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This week’s picks include a classical composer inspired by rock, and rock music inspired by electronic composers.

Timothy Andres – Shy And Mighty (Nonesuch Records)

Young classical composers today have, not surprisingly, shown a propensity for using electric or electronic instruments, rock studio techniques, and the like.  Timothy Andres is no exception – his list of influences includes Radiohead, Brian Eno, and the group Boards of Canada.  But that doesn’t mean he needs a lot of bells and whistles – when two pianos will do just fine. 

Shy and Mighty is the name of this collection, played by the composer with fellow pianist David Kaplan. He’s a young composer but he seems to have already worked through his influences – the rock ones and the classical ones like Brahms, Mahler, and Philip Glass – and developed a personal voice.  It’s an impressive debut from the composer Timothy Andres. 

LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening (Virgin/Parlophone/DFA) – picked by Joel Meyer

Ever since James Murphy released a record called “The Sound of Silver” under his dance rock moniker LCD Soundsystem, the Soundcheck mailbox has been waiting patiently for another studio release. Three years we’ve waited, James Murphy. OK, we just had to get that off our chest.

The new LCD Soundsystem album is called “This Is Happening,” and it’s like a luxury cruise through classic electronic pop. A bit of “Heroes”-era Eno and Bowie here… and a bit of Gary Numan there…Fear not: Murphy isn’t an imitator. Far from it. As with past albums, his lyrics inspire mental double-takes, music-geek winks .. and the occasional creep-out. But this song comes with one of our favorite titles in recent memory. It’s called “You Wanted a Hit.”