Nadajai - Crowfoot
My most recent all-time favorite. This is Canadian celtic music at its absolute finest. After three listens, I found this album magical from start to finish. You know that first day in the spring when it is warm enough to open the windows? This is like that, only better.

I like it when folks put what they're listening to on personally oriented web sites, so, in case you do too, here's a bit of what I listen to. These are the albums that were on heavy rotation in my CD players and iPod while I was writing and making in small hours.

Blue West - Philip Aaberg
On this album, the world's greatest pianist plays blues. Like anything he does, he makes it entirely his own. It is another of his Montana albums, and every bit as expressive and compelling as his sparser albums, though he uses a palette that includes blues, as well as his usual chorale-like pastoral harmonies. I first heard a couple of these pieces live, and was counting the days until the recording came out. It was no disappointment.

Uncorked - House Red
Their website says, "Energetic, driving dance music to make you wanna move." Live, these guys are the rock and roll freight train of the contradance world. Their recording, with the exact right amount of refinement, never fails to get my pulse up. Plus, turns me into a dancing fool.

The Symphonies - Sibelius
I spent years wondering what people thought was so special about Sibelius. When it finally bit, it bit hard. This is deep dark haunting music that I often listen to during the small hours.

Wells EP - Wells
Great original pop tunes, in the space shared by the Beatles, XTC, and Squeeze. I love the whole thing, but one tune in particular, Pillowcase, has the shocking specialness of an impossibly good song that only comes around every once in a long while. I must have played it on loop two hundred times. I had the good fortune to hear a song they never released, No Shame Tonight, that was also just impossibly good. Even though the band has split up, lucky for us the EP is still available.

The Soundest Serum - Garland of Hours
Everything cellist and pianist Amy Domingues touches is great. Her taste and abilities in music are broad: she is one of that new generation of classical musician who is as serious about punk music as she is classical. On this, my favorite of her recordings, her classical, medieval, and punk music sensibilities are all brought to bear. Her cello and piano playing are more haunting than ever. For Fairport Convention fans, here is finally a true successor to the consummate Liege and Lief.

Grant-Lee Phillips - Mobilize
The lyrics are poetry, the music is utterly original- superbly crafted and played rock songs. There's not an album I would compare this to. Some songs took longer for me to realize it than others, but every one is a masterpiece. And there's nothing else like it.

Ginastera - Complete Piano Music
Ginastera paints glimpses into distant exotic worlds, and Barbara Nissman has decided that we must visit them in person.

Delivery Man - Elvis Costello
I hold Elvis to the greatest songwriter of all time bar none. These are great songs, to some degree performed in the alt-country style. The master of all styles has not let us down. They are subtle and rocking.

Latenight Betty - Pepe & the Bottle Blondes
Fine rowdy latin cabaret from Portland, Oregon. A great album that I found browsing on cdbaby. I bought a bunch of copies and sent them to my brothers and friends. It is pure fun. One of my favorite things in the world is to watch my niece and nephew sing along with Rumba de 5 kilos.

Sympathique - Pink Martini
Elegant retro loungey clubby worldy music. Another Portland Oregon original.

The Instigator - Rhett Miller
These are infectious, hummable, jangly pop songs with enough depth to warrant many, many listens. Phenomenal rhythm guitar and vocal harmonies render it perfect travel music.