Far Out 40: A playlist of perfect indie songs for brighter mornings
As I ponder seasonal playlists, I tend to gravitate towards the more atmospheric, cinematic and sentimental end of the spectrum. I, like most others, think of the weather first when considering a season: sun in the summer, wind and rotten leaves in the autumn, snow in the winter and rain with clear spells of hope in the spring. These stereotypes are, of course, a little crude, and we all know how the British climate can quite literally rain on our parade, giving us not-so-white Christmas periods, snow and hail in the spring and showers throughout our well-earned summer breaks. Today, we bring 40 songs to soundtrack the lighter mornings this season.
When putting together these 40 tracks for the greatest seasonal change, I allowed the romantic image of the spring to flood my mind with images of daffodils, healthy-looking rain-soaked lawns gleaming in the sun and maybe an easter egg hunt. For those hoping for an Easter theme, I have hidden just one song below to sate your specific appetite – happy hunting.
The below tracks were mostly selected based on the warm optimism of this time of year, but don’t despair if you find some melancholy in there – we’re not out of the woods yet. The feeling of any music to soundtrack a season must be atmospheric and thought-provoking. But for spring, specifically, the music should be carefully optimistic while not overstepping the mark, for the rainclouds still lurk. So if you’re looking for all-out ecstasy from a seasonal playlist, you’ll have to wait for summer.
So as we emerge from the cocoon of winter and thaw out our toes for those early morning jogs in the sun or walks through the park, we feel it’s high time for a new playlist to soundtrack your life. The 40 beautiful songs below span the genres, from folk to shoegaze, reaching as far back as the 1960s and as up-to-date as 2023. If you like what you see, give the Spotify playlist a spin!
Songs to welcome spring:
- Talk Talk – ‘Rainbow’
- Nico – ‘I Keep It With Mine’
- Bill Fay – ‘I Hear You Calling’
- Nirvana – ‘In Bloom’
- The Strokes – ‘I’ll Try Anything Once’
- The Velvet Underground – ‘Sunday Morning’
- Yo La Tengo – ‘Aselestine’
- Radiohead – ‘Daydreaming’
- Ultimate Painting – ‘Ultimate Painting’
- The Clean – ‘Anything Could Happen’
- Boards of Canada – ‘Everything You Do Is A Balloon’
- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – ‘Breathless’
- Lou Reed – ‘Perfect Day’
- David Bowie – ‘Drive In Saturday’
- Nick Drake – ‘At The Chime Of A City Clock’
- Talking Heads – ‘Dream Operator’
- Unknown Mortal Orchestra – ‘Nadja’
- R.E.M. – ‘Electrolite’
- The Beatles – ‘And Your Bird Can Sing’
- Brian Eno – ‘Deep Blue Day’
- Roxy Music – ‘Out Of The Blue’
- Mazzy Star – ‘Halah’
- Craig Finn – ‘Messing With The Settings’
- Cat Stevens – ‘The Wind’
- PJ Harvey – ‘You Said Something’
- Múm – ‘Green Grass of Tunnel’
- Leonard Cohen – ‘Waiting For The Miracle’
- Silver Jews – ‘Wild Kindness’
- Lael Neale – ‘Blue Vein’
- Simple Minds – ‘East at Easter’
- The Blue Nile – ‘The Downtown Lights’
- Cheerless – ‘Heat’
- My Bloody Valentine – ‘Sometimes’
- Galaxie 500 – ‘Flowers’
- Lloyd Cole & The Commotions – ‘Charlotte Street’
- Morphine – ‘In Spite of Me’
- Bowery Electric – ‘Fear of Flying’
- Syd Barrett – ‘Terrapin’
- Tindersticks – ‘Travelling Light’
- Belle & Sebastian – ‘Sleep The Clock Around’
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