Sam Prekop, whose new record, "Who's Your New Professor?" was released last week, is the lead singer of the Sea and Cake. Here's a list of some of his current favorite music.
1. "Transit," from "Venice" by Fennesz
"It's been quite some time since I've been shocked, startled by a song, so beautifully unexpected is this collaboration by [guest vocalist David] Sylvian and Fennesz. This record is perfectly paced and so precisely moody."
2. "Congotronics" by Konono No. 1 (free download: "Ditshe Tshiekutala")
"The instrumentation is striking enough, electrified fuzz kalimbas and bottle caps, long-distance singing. But the air captured is equally impressive, such real space. I've not heard anything else like this."
3. "Salaam," from the Trojan Nyahbinghi box set by Bongo Herman
"I revisit this track often. It has all the hallmarks of the best early '70s Jamaican music: false starts, barnyard sounds, eerie wisps of vocals, damaged delay all over the bongos, and echoes of Curtis Mayfield's 'Impressions.'"
4. "On Falling," from "The World Is Saved" by Stina Nordestam
"I'll always be a sucker for pop songs that possess such gorgeous clarinet and muted trumpet arrangements. As the song moves, more detail arrives. The buildup is a sublime reduction."
5. "Glorious" by Sa-Ra Creative Partners
"An impossibly crooked bass chasing busted handclaps, so expressively haphazard. This sounds brand new, but still reflects so much. Excellent."
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