Melancholic Mondays is what I like to deem the start of a working week. Well, now I do. To that end, allow me to present Ontario-hailing songstress, Christine Leakey, who brings you fine people this sumptuous folk tune. Deliberate and soothing, this feels like the type of song you’d use as an adult to drift away and forget about things for a bit – where you want to go sleep feeling a bit sad, but still knowing that much beauty exists in the world.
Do you like songs that remind you of the life you spent as a child in the countryside? The sky never changing from the vivid pink of sunset, the cool breeze ruffling through the tall fields of golden wheat and your hair, as your soared gloriously from the tire swing hanging from that old oak tree? No? Man, I’ve made myself wistful for a time I just completely made up, but dangit, that’s where this supremely beautiful and heartfelt song will take you.
Anna Atkinson hails from the far too talented land of Canada, where she brings us a whole mess of sparsely instrumented, but elegant tunes that I guess could be considered dark folk. It’ll pluck you right in the feels, I tells ya!
It’s deeply humbling that there are folk artists who have had such a huge impact on the world. Though their output seemingly flies in the face of what is considered ‘popular’, they have inspired millions of artists, poets, musicians and those that seek to grow their understanding of the world.
Leonard Cohen really needs no introduction. His wonderfully innate ability to tap into the core of humanity and deliver an utterly heartfelt, honest and moving piece will undoubtedly echo throughout the ages, inspiring many for time immemorial.
Allow me, dear reader, to pull you away from the stresses and silliness of this absurd time of year for just a moment. Perhaps you just need to drift away for a moment, take a breather and relax with nothing but a little smile on your face. If so, HAVE I GOT A TUNE FOR YOU! PARTICULARLY IF YOU DON’T LIKE ME SHOUTING!
This is just a perfectly charming, wholly sublime piece of folk that will surely pull you away from the craziness, even if just for a few minutes. Luluc are an Australian duo who are currently based in New York (you lucky Americans), and with friends like The National and José González amongst others, they are no doubt going to make a serious, folk-shaped dent in the music world sooner than later.
It seems odd that I’ve never investigated Emilíana Torrini’s music, considering her contribution to the Lord of the Rings trilogy with the beautiful Gollum’s Song. Then again, I never profess to be particularly good at this job!
I clearly have a thing for deceptively simple, folkish pop sung by women with beautiful voices. Not that there’s anything wrong with that! And how could there be anything wrong with that, particularly when it’s tender, deeply relaxing, and inherently beautiful? If this track floats your aural boat, you ought to cast your ears over the rest of this album: you shan’t be disappointed.
I’ve decided recently that the thing missing in my life is a “songs for a lovely home” playlist. Yes, I literally have everything else: this is the last piece of the puzzle! Anyway, songs featured in this hypothetical playlist would need to carry some air of pleasantness. They don’t need to be bubbly and happy as such, because I think that would just drive me mental, but they just need to be something I can have on in the background while I’m peeling potatoes or arranging knick knacks or whatever it is people do in homes. But enough of my yabbering!
Brooklyn Doran has provided an utterly delightful piece of folky pop that’s swimming in all kinds of sweetness. It is compulsively hummable and toe-tappable, which is sure to greatly annoy anyone in your general vicinity!
Friday is a day to continue being completely and utterly smitten with Pisces. My incoherent rambling yesterday did no justice to her, and no doubt today won’t either.
The ‘her’ in the previous sentence refers to Ms. Sarah Negahdari of LA indie group The Happy Hollows, of which Pisces is her solo side project. From what I’ve heard so far, there’s quite the dose of ethereality to her tunes, which is demonstrated quite nicely in the vaguely country-ish Glen Echo. I am going to buy the absolute heck out of this album!
Thursday are for taking a deep breath and gazing at the sunset with a sweetheart. I have none of those things right now (curse you, morning!), but on the off chance the stars align, I have the perfect song for it!
Being a member of the fishy, celestial brethren myself, I felt I could not ignore an artist with the same name. Though, as I am an ethical music writer of words, it takes more than a flimsy name link to get me to post about something. Thankfully, Being With You is an achingly lovely piece of folk pop, with a rather delectable smattering of dreaminess. It is relaxing, sweet, and (hopefully) something that brings a pleasant smile to your face.
Tuesdays are for the sheer drop in enthusiasm for the week, after reflecting upon it on monday. It is the kind of day that feels like it needs a touch of melancholy, but one that’s dressed up in a warm hug as well. Oh, hello The Decemberists, I didn’t see you there!
Evidently, every song on their Castaways and Cutouts album is pure gold. Though it stands to reason that some of the tracks are more gold than others. This is certainly an example of that, and it’s the first track off the album to boot! There is something altogether pleasant about the combination of guitar, accordion and Meloy’s voice, particularly when they’re rallying around a tune that is beautifully melancholic. The group has been away for a little while now, but a new album is on the way next year: hurrah!
Evidently, this will be an entire weekend of relaxation. I mean, what better way is there to follow up that saturday morning sleep-in than watching movies at home in comfortable pants with a tub of ice cream? Yes, you’re right, there is no better way.
To lend some class to that potentially distasteful image, here is quite a beautiful song from newcomers Ocean Music. The vocals have a kind of Isolation Years type quality to them, and the music itself has a folk-ish, Iron and Wine appeal to them. Those are two things I just cannot say no to!
