Screenshot of the trailer of 奇跡 by There Stands the Glass.
Top Ten Albums (released in September)
1. Mathias Eick- When We Leave
2. Borderlands Trio- Wandersphere
3. Nala Sinephro- Space 1.8
4. Drake- Certified Lover Boy
Infuriatingly undeniable.
5. Roscoe Mitchell- Dots: Pieces for Percussion and Woodwinds
Solemn incantations from the auspicious octogenarian.
6. Moor Mother- Black Encyclopedia of the Air
Urgent poetry.
7. Pat Metheny- Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV)
8. Lea Desandre- Amazone
Sensual baroque chamber music.
9. RP Boo- Established!
Zany Chicago footwork.
10. The Count Basie Orchestra- Live at Birdland
Top Ten Songs (released in September)
1. Tokischa and Rosalía- "Linda"
Besos.
2. Priya Ragu- "Lockdown"
Not so solitary.
3. Chlöe- "Have Mercy"
Oh Lord.
4. Lauren Alaina- "On Top of the World"
5. Lydia Loveless- "Let's Make Out"
“The maid won’t be here until nine or ten.”
6. Amyl and the Sniffers- “Don’t Need a **** (Like You to Love Me)”
Rock’s not dead.
7. Paul Wall and Rich The Factor- "Countin' Paper"
Stacks.
8. Kirby- "Coconut Oil"
Silky.
9. Lady Blackbird- "Fix It"
Peace piece.
10. Jonas Kaufmann and Helmut Deutsch- “Im Rhein, im schönen Strome”
I’ve contracted a nasty case of Lisztomania.
Live Music
The books I read outnumbered the shows I attended in September. I intend to venture out a lot more in October. I’ve even timed a trip to Detroit to catch a concert by an artist listed above who has conspicuously bypassed Kansas City for years.
Top Ten Films (viewed for the first time in September)
1. Lawrence of Arabia: Director’s Cut (1962)
T.E. Lawrence as white savior.
2. Body and Soul (1925)
Paul Robeson’s first film.
3. Hoří, má panenko/The Firemen’s Ball (1967)
Shameful Czech corruption.
4. The Golden Ring: The Making of Solti’s Ring (1965)
5. Street Girl (1929)
Betty Compson stars in a racy Jazz Age musical.
6. 奇跡/I Wish (2011)
Japan is now at the top of my travel wish list.
7. Cairo (1942)
Loopy wartime musical with Ethel Waters.
8. Take a Giant Step (1959)
Johnny Nash plays a beleaguered teen.
9. The Outhouse: The Film, 1985-1987 (2019)
“My” version of the Kansas venue- Tupelo Chain Sex, Sonic Youth, the Georgia Satellites, etc.- receives short shrift in the documentary.
10. The Courier (2021)
By-the-numbers cold war spy thriller.
August’s recap and links to previous monthly surveys are here.