Needle Drops: Four Essential Albums to Soundtrack Early Spring

The first hopeful hints of spring weather descend upon us northern hemispherians. Happily, great new music isn't dependent on the seasons—but it's an additional joy listening to this week's Needle Drops selection under the warm glow of a sun that's edging in on the summer. I say: bring on the good sounds to inspire some much-needed good moods. And if you're not feeling the weather, these four albums should send your ears swirling into pleasant climes.

What else should we be listening to? Please let us all know in the comments.

Jonah David - Waltz for Eli

Drummer Jonah David's debut album, Waltz for Eli, showcases his precise musicianship through a collection of standards and originals performed by a core trio featuring pianist Joel Sanford and bassist Joe Bussey, with guest appearances by guitarist Jake Stith, saxophonist Jason Arce, vibraphonist Bryan Carrott, trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, and vocalist Anna Perkins.

David is the product of two musical worlds, civilian and military. Born in 1977 in South Orange, New Jersey, he studied at Rutgers University and the New School before touring with acts including King Django, Brooklyn Funk Essentials, and Matisyahu. Currently a First Class Petty Officer in the U.S. Navy stationed in Hawaii, David recorded this album while working as a percussion instructor at the Naval School of Music in Virginia Beach. The album was co-produced with keyboardist Ettienne Stadwijk, who David credits as a significant mentor. "My goal was to create a Jazz aesthetic that is accessible to both connoisseurs and laymen," David notes in the liner notes, highlighting his intention to cultivate musical communication among trusted collaborators. His timekeeping foundation adds particular clarity to interpretations of classics like Thelonious Monk's "Rhythm-a-ning" and Freddie Hubbard's "Little Sunflower," a track I had not revisited in a while and which is sending me down a Hubbard rabbit hole as I type this. (LP)

Constant Follower - The Smile You Send Out Returns To You

Stephen McAll, Constant Follower's guiding light, appeared on the Spotlight On podcast in 2022. The Scottish singer-songwriter told a captivating story that could easily have veered into tragedy: an unprovoked attack resulted in a catastrophic head injury, depriving Stephen of his childhood memories. As he recovered and slowly relearned the craft of songwriting, the need to retrieve these lost memories inspired his post-amnesia songs.

Constant Follower's second album, The Smile You Send Out Returns To You, retains the feeling of distant recollection in sound, atmosphere, and perhaps lyrical themes. The songs are spare and consumed by space, the ringing, often acoustic guitars, only-when-necessary additional instrument embellishments, and even rarer drum sightings hinting at intimate fireside sessions within wide landscapes. The real truth of the matter comes from the vocals, with band members Kathleen Stosch and Amy Campbell putting aside their instrument side duties of the previous album to focus full-time on beautiful harmonizing. Stephen's voice is calm and slightly weary—all wistfulness and charmingly subdued emotion—with moments of rise and revelation. (The Drake is strong in this one, and I'm not talking about Kendrick's buddy.) But the magic is how Kathleen and Amy create the perfect puzzle-fit for Stephen's tonality, rendering the pair more as co-vocalists than backup singers. Theirs is a glorious sound to send out into the landscape.

The whole of The Smile You Send Out Returns To You is a 'mood,' which makes it tough to pick out highlights. This is an album one puts on and settles into. That said, "Whole Be" was the song that compelled me to share this album with you. It's a delicate waltz sprinkled liberally with stereo-panned layers of guitar and driven by a single-note heartbeat of a bass line. Again, the vocals here are the volcanic feature; Stephen, Amy, and Kathleen gorgeously harmonize throughout in loose tandem, with wordless sections highlighting the latter duo. If you listen to this and don't get some sort of melancholic chill, I don't know what to tell you. As for me, it's no doubt the loveliest thing I've heard in ages. (MD)

Tom Avgenicos ft. Delay 45 & Ensemble Apex - Ghosts Between Streams

Tom Avgenicos's Ghosts Between Streams presents a focused fusion of chamber music, jazz, and electronic elements, recorded live at Sydney, Australia's Pier 2/3 in June 2023. The trumpeter's fifth album pairs his jazz quartet, Delay 45, with Ensemble Apex's classical musician collective, creating contrasts between acoustic strings and electronic processing.

Inspired by walks through Stringybark Creek on Cammeraygal Country, Avgenicos (famous as a place where three policemen were murdered in 1878), this album took me on multiple journeys: across time, with sounds reminiscent of mid-70s electric jazz, and place, by exploring the intersection of nature and urbanization through the musical juxtapositions of consonance against dissonance and acoustic against electronic. I find this record hard to shake. (LP)

Le Motel - Odd Numbers / Số Lẻ

One of my fascinations with music—or sound in general—is how it can transport the listener's imagination to exotic places. This can be unintentional, like an old Motown recording that brings one to the time and place of its recording, or subtle, as in a production carefully placing reverb and stereo spread to convey a spacious environ. Then there's Belgian producer Le Motel, who explicitly takes us on a journey throughout Vietnam through his album Odd Numbers / Số Lẻ.

Le Motel ventured forth, from Hanoi to the Hmong communities in the mountains, armed with the means to capture the audio of his surroundings. He welcomed direct contributions from contacts made, including those from the daughter of a Hmong shaman, a Vietnamese poet, and players of traditional instrumentation. However, back in Brussels, the burgeoning project took on unexpected forms.

Le Motel added textures, melodies, and rhythm to create musical accompaniment for the gathered sounds. Things could have ended there, but instead, Le Motel reached out to many of his sources to continue the process, making Odd Numbers / Số Lẻ into more of a collaboration than a visitor's artistic extraction of culture. Indeed, nine of the album's 15 tracks feature additional writing credits to include participants in the international outcome. Intentionally or otherwise, the album becomes a statement about travel and tourism, to engage with one's destination and continue to do so rather than discarding the experience as a mere distraction or getaway.

The mix is as thought-provoking as it is enjoyable and mesmerizing. The direct contributions, such as Phapxa Chan's poetic reading on "I Cried Like a Child of Three" and the assorted instrument phrases, are interspersed with field recordings of passing motorbikes, idle chat, changing weather, and city sounds. The combination, scored by Le Motel's flowing electronics, gently inspires the imagination in the way I previously mentioned. One can't help but feel this place, maybe even see this place—not only the outside geography of Vietnam but, more importantly, the lives and voices of the friends made there. (MD)