Anastasiia L.
This January, two things happened in my life music-wise. First, I invested in an Apple Music subscription. And second, I created my first-ever (!) playlist. The thing is that I generally don’t do playlists and just listen to what feels right at the moment, but after a week of binge-watching Sex Education season 2, I felt that its soundtrack was far too good to pass up and decided to give it a go. My all-time favorite is the cheerful and delightful cover for I Touch Myself by Scala, an amazingly talented and lovely Belgian women’s choir directed by the Kolacny brothers.
Also, I cannot not mention Love You So Bad by Ezra Furman, as it’s just as bright, powerful and hilarious as the movie itself.
Anastasia K.
I’ve consumed a lot of music this month, but what’s smitten me the most was Christine and the Queens, especially her effervescent Goya ! Soda !, chambré Chaleur Humaine, and uplifting La Marcheuse. It’s such an aesthetically clean, streamlined kind of sound – but also one that abounds in charisma and uniqueness; spellbinding and calming at the same time, and certainly unforgettable.
Ethan
From the 1939 cult classic The Wizard of Oz, this song is perfect for the start of an adventure and also seems appropriate for the year’s opening. January is ending and this slow and melodic song is an ideal way to convey the perfect emotions to look forward to. Dorothy sings this piece with so much hope. She sings beside her dog Toto, her only friend and company till that point. Dorothy wanders around her home but she never forgets to glance at the sky where the birds fly free. This song will remain as a classic for many years to come, as it shows a natural state of the human psyche such as archetypal figures and a relation between the known and the unknown.
“If happy little bluebirds fly beyond the rainbow why, oh, why can’t I?”
Maria K.
January is the middle of long, dark winter, and it’s already hard by itself, but atop of it, it’s the time when the whole world accelerates with the beginning of the new year and slow returning of daylight: new tasks, new difficulties, constant changes, crazy speeds and unexpected discoveries all spin you into a crazy whirlwind, and you just need something to help you keep your balance.
So this January, I’m listening to The Days by Patrick Wolf, a talented British multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter, whose music can defeat any chaos within me.
And of course, it will never be superfluous to recharge together with the bold and incendiary energy of a good peppy indie, and turn on Barbed Wire by Tom Grennan, who is also a British musician (what a nation!), also incredibly talented, and has an absolutely amazing voice that I never get tired of listening to.
Catherine
If you’re like me and you haven’t heard any of Bon Iver’s more recent creations despite his Grammy nomination, then 22, A Million will come as a revelation to you too. Long gone are the days of the longing folk chords and poetic verses sung with this unearthly voice of his. No, this 2016 EP explores eerie electronic sounds and gets deep into the concept of time and the way nothing ever stays permanent. My personal favorite is 715 – CRΣΣKS: no instruments, only a complex harmony of synthesized voices or, rather, one synthesized voice. The lyrics hit you hard on this one, making you question everything you stand for.
