As the last vestiges of Winter finally fall away and Spring finally decides to come out of it's coma, our moods brighten and we turn to sunnier tunes and activities. WSUM wants to help you enjoy your Spring (at least for the next week and a half before exams) and has compiled this list of songs to enjoy as you sun yourself or finally rid yourself of your seasonal affective disorder.
“Always Alright” by Alabama Shakes – April showers bring groovin' guitar hooks and this song has enough hook to reel in a fish. Spring time music is about finding songs you can play on your porch. This qualifies.
“Asha Gedawo” by Debo Band – Spring, for me, is always an exciting feeling of jubilation waiting to peak when summer hits. Boston's Debo Band has a great way out of capturing that excitement in their dense arrangements and Ethiopian pop sensibilities.
“Bergen County Farewell” by Glenn Jones – This song sounds like waking up on a spring morning, walking out on grass still fresh with dew. Just a beautiful track.
“Revolution Girls” by Mariachi El Bronx – The Bronx's alter-ego Mariachi El Bronx should be the soundtrack to the farmers market. Revolution Girls has a great mix of sweet and spicy sounds going on. Try not dancing when you hear it because you will want to dance a lot. I mean, a lot a lot.
“Yellow Sun” by The Raconteurs – HOT TAKE ALERT – I will always defend The Raconteurs as Jack White's best group. Why? One, because they actually have a bass player so they're infinitely cooler than the White Stripes. Two, because Brendan Benson and Jack White blend so well together. This song is a perfect showcase of it. Like a hazy day dream, this song is great for reading outside in the park. Go read a book, is what I'm saying.
“Stonemilker” by Bjork – This is the title track off of Bjork's newest album , which at first glance is not very “springy”, given that it's a very emotional record about an intense break-up. But, I finally got my pre-ordered vinyl in the mail a few days ago – and I've been blasting it non-stVulnicuraop while dreaming of running through majestic fields of green and jumping off cliffs into cold, spring waters.
“It's You” by Animal Collective and Vashti Bunyan – This song is like waking up on a spring day next to someone you love. Stretching, yawning, and opening your window to feel the springtime air. It's like butterfly kisses and soft sleepy sighs.
“Lorelei” by Cocteau Twins – This song makes me want to run around bare-footed and do mischievous things on a cool spring night. Like set off fireworks! And play kick the can!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkUu_Nd-jw4
“Endless Spring” by Houses – I know “Spring” is in the title of the song, but the song carries such a light and sweet aroma. Most of the songs by Houses are very calming, but this one in particular brings in the most light without it being perky or anything. Houses brings a similar effect to me as Washed Out would. Washed Out can also very springy, especially from most recent album – Paracosm (not so much from Within and Without).
“Pandora”by Cocteau Twins – Much like “Endless Spring”, this is light, fresh, soothing, and happy… Like early mornings.
Let England Shake (the entire album) by PJ Harvey – Okay… this entire album smells like spring. You know that smell, when you walk outside… The ground is moist and its chilly enough to make your nose cold, a but the sun is shining so brightly and you feel so close to earth…. Thats the smell. PJ Harvey completely changed her voice for this album to capture old country England. The entire album portrays the history and culture of England in the 18th and 19th centuries. And because most of the songs are about working with the earth and labor, it makes you feel connected to new and growing life and that equates to spring.
“Legal Man” by Belle & Sebastian – This is song is like later spring (unlike the ones I mentioned above because those are like early early spring). This song is like spring in full swing. Upbeat and almost beachy, but makes you look forward to the warmth and freedom of summer that hasn't really reached us yet. So if this song were a month it would probably be late May or Early June. Belle & Sebastian have many other springtime songs, like “We are the Sleepyheads” and “Judy is a Dickslap” which are both very, very good.
“Anonymous Club” and “Avant Gardener” by Courtney Barnett – These two are some of the slower ones of hers – but the combination of her voice and lyrics are just so raw and authentic – it almost wakes you up. These songs in particular talk about things I see myself doing/being involved in for spring. Regardless song composition is great, along with witty and very relatable lyrics. Makes you think and feel like a child. I don't know why it really relates to spring, but just feel like it does and good for Courtney for making us listeners feel that way.
“Starting a New Life” by Van Morrison – The first line of the song is Wwhen I hear that robin sing, well I know it's coming on Spring.” It is just a happy song that makes you excited for all the new life that appears during springtime!
“Daydreamin' (feat. Jill Scott)” by Lupe Fiasco – It's just a really mellow hip hop song that has some very nice melodic parts. Not to mention a lot of allusions to spring and being outside.
“Song for No One” by Miike Snow – It always reminded me of spring because I got the album in spring a few years back.
“Signs” by The Vespers – It's got a retro vibe that really fun and refreshing.
“Oh My God (feat. Lily Allen)” by Mark Ronson – Throwback form Mark Ronson that has a fun sound to it with a great beat and vocals to match. Great alternative to “Uptown Funk”.
“Ritual Union” by Little Dragon – It's just mellow and light.
“(Sittin' on) A Dock Of The Bay” by Otis Redding – Starting off with a classic. If there is one song that embodies all of the enjoyment of warm weather, it's this one. Nothing says spring like sitting by the bay while watching the tide roll away and the ships roll in.
“Sir Duke” by Stevie Wonder – You simply cannot listen to Sir Duke and be in a bad mood. I honestly have no what they can feel all over, but who gives a crap.
“Uptown Funk” by Bruno Mars – Call me basic. I dare you. But Bruno Mars has an undoubtable ability to make a person jump outta their chair and dance. If you don't like this song, then you haven't listened to it enough.
“Sexual Healing” by Hot 8 Brass Band – After recently discovering this cover of Marvin Gaye's “Sexual Healing,” I've been hooked. WARNING: This song will get wedged into your head for weeks. But nonetheless, the brass is fantastic.
“Take Me Home, Country Roads” by Toots & The Maytals – Yes, another cover. But putting a Jamaican theme on this classic simply makes it incredible. Everybody needs some Toots in their lives.
“I Wanna Be Yours” by Arctic Monkeys – Great for that spring love affair.
“Milk” by Kings of Leon – Perfect for the cat that will bartend your party.
“Ordinary People” by Twin Peaks – Oooo oooo ooooo, crisp xylophone!
“Orchards” by Wampire – A Slavic springtime serenade.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9aN93S8nl8
“This Must be the Place (Naive Melody)” by Talking Heads – I've long considered this to be one of the few acceptable love songs out there, but it was only after I picked up a copy of Speaking in Tongues on vinyl recently that I realized how good of a spring song it is. It's bright melody and sweet lyrics give it the sense of brightness that comes from waking up out of darkness into the light of the morning… A perfect metaphor for this awful winter we just escaped.
“Sunshine” by Atmosphere – Maybe a little too on-the-nose here, but this one fits perfect. Slug kicks this one off rapping about having a hangover from the night before and proceeds to tell a story about experiencing the beautiful day outside, even if everything's not perfect. I feel like this is exactly how everyone in Wisconsin feels now. The weather is not quite like we would like, but it's so much better than the winter and we've got to get over this cold hangover. Even the breezy beat reminds me of the still cool, but refreshing spring winds.
“Green Machine” by Kyuss – Enough of the sappy stuff, it's time to rock! I've always associated stoner/desert rock with moving quickly. I often listen to Blues for the Red Son on road trips, but it's still a perfect soundtrack to a spring bike ride around Lake Monona. “Thumb” (which precedes “Machine”) is a great warm-up track, but it's during “Machine” when you can really get your legs pumping and start ripping along the bike trails.
