102. Laura Marling - ‘I Speak Because I Can’ + Le Petit Hibou

Laura Marling - ‘I Speak Because I Can’ + Le Petit Hibou

Ingredients: 2 ounces Pinot Blanc or New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, 2 ounces Lilet Blanc, 2 ounces apple juice.

Mixing Instructions: Pour all the ingredients into a collins glass filled with ice.  Stir gently with a spoon or swizzle stick and serve.

Notes:  There are some albums that one guards as closely as a member of their own family.  They are the ones quietly kept hidden when friends ask to hear your collection, too delicate to be offered up for greedy ears.  The sophomore effort of British singer-songwriter Laura Marling is one of those albums — pure and beautiful folk music that can stand confidently in the midst of such legends as Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan.  ”Rambling Man” is a giant of a song that reveals a steel underbelly hidden beneath Marling’s sterling silver voice.  A breakthrough album that captures the sentiment of Fall’s slow transition into the twilight of the year, this is simply one you can’t afford to miss.

purchase vinyl:   Amazon  ||   Insound

www.vinylandcocktails.com

90. Arctic Monkeys - ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’ + Salty Dog

Arctic Monkeys - ‘Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not’ + Salty Dog

Ingredients: 1 1/2 ounces vodka, 4 ounces grapefruit juice, salt

Mixing Instructions: Salt the rim of a highball glass by running a piece of grapefruit around the rim and dipping in coarse salt.  Fill with ice, add vodka and grapefruit juice and serve.

Notes:  It’s rare to see a band debut with as much buzz as the Arctic Monkey’s did when hit the scene in 2004/2005, and an even more rare occasion that they can deliver like the Arctic Monkey’s did with Whatever People Say I am, that’s What I’m Not.  After some timely singles leading this knockout LP, Arctic Monkey’s scored the #1 spot for largest first week sales of a debut album in the UK (note—this is significant).  Many of the songs might sound like the storytelling of 19-20 year olds (that they were, at the time), but it’s the energy and talent that carry the album through… they rock harder than most music you’re probably hearing day-to-day, we’d guess.  Now that Alex Turner and crew have etched their name in history there is a growing catalog of their music to enjoy.  Our advice?… make it a point to go back their earliest work and appreciate where it started.

purchase vinyl:   Amazon   ||   Insound