Pianollucinations

I guess it was inevitable that my constitution would fail in the end. I was starting to feel like Superman (or a ghost) watching everyone get sick around me, the landscape littered with sniffles and whooping coughs. In retrospect, I should've gotten that flu shot. On the plus side, the day spent at home battling through it made me dig out the Köln Concert and recall how unfailingly awesome it is. And it's hard to break it into pieces, so complete is its spell. Especially the weird groans Jarrett lets out (maybe it's the afro talking). Having said that, here's a section that was especially enthralling as I was in the soft arms of the Nyquil evening. Ahh...

Keith Jarrett - The Koln Concert (Part II C)

Cruisin'

Feeling the atmospheric pop puts you on a short path to the likes of Julee Cruise. I know it's a bit cliche, but the textured space-out via skewed '50s romance was and still remains a clear winner. Appreciation of David Lynch is not even necessary to enjoy.

Julee Cruise - Floating

You can't deny

It's Monday, so why not a song about shedding the past and bounding toward inevitable mortality. All the better when driven by a such bouncy beat and an angelic vocals. Viva la workweek!

Sweet Trip - Pretending

Inward

There comes a time when mysterious, near-ominous ambient is all you'll tolerate. Not quite a desire for silence, but something that could become silence without too much of a change. You don't want a lot, but you don't want nothing either. A little bit to nudge the environment into a slightly curious space. Atmospheric uber-dude Robert Rich has built a career on that aesthetic (or at least the stuff I've heard). If there's a sound for bringing your body close to its center to preserve precious warmth, this may be it. Today, at least.

Robert Rich - Glint In Her Eyes

Old tears

Having gone down a Cocteau Twins rabbithole, I guess it was inevitable that I'd find my way to the heart of the old 4AD cosmos (or at least the musical output of label boss Ivo Watt-Russell). This may be the end of line when it comes to maudlin teen angst. But then I've found a disturbing ability to stare too long into the most embarrassing of my high school memories and come away with a charmed laugh. Also, I do still dig the bass part in this one. Old sap, I am.

This Mortal Coil - A Single Wish

Winter dream

In these cold days, you need some insulation — whether it's warm socks or pillowy ambient comfort. This pairing of minimalist composer and Cocteau Twins' guitarist is literally a dream project, and I'm happy to nestle into its textures until I am evicted.

Robin Guthrie and Harold Budd - How Distant Your Heart

Warm shimmers

I'm always grateful for a little Cocteau Twins sojourn into ethereal realms. And their atmospherifyin' is broader than they often get credit for. They actually ventured pretty far from pale English places, as evidenced by this sunset-contemplative instrumental gem. Makes me want to take a drive and plan my next move.

Cocteau Twins - Ribbed And Veined

She's alone, he's alone

I had high hopes for the Futureheads. Their debut crashed into the post-punk obsessed mid-00s with rocking out and harmony in equal measure, and was a catchy ride all the way through. I remember seeing them live and loving their jumping around with guitars that seemed too small for their bodies. I lost the thread after their sophomore slump, which probably says more about my own attention deficit than their failings. But this track from that second album has something interesting about it — going all underwater and spacious and adding some unexpected mystery, without sacrificing their best and hookiest instincts.

The Futureheads - Burnt

Hummingbirds

It's amazing how much mileage certain dance musics get out of basic elements — four on the floor beats, a couple notes in a vocal sample, etc. And it's harder to build to an ecstatic state than it seems. Personally, I've always been more of a fan at a distance. I admire the aesthetics behind dance floor cues more than I throw myself into them, mostly because my own dance moves are too goofy to be let outside the house. So cheers to Axel Willner, who helps realize the dream of utopian repetition, even if it leans a little hard on sharp angles of our copy/paste age. This tune sets my little heart pumping like a humingbird.

The Field - The Little Heart Beats So Fast

Right on

Do you ever need an excuse to get the imaginary dance party going in your head? I've got a ton of pretexts, but none are worth more than my most child-like desire to be a dumb bounce of flesh all down the avenue.

Plaza - Fire Eyes

Get going

Mornings need a jolt. In a cup or on the stereo. It's never easy shifting from the casual Sunday slide into consciousness to Monday's starched routine. I'll take whatever help I can get. This song seems to about snoozing into the afternoon, but does a fine job moving me into the machinery of the workweek.

The Changes - When I Wake

You have lost the thing that's good

Keeping on the vintage brilliance, here's a melodic rocker from the Kinks, a little before embarking on an extend detour into rock opera. Like many fans of the band, I'm not super wild about their hit singles — especially "Lola" — but this B-side to that tune absolutely hits the spot.

The Kinks - Mindless Child Of Motherhood

Circular motion

If you've worn out the grooves in your Nuggets...um...mp3s, take a trek over to the other side of the world. This excellent Australian psych-pop comp has been in my possession a few years, and it never ceases to deliver the goods. This one seem appropriate for a ceremony that I would never be invited to, but would creepily observe from shrubs on the outskirts.

The Executives - Moving In A Circle

Sitar hero

Sometimes you're just in a Sesame Street state of mind. For me, it's a regression response to unpleasant prospects, like upcoming dental surgery or too many deadlines at work. Or all at once. Oh, how I take comfort in this song today.

Volker Kriegel - Am Wirthsee

Where you are right now, only much better

I'm having a strange attraction to Laurie Anderson's pop-aspirational music. Strong enough that I can get beyond the scent of terrible high school poetry on this particular title. I actually really like the '80ness of songs like this. It lives in the same orbit as the Talking Heads at their commercial high water mark—an alternate version of that time, but without forsaking the pumped-up sound. And of course, she's a national treasure for consistently rescuing the art of spoken word from its most cringe-worthy practitioners.

Laurie Anderson - Language Is A Virus

Strung up

Cold times. And some of these days you have to let your headphones double as earmuffs, press them close, and tap into Bishop's vibrations. That guitar contains a world worth escaping to.

Sir Richard Bishop - Dream Of The Lotus Eaters

I'm a ghost

Spent a couple minutes catching up on those best-of lists of 2012, which make feel older and older each year. These guys appeared a bunch, and for good reason. Quite the catchy batch, and I'm glad the kids keep getting inspired by some extrapolated version of the synthpop of yore. This tune in particular perked my ears up while trying unsuccessfully to kick the jetlag via treadmill running. The experience was as close as I get to actual sleepwalking.

Chairlift - Ghost Tonight

Year opens

Well, hello 2013. I must say, we're really in sci-fi territory here with a number like that. 2013 reads like a generic 'future' signifier from many a dystopian movie embedded in my subconscious. In light of that, I think we need to start things off with a wide-eyed (and heavy-lidded) paleo-futuristic jam from the late '60s. Fingers crossed that this may be the year of the trumpet space echo.

The Don Ellis Orchestra - Open Beauty