Mathieu Santos’ recommendation: “Robert Palmer is someone who’s always interested and moved me. When I was a kid, my dad was a huge fan of his and always had a bunch of his tapes in the car, so we spent many hours listening to him together. But aside from that aspect of nostalgia, I’ve come to really appreciate his music for its sense of curiosity, experimentation, honesty, and the scope of its stylistic range.”

New to Robert Palmer’s music? Mathieu suggests you start here: “Because his catalogue is so diverse, I think a good place to begin would be Addictions Volume 1, which was a compilation of his music that he curated. Of course, it contains the big arena-rock hits, but there’s a great selection of some deeper cuts as well, and it’s interesting to hear them all side-by-side. As far as individual albums go, I’d have to recommend Clues, which is mostly characterized by his growing interest in synths and sparse arrangements. Great stuff!”

About our guest author, Mathieu Santos: Many will know Mathieu from his role as bass player and founding member of Ra Ra Riot, a chamber pop group from Syracuse, NY that scored tons of positive critic reviews and opening slots for big bands like Death Cab For Cutie. Santos emerged from the recording sessions of Ra Ra’s second album energized and was able to bang out ten catchy (and just shy of experimental) songs for his own for his solo record, Massachusetts 2010. Per this Spin article, Mathieu was inspired by other artists that broke off from their bands and put out solid solo efforts, namely Paul McCartney and Stewart Copeland of The Police. The result is an upbeat, quirky collection that often puts Santos’ ehcho-y vocals and jumping bass lines in front. The album is unique to the core and is sonically bright. Mathieu is currently on tour with Ra Ra Riot and tour dates can be found here.

MP3: I Can Hear the Trains by Mathieu Santos