2026: February | March | April

By the Numbers

1,756 plays across 1,263 unique tracks by 737 distinct artists — about 26% above a typical month over the past year. About 154 hours of music (9234 minutes). Busiest day was May 10th with 105 plays.

Deep Dives

Learning a lot about how long it takes for music to actually roll through the system. New albums certainly dominate for a while–I wonder what the impact of Bandcamp Fridays are as they hit. We’ll see.

Charlie Ballantine

19 plays across 10 tracks — about 16.3× a typical month

Charlie Ballantine is probably the best jazz guitarist nobody knows. He has some interviews online that I recommend–a bit of an introvert, moved to Baltimore recently as part of an intentional attempt to grow his audience. He deserves it–a great touch, a great level of lyricism. Totally worth it. I would probably start with Cold Coffee, or the Monk album.

Top Artists

Note how steady this is over the past few months–Roberta Flack and Art Tatum are working through large box sets, Iron & Wine and Mogwai are inescapable. But there is movement at the bottom.

1. Roberta Flack · 57 plays across 32 tracks (3rd time in top 10, 3 months running)
2. Art Tatum · 35 plays across 29 tracks (5th time in top 10, 5 months running)
3. Hurray For The Riff Raff · 32 plays across 14 tracks (3rd time in top 10, 3 months running)
4. Iron & Wine · 31 plays across 21 tracks (5th time in top 10, 5 months running)
5. Jason Moran · 26 plays across 9 tracks (2nd time in top 10)
6. Mogwai · 23 plays across 19 tracks (5th time in top 10, 5 months running)
7. Carolina Chocolate Drops · 21 plays across 12 tracks (3rd time in top 10, 3 months running)
8. Charlie Ballantine · 19 plays across 10 tracks
9. Rhiannon Giddens · 16 plays across 10 tracks
10. Bon Iver · 16 plays across 7 tracks

Top Albums

I’ll single out the I’m With Her album–a very strong trio of female voices. I discovered them with their collaboration with Iron & Wine, but their totally worth listening to in their own right.

Also, if you’ve been searching for more Yasmin Williams, the soundtrack album will scratch that itch.

Top Tracks

1. Simon Chenet & Salif Diarra — Niman (Putumayo Discovery: Global Café) · 5 plays
2. Carolina Chocolate Drops — Little Rabbit (Genuine Negro Jig (15th Anniversary Edition)) · 5 plays
3. Hania Rani — Nora (Sentimental Value) · 5 plays
4. Roberta Flack — Angelitos Negros (With Her Songs: The Atlantic Albums, 1969-1978) · 5 plays
5. Roberta Flack — Let Them Talk (With Her Songs: The Atlantic Albums, 1969-1978) · 5 plays
6. Ami Taf Ra — Khalil (The Prophet and The Madman) · 5 plays
7. Jason Moran — Wig Wise / South Side Digging (Jason Moran plays Duke Ellington) · 5 plays
8. Good Weather for an Airstrike & rhubiqs — a warm summer’s evening in san mamés (AV // TH) · 5 plays
9. I’m With Her & Ye Vagabonds — Rhododendron [Rocky Mount] (Sing Me Alive) · 5 plays

+ 20 more tracks at 4 plays

First Encounters

Artists whose first-ever play in the library happened this month.

Thanks to m for both Wendy Eisenberg and Joe Block. Block is my favorite trumpet player’s favorite piano player, and this is his first solo album.

• Wendy Eisenberg · 13 plays across 6 tracks · across 2 albums
• Joe Block · 10 plays across 4 tracks · from Solo Piano, Vol. 1
• ZENA · 7 plays across 2 tracks · from TEMESGEN
• Good Weather for an Airstrike & rhubiqs · 5 plays across 1 track · from AV // TH
• I’m With Her & Ye Vagabonds · 5 plays across 1 track · from Sing Me Alive

Anywhere, Anytime

37 of my 5★ tracks surfaced this month. Five whose previous play was furthest back:

Last heard September 2023

• Kansas City Breaks — The Modern Jazz Quartet (Three Windows)
• Hummingbird — B.B. King (The Best of B.B. King)
• Troy — Sinéad O’Connor (The Lion And The Cobra)
• Let X=X — Laurie Anderson (Big Science)

Last heard October 2023

• Lovin’ In My Baby’s Eyes — Taj Mahal (Phantom Blues)

How do I go 3 years without hearing Troy? My lord did we play The Lion and the Cobra out in college. Obvious candidate for soundtrack of at least the first 2 years.

From the Vault

Tracks I hadn’t reached for in over a year, returning this month. These all were last played in 2014.

Long Fin Killie! This is Luke Sutherland‘s–Mogwai’s violinist–other project. Experimental, melodic, with a sprinkle of wall-of-sound (he was in Mogwai …).

• Live @ SxSW 2014 — Kelis (NPR: Live In Concert from NPR’s All Songs Considered Podcast)
• Deficit — Russian Circles (Memorial)
• Lipstick — Long Fin Killie (Lipstick)
• Lunatic — Naked On My Own & Dopedrone (Lights and Air, Post-rock PL compilation vol. 1)
• Spinners — The Hold Steady (Teeth Dreams)
• Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me — Elton John (The Greatest Hits 1970-2002)
• Blues to Black — Owen (PV Digest)
• Flickers (Zeds Dead Remix) — Son Lux & Zeds Dead (Unknown)
• The Devil’s Ring Tone — Jeff Watts (Watts)
• Yemin Mi Ettin — Ayşe Mine (Kral Arabesk)

Coda

There is just so. much. music. out there. Go listen to something new to you!