Every day when I ride the subway to or from work, I treat it as an opportunity to discover new music that made it into my Google Reader feed the night before, even if I’m getting back relatively late. My ride each way is approximately 20 minutes (relatively short, I’m lucky), which is not enough time to listen to an entire album , but usually I have enough time to listen to 4-5 songs before arriving at my desk.
So in an ideal world, all the best music would appear in 20 minute EP-length segments easy enough to listen en route to work each day, but artistic convention (and record labels) decided that the 30-70 minute (usually) album was the best way for artists to deliver their content.
Not being satisfied with album-length offerings or playlists too long for a ride to work, I am starting a new series on Supposedly Good, “Theme From Metro” (a semi-ode to Blur) to share a relatively short commute’s worth of music loosely tied together by a theme.
I was inspired by tonight’s snowfall over New York City to make a winter-themed (but not holiday-themed, I’m already holiday-ed out) soundtrack for your morning or evening commute. Some of these songs have overtly winter content. Some just sound like they should.
The first lyric of this song is “December’s cemetery rain…,” which instantly puts me in the mood to deal with the cold on the way to the subway.
2. Obsessions (oOoOO RMX) – Marina and the Diamonds
Hauntingly beautiful remix of Marina and the Diamonds. This remix has such an incredible sense of creating space.
3. Never Follow Suit – The Radio Dept
Excellent song from a group that has become one of my favorites in recent weeks. I’m glad I discovered this band in November instead of in June because their production-heavy music from Sweden is perfect for the winter.
4. Erasers – Blackbird Blackbird
Not an obvious winter tune, but something about that super-catchy sequence of bells at the beginning of the song make me think of winter.
This one might be tough to really appreciate if you’re on the subway, but this delicate song is incredible. It’s like a trip a wide-open winter landscape where nobody can hear you for miles. The melodic computerized horns that (or whatever they are?) come in a little after the one minute mark provide high drama in the most understated way possible.
6. Silent Time of the Earth – Candy Claws
Everything about this song screams winter. Take a listen to this beautiful song and you will soon understand.
Total Runtime: 21 minutes
Supposedly Good 