Far Out 40: Sepia-toned sounds for dark night, dusky mornings, and mellow moods
I don’t like this time of year all that much. I’m one of the sane ones who walk among us that prefers the good health, t-shirts and cooling beers of summer. But I do have to concede that it’s in the dark when these stark months come into their own. The stars are a little brighter, the morning coffee or evening brew holds a little more comfort, and you can hold a certain appreciation for the golden glow of ambience, and sweet playlists.
In these mellow months, cafes and bars are as welcoming as bird feeders to our winged friends. Much has been written about this allure. As Gustave Flaubert rather dramatically put it: “Are the days of winter sunshine just as sad for you, too? When it is misty, in the evenings, and I am out walking by myself, it seems to me that the rain is falling through my heart and causing it to crumble into ruins.” But I’d wager to old Gustave that I can’t be the only one who quite likes that melancholy from time to time.
It is, in essence, a mood of some sort of spiritual awareness. A dirge to wallow in, as John Steinbeck puts it: “What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” There is a sure sense of enduring the bitter chill, and with that comes a sort of cosy solidarity.
That is the mood we’ve looked to capture with this playlist. Edward Hopper captured this feeling in his art, Ella Fitzgerald’s timbre seemed to encapsulate it, and the sweet guitar tone of ‘Magnolia’ typified its bittersweet romanticism. Thus, we’ve curated all this in more in the playlist below.
Ideal for the sort of mug-cradling moments of early evening and cosy mornings. Hopefully, this wholesome soul, jazz and folk mix can bring a bit of well-lit apartment vibes and central heating to you this season and more.
Far Out 40: Songs for when the nights draw in:
- ‘Mr Bojangles’ – Nina Simone
- ‘Hey Laura’ – Gregory Porter
- ‘For Your Lover Give Some Time’ – Richard Hawley
- ‘The Moon Her Majesty’ – Jack Kerouac & Steve Allen
- ‘Red Moon’ – The Walkmen
- ‘Smile’ – Ural Thomas & The Pain
- ‘All Time’ – A.S. Fanning
- ‘Autumn in New York’ – Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
- ‘For Lovers’ – Pete Doherty & Jake Fior
- ‘Gentle Rain’ – Astrud Gilberto
- ‘I Threw It All Away’ – Bob Dylan
- ‘Old Devil Moon’ – Chet Baker
- ‘I’m Glad’ – Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
- ‘Man of the World’ – Fleetwood Mac
- ‘Pieces of a Man’ – Gil Scott-Heron
- ‘Midnight Lullaby’ – Tom Waits
- ‘Stormy Weather’ – Etta James
- ‘Cycles’ – The Tallest Man on Earth
- ‘The Dolphins’ – Fred Neil
- ‘A Time for Us’ – Joe Pass
- ‘Movin’ It On’ – Odetta
- ‘Magnolia’ – J.J. Cale
- ‘Charlotte’s Thong’ – Connan Mockasin
- ‘Lover’s Spit (Redux)’ – Broken Social Scene
- ‘City of Stars’ – Ryan Gosling
- ‘The Moonbeam Song’ – Harry Nilsson
- ‘Waiting’ – Alice Boman
- ‘How Can You Mend a Broken Heart’ – Al Green
- ‘Andromeda’ – Weyes Blood
- ‘Moon River’ – Audrey Hepburn
- ‘Real Love’ – Beach House
- ‘The Tracks of my Tears’ – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles
- ‘You and Me’ – Penny & The Quarters
- ‘Midnight Monday, And a Telescope’ – Cotton Jones
- ‘Secret Heart’ – Ron Sexsmith
- ‘Stephanie Says’ – The Velvet Underground
- ‘Trouble, Heartaches & Sadness’ – Ann Peebles
- ‘Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye’ – Bettye Swan
- ‘The Ride’ – Joan As Police Woman
- ‘Embraceable You’ – Sarah Vaughan
