29 album recommendations to celebrate Episode 250
I've been anticipating putting out the 250th episode of You, Me and An Album for months, so it's a little hard for me to absorb that it's now out there on the internet. About 24 hours ago, I published my interview with Jorina Stamm of the Swiss indie pop group Soft Loft, so there are now 250 full-length episodes of YMAAA available for everyone to listen to. This episode is also notable, because Jorina and I discussed Phoebe Bridgers' still-pretty-new album Lost Weekend. Jorina was the first guest to choose an album that could be considered current. (As of this writing, Lost Weekend is at No. 54 on the Billboard 200, and "The Governor's Waltz" is still hanging around on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart.)
I'm excited for the next chapter of YMAAA, which I'm optimistically thinking of as The Next 250. For Ep 251, I'll be rolling out a new logo (designed by the multi-talented Mary Beth Melchior) and some new intro music. The guest is a pretty special one, too, as drummer extraordinaire Cindy Blackman Santana joins me to talk about three albums she has been involved with as a bandleader or band member—one past, one present and one future.
Before moving forward into The Next 250, I want to thank everyone who has listened to YMAAA and everyone who has joined me on the show as a guest. I thought a fun way to celebrate this moment would be to solicit and share an album recommendation from several people who have already been on the show or who will be in the future. No fewer than 22 guests contributed an album recommendation—and some came through with multiple recommendations! Thanks to all who chipped in on this list.
I hope you enjoy these recommendations and check out a few that you might not know. And if you have a recommendation to add, please do share it in the comments.
Happy listening, and see you in The Next 250!
Rain Perry: Chuck Prophet, No Other Love
Though Prophet has a passionate following, I think he has flown under the radar of the mainstream in a way that is just not right. This record masterfully demonstrates his ability to incorporate the lexicon of rock ‘n’ roll while always saying something interesting, deep and new. All that and killer telecaster playing on top of it. I’m a huge fan.
Chris Cwik: The Wrens, The Meadowlands
Years of exhaustion, writer's block and frustration led some to wonder whether this album would ever come. But the group got things together in the end, and produced an emotional and powerful album about the challenges of growing older, remaining a band and maintaining relationships. While it was received well among release, it has never received a release on vinyl, something I would gladly spend way too much money on if they ever made it a reality. It's one of the few albums that I instantly fell in love with seconds into the first song.
Michael Govier: Film School, self-titled
Film School's self-titled album from 2006 is an indie underground
masterpiece! I repeat, masterpiece! At least for me. If you love
grooving rhythms, ethereal guitar tones, shoegaze-esque acoustic dream
sequences and sing-along songs, this album has it all from beginning
to end! I cannot recommend it enough!
Casey Neill: Fernando Viciconte, Enter to Exit
Fernando is one of Portland, Oregon's greatest songwriters and this album 'Enter to Exit' combines soaring dreamy songs with mellotron laden Beatles-y pop rock. This is a personal favorite though all his records are incredible and there is a new one out called 'Traitor's Table'. https://domingorecords.bandcamp.com/album/enter-to-exit
Tasmin Archer: De La Soul, Cabin in the Sky
Perhaps, like me, you keep missing out on some releases by both new and established artists. Consequently you may have let some gems slip by. It’s what happened to me regarding De La Soul. Over the years I lost track of them as they continued to release exceptional music. I’d like to make amends for that and so I’m pointing you in the direction of their album ‘Cabin in the Sky’.
I only discovered it recently and it is an album not to be missed whatever genre you gravitate towards. Great music is just great music. I believe it’s their ninth studio album and it was released in November 2025. It shines like a diamond for me and will no doubt be an inspiration for many artists. The production is special and pulled me in with each of the 20 tracks blending with each other like interesting scene changes in a great movie. There’s an enormous amount of attention to detail which is synonymous with the way they’ve always done things.
It’s heartening to hear that their creative passion hasn’t faded at all even without one of the original member’s physical presence. I did get a strong sense that the late David Jolicoeur has had a posthumous input on this album. Indeed the remaining band members have stated that “at its core this is an album about David Jolicoeur and the space he’s left behind”.
I have no doubt I will be returning to this album often.
Jesse Chandler: Alice Coltrane, The Carnegie Hall Concert
I just finished reading Andy Beta’s great new book on Alice Coltrane, and some of the things the press and other musicians said about her really shocked me—she was very misunderstood and under-appreciated for much of her career.
