The Number Ten: Winter Playlist

When I previously wrote a top ten for nature inspired tracks I have to admit I was feeling pretty warm and sunny those days. It was the summer and those tracks brought out the best of it. So what winter playlist brings out the best in winter? Well, here is a top ten winter jams that we here at tentree are currently listening to (excluding Christmas music — which to some is awesome, and to many is not).

10. The White Buffalo – The Woods

This is a fairly dark song which is supposed to be the reflection of how a convict sees the rest of society once he is released from prison. It has a very cold feeling about it and of course taken in literal form (as I imagine it) he is emerging from dark, cold, and snowed woods, only to find that it’s even cooler outside of them. Another amazing instalment from an amazing songwriter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-yxwXIrQ-E 9. Blood Red Shoes – Cold

This one is pretty obvious. It is a song I grew to love over the course of a winter, along with the band’s discography; the sound just seems to fit. The title itself presents what we all fear during the winter. So, why not fight the cold with some hard rock?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSLUe5ZcXHg 8. Reuben and the Dark – Bow and Arrow

“Over the mountain and under the stars”, some great imagery there from a great Canadian band. Due to the whole darkness of the album I get a very cold vibe from this one (mixed with goosebumps of course). Give the video a little time, it’s worth the wait!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRDMXlZMHVc 7. Alberta Cross – Bonfires

I know most people think of bonfires during the summer months, but for some reason this one reminds me of a much colder time being illuminated by bonfire. The bonfire is the antagonist in this track, but its warmth is also sought after. I thought about this song a lot while writing my first novel. There is something really epic to me about a bonfire burning amongst the frozen white. Side note: although not from Alberta, the band’s name does lend to a frosty climate.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgQKozqkqGA 6. Mick Jagger – Blind Leading the Blind

This one comes from the soundtrack for the move Alfie. A bit of a tearjerker song that takes place during the season of winter. This passes through Christmas and New Year’s and really highlights the highs and lows that happen so quickly. Love and hate push back and forth and before you can say spring, it’s all done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M8m4LyFSkE 5. Oscar Isaac - Fare Thee Well

This one really reminds me of sitting in a pub and listening to some great acoustic music being performed. Taken from the movie Inside Llewyn Davis, the song is brought forth during an emotional rock bottom for the main character. Combine that with background of Greenwich Village in New York City during the winter, when depression is already tweaked by the season, this is a cool jam overall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5te1t-3DiVI 4. Band of Skulls - Hometowns

To me this song represents the return to your hometown. The imagery I have is returning home for Christmas or New Year’s Eve in the place of which you were raised and allowing everyone to see what you have become. I don’t know if that’s what they are getting at here, but it’s a beautiful song and that’s what it does for me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYA5tReVNmE 3. Scott Helman – Bungalow

This is a very warm feeling song about what seems to be a very cold place; literally and metaphorically. Scott does an amazing job of helping us visualize a place where your breath can be seen but another’s warmth can keep you alive. For me, riding this boat on the ocean requires a toque, parka, and gloves; not beachwear. You’ll have to excuse me; I actually wrote this the day before he released the official video. It doesn’t scream winter, but my direction would have been a little different! Maybe like an Ed Sheeran - Give Me Love (with a little less bloodied wings and a little more snuggles) meets John Legend - All of Me (with a little more snowfall and a little less shower).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jduFDgIr598 2. Death Cab for Cutie – A Lack of Color

Of course the main colour that we embrace over the winter is white. The whiteness essentially takes away any colour that was there before it arrived. The album Translanticism was released in October of 2003, bringing it and the band into the spotlight that winter. There always seems to be something romantic yet cold about Death Cab; something I’ve always appreciated.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm8oxC24QZc 1. Eddie Vedder – Society

This song is from the movie Into the Wild. The most memorable portion of this movie is the last leg of the journey where winter surrounds Christopher McCandless and essentially takes his life. This song is his call out to society. There is certainly irony in the way he lived and the way he died. This song offers a great view of how society operates and about one man’s plea to not be a part of it. Sometimes Mother Nature can be cruel, and winter is no exception there.

Honorable Mentions:

Arcade Fire - Keep the Car Running — keep that car warm and the seats heated!

Ivan & Alyosha - Running for Cover — get inside fast there’s a storm a brewin’!

Justin Rutledge – Snowmen — I mean the guy says “we were frozen” enough times in the song to make anyone shiver!

I hope that you’ve enjoyed some or all of these songs. These are all great artists worth a listen, and these particular songs might help you get through the winter!

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