EPISODE · Jan 19, 2018 · 8 MIN
Emerald Recommends: Songs for winter
from Daily Emerald · host Emerald Media Group
In this episode of Emerald Recommends from the Emerald Podcast Network, arts and culture editor Sararosa Davies, music writer Jordan Montero and podcast editor Alec Cowan discuss songs for winter. These are songs both new and old that capture the ambiance of winter months: rain, cold and melancholy, but also warmth, friendship and hope for renewal. Songs discussed on this podcast: "Motion Sickness" by Phoebe Bridgers. "Slush Puppy" by King Krule. "My Funny Valentine" by the Gerry Mulligan Quartet. Additional songs can be found at dailyemerald.com “Motion Sickness” by Phoebe Bridgers: L.A songwriter Phoebe Bridgers had a big year in 2017. She released her album “Stranger in the Alps,” and quickly rose to prominence in the public radio world — where DJs from Minnesota to D.C championed her wintry, folk sound. The rollicking song, “Motion Sickness,” received the most airplay out of the album’s tracks, and rightly so. Bridger’s quiet, wavering voice contrasts with fuzzy guitar and stable drums. These musical elements lay perfectly under emotional wordplay and cathartic songwriting. This track doesn’t burst at the seams, but instead feels contained in a sense of unease. “I hate you for what you did / and I miss you like a little kid / I faked it every time but that’s alright,” Bridgers sings. Oregon winters are beautiful in their unease. Sometimes the cold rain, the occasional bout of seasonal depression and gray skies are oddly refreshing. This song and the rest of Bridger’s work reflect exactly that. “Slush Puppy” by King Krule: This dreary, saddening anthem blends in seamlessly with the cold cement, visible breaths and slow footsteps of Oregon winters. “Slush Puppy” drags along with a melancholic, hopeless core. Archy Marshall’s delicate, falsetto voice and soothing backing vocals personify a sense of longing that asserts itself when the skies become grey. Maybe when the sky clears, the pulsating tambourine will reside and Krule’s depressed claims will have been resolved. But until then, as the air is cold, “Slush Puppy” will work as a satisfactory score. "My Funny Valentine" by the Gerry Mulligan Quartet: Gerry Mulligan's smoothness on the bari sax is unparalleled, and his delicate touch in the upper register of the instrument gives a sweet, mournful sound to this duet. Piano and saxophone dance and chase each other through the song's swells and Mulligan utilizes every range available, making this song perfect for a hot beverage and an evening spent looking out your window in contemplation. "My Funny Valentine" is blissful finesse and a moving complement to the coming winter days. This episode was produced by Alec Cowan.
What this episode covers
In this episode of Emerald Recommends from the Emerald Podcast Network, arts and culture editor Sararosa Davies, music writer Jordan Montero and podcast editor Alec Cowan discuss songs for winter. These are songs both new and old that capture the ambiance of winter months: rain, cold and melancholy, but also warmth, friendship and hope for renewal. Songs discussed on this podcast: "Motion Sickness" by Phoebe Bridgers. "Slush Puppy" by King Krule. "My Funny Valentine" by the Gerry Mulligan Quartet. Additional songs can be found at dailyemerald.com “Motion Sickness” by Phoebe Bridgers: L.A songwriter Phoebe Bridgers had a big year in 2017. She released her album “Stranger in the Alps,” and quickly rose to prominence in the public radio world — where DJs from Minnesota to D.C championed her wintry, folk sound. The rollicking song, “Motion Sickness,” received the most airplay out of the album’s tracks, and rightly so. Bridger’s quiet, wavering voice contrasts with fuzzy guitar and stable drums. These musical elements lay perfectly under emotional wordplay and cathartic songwriting. This track doesn’t burst at the seams, but instead feels contained in a sense of unease. “I hate you for what you did / and I miss you like a little kid / I faked it every time but that’s alright,” Bridgers sings. Oregon winters are beautiful in their unease. Sometimes the cold rain, the occasional bout of seasonal depression and gray skies are oddly refreshing. This song and the rest of Bridger’s work reflect exactly that. “Slush Puppy” by King Krule: This dreary, saddening anthem blends in seamlessly with the cold cement, visible breaths and slow footsteps of Oregon winters. “Slush Puppy” drags along with a melancholic, hopeless core. Archy Marshall’s delicate, falsetto voice and soothing backing vocals personify a sense of longing that asserts itself when the skies become grey. Maybe when the sky clears, the pulsating tambourine will reside and Krule’s depressed claims will have been resolved. But until then, as the air is cold, “Slush Puppy” will work as a satisfactory score. "My Funny Valentine" by the Gerry Mulligan Quartet: Gerry Mulligan's smoothness on the bari sax is unparalleled, and his delicate touch in the upper register of the instrument gives a sweet, mournful sound to this duet. Piano and saxophone dance and chase each other through the song's swells and Mulligan utilizes every range available, making this song perfect for a hot beverage and an evening spent looking out your window in contemplation. "My Funny Valentine" is blissful finesse and a moving complement to the coming winter days. This episode was produced by Alec Cowan.
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Emerald Recommends: Songs for winter
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