This magical concert sheds light on how truly exceptional she was as a performer. I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the Coltrane House in Dix Hills NY about 7 or 8 years ago–they were still fixing it up but you could feel this otherworldly energy and presence in that basement room where albums like “Journey to Satchidinanda” were recorded.
Jason Bemis Lawrence: The Building, Weapon; Lomelda, Hannah; Wombo, Danger in Fives
“Weapon”: Anthony LaMarca is a member of The War on Drugs, but he’s been making his own records as The Building for over a decade. He plays everything on the records and showcases what an incredible and underrated musician and writer he is. I think Weapon is a masterpiece and clearly a work inspired by an exceptionally emotional time.
“Hannah”: I saw that Sufjan Stevens recently listed this as one of his favorite records so maybe it’s more widely known than I realized. I saw Lomelda open for Big Thief in NYC sometime before COVID and I was an instant fan.
“Danger in Fives”: Wombo is a trio from Louisville, KY that has been touring and putting out music for about a decade how. All 3 musicians are ambitious and have unique styles that come together in tight, groovy, concise songs reminiscent at times of bands like Blonde Redhead.
Also from Jason...I recently made a playlist that has songs from a bunch of records that come to mind when reading your question. A few of the songs are mine because I made the playlist for a friend's music marketing/playlist website, but the rest of the artists and albums the songs are on are really great and I think worthy of more attention.
Jeremy Shatan: Maisy Owen, Dark on a Sunny Day
My #1 album of the year so far is this extraordinary debut by Nashville-based singer-songwriter Maisy Owen. Though only in her early 20s, Owen seems to have the essence of country and folk music flowing in her veins, and it comes out in her pure voice, indelible melodies, and lyrics that are wiser than her years. Produced by Robin Eaton, the album keeps the focus on her voice, with spare settings of acoustic guitar, viola, and not much else. It was love at first listen for me, and I hope everyone experiences the same thing.
Review here: https://anearful.substack.com/p/a-song-for-friday-maisy-owen?utm_source=publication-search
Bandcamp: https://tompkinssquare.bandcamp.com/album/dark-on-a-sunny-day
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1zR9EZ6rdImWUKigHy8udJ?si=yDOmShGqQECZHPZpr_UYQA
Wanz: David Sanborn, Voyeur
I recommend Voyeur because of the combination of soul, jazz and funk. Marcus Miller produces a gem of a record, especially on roadtrips.
Dylan Rodrigue: Thumper, self-titled
An incredibly innovative band that never got the recognition they deserved. If I was to simply describe them, I'd say they are some version of Blue Cheer meets The Zombies meets Terry Reid meets CSYN. Such great songs. The band is fantastic. Dude sings like an angel.
Here's a little personal background about my relationship to that music:When I was a kid my dad worked at a children's book publishing company called Dawn Publications. His co-worker Renee had a husband named Tom who would come to the Dawn Christmas parties and sometimes I think he might have worked there as well. Anyways, he burnt a CD for my dad and I of his old band from the 60s. He played bass in this band Thumper. At that time I was super deep into the Beatles so this shit really came at a great time for me. I listened to that CD over and over and just thought it was so good. The story Tom had told us is that Thumper was signed to A&M, made a record and then the label shelved it because they "didn't sound enough like Credence." The diverse amount of styles they explored was considered unmarketable by A&M's standards. The lead singer/songwriter went on to live a life of drugs and crime, in and out of jail, and died at 35. Anyways, years have past, my dad has passed away, Dawn is no longer a company, that CD is long-since lost, and I haven't seen Tom in over a decade. But every year or two I go online to see if I can find that band, album, or any info at all. Usually I found maybe a song or two but nothing else. Last week I looked them up again and found a website talking about their story. It blew my mind to find out that the lead guitarist's son is a great sax player who I know from calarts. Super small world. I relayed this story to him and the day I sent him that message apparently just happened to be his Dad's birthday. Super crazy. Anyways, the website also had that link to the whole album and it was just such a joy to hear that music again for the 1st time in almost 2 decades! Crazy shit. Long live Thumper!
