A Little Night Music

Back again in early 2007 with recommendations for dinner party soundtracks, Cafe Drake has been greating the new year with plenty of new music, and is happy to share our latest playlist with you below. Additional suggestions are:

for your nostalgic friends - those over 30 anyway - we're happy to report that Morrissey is on top of his game once again. The 2005 release You Are the Quarry was widely regarded as the best post-Smiths album in years, and the newest CD Ringleader of the Tormentors, heralds a return to the halcyion days of Morrissey's trademark combo of aching poignancy and sublime silliness. Best with a salad of bitter greens and hysterically vitriolic guests (no shortage thereof in these parts!)

for heavy-drinking compadres try The Walkmen's latest indie label winner, A Hundred Miles Off. Lead singer Hamilton Leithauser always sounds like he's drunk anyway, so tipplers will feel in good company. There's a deeper Southern blues connection here than on previous recordings, so consider a Cajun or Gullah meal for this one, and be sure to serve the gumbo just as the madly catchy "Louisiana" hits its opening chords.

The New Young Pony Club's lightweight confection "Ice Cream" is an instant dessert classic. Play it loudly as guests assemble their own sundaes with homemade chocolate and caramel sauces.

for the highbrow crowd - those who bring wine in Channel 13 totes - you might consider Tim Hecker's Harmony in Ultraviolet. Slow-moving and defiantly austere, it's "modern" composition at its best.

DINNER AT CAFE DRAKE JANUARY 2007 MIX

Laugh - Birdie
The Girl with the Northern Soul Connection - Club 8
Mermaid Eyes - Luna
St. George & the Dragon - Nanook of the North
Spring Came, Rain Fell - Club 8
Mother's Little Helper - Stereo Total
John the Revelator - Depeche Mode
Tokyo Girls - Matinee Club
Babystritch - Stereo Total
Happy End - Tahiti 80
Brandy Alexander - The Walkmen
He Loves Anna - Waltz for Debbie
The End of the World - Twinkle
Elephant Gun - Beirut
Willow's Song - Magnet
Crystal Lake - Klaus Schulze
String of Blinking Lights - Paper Moon
Shining Bright Star - Black Strobe
Windy - Page France