Thurston Moore:

Demolished Thoughts:(2011)

Not sure how many times I've spun this album, but it's a lot. It's such a pretty album. The delicate ornamental acoustic arrangements Beck created around this collection of songs from Thurston Moore is unforgettable. This is a late night/early morning record. Meaning, I think it sounds best when played after midnight or as the sun is just starting to cast shadows. Now as strong as both the personalities of Beck and Moore are, and they can be heard in spades here, I still detect a Van Morrison Astral Weeks influence mixed with a Velvet Underground third album feel. As I said, such a pretty album.

Beirut:

March of the Zapotec/Holland EP: (2009)

This was the first album I heard by Beirut, which is Zach Condon, and really it's not an album, it's two EPs in one package, and they couldn't be more different. March of The Zapotec features a 19 piece brass band from Oaxaca, Mexico. This part of the album spirits you away to another realm, and another time. The other part of the album, Real People of Holland EP, is light and whimsical and electronic. The old and the modern living hand in hand. 

The Riptide: (2011)

This is my favorite Beirut album. This one feels fully realized. The atmosphere on this record is excellent as well, giving each song a wonderful lift. For me the key tracks here are: Payne's Bay, and East Harlem.

Hoyt Axton:

Less Than The Song: (1973)

I love this album, its gentle bluesy acoustic riffs, its evocative lyrics just wrap around you like the big arms of the man himself. That said, I knew Axton as an actor, specifically as the Dad on Gremlins, before anything. Then I was hipped to the fact that he had written a song I've always dug, I've Never Been To Spain, which lead me to reading more about him. Damn, he lived quite a life. I came across this album for twenty-five cents in a bin at a thrift shop, and with the first play, I loved it. When this came out in '73 Rolling Stone said it was, "one of the most rewarding achievements by a singer/songwriter." I would suggest a key track for you to check out if you haven't heard this album, but really you should hear it all. So, see if you can pull it up on one of the many avenues online, or search your local record store. This really is a gem.