That's an eclectic group of albums you have there. Some (Homogenic, Rift) are old friends. Others (All Fours, Chloe and the 20th Century, Carey & Lowell) may become good friends in future.
Here are a few winter favorites of mine:
...And Then There Were Three... by Genesis
This is a transitional album in the Genesis catalog. The group finally shrank down to the trio that it would become in the 1980's and began to embrace a more pop sensibility, but the album is still prog heavy; Phil Collins has yet taken to writing his first batch of real songs; and Mike Rutherford is still trying to find his way as both bassist and lead guitarist. The winter accent comes from two songs: Undertow by Tony Banks, that evokes winter imagery amid looming emotional conflict, and Snowbound by Mike Rutherford, that almost creates a Peter Bruegel The Elder winter painting in song. Another favorite is Scenes From A Night's Dream that draws on the imagery of the Little Nemo comics by Windsor McKay.
December by George Winston
This is a spare solo piano record that's always left me with feeling the cold of snowy winter. Some tracks remind me of the moody silence that comes after dark in the midst of heavy snowfall. Others point at the austerity of a white landscape blanketed in snow. Even when the album invokes melodies associated with the Christmas season (The Holly and the Ivy, Carol Of The Bells) the result is so muted and severe than one can only think of long, dark nights and cold blustery days.
Hollywood Town Hall by The Jayhawks
A country/roots rock album influenced by Gram Parsons with some Tom Petty thrown in for good measure, this is a record that recalls small towns and muddy back roads freshly dusted with snow. This is wet muddy boots and frozen breath stepping into a diner or luncheonette for eggs and coffee to shake off the cold, or stepping into a bar for a burger and a shot of whiskey. Songs like Crowded In The Wings, Wichita, and Nevada, California invoke loss and longing in a lonely rural world. The cover ensures that it's a world dusted in snow.
Pink Moon by Nick Drake
A spare acoustic album that always feels huddled close indoors and trying to keep out the cold. The warmth of Drake's guitar always evokes the warmth of wood and fire, but his singing and lyrics suggest that life and rebirth are far off.
That's an eclectic group of albums you have there. Some (Homogenic, Rift) are old friends. Others (All Fours, Chloe and the 20th Century, Carey & Lowell) may become good friends in future.
Here are a few winter favorites of mine:
...And Then There Were Three... by Genesis
This is a transitional album in the Genesis catalog. The group finally shrank down to the trio that it would become in the 1980's and began to embrace a more pop sensibility, but the album is still prog heavy; Phil Collins has yet taken to writing his first batch of real songs; and Mike Rutherford is still trying to find his way as both bassist and lead guitarist. The winter accent comes from two songs: Undertow by Tony Banks, that evokes winter imagery amid looming emotional conflict, and Snowbound by Mike Rutherford, that almost creates a Peter Bruegel The Elder winter painting in song. Another favorite is Scenes From A Night's Dream that draws on the imagery of the Little Nemo comics by Windsor McKay.
December by George Winston
This is a spare solo piano record that's always left me with feeling the cold of snowy winter. Some tracks remind me of the moody silence that comes after dark in the midst of heavy snowfall. Others point at the austerity of a white landscape blanketed in snow. Even when the album invokes melodies associated with the Christmas season (The Holly and the Ivy, Carol Of The Bells) the result is so muted and severe than one can only think of long, dark nights and cold blustery days.
Hollywood Town Hall by The Jayhawks
A country/roots rock album influenced by Gram Parsons with some Tom Petty thrown in for good measure, this is a record that recalls small towns and muddy back roads freshly dusted with snow. This is wet muddy boots and frozen breath stepping into a diner or luncheonette for eggs and coffee to shake off the cold, or stepping into a bar for a burger and a shot of whiskey. Songs like Crowded In The Wings, Wichita, and Nevada, California invoke loss and longing in a lonely rural world. The cover ensures that it's a world dusted in snow.
Pink Moon by Nick Drake
A spare acoustic album that always feels huddled close indoors and trying to keep out the cold. The warmth of Drake's guitar always evokes the warmth of wood and fire, but his singing and lyrics suggest that life and rebirth are far off.
Thanks for *your* winter list! Some old friends and some new ones. Will check out the titles I haven't had the pleasure to enjoy!