Ly is a plus size fashion/lifestyle blogger and freelance writer. She is a proud veggie, feminist & body positive advocate. You can find her blog at Something in the Way She Moves.
So, hello 2016. A brand new year for all us to get cracking on. I’ll be honest I’m not usually very chirpy this time of year. It’s cold and dark and it can feel like all the fun is finished. However, this January I have definitely beaten those blues. I have become one of those annoying hope filled folk & I am convinced I’m an for an epic 12 months. As is often the case my personal soundtrack moulds to my mood & I have been listening to the tracks that make me smile. So, without further ado here’s a taste of the feel good tunes that have been pleasing my ears.
So, hello 2016. A brand new year for all us to get cracking on. I’ll be honest I’m not usually very chirpy this time of year. It’s cold and dark and it can feel like all the fun is finished. However, this January I have definitely beaten those blues. I have become one of those annoying hope filled folk & I am convinced I’m an for an epic 12 months. As is often the case my personal soundtrack moulds to my mood & I have been listening to the tracks that make me smile. So, without further ado here’s a taste of the feel good tunes that have been pleasing my ears.
First up is an entire album. Love’s Forever Changes was on
of those random purchases that was meant to be. The art work on album caught my
eye in Fopp one day & I decided to take a chance on it. At the time I
wasn’t familiar with Love, but I was right to trust my gut. Forever Changes is
a hard album to describe. The song have fairly strange titles & diverse
topics, the sound though is consistent. It’s an album that has to be listened to
in it’s entirety; turn it up loud & float away on it. As soon as the first
song bursts into life I am transported to a hazy, hippie place. The strings on
the album scream Spain to me, I have no idea why, but when I hear those guitars
I think of dipping my feet in a quiet ocean. Forever Changes is both relaxed
& bursting with life. It is floaty skirts, languid days and sleeping naked.
If you an escape from the winter gloom, this is record for you.
Dry the rain is the musical evocation of waking up from a
deep, lovely sleep & having only good things to do that day. The music just
sallies along, slow and steady. You can imagine tapping your foot along as you
lay in your bed with the light streaming in the window. Then just at the
perfect moment the trumpets kick and herald the beginning of an awesome day. Their
lyrical accompaniment of the an insistent declaration that you will be alright,
renders me calm. The Beta Band have nailed the blissful chill out song.
Florence and The Machines’ Dogs Days Are Over’s rollicking
chorus sums up how I am feeling at the moment. Last year was a game of two halves;
there were highs, my brother’s wedding & the my niece’s visit from
Australia were incredible. Sadly right slap bang in the middle of 2015 things
rapidly turned to shit. Having trudged through months of torment I am ready for
a fresh start. Things are by no means perfect, but they are on the up. I have a
very good feeling sweet 16, I’m going to chase those dogs away.
My next choice was something of an unknown cult classic
until the BBC used it as a charity trick in the 90’s As with most things the
original is better, something about the cracks in Lou Reed’s voice add
poignancy. You really believe that he earned the perfect day he is singing off.
The simple tale of day in the park with a cherished one has been dogged with
rumours that it is in fact an ode to heroin. The man himself denies the drug
connection and maintains that it is a straightforward love song, I choose to
believe him. This song always makes me feel good weepy. It perfectly
encapsulates how love can magnify simple pleasures. Who wouldn’t want to drink
sangria in the park with their one & only?
My final offering may seem a tad unusual, I suspect Alfie
doesn’t say upbeat to most folk, but I adore it. Of course it has to be Cilla’s
version & you have to play it loud. I love the way all those questions lead
to the revelation of absolute certainty. The song starts out (much like the
movie) with Alfie as wise, knowing cynical guy in possession of all the power,
but we come to see that a belief in love is not necessarily naïve. By the close
our soppy songstress is schooling him. I’m not really a huge fan of Cilla’s
singing, but what she does with this song is incredible. Those soaring notes,
the juxtaposition of the those pleading enquiries with the powerhouse high
notes, it’s a classic. Alfie is one of those songs that will, for me, always
improve my day.
Ahh, I love posts like this! Like yourself, I tend to struggle a little with all the darkness in January and tend to collapse into a post-party pity party once all the festive fun is packed away so music is a key way for me to forget all that. Some good choices here too! :)
ReplyDelete