Winter Songs

 

This is the perfect time for a winter mix because we finally got a substantial snowfall today. I was worried that my snowblower wouldn't get a workout this year. I had already planned on a winter mix and then bang - 8" of snow.

This past fall I made a mix for autumn that alternated between instrumental & vocal tunes and I really like the way it turned out. So this mix follows the same guidelines but with a winter theme.

All the tracks have winter or snow or cold in the title and, like the autumn mix, they mostly alternate instrumental/vocal. Though there a few deviations from that rhythm.

Cheers!

[ s t r e a m ]    [ d o w n l o a d ]    [ a p p l e _ p o d c a s t s ]

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00   Library Tapes - It Was A Cold Day In February And We Walked Across The Lake
• (Feelings For Something Lost 2006)
• 01:19   Kate Bush - Snowflake (50 Words For Snow 2011)
• 10:45   Hiroshi Yoshimura - Urban Snow (Music for Nine Post Cards 1982)
• 15:18   Jan Bang - Winter Sings (Reading the Air 2024)
• 19:00   Fuzzy Lights - Snowstorm In A Snow Globe (That Fuzzy Feeling 2007)
• 21:43   Adrianne Lenker - Snow Song (Hours Were the Birds 2014)
• 25:35   Saint Etienne - Snowbound on the South Bank (A Glimpse of Stocking 2010)
• 27:08   Vashti Bunyan - Winter is Blue (Just Another Diamond Day 2001)
• 28:54   Ben McElroy - Store Away For A Winters Day (How I Learnt To Disengage From The Pack 2021)
• 31:55   Ray LaMontagne - Winter Birds (Gossip in the Grain 2008)
• 37:51   Sailcloth - Winter Walks (Close Keeping 2018)
• 39:55   The Rural Alberta Advantage - Coldest Days (Departing 2011)
• 42:45   Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal (Fleet Foxes 2008)
• 45:10   Jody Mosher - Snow(vocal and bazz flute) (Snow 2025)
• 49:30   Christopher Hanlon - Dreams of Summer in Winter (Dreaming of Summer in Winter 2022)
• 51:42   Doug Ashdown - Winter in America (No Cheap Grace 1995)
• 55:41   Kika Sprangers - Winter ( (In)finity 2024)
• 58:14   Voces8 - Arnalds: For Now I Am Winter (Winter 2016)
• 62:57   end

sunday morning music

I absolutely love NPR music.  The host of their All Songs Considered podcast is Bob Boilen.  I've heard him describe music as "Sunday morning music."  I'm not exactly sure what that is but I think I know when I hear it.

I'd been thinking about doing a Sunday mix for some time and then I heard Wilco's song "One Sunday Morning" & immediately loved it & had to start a mix so I could use that tune in it.

This mix is a collection of both vocal & instrumental tunes, that hopefully will work well with sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee & reading the paper.  Sunday mornings always make me think of jazz so I included a couple of jazz tracks in the mix.

Time to go brew another pot.

[ s t r e a m ] | [ d o w n l o a d ] | [ i t u n e s ]



T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    Chandanam - Silk
• 02:00    Bon Iver - Perth (the Polish Ambassador remix)
• 08:23    Wilco - One Sunday Morning
• 16:53    Daniel Lanois & the MDH Band - The First Time(reprise)
• 18:55    Nick Drake - From the Morning
• 21:17    Keith Jarrett & Jack DeJonette - Pastel Morning
• 23:12    Charlie Haden & Hank Jones - Going Home
• 27:12    Gem Club - Twins
• 31:20    Harmonia 76 - When Shade was Born
• 32:35    Harold Budd & Clive Wright - Sunday After the War
• 36:15    Marsen Jules - Lazy Sunday Funerals #3
• 38:12    Dizzy Gillespie - Come Sunday
• 41:00    Leonard Cohen - Going Home
• 44:10    S. Carey - Move
• 46:52    Seu Jorge - Life on Mars(Bowie Cover)
• 50:12    Charlie Haden & Hank Jones - Come Sunday
• 53:43    end

Sunday morning music by Lowlight on Mixcloud

The Mellow Side of Prog

Back in 2007 I did a Prog Rock mix that is still one of my favorite low light mixes.  You can find the original post & download here...PROG ROCK '07.

I've always wanted to do another prog mix.  While on a pro rock binge I came across "For Absent Friends" by Genesis and that gave me the idea of doing a mellow prog mix.

In the original mix I tried to stay away from prog rock mainstays like Genesis & Yes & King Crimson.  This time I couldn't resist some big names like Pink Floyd, Genesis, Brian Eno & Crimson.  Those well known artists combine with some Cantebury scene music from National Health, Soft Machine & Hugh Hopper and Al Gowen.  Most of the tunes are vintage 70's music, with only a couple newer tracks from Willowglass & David Gilmore.

I included kind of an oddball cut from Tony R. Clef.  It's an acoustic cover of Genesis' "Undertow."  He has a few other Genesis tunes that he covers on his YouTube channel here.

