level. To me, "Melody" is a modern-day Greek tragedy and a timeless ode to Life.

My original French copy, which I remember as having high-clarity super-spacious psychedelic sound, was stolen during a loft party at my digs in SoHo. This 2009 reissue by Light in the Attic is a stunning demonstration-quality recording that reminds me how 1971 was the year of the concept album. If you own a record player and don't mind lascivious bass underpinning lecherous poetry sung in French, this is goose-bump–level music and sound.

The Mongolian Folk Long-Song—Everlasting Rhythms Of The Soul Of The Grasslands
Warner Records TCD 1029 (CD). Ala-Tan-Qi-Qi-Ge, Zha-Ge-Da-Su-Rong, vocals; Wu Judy Chin-tai, Wang Sen-di, prods.; Kavichandran Alexander, eng.

Recording live to 24/192, Kavichandran Alexander of Water Lily Acoustics fame blessed this ultimate roots music with divine-sublime sound. These traditional Mongolian "long songs" were intended to be sung by a lone vocalist-herder to an audience of birds, cows, and goats. As one nomad herder put it: "The melodies can assist those ewes that have abandoned their lambkins to re-feed; it can even make those stubborn camels cry."

These ancient poem-songs are called "long songs" because it could take three minutes to sing six words. Each word's syllable is drawn out to the accompaniment of a two-string morin khuur (horsehead) fiddle. What I experience when playing this are prayers to the heavens and our shared longing For A Beloved.