We are starting a new monthly franchise revolving around music - the curation of Spotify track-lists that tell the story of each month of the year, from the lens of a Creative Pragmatist. Each month may mean something a little different to each person - maybe for some May signifies the beginnings of summer, but for others this feeling doesn’t arrive until the middle of June. Through these curated playlists I seek to capture the innate essence of the month at hand, traversing a range of genres, BPMs, and vocal and instrumental arrangements because we don’t think, work, dress, or in this case, listen one dimensionally.
I would like to acknowledge the inherent bias at play here that is my background, my age, and my experiences. As these curations are a creative work, they may not appeal to everyone, and that is okay. In fact, if they appealed to everyone, I would need to go back to the drawing board to figure out what I did wrong. That’s where this article comes into play. Here is where you can understand the thought, intent, and creative process behind the selection of these tracks, so that if you love what I have put together, you might unlock something that provides greater context as what moves you, and vice versa if you hate it.
As the Autumn month of October rolls in, the morning air seems to be cleaner, fresher, crispy even. I attribute this distinct scent of the Fall air, without any scientific backing, to the turning of the leaves. After a NYC summer where one becomes accustomed to the unforgiving slaps of heat and humidity between the months of June to September, there is a refreshing quality to the shift that occurs in the Fall when the climate begins to feel like, well, nothing. It’s not exactly hot, nor is it cold. There may be subtle breezes here and there, but this nothingness provides the perfect conditions for long walks, brunches on the sidewalk outside Cafe Gitane, natural wine on a bench in Tompkins Square Park, or a coffee and a book (Within You Without You by Seth Rogovy) in the beloved Elizabeth Street Garden.
Autumn is also one of, if not the, most scenic times of year on the East Coast as the deciduous trees begin to shed their foliage, shifting into an incredible array of Ring 3 and 4 colors in an attempt to conserve their energy for the winter months to follow. Leaves of orange and yellow, made nearly translucent by sun rays seeping and bleeding through, cast irregular geometric shadows on the cold, dew covered grass. Maple trees, Japanese maples being my favorite, displaying deep, rich maroon and plum shades of red. A color wheel wonderland with highs of 72 and lows of 55 degrees- this is the collective feeling behind the music choices.
When creating this playlist over the last few weeks, I took many long walks with my dog and Contax T2, sometimes listening to music, but oftentimes not, instead opting to listen to the pretty ballads of the morning birds, sounds of falling leaves, and the rustling of tree branches amidst the occasional breeze or gust of wind. Through these sounds my mind would be drawn back to a few recurring themes - the plucking of an acoustic guitar, clean and clear vocals - sometimes raspy other times more pure - and a warm sense of appreciation.
I have always had a love for country music, but this love deepened exponentially after moving to Austin, Texas. There I learned about the massive distinction between the country music listened to by actual Texans and that at the top of the radio charts. In my opinion, if you dislike country music, it’s likely because you have not experienced the art of true, red dirt country, and have been indoctrinated by artist collaborations like Kane Brown x Marshmallow - not to throw any shade, there is clearly an audience for this type of music, I’m just not in that demographic, and I think if you like a bit more substance to your music, it can be easy to get turned off by the country genre if this is your only association. (This music is our equivalent of that non-committal scoop neck tee - no real point of view to put your arms around). After moving to Texas I became enthralled by Colter Wall, Tyler Childers, Charles Wesley Godwin, and then soon, my good friend Coleman Jennings. Around the time of my sophomore/junior year at UT Coleman formed a band called “Coleman Jennings and The Roaddogs”. When I first heard his at the time unreleased song “Highwayman” through an Instagram story, I knew in that moment, those first few seconds, that Coleman had discovered and tapped deep into his personal genius, and it was a beautiful thing to not only hear, but see. Coleman’s prose is awe-inducing and ridden with nostalgia, capturing the creative essence of what it means to tell a story through a musical medium. Coleman is now touring solo as Coleman Jennings, having released his first EP “Wildflowers & Tears” earlier this year. I recommend pairing his sound with a drive through the country, surrounded by open land and an endless sea of colorful leaves.
Switching gears slightly, I want to shine light on Aldous Harding, an artist from New Zealand whose song “Blend” makes an appearance on the October track-list. To be honest, it was quite difficult to narrow down to just one of Harding’s songs for this playlist, and we undoubtably will see more Harding appearances as this franchise grows with time. Harding’s vocals are a perfect embodiment of that crisp that I previously mentioned when describing the Autumn air. Her sharp instrumentals add an edge, reminiscent of the leaves crackling beneath your feet, donning a sophistication to her music that is somehow also as smooth as that occasional, fresh breeze that can be felt only before 7 am.
In this similar vein of sensitive, wise, and subtly dark, yet comforting female vocals, I want to take a moment to nerd out on my personal favorite artist of all time, HVOB - an acronym for “Her Voice Over Boys” - represented by Anna Müller and Paul Wallner. Ask anyone who my favorite artist is, if they truly know me, they know the unquestionable answer is HVOB. I was lucky to have stumbled upon the duo a few years ago in Brooklyn and have since become continuously captivated by their work, learning more and more from their music every day. For me, HVOB encapsulates the greatest blend of storytelling through lyricism and instrumentals - this is quite a theme with my song selection if you haven’t already noticed. The duo’s discography spans a vast range of emotion, and I felt the song “2nd World”, released on their 2019 album Rocco, captures the emotional and physical nuances associated with the shift in seasons from Summer to Fall, ultimately leading us to this second world (Winter) that is the colder and darker side of the year. When conceptualizing Tibi Close Friends, a massive part of the inspiration behind the project came from HVOB, they are my dream artist to work with, and one day we will make it happen.
As the holiday season quickly approaches, those classic feelings of warmth, love for friends and family, appreciation for those you love, and for those who love you begin to arise; Turn Around (Âme Remix) by Sailor & I epitomizes this somewhat intangible, indescribable seasonal spirit. I first heard this song only a couple weeks ago when Adam Port played it as he closed out his set at The Ruins at The Knockdown Center. In trying to find the best way to describe this moment in time, the first word that came to mind was magical, but it was more than that, so I did some research on the word and found a definition stating “beautiful or delightful in such a way as to seem removed from everyday life”, and that is exactly what it was. As I listen to the track while writing this paragraph, I am taken back to that specific moment, surrounded by my incredible music friends in NYC, receiving hugs from those all around - the love in the air was palpable, and it was because this song brought it out. We should probably feel this sense of compassion and empathy at all points throughout the year, but I think that the seasonal nature of it is why it feels so special, and maybe if we listen to more music like Turn Around, we might just feel it more often too.
One might have previously wondered how Colter Wall, John Lennon, and HVOB could end up on the same playlist or be written about in the same piece - I hope that once you give this curation a listen, shuffled or played through from top to bottom, coupled with the context from this article, you will understand. Or not, and if you don’t that’s okay, there’s always next month for us to try again. This was an absurdly fun project to work on, and as always, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did putting it together.
This playlist is 🤩
Wow, I love this writing of yours. Thank you.