Music |
Music for the New Year
By
Published: Dec 30, 2018
Category:
Rock
So he’s a crook and likely insane, and she’s a liar, and then there’s the heartless one, and the bought-and-paid-for one, and the know-nothing, and — but after two years, is there anyone reading this who doesn’t know the cast and the plot? We’re now in the second or third act of this tragic farce, and because we’re desperate to know how it ends, we tune in daily or hourly for the latest news. Some of our impulses are good (we’re citizens, we feel it’s our duty to be informed) and some are not (don’t we all slow down to gawk at wrecked cars?). No matter the reason, this takes up too much headspace.
The cure, I’ve found, is music. As McLuhan said, “You can’t see around corners, but you can hear around them.” And what I hear is the sound of an alternate future — and of eternity. So, in the early morning, when it’s quiet, I listen to a bunch of songs. Not all of them every day. And not always in this order. By the end, I’ve taken a tour of my emotional life, my heart is pumping, and I’m prepared — or so I like to think — to face the news of the world.
My New Year’s wish is that this music — or a playlist you create — lifts your spirits in what is sure to be a challenging, if not outright harrowing year.
BON IVER (WITH THE STAVES) – “HEAVENLY FATHER”
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN – “LAND OF HOPE AND DREAMS” (BROADWAY VERSION)
BRIAN FALLON – “A WONDERFUL LIFE”
KRISHNA DAS- “SRI ARGALA STOTRAM/I WANT TO KNOW WHAT LOVE IS”
