Can we all agree this isn’t the cheeriest time of the year?
Okay, probably not; I know not everyone’s with me on this. But you know what I mean, right? The shorter days and longer nights are part of it, and the beginning of the really unpleasantly cold months, for those of us who live in the land of seasons. But that’s not the worst of what’s going on, of course. I’m sure I needn’t recite my loathing of the empty rituals of consumerism that have replaced some barely-remembered religious observance (originally concocted to ward off an earlier version of our wintry discontent). You can fill in the details yourself.
Nor do I need to rehearse my (our) contempt for the treacly soundtrack of the season, which is supposed to evoke, well, what, really, besides a retrograde, even reactionary nostalgia for an imagined Anglo-Teutonic historical confection of Kinder, Küche, und Kirche. Sure, some of the songs are pretty good, but relentless repetition in every retail establishment from the laundromat to Bergdorf’s (j.k. — what would I be doing in Bergdorf’s?) has a way of draining even the most well crafted tune of its pleasures.
But here we are, getting through. Maybe you’re up late, having trimmed the tree. Maybe you’re exhausted from work, holiday parties, and shopping. Maybe you’re having some bourbon, steeling yourself for another round of social encounters. Or maybe you’re studying for a civil procedure exam while outside the window the frost settles in. In any case, you could use a playlist for the season — something familiar, something new, some variety, all with a certain sound, I think. Here you go:
Just a Matter of Waiting It Out
1. Some Other Time – Bill Evans
2. Transit (Ingrid Jensen) – Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society
3. Angel From Montgomery – John Prine
4. When The Haar Rolls In – James Yorkston
5. Carmelita – Cowboy Junkies
6. You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go – Madeleine Peyroux
7. Impressions – John Coltrane
8. Goin’ Down – Allen Toussaint
9. Time Will – Hercules And Love Affair
10. Quitter’s Raga – Gold Panda
11. Raise the Flag – Clogs
12. Cross – James Blackshaw
13. I Feel Like Going Home – Yo La Tengo
14. Hasanbenchura – Georgian Vocal Ensemble
15. Raga Brindabani Sarang – Vilambit Gat In Teental – Ustad Amjad Ali Khan
I’m too underwater to have been able to listen to either your playlist or Rachel’s yet, I’m sorry to say, so I can’t comment cogently on either one; I just have to tell you that the post itself made me chuckle with delight at the unbridled youishness of it.
I, too, have been stuck at work all day and can’t wait to get back to my (tree-less, Scroogey) house to listen & enjoy!
Swells, when you come up for air I hope you can talk music for a while–you’re so good at it. I am filled with Farrell-like love for you and Dave alike.