160. Jim James - ‘Regions of Light and Sound of God’ + Stargazer

Jim James - ‘Regions of Light and Sound of God’ + Stargazer

Ingredients: 1 1/2 ounces rye whiskey, 1 1/2 ounces Lillet Blanc, 2 dashes Angostura bitters, lemon twist for garnish.

Mixing Instructions: Stir ingredients with ice in a mixing glass then strain into a chilled cocktail glass.  Garnish with a lemon twist and serve.

Notes: There’s something gripping about the idea of Jim James sitting alone in his bedroom with nothing, but a heightened spiritual awareness and some old recording equipment.  For most that idea alone is more than sufficient justification for giving the My Morning Jacket frontman’s debut solo album a spin.  But, for the skeptic I submit this - Regions of Light… offers one of the most gifted voices of the past decade delicately and wholeheartedly pressing into life’s biggest questions.  

Inspired by Lynd Ward’s God’s Man, which he read while recuperating from a 2008 fall, James pulls from both the themes of the book, as well as the positive, soulful vibes of 70’s R&B (Gaye, Withers, even Miles Davis) to provide nine songs of love, happiness, humility and spiritual wrestling.  An album that goes gently, but persistently about its creative mission, it deserves a quiet evening to savor and a drink to highlight its beauty without getting in its way.

purchase vinyl:   Amazon   ||   Insound

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

99. Alt-J - ‘An Awesome Wave’ + Americano

Alt-J - ‘An Awesome Wave’ + Americano

Ingredients: 1 1/2 ounces Campari, 1 1/2 ounces sweet vermouth, 3 ounces soda water, orange slice for garnish.

Mixing Instructions: Fill highball glass with ice.  Add Campari and sweet vermouth, top generously with soda (don’t exceed 1:1:2 ratio).  Garnish with orange slice.

Notes: My first contact with British quartet ∆ (pronounced Alt-J) was via their floating and beautiful, “Something Good”, a song about the mending of a broken heart told through the death of a matador.  It delicately strums many of the same emotional strings as Radical Face’s “Welcome Home, Son” welling up in the listener an inexplicable torrent of nostalgia and longing.  What raises the band’s credibility, however, is the rest of the album.  Rather then a let down one finds oneself going from song to song saying, “This is my favorite…wait, no this one is.”  Each song is a unique and compelling character on its own, but fits perfectly into the larger story.  This is music to listen to when you’re bored with music.  It’s a refreshing reminder of what’s possible when people mix love and risk into their art. 

purchase vinyl:   Amazon   ||   Insound

93. Sufjan Stevens - ‘Illinois' + Sidecar

Sufjan Stevens - ‘Illinois' + Sidecar

Ingredients: 1 1/2 ounces cognac, 3/4 ounce Cointreau, 3/4 ounce lemon juice

Mixing Instructions: Shake well with ice then strain into a chilled cocktail glass that has had its outside rim rubbed with lemon juice and dipped in sugar. 

Notes: Often referred to as Come On Feel the Illinoise, Sufjan Stevens second concept album based on a state is one of the most complete and expertly executed pieces of art that you could possible add to your record collection.  I couldn’t possibly say enough about how beautiful and complete this album plays through, or how well Sufjan sticks to the theme he set out to with this album, but it’s so well done that it’s possible you’ve heard it and told somebody you liked it without even realizing fully what you heard.  Whether the songs grab you right away (eventually, they will slay you), just listening and cataloging the references to the state of Illinois in each song is an exercise in and of itself.  Put the album on and find one of the many many aspects of this album to love, because the album isn’t missing anything—in this case it’s you.

purchase vinyl:  Amazon  ||  Insound