Far Out 40: Mystic songs that can instantly transform a room
Escapism is an overused word when it comes to explaining the joys of music. Sure, some music is escapist – you can venture into the worlds that David Bowie creates and lose yourself on the streets of Tom Waits’ bohemia – but mostly, music vivifies.
Often, in the hectic modern world, reality is dialled down in a wave of noise. Music can cut through that and encourage you to focus on your surroundings a little more. As the ambient musician Ryan Dann, the man behind Holland Patent Public Library, explained to Far Out, “It’s not about escapism; music isn’t really trying to make you escape. It’s more about making you feel present and in the place that you’re in, giving it colour.”
He expounds: “If you’re in an empty room with nothing happening, and suddenly you play this really sombre song, the room is going to feel sad. You’re gonna maybe tune into the plant that needs water, or you’re going to look at a piece of clothing that reminds you of a moment. But it can also kind of have its own buzzing, quiet energy to it; there’s a drama.”
This is almost mystical. While ‘spiritualism’ is another word, like ‘escapism’, with tedious and sometimes problematic connotations, there is indeed something strange and unknowable about the transformative potential of music. Certain songs have more power than 60 Minute Makeovers to instantly change a surrounding.
It’s important that we seek these mystical songs out. As Dr Michael Swift recently told Far Out, “Streaming platforms often reinforce repetition by feeding us variations of what we already like. This creates an echo chamber of taste, which can feel safe but potentially stifling.”
He adds, “Psychologically, it reduces ‘exploratory drive’, the natural tendency to seek new experiences. While we may feel catered to, we risk being creatively fenced in by invisible algorithms.”
Some songs vault those fences in an instant, changing the mood in whatever room they are heard. We’ve collated a collection of these songs in the playlist below. From the sombre hum of Aphex Twin to the almost coffee-scented awakening of Jessica Pratt, these are the anthems that are tantamount to a new lick of paint.
40 songs that can instantly change a mood:
- ‘Avril 14th’ – Aphex Twin
- ‘Sound and Vision (2013)’ – David Bowie
- ‘This Time Around’ – Jessica Pratt
- ‘Hot Dreams’ – Timber Timbre
- ‘La Araña’ – King Congo & the Pink Monkey Birds
- ‘Projections’ – José Junior
- ‘Say It (Over and Over Again)’ – John Coltrane Quartet
- ‘Not Dark Yet’ – Bob Dylan
- ‘One Evening’ – Feist
- ‘Garden’ – Hinds
- ‘Open Up Your Door’ – Richard Hawley
- ‘Pick up the Pieces’ – Akira Ishikawa
- ‘Opening’ – Philip Glass
- ‘Gymnopedie No 1’ – Erik Satie
- ‘Observatory Crest’ – Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
- ‘13 Detours’ – Blue Gene Tyranny
- ‘All Time’ – AS Fanning
- ‘Don’t Forget About Me’ – Alice Boman
- ‘Chan Chan’ – Buena Vista Social Club
- ‘Veridis Quo’ – Daft Punk
- ‘New York’ – Cat Power
- ‘Destination’ – Felt
- ‘Anything Could Happen’ – The Clean
- ‘Satin Doll’ – McCoy Tyner
- ‘Ruby, My Dear’ – Thelonious Monk
- ‘A2’ – Civilistjävel!
- ‘It’s Only a Matter of Acceleration Now’ – Lamin Fofana
- ‘People Everywhere (Still Alive)’ – Khruangbin
- ‘Never My Love’ – The Association
- ‘Rosie’ – Tom Waits
- ‘Aretha, Sing One for Me’ – George Jackson
- ‘We’ve Been Had’ – The Walkmen
- ‘Oh Yeah!’ – Roxy Music
- ‘Earthquake’ – Bobbi Lynn
- ‘One More’ – Cymande
- ‘The Killing Moon (Transformed)’ – The Star, The Ocean & The Moon
- ‘I Want To See The Bright Lights Tonight’ – Richard & Linda Thompson
- ‘This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)’ – Talking Heads
- ‘That’s Where It’s At’ – Sam Cooke
- ‘La Ritournelle’ – Sébastien Tellier