I know this mix is a bit different than the usual Low Light Mixes fair, but it was fun to put together and I hope you enjoy it.

[ s t r e a m ] | [ d o w n l o a d ] | [ i t u n e s ]

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    Genesis - For Absent Friends
• 01:40    Pink Floyd - If
• 06:05    Soft Machine - Carol Ann
• 09:33    Genesis - Hairless Heart
• 11:45    Strawbs - You & I(when we were young)
• 15:40    Phil Manzanera - Diamond Head
• 19:57    Willowglass - The End
• 21:09    David Gilmore - The Blue
• 26:25    King Crimson - Starless
• 30:54    Brian Eno - Golden Hours
• 34:30    Genesis - Silent Sorrow in Empty Boats
• 36:42    Anthony Philips - Which Way the Wind Blows
• 42:25    National Health - Arriving Twice
• 44:35    Hugh Hopper & Al Gowen - Morning Order
• 50:57    Chris Squire - Lucky Seven
• 57:45     Soft Machine - Virtually Part 4
• 1:01:02    Tony R. Clef - Undertow(acoustic Genesis cover)
• 1:05:54    Pink Floyd - Pigs on a Wing, Pt. 2
• 1:07:18    end

The Mellow Side of Prog by Lowlight on Mixcloud

psalms & lullabies

A friend of mine made an excellent Spotify playlist called "Atmospheric Songs for Travelers" which had some great music from John Martyn, Nick Drake, Wilco & more.(I saved it as my own playlist which is why name is on it if you click the link.)

Listening to that collection made me want put together my own mix of vocal music.  I don't do vocal mixes very often but I thought it'd be nice to do one now, while all that music is swimming around in my head.

The songs are very laid back.  Most are acoustic.  Some new music(Antlers, Bon Iver, Horse Thieves) and some old stuff(John Martyn, Loudon Wainwright, Cat Stevens).

Somehow the mix ended up with 3 covers in it -  Iron & Wine - Love Vigilantes(New Order Cover),   Josh Rouse - Straight to Hell(Clash cover) and Radiohead - Wish You Were Here(Pink Floyd cover).  All brilliant covers.

I have some leftover vocal tunes that might make it into a new mix fairly soon.  Then it'll be back to good 'ol low light ambient.  For now, enjoy this vocal detour.

[ s t r e a m ] | [ d o w n l o a d ] | [ i t u n e s ]

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    Bon Iver - Flume(daytrotter session)
• 03:25    The Horse Thieves - (I was) Crazy (About You)
• 07:55    J. Tillman - Earthly Bodies
• 12:00    Josh Rouse - Straight to Hell(Clash cover)
• 16:35    Cat Stevens - The Wind
• 18:07    Damien Juardo - Beacon Hill
• 21:05    Johm Martyn - Let the Good Things Come
• 23:55    Radiohead - Wish You Were Here(Pink Floyd cover)
• 30:50    The XX - Stars
• 34:55    The Antlers - Corsicana
• 38:15    Bon Iver - Wash.
• 42:45    David Sylvian - September
• 43:55    Loudon Wainwright III - Lullaby
• 46:45    Iron & Wine - Love Vigilantes(New Order Cover)
• 49:50    Alexi Murdoch - All My Days
• 54:35    Red House Painters - Song for a Blue Guitar
• 1:00:20    end

Psalms & lullabies by Lowlight on Mixcloud

I Love the Rain

The transition from spring to summer brings two new mixes from Low Light Mixes central command.  We've had a fair amount of rain lately so both mixes are "rain" mixes.

Rain evokes so many memories & emotions, it's a great theme for mixes.  Using field recordings really helps hold the mix together.  I try not to over do it with the rain sounds, hopefully it works well.

This first mix is a vocal mix, well mostly vocal, there are three instrumentals hiding in there.  All the tunes have the word "rain" in the title.  It was fun discovering tunes I did not know very well, like The Decemberists track & the cut from Susanna & The Magical Orchestra.

The second rain mix is an instrumental mix and it will be posted over at the SubVersion blog.  Mick will be posting it there soon.  And I will be posting a drone mix from Mick here at Low Light Mixes soon as well.  I've also got a "sleep" mix in the works.

DOWNLOAD :  77mb  40:00min

I Love the Rain

T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    Susanna & The Magical Orchestra - It's Raining Today
• 04:40    The (real) Tuesday Weld - I Love the Rain
• 08:37    Asche & Spencer - A Walk in the Rain
• 09:49    The Handsome Family - Famous Blue Raincoat
• 14:40    Daniel Lanois - Rain Weather
• 18:20    The Decemberists - Raincoat Song
• 20:40    Joe Purdy - I Love the Rain the Most
• 25:00    Oblong - Rain Over the Deverils
• 28:54    REM - I'll Take the Rain
• 34:15    Rivulets - Rain All Winter Long
• 40:00    end