Comfortable Music
Now that DC is recovering from the worst snow season in a hundred years, I’m starting to miss staying home from work, drinking cocoa, watching the storm rage outside, and listening to good music.
Gillian Welch is one of my staples when it comes to chilling and unwinding. She is absolutely at the top of her game and, with partner David Rawlings, has been instrumental in reviving interest in Americana, folk, and bluegrass. Seeing (and briefly talking to) the two of them at last summer’s Newport Folk Festival was great. So is this NPR Tiny Desk Concert. And Rawlings’s first album under his own name is getting rave reviews. I can’t think of a musical couple that are more tuned into each other.
Which musicians do you turn to first when stuck in the house, stressed beyond belief, or otherwise looking to relax?
There’s quite a lot of good stuff I like when I wanna chill. I dig the classic masterpiece “Avalon” by Roxy Music. It’s a beautiful album and CHICKS DIG IT. It beats all of that soulless corporate trash that passes for fodder on “adult contemporary” and “adult alternative”. I also like to listen to reggae (dancehall isn’t really “reggae”), by artists ranging from Bob Marley and his musical family – especially Ziggy to Burning Spear to Eddy Grant to UB40.
Introspective rock from Dire Straits, Bruce Cockburn and Peter Gabriel are great for chilling out too.
Pink Floyd music is generally relaxing to me, at the very least it’s trippy and cosmic! Kenny G and Mindi Abair are pretty interesting sax players. Grover Washington Jr.’s hit “Just the Two of Us” is a nice fusion song. The hit “Captain of Her Heart” by Double is so lovely – it always calms me when I hear it. When I was growing up Lionel Richie’s music was played on the radio ad nauseum but it’s good to hear him now. Kool and the Gang are smooth funksters. I just love Phil Collins. Whether it’s from any of the bands he’s been in or worked with or solo his musicis vibrant, original and alive. His solo “love songs” are more unique and un-generic. The man can play several instruments and his voice is amazing. He has TALENT written all over him. I like some more “comfortable” and “mellow” music as well but that overrated contrived crap that passes for “adult” music is so icky – that stark angsty female “singer/songwriter” Carole King/Tori Amos/Fiona Apple just makes me feel nervous and sick. Most of what is labeled as New Age is icky trash to me. Bombastic puke from the likes of “artists” like Celine Dion is disgusting, not relaxing. That’s a partial summary, I hope I’m not rambling here.
Elliott, Bobby
Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton
Connor Oberst!
Bon Iver!