Chris Towers: Gang of Youths, angle in realtime
The story behind this one is a big part of it: After the lead singer's father died, he discovered his father had lied about basically everything about his life -- his age, his ethnic heritage, where he was from, and his life before his family. The album is about coming to grips with what he knew about his father, what he didn't, what it all means, and how it affects his life moving forward. And it's all wrapped up in Gang of Youths' typically bombastic music, which expands to include Polynesian rhythms and voices. It's messy and beautiful and heartbreaking and unabashedly huge. Gang of Youths - in the wake of your leave (Official Video)
Lail Arad and JF Robitaille: Chaim Tannenbaum, self-titled
After years of performing on other people’s albums (Loudon Wainwright III, The McGariggles) this was his debut solo album, released at the age of 68. It’s a beauty, every song is just pristine.
Henning Ohlenbusch: Andy Shauf, The Neon Skyline
I've never before heard an album that flowed so much like a novel. It takes place over the course of one night, complete with flashbacks and memories. A simple story of a lost relationship sung in Shauf's Saskatchewan accent woven delicately through intricate one-man-band instrumentation. Can a few lines of lyrics sum up the sensibility? How about: Somewhere between drunkenness and charity / She puts her hand on the sleeve of my coat / She says, "I've missed this" / I say, "I know, I've missed you, too" / She says, "I was actually talking about your coat".
Joe Adragna: Gerard Love, Lightships
I am not sure how aware people are of this beautiful record by Gerard Love (formerly of Teenage Fanclub). It's an unbelievably beautiful record that is incredibly well mixed, recorded, arranged, and performed. Fave tracks: Muddy Rivers, The Sweetness in Her Spark (but they're all great).
Jamie Campbell: Portastatic, Slow Note from a Sinking Ship
Portastatic is the solo project of Mac McCaughan (of Superchunk fame). While his ‘90s releases under that moniker were somewhat experimental, Slow Note is the most accessible and fully realized of the bunch. Standout tracks include “When You Crashed,” “Skinny Glasses Girl,” “San Andreas,” “Taking You with Me,” “A Cunning Latch,” “Running Water,” “On Our Hands,” “Pastime,” and “In the Manner of Anne Frank.” You know it’s a good album when there are nearly a dozen standout tracks! If folks like this album I also encourage them to dig deeper into Portastatic’s discography and check out songs like “Naked Pilseners,” “Beer and Chocolate Bars,” “Memphis,” “Hurricane Warning (Ignored),” “Chesapeake,” “Little Fern,” “Truckstop Cassettes,” etc.
Mike Lord: The Fierce and The Dead, The Euphoric and The Fierce and The Dead, News from the Invisible World
TFATD was a strictly instrumental band that recently decided to start incorporating vocals into some of their tracks. The Euphoric is their last completely instrumental album, and News from the Invisible World is their first album that incorporates vocals. So, you can go with whatever flavor of music floats your personal boat! They're heavy on guitars, and have some great tracks out there...
Rebecca Cole: Styrofoam Winos, Any River
This record came out this summer and it's been my soundtrack on so many drives. They're a 3 piece band, all 3 of them write, sing, and trade off playing all of the instruments. The result is an unassuming breezy listen that oozes familiarity, friendship, and languid freedom. I'm a fan!
Mary Beth Melchior: John Batiste, Black Mozart
This is an album that brings both the comfort of familiarity and the excitement of something entirely new. Batiste takes Mozart's virtuosity and makes it fun!
Nicola Bardon: Damien Rice, O
Every few years an album will grab you and make you stop what you are doing. That is O for me. The first time I heard it, I stopped and listened to the full thing. Even now, years later, it grabs me every time I hear a song from it. It's an incredible body of music, and one everyone should hear.
Kendall Jane Meade: Kendall submitted a total of five albums she recommends.
Classics: Margot Guryan, Take A Picture; Vashti Bunyan, Just Another Diamond Day
New Voices: Sharon Silva, Underachiever; Steven Van Betten, Heartbreak Bop; Julia Logan, Faraway Nearby
Derek VanRiper: Brandon Flowers, Thrasher and Sam Evian, Plunge
“Thrasher” is Brandon Flowers’ latest solo album, and a performance of “An American Dream” on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon drew me in. Flowers’ descriptive imagery as a lyricist has always been a strength, and it shines throughout a record that feels like a 50-year trip back in time to a completely different era of Country music.
“Plunge” from Sam Evian was released in 2024, but became a part of my rotation last year after a recommendation from a friend. Coincidentally, Evian opened for Alabama Shakes when I saw them in Milwaukee, and the record was featured in his set. With vocal harmonies on “Jacket” that will remind you of Sgt. Pepper, and catchy, fuzzy guitar riffs throughout, it’s an album you could have found in a different corner of the old record store while picking up “Thrasher”.