Warm weather is to cold music as cold weather is to warm music
I know there are tons of exceptions to this theory, many of which I can think of off of the top of my head, but I still think at least for me, that during the warmer months I gravitate to cooler electronic music (and Tribe Called Quest) and in the colder months I seem to want to listen to cosy, acoustic stuff.
The video attached is Lamb’s “Fly” off of ‘Fear of Fours’ and I know I’m dating myself by including it, since it came out in 1999. There’s lots of more recent examples - Neon Indian for one - but this is the song that solidified the theory for me. I always loved listening to this on the beach. Same with Hooverphonic’s “2wicky” (stolen largely from Isaac Hayes’ cover of ‘Walk on By’ which on its own is excellent. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTN0V7mNJhg)
Something about these songs is airy. Same with Caribou’s ‘Andorra.’ I can’t listen to Elliott Smith in the summer. It feels like wearing a hot wool sweater if I have it on when it’s humid out.
When it’s snowing outside, I tend to put on a lot of classic rock. The Faces, the Beatles “Help” and “Rubber Soul” albums, even Nirvana’s Unplugged album. ‘Little Martha’ by the Allman Brothers is my polar opposite to Lamb’s ‘Fly’.
But as for the exceptions, I listen to Sharon Jones year-round. If I’m having a relaxing morning at home, some old reggae always helps me relax and jazz crooners like Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughn always work at twilight any time of year. At a cookout, some live Bob Dylan or Stones pick up on the relaxed feeling of being outdoors with that wonderful smell of coals burning.
Another exception is this song by Donovan called “Sunny Goodge Street” which probably I’ve subconsciously allowed into my summer listening just because it’s talking about sunny weather in England. I know it’s a bit too Ren Faire for a lot of people, but I got into it at a young age, so I excuse myself for it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0V5dKseRW0
Does anyone else have seasonal preferences for their music? I wish I had a comment section on this dang blog, but I can’t figure out the html.
