SoundTrax: City Lights & Snowy Nights
posted in: Features • Reviews & Playlists
Ever wish your life were like a movie? That you could walk down the street and have perfectly appropriate music playing all the time?
Here at SoundTrax, our goal is to provide you with weekly music that is specific to an event or mood. No genre limitations, no time-period restrictions, just great music. The order of the songs selected is equally important to the content itself in our opinion, so more often than not, this blog will be presented in the form of a playlist.
As the weather takes a turn for the worse here in Boston, I find my taste in music changing as well. Tempo begins to slow, euphoric bustling arrangements give way to introspective and sparse recordings, and themes shift towards the darker end of the spectrum. So throw on your favorite pair of headphones, slip on some mittens and brave the cold, gray January skies with these tunes:
“Codex” by Radiohead
Radiohead have been the kings of introspective rock music for years now, and Codex is no exception. The slow, steady pacing of the song provides a sense of safety to an otherwise haunting track.
“Wonderwall” by Ryan Adams
Adams’ cover of Oasis manages to take a stereotypical ’90s rock track and turn it into a beautiful, bare-boned love song. The perfect track to listen to as the sky blackens and the first bit of snow coats the ground.
“Hold On” by Angus and Julia Stone
As the pace quickens, your feet start to fall in line with the subtle shuffle of drums. Hold on, you’re not quite through this storm.
“Temptress” (Tyler Stone’s Forbidden Fruit Mix) by Sutro 
Our very own Sutro provides you with this sultry track. With simple yet striking production, and vocals that absolutely drip with sex, this song should warm your insides.
“Luna” by OCCID
A piano part that sounds so delicate it could break if played incorrectly, a texture of melodic blips & bleeps that resemble the flashing lights of a city, fleshed out with tuned distortion and a subtle dubstep inspired wobble. Without lyrics to ponder, let the music do the talking.
“Glósóli” by Sigur Rós
The climax of this playlist, Glosoli is a sprawling epic that chugs along, steadily gaining momentum, until (almost unexpectedly) it explodes into a frenzy of fuzz-dipped electric guitar goodness. If you haven’t forgotten the numbness in your toes by the end of this track, then I haven’t done my job!
“Lover, You Should’ve Come Over” by Jeff Buckley
What could I write about the tragic Jeff Buckley that hasn’t been said already? Enjoy a beautiful track, off of one of my all-time favorite albums.
“Unobstructed Views” by Death Cab for Cutie
As you round the corner and the sight of your front door welcomes you, let this relatively even-keeled song lead you home.
Thanks for listening!