Entertainment For Lively Minds
Winter warmers
Posted by murrance on 9 December 2011 - 9:57am.
At around 4.45 this morning I woke up in the middle of a nightmare that I was on Masterchef and in the ensuing obstinate wakefulness had to get up and sit in the cold lounge. A cosy album and a hot drink were in order. I picked on Deserter's Songs by Mercury Rev for the former - such a completely wintry record, from the dark-blue hardly lit cover photo to the soft strings and stolen melody from Silent Night - and made myself a special treat for the latter: hot apple juice with chunks of ginger and a bit of cinnamon.
So, a warming tune and an accompanying winter beverage, if you will.
Here's mine: mulled apple juice supped down to Opus 40 by Mercury Rev.
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Goldfrapp - Felt Mountain
with a glass of something rotted by Botrytis
THE SWEETNESS OF THE APPLE, THEN THE SPICINESS..
..OF THE GINGER KICKS IN WITH THE WINTRINESS OF THE MERCURY REV. COULD HAVE BEEN A NIGHTMARE BUT IT WAS A DREAM
IT WAS LAAAHHHVELY
Could've done with a nice buttery biscuit bass though.
"The Valley" by k d Lang
Lang's cover of the Jane Siberry song, from her collection of Canadian songs, "Hymns of the 49th Parallel" - a very wintry record in my mind:
Another glass of sherry for me please.
I always thought that this felt a bit Christmassy
Mine's a whisky.
REM At My Most Beautiful
Love this.
For me though New Adventures is the Christmassy one, Electrolite particularly.
Electrolite
Yes I can see it in that one too. Let's have the video, and I'll move onto an Irish Coffee.
4.45am
At that time this morning I was just getting up to start getting ready for work. Fortunately I'd forgotten to turn off the heating last night so the house was toasty.
Meanwhile, if I wake up from a bad dream, disturbed sleep, whatever, I can't listen to music. I like to have the TV on, but sound off while I let my head come back to the real world. It's actually very relaxing to sit in silence once in a while. I like it.
Aloysius by The Cocteau Twins
And sure I'll just have a nip of vodka.
Mind you the whole of side 2 of Treasure would work. Maybe a naggin?
Sod it. The whole album's great just give me the bottle.
It's an early night for me!
That's a good shout
I remember playing that on my Walkman out walking in the snow up in the hills at the back of my parents' house many years ago
If I recall this winter warming album was on the other side of the cassette:
Budd/Eno - The Plateaux of Mirror: First Light
Ahh, Ahh Bisto.
I do admire your choices sir. I think I've just discovered where to start in buying my Eno catalogue. Thanks.
Isn't Music Brilliant?
For me, Mercury Rev are almost quintessentially a summer band. Any time I hear the songs, it just feels like sunshine.
Why is that?
Makes no sense to me. I think that's why we all like talking about it and will never reach a consensus.
Could have a lot owing
to the fact that I was living on my own in a very cold, lonely town in France when it was released.
All Is Dream, for example, is definitely summery.
Isn't music brilliant?
I would echo everything you say John other than to me, and I'm not that familiar with the album, it sounds autumnal somehow. I will definitely be searching out a copy of "Deserters songs" though.
Finally got a copy of Deserters Songs
And it is a blooming good album. Tried the whole season idea on Mrs C and she immediately said "spring".
"Warm In December"
Julie London
1956, from the Calendar Girl album
Accompanied by a hot Vimto. Lovely stuff. Then you know its nearly Christmas.
So, wistful melancholy and booze then?
Here's a record with a warm fuzziness to it - something to do with the hammond probably - that takes your faraway mood and runs with it. And some kind of a rum-based cocktail, why not. On me if you get a boogie going.
(Boooker T and the MGs - Time is Tight.)
Cozy Cat
Love & Communication - Cat Power
.....whiskey mac in hand!
How about this classic...
Such a perfect powerful song..