last saturday was one of my favorite days of the year. the annual holiday tapas party. 5.2 of my favorite people in the world, welcoming in the christmas season a la española: in a warm kitchen, surrounded by copious amounts of chorizo, queso manchego, olive oil and rioja. (we did add a little a lo americano to the evening. but it’s not really a christmas party without a flying polar plunge from the top of a garage into a 47 degree pool, is it?). since that night, everything feels different. it’s christmas. or hypothermia. probably a bit of both. either way, the christmas music came out in full force this morning. starting with this. -d

this song was on a mix i made for a lake powell trip a few years back, a mix which got resurrected last week during a last minute but grossly overdue return to one of my favorite places on earth (thanks riches & brosefs!). i was consequently reminded of this song which, while it won’t cure herpes zoster or convert anyone to buddhism, might just make you bob your head for a few minutes. and that, if nothing else, is something. -d

a gem from sxsw 2007. one i listen to all the time, though usually through half-closed eyes. which would explain why i never went after any of his other music. until today. just got his latest, ‘i see the sign’. can’t wait to listen. just hope i can stay awake. -d

driving back from a spectacular if parching 20m run in the santa monica mountains this morning, this came on and for some reason, it was exactly what i needed. then again every time i hear the avett bros they are exactly what i need. i could be, i dunno, driving in awkward silence through the shenandoahs on a 5-day trip to my parents house in DC with 4 friends including a girl i’d been dating up until about 12 hours before, for example, and these guys could come on and capture the moment perfectly. they’re unassuming, open-faced, and unafraid to to punch you or anybody else right in the throat, emotionally speaking or otherwise. it’s honest music. and honestly so good. -d

back in 2007, a guy who has sold more records than madonna and britney spears combined (who also happened to score ‘slumdog millionaire’) and the guy who arranged the music for all of baz luhrmann’s musicals got together to write a score that nobody would hear for a movie that nobody would see. sad story. but good, good music. -d

speaking of hispano-swedes…a transplanted madrileña, a british castillian accent with an effortless crisp timbre, a track somewhere between a music box and a hi-fi, and a dark warm basement in the afterglow of almodovar’s “volver”…otra vez, please. -d (thanks lieu)

there are few fake genres as near and dear to my heart as sleeping music, so chances are they’ll be popping up a lot here (especially on good long days). turns out i struggle to put my brain to bed most nights. it’s usually a group effort, with jose frequently pulling much of the weight. the common complaint is that his songs all sound the same. i say and how, and keep it coming. i can combine “in our nature” and “veneer” intro a shuffled, looped playlist w/ a 10 second crossfade, and know that a) i will fall asleep within 30 minutes, and b) should i wake up at anytime in the night, i will hear the same soft, hispano-swedish crooning and plucking that put me to sleep the first time. -d