Each month we ask a member of the community to tell us what music they’ve been digging.
D’Angelo has long been one of my greatest musical heroes, and in the wake of his passing, we’ve had his records on repeat in my house. One night in particular, I had my partner, Dan, who is a drummer, teach me to play Questlove’s iconic beats from the album Voodoo. Playing along made me extra appreciative of how spacious the song arrangements are, and in that spaciousness how you can hear how deeply the players are listening to each other.
Speaking of legends passing, I’ve also been listening to Jack DeJohnette, particularly his work with Miles Davis and the Keith Jarrett trio record Standards. My favorite track from Standards is “God Bless the Child,” which has the most satisfying gospel feel. I love watching the video of this trio playing the track live because you can observe how elegant and relaxed DeJohnette’s technique is, all the while being in total command of his instrument.
And for contemporary releases, one of my favorite albums from this year is Bleeds by Wednesday. This album has a sound that oscillates between ’90s grunge and American Beauty-era Grateful Dead, and it sounds totally fluid. I love Karly Hartzman’s melodic sensibility and how her songwriting feels both immediate and nostalgic. I love how the lyrics romanticize the mundane; they inspire me to write more about incidental moments.
This article appears in December 2025.
