Music Critic Zara Flack shares her favourite music for the winter season
Winter is proceeding into its final weeks, but that doesn’t mean the cold weather has started packing up its things too. During the frosty season, find time to listen to these six finely constructed, stunning tracks and hopefully they’ll make it onto your winter playlist:
The Caves of Altamira – Steely Dan
This jazz-rock track from Steely Dan’s The Royal Scam is lavish with its viscous melodies and astute lyricism. Like several other Steely Dan tracks, ‘The Caves of Altamira’ alludes to nostalgia for a time now gone. The ‘hall of rock and sand’ is a depiction of the real Cave of Altamira in Spain which contains prehistoric art created by neanderthals. There is never a time during the colder months that I do not put on Steely Dan. Donald Fagen’s distinctive New Jersey vocals take center stage, backed by polished guitar, piano, and drum sections. Yet, it is the breezy saxophone solo and horn sections which makes this song a winter classic for me. ‘The Caves of Altamira’ showcases the band’s candid storytelling strengths; demonstrating the human condition and the history created by it. The jazziness of Steely Dan add a gorgeous richness to their discography which diverts them from the traditional rock bands of the 1970s. If you are a fan of both, say, Duke Ellington and The Doobie Brothers, this is the song for you.
“His trumpet sections, like with the horns in Steely Dan’s track, create this warm arena, perfect for the colder seasons.
Wind Parade – Donald Byrd
Keeping with the jazz enthusiasm, ‘Wind Parade’ from Donald Byrd’s 1975 album Places and Spaces is an underrated track in the funk world. This song takes you on a journey with its array of instrumentation: punchy piano and stringent drum patterns dominate the first minute of the song before the stunning string sections take hold. The ethereal vocals are sparse – the majority of the words limited to the title of the track – yet they are alluring and soulful when heard. Byrd himself was a jazz and R&B trumpeter who played with such greats as John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, and Herbie Hancock. His trumpet sections, like with the horns in Steely Dan’s track, create this warm arena, perfect for the colder seasons. ‘Wind Parade’ battles the unjust opinion that “jazz is boring”; its funk-fusion quality stunning every listener.
Didn’t Want To Have To Do It – The Lovin’ Spoonful
Now we’re changing gears with The Lovin’ Spoonful’s folky 1966 track. One word to describe this song would be ‘dreamy’. The tremolo guitar effect gently reverberates its way throughout ‘Didn’t Want To Have To Do It’ and transports the listener to a 1960s utopia. The vocalists’ harmonising, echoing voices always ease me on a cold, rainy winter day, despite the heartbreaking lyrics. John Sebastian’s lyricism perfectly exhibits the pain of ending a relationship for your own sanity when it’s the last thing your heart wants. Winter can be a solitary season; people staying indoors to escape the cold and both mornings and nights gloomy and dark. ‘Didn’t Want To Have To Do It’ makes the listener feel less alone with these raw lyrics on the human experience.
“The vocalists’ harmonising, echoing voices always ease me on a cold, rainy winter day, despite the heartbreaking lyrics.
Honey Moon – Mac Demarco
Segueing genres, meet Mac Demarco’s 2018 single ‘Honey Moon’. This is a cover of Haruomi Hosono’s 1975 track (Hosono being one of Mac’s biggest influences). Demarco sings the song in its original Japanese, backed by acoustic guitar, drums, and a mellow bass sound. Demarco has the ability to commend and respect the original tune, while maintaining his classic sound. Hosono’s original is bizarre and bewitching with an echoing melody, whereas Demarco’s is twangy, and charming. I would recommend listening to the original track as well as Mac’s cover as they are both completely different, enlightening experiences. I first discovered this song in early January 2021, in the middle of the COVID-19 lockdown, and it became a comfort song quickly after my first listen – perfect for a winter playlist.
So Fine – Electric Light Orchestra
Electric Light Orchestra has some brilliant classics: ‘Mr. Blue Sky’, ‘Evil Woman’, and ‘Last Train To London’. However, it is unfortunate that some of their deep cuts get virtually ignored. ‘So Fine’ from ELO’s 1976 album A New World Record is intricately stunning, lyrically and particularly instrumentally. The song begins with echoey vocalisation accompanied by strings and rudimentary drums before quickly dropping into a build up of guitar, bass, and a drum intro into the first verse. Jeff Lynne, Birmingham born and raised, wrote and sang the song himself, constructing an Americana-based track with peppy, positive lyrics. This song always transports me to a cheerful place, even in the deepest winter mornings. The jungle-style aspects of the instrumental section builds up with syncopated drumming patterns and robust string sections before dropping back into a complete lead into the verse again. This song is a 10/10 perfect track and is essential during the wintertime.
“…jazz-funk qualities mixed in with its original hip-hop form […] This creates an immovably warm environment for the listener; a perfect song to listen to during winter.
untitled 06 | 06.30.2014. – Kendrick Lamar
This final track is derived from Kendrick Lamar’s 2016 compilation album untitled unmastered which consists of demos from To Pimp a Butterfly’s 2014 sessions that didn’t make it on the completed record. There are truly some gems in this album; TPAB’s philosophical, political, and storytelling features persist throughout. ‘untitled 06’ has jazz-funk qualities mixed in with its original hip-hop form, making its listening experience alluring and almost mystical. This creates an immovably warm environment for the listener; a perfect song to listen to during winter. A syncopated drum beat endures the entirety of the track along with charming flute melodies. Akin to other of Lamar’s tracks such as ‘i’ and ‘Mirror’, the theme of self-love emerges in this track: “Praise the lord, you teach the kids how to be themself and plenty more”. Old school rap/hip-hop influences permeate this song and the entirety of the record.
From the jazz-fusion of Steely Dan and Donald Byrd to the indie Japanese jazz of Mac Demarco, the colder seasons of the year are securely covered with these tracks.
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