In advance of her mesmerizing new album, Goodbye, Hotel Arkada, the LA-based harpist recommends some gems.

You’ll want to carve big chunks of time out of your busy schedule at some point after absorbing Goodbye, Hotel Arkada, harpist-composer Mary Lattimore’s new album, for the first time. Not that you must. Drop the needle anywhere on the six track work, named for a hotel on the Croatian island of Hvar, and you’ll soon be enveloped in Lattimore’s rich sound waves, lush with velveteen layers and composed to consume your psyche. But given ample volume and focused, non-screen attention, the record blossoms. As it fills the room and/or your consciousness, Goodbye … seems to shimmer and cascade through space and time.

Lattimore’s sixth solo album (depending on how you count) comes out on October 6 via Ghostly International, and was named for a specific place that the LA-based artist visited.

“There’s a big old hotel there called the Hotel Arkada, and you could tell it had been hosting holiday-goers for decades in a great way,” Lattimore says in pre-release notes. “I walked around the lobby and the empty ballrooms and it looked like a well-worn, well-loved place. My friend Stacey who lives there told me to ‘say goodbye to Hotel Arkada, it might not be here when you get back’ and I heard soon after that it was actually going to be renovated in a very crisp, modern way.”

Deciding “to bottle it for a brief second,” Lattimore devoted the album title, and a certain essence, to Hotel Arkada.

The mostly instrumental album features guest appearances by the Cure’s Lol Tolhurst, New Zealand guitarist Roy Montgomery, accordionist Walt McClements, singer-songwriter Meg Baird and others.

Lattimore was kind enough to recommend five recordings that she’s been listening to of late. She writes about them below.

Roy Montgomery – Island of Lost Souls

Roy’s is just the most gorgeous, enveloping guitar music; you really feel it so deeply when listening. This record has been filling my house in the late summer, and the tones are just so rich and warm and heartbreaking. 

Steely Dan – Dallas

Kurt Vile introduced me to this Steely Dan song and it’s such an earworm, real catchy. It’s all Buffalo Springfieldy and it’s sung by the drummer. Kinda reminds me of late summer too.

Brandee Younger – Brand New Life

Ahh Brandee, my harp friend with such killer style all her own. She’s bringing our instrument to new, gorgeous places while paying tribute to foundational influences like Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane. I love this new record, where she’s included guests and some covers and reinterpretations. It’s always really exciting to hear what she’s up to.

Ben Chasny and Rick Tomlinson – Waves

This record puts me in such a hypnotized trance. I love the fact that these two buds made it remotely and even found such similar them-as-a-kid photos for the sleeve. Masterful playing and collaboration, just beautiful. Somehow it reminds me of two harps in places.

Blonde Redhead – Sit Down for Dinner

I’ve been loving these new songs released from the upcoming Blonde Redhead record. It’s cool to be reminded of what a great band they are for so many years now. Such a vibe and can’t wait to hear the rest.