Jan. 31, 2012
This week Brooklyn indie pop trio Hospitality finally release their first album after teasing fans of well-written, sweetly-sung, warmly played, Camera Obscura-styled pop a couple years ago with an EP, then vanishing. Amber Papini's voice and words are the obvious selling point of the band and album, she's charmingly witty and totally down to earth with an pleasingly off-kilter way of singing. If you look past that though, you'll hear that the record is put together like a perfectly calibrated machine, thanks to the atmosphere and arrangements provided by band member (and co-producer) Nathan Michel. We asked him to contribute a list and he must have been dreaming about summer because he sent along his top five records to listen to while driving to the beach to go surfing. First, here's a song from the album:
Miles Davis - A Tribute to Jack Johnson, Bitches Brew, In A Silent Way
I couldn't settle on one, but these are my go-to records for driving to the beach super early in the morning when there's no traffic and the caffeine is kicking in.
Nathan Michel - Morning Minutes
This past summer I was making two-minute tracks on a four-track cassette player everyday. I'd often listen to them while driving out to Rockaway. Driving is great for listening closely--but not too closely--to one's own music. You can get a feel for the flow between tracks really well when driving.
Bob Marley - Exodus
I used to jam this one on a Walkman while my parents drove me out to the beach when I was a kid. I've associated it with going surfing ever since.
J.S. Bach - "English Suites"
This is afternoon music. Andras Schiff playing.
Morton Feldman - Why Patterns?
I think I might listen to this one when there's a lot of traffic. It's bubbly, kind of like Bitches Brew, but slowed down and thinned out.