Marina
For most people – myself included – December is a flurry of activity, but it’s also a time of reflection and renewal. And there’s no better thing than reviewing the passing year with some moving tunes. This month, I feel like I listened to much more acoustics, peaceful and soothing melodies than usual, but I found it really calming and enjoyable. So, this month, the title goes to FINNEAS’ Life Moves On – a tender, beautiful, and touching song! It feels like pure magic pours out of these lyrics and music. While listening to it, you feel warm, fuzzy, and then also sad but in a good way. Life does move on, and so do we, leaving all the bad in 2020 and stepping into 2021 with our hopes up.
Maria
I am one of those nerds who cannot overestimate the importance of listening to Christmas (and New Year’s) music, regardless of the presence of a festive mood – that's why I have not one, but two holiday-related playlists: one for sadness, and one for fun (and actually one more, on YouTube, where all moods are mixed in a selection of thematic music videos). But despite this shocking variety of choices, this December on repeat was anything but holiday songs. So:
something fresh and topical
Overwhelmed by Royal & the Serpent
and something eternal
The Final Countdown by Europe
Catherine
Though there were many contestants for Song of the Month this December, I am settling for the one that came up on my Release Radar only last week. There’s just something about it – wrapping you up in a warm winter hug, telling you that no matter how many deadlines are burning, you will stand tall, you will use this experience to grow, and all your pains will only be a ladder on your way up. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you my December salvation or even, dare I say it, my little hymn, The Paper Kites (feat. Aoife O'Donovan) – Climb On Your Tears.
Kseniia
For the past month I’ve been in dire need of upbeat tunes, so I’ve been listening to Soft Cell and solo albums by their frontman, Marc Almond. Although both the band and the artist are mostly famous for their cover version of Tainted Love, there actually are many more songs by them that deserve to be known. To me, the mixture of pretty sad or even spooky lyrics with dance beats is a perfect match. So, among my favorites are Martin by Soft Cell, The Boy Who Came Back by Marc Almond, and I Feel Love by Marc Almond and Bronski Beat.
Elizaveta
What’s the point of pretending I’m energized enough to sing along jolly tunes of Frank Sinatra and Co.? Thus, it’s been my goal to find a festive melancholic song to play on repeat, but Spotify was fooling me, suggesting disco music, mostly. Salvation came out of the blue – at a friend’s party I heard the sound of xylophone – it was the intro to Come On Santa by The Raveonettes. Now I’m back home for holidays, and the hasteless lifestyle of a small town could have made a perfect video for this song. It suits every single occasion from pensively lying under the sparkling Christmas tree to slowly walking home in the dark when you missed the last bus. Slightly moody but sincere and heart-warming, it makes me wish everyone the greatest gift of all – to slow down a little and feel alright.
