Jon Young Thropugh Native Eyes

The greatest strength of Oehms Classics' live recording of the Hamburg Staatsoper 2005 production of Mathis der Maler is the supple and dramatic conducting of Simone Young, the Australian general manager of the company. The score contains some of Hindemith's most overtly romantic and emotionally expressive music, as well as some extended passages that sound like academic note-spinning. Young is remarkably successful in accentuating the score's moments of sensuality, such as the opening "Concert of Angels," and manages to keep the dramatic momentum up during the more pedestrian passages. The sound is full, clean, and well balanced for a live opera performance.

Life is horribly dark right now. And yet, it is not unfunny. That’s the sentiment that animates Water From Your Eyes on their new album, and first for Matador, ‘Everyone’s Crushed,’ out May 26. On the follow-up to the Brooklyn duo’s 2021 breakthrough, ‘Structure,’Rachel Brown (they/them) and Nate Amos (he/him) find silliness and fatalism dancing in a frantic lockstep, using heart palpitating rhythms and absurdist, deadpan lyrics to convey stories of personal and societal unease. Described by Brown as Water From Your Eyes’ most collaborative record ever, it’s a swollen contusion of an album: experimental pop music that’s pretty and violent, raw and indelible.

Released in October 1977, the essential anthology Decade (a triple vinyl album back then!) gives a detailed overview of Neil Young’s work between 1966 and 1976. In 35 titles (including 6 unreleased pieces), the Loner’s genius bursts out for all to see. Mostly solo, but also with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills and Nash, this collection particularly shows that this decade was his most fascinating. Building on masterfully written songs, Neil Young mixes rock, folk and country with great originality for the time. In both ballads and much meaner songs, his style is like fireworks. He is most likely the most original artist of his generation. One that never shies away from questioning himself either. Novices can start climbing the mountain of his works with this five-star compilation record, before digging deeper, one album at a time.