Ten Favorite Spoken Word Albums
(Some of these albums are spoken straight, some spoken with instrumental accompaniment, and some transform the spoken word into rhythms, beats, distortions, or orchestrations. I’ve arranged them in order of preference.)
Uncommon Deities by Jan Bang and Erik Honoré, with David Sylvian, Arve Henriksen, and Sidsel Endresen
The Ugly One with the Jewels and Other Stories: A Reading from Stories From the Nerve Bible by Laurie Anderson
I Have a Pony by Steven Wright
I Am Sitting in a Room by Alvin Lucier
There's a Light That Enters Houses with No Other House in Sight by David Sylvian featuring Franz Wright and Christian Fennesz
The Happiness Project by Charles Spearin
Sahara Blue by Hector Zazou
E=mo² by Emo Philips
Alphabet by Alva Noto & Anne-James Chaton
No Tacos for Saddam by Andrei Codrescu
— July 22, 2021