Daryl Hall - The Farther Away I Am (ft. Robert Fripp) [1977]

Backed by Robert Fripp's ethereal electric sustains and tape delays, Daryl Hall lands closer to the most meditative Pink Floyd than he does to his work in Hall & Oates. Originally recorded in 1977, the album this is sourced from languished in the record label's vault for three years until Hall started passing tapes around and organized a letter writing campaign to get it released. There's a lot of beauty sitting on shelves and buried in bins, just waiting for us.

Antena - Sisséxa [1982]

Led by French singer-songwriter, Isabelle Antena, this short-lived electro-samba trio delivers one that truly feels designed to make the air molecules around you party. The rhythm and percussion bubble, the guitar and vocal glide, and we all get that little urge to bop and wiggle. Definitely the kind of track that makes me think that there must be at least an albums worth of Stereolab tunes that I'll completely swoon over.

Horace Silver - I'm Aware of the Animals Within Me (ft. Salome Bey) [1972]

From Horace Silver's brief psychedelic/spiritual phase in the early 70's, this track kicks off with a perfectly at peace melody bed of electric piano and quickly layers on empowered vocals from Salome Bey. The song's focus on finding balance and control of oneself sets it apart from the crowd and provides a great perspective on the importance of recognizing your problems instead of running from them. I could do with a million more records like this.

Celestine Ukwu & His Philosophers National - Onwu Ama Eze [1974]

Woke up with this one in my mind. Celestine Ukwu's version of highlife could be as gentle as morning light, so it makes sense why it caught me early today. According to Google Translate, the title means "The King Died", but there's another track, "Ife uwa adi agwuagwu", on the same album that strikes me as a perfect description of Ukwu's delicate and sensitive sound. It translates to "Love of a Terrifying World".