Top Ten of the Moment

It's been a minute...

Philly’s Golden Apples / photo by Kit Ramsey

It’s been since mid-September that I’ve reported out on some jams. Despite my recent “phased-retirement” during which I can spend more time at the gym, decide to go to a movie on a whim (on my retirement days off, that is), listen to jazz, read more, and just generally “fuck off” as Jackson Lamb is fondly known for saying, there’s always jams running through the background. Here’s some of my faves in the last month and a half or so.

1. My new crush: NYC’s My Wonderful Boyfriend

2. My favorite new rediscovery: “In A Moment” by The Intrigues. A soul stomper from 1969, The Intrigues were a four piece from Philly. The single was produced by Philly legends Bobby Martin and Thom Bell. Bell was rising early in his career when he worked on this, and would go on to become a premiere producer, arranger and songwriter (along with Gamble & Huff). The brilliance of this song lives in its urgency and dynamic arrangement, and while it barely scratched the surface of the Billboard Hot 100, it was a huge hit here in the 215, on both AM radio stations, WFIL and WIBG (Wibbage).

3. New jazz discovery: SML is a LA based quintet made up of supremely accomplished players from the indie jazz scene. The band includes Anna Butterss (Jason Isbell, Phoebe Bridgers, Makaya McCraven, Jeff Parker), synthesist Jeremiah Chiu (Ariel Kalma, Marta Sofia Honer, Icy Demons), saxophonist Josh Johnson (Meshell Ndegeocello, Leon Bridges, Carlos Niño), percussionist Booker Stardrum (Photay, Lisel, Jefre Cantu-Ledesma, Wendy Eisenberg) and guitarist Gregory Uhlmann (Meg Duffy, Perfume Genius, Tasha).

   I had a chance to meet Johnson when he was in Philly, performing with drummer Nate Smith. Before their show, Smith and the band visited WXPN to record an interview and session for World Cafe. Taking a break from the action, I chatted with Johnson, who told me about SML and I’ve had this funkafied slice of heaven on repeat. Their lp, How You Been is out next week (International Anthem) and they play Big Ears in March (put their show on your list if you head to Knoxville).

4. The best new song on the Jeff Tweedy epic, Twilight Override. This one:

5. From Philly with love: Golden Apples - Together for about a decade, GA is the work of Russell Edling. Yeah, you’ll hear some strains of your faves on their new album, Shooting Star. Like Yo La. Like Apples In Stereo (& Elephant 6 incorp.) and a little GBV. But don’t be distracted by those musical comps. There’s some very catchy hooks, touches of 60’s psych-rock, some tasty layers of sound on this record. It’s an all Philly affair as well: Edling recruited an all-star lineup of Philadelphia’s best players–including drummer Pat Conaboy (Kite Party, Sun Organ, Spirit of the Beehive), bassist Tim Jordan (Kite Party, Sun Organ, Lowercase Roses), guitarist/vocalist Mimi Gallagher (Nona, Eight, Cave People), and guitarist Matt Scheuermann (Lowercase Roses).

Here’s a couple:

6. “Stay In Your Lane” by Courtney Barnett - Ok. So the video is kinda on the gross side. But man does this song rock. First touch point I thought of was “Precious” by Chrissie & Pretenders. So much good guitar on this, thank you Courtney. It’s a driver.

7. ”Afterthought” by Tame Impala - Aside from that straight up mean thrashing of Tame’s new lp by Pitchfork - (oh how the mighty have fallen - they went from a 9.3 for Currents almost a decade ago to a 4.8 for the recent Deadbeat) - the handful of new songs that I saw them played during their Nov. 1 residency at Barclays in the BK sounded like they’ll stand the test of time. Ok -I don’t get “Dracula”, but the K. Parker meets Off The Wall-era Quincy Jones styled “Afterthought,” is a jam.

8. Chicago Rock Special: Glyders - S/O to Mr. Chicago, Josh Terry for the tip on Glyders, a trio that formed in 2014 by guitarist/vocalist Joshua Condon and bassist Eliza Weber; drummer Joe Seger joined a couple years ago. New record, Forever comes out soon-ish on Drag City. They remind me of early-ish Meat Puppets but sound nothing like them (ok, that probably doesn’t help). On “Stone Shadow” tho, they choogle rock it up, bringing to mind some of the classic American boogie guitar rock of days of yore.

9. Rest In Peace, Jack DeJohnette 10/26/25, 83 years young - I mean, where do you even start to listen if you don’t know much about legend jazz drummer, pianist and composer DeJohnette if you don’t know more than his work on Bitches Brew? How about with Special Edition or any of his now classic sideman sessions with Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, Pat Metheny, Freddie Hubbard, etc? I asked some jazz aligned friends of mine to pick out their faves, and I’ve bundled ‘em all together in one playlist. Yeah, I’m missing some, I’m sure.

10. Finally, more jazzy stuff (if you wanna call it that): СОЮЗ (SOYUZ) is originally from Minsk, Belarus, founded by multi-instrumentalists Alex Chumak and Mikita Arlou. After relocating to Warsaw in 2022, the band was joined by Polish musicians Albert Karch (drums) and Igor Wiśniewski (guitar). I’m a huge Metheny fan, and this record squares in the musical vibe of the PM Group records like his late 80s stunners Still Life (Talking) and Letter From Home, sans much of the percussive nature of those records. But everything else is here: the keys and guitars, the warmth, the melodicism, the overall analogueism of the record as well as some beautiful string and woodwind arrangements, vocals and guitars that are welcoming ingredients in the songs.

Thanks for listening. Until next time.