Ten Albums To Warm Up Your Winter!

I hate winter. I hate the short days, the bitter cold, the relentless onset of minor illnesses, the sub-par tomatoes, the black dog in the corner of my room, the fatigue, the shower that never feels hot enough, the loneliness and the way it becomes even harder than usual to get out of bed in the morning. We’ve been fortunate enough to have snow before the end of Michaelmas term, and the novelty of singing Fairytale of New York on the way back from the pub has not yet worn off, but it will eventually, and I hope this list might provide some much-needed solace over these difficult few months. I worry I’ve opened wrong. I don’t think you have to consider this an inherently rubbish time of year to enjoy the albums I’ve selected, but maybe if you get a little bit lonely, maybe if you’re a late riser, or if the central heating’s broken, a few elements of a few of these might strike a chord in you.

Reading, Writing and Arithmetic – The Sundays

This list couldn’t start with a better album. The Sundays’ sound would best be described as a combination of The Smiths’ guitar melodies and Cocteau Twins vocals, with the sort of whimsical, self-pitying lyricism that could only come from a bitter, 20-something-year-old Englishwoman. I think Jane Austen would really like this album if she’d grown up in post-70s Britain. Reading, Writing and Arithmetic navigates Harriet Wheeler’s failures in love, the isolation that comes with womanhood and the restless feeling of outgrowing your hometown. I had it on repeat while I was home for Christmas last year and I brought it back to Durham with me for the hours I spent walking during Epiphany term. Definitely one for fans of The Cranberries.

When to listen:

Out and about, anywhere, all the time. Getting ready post-shower, while you’re in the shower. Bobbing between charity shops or on a walk along the river – this album is an emotional companion.

Stand-out tracks:

Impossible to pick just a few (but that being said, ‘Here’s Where the Story Ends’, ‘A Certain Someone’ and ‘My Finest Hour’, if it had to narrow it down to three favourites).

Johnny Rocket, Narcissist & Music Machine… I’m Your Biggest Fan – The Eccentronic Research Council

You’ll have to take some time out of your day to listen to this album properly, it’s got a storyline and everything. Set in the fictional steelworks town of Valhalla Dale, Maxine Peake plays the role of a woman who grows increasingly enamoured with Johnny Rocket, the lead singer of a local pub band. It’s probably written to sound exactly like Royston Vasey, and Peake’s character wouldn’t feel amiss in The League of Gentlemen at all. Featuring Fat White Family’s Lias Saoudi as Johnny Rocket, pithy lyrics and an unreliable narrator (shamelessly, my favourite trope), this is probably the only album I know that contains plot twists. I don’t want to give too much away – just let the plot unfold the way The Eccentronic Research Council intended.

When to listen:

Take Johnny Rocket for a walk along the river around midday this term. Listen closely, absorb it, treat it like a podcast or something. Just don’t play it at pres – it’s an instant vibe killer, unless your mates are as weird as mine.

Stand-out tracks

While this is almost more like a radio drama than an album, ‘Welcome to Valhalla, Dale, ‘Mental Illness in Art as Explained by an Amateur Psychologist, Sponsored by Google’; ‘You Ruined My Chippy Thursday (Should of Gone to Codrophenia)’; and ‘I Spy on J.Rocket & Other Lame Attempts at Leaving Him Alone’ are particularly good, I think. ‘Sweet Saturn Mine’ might be one of the only ‘normal’ songs I could recommend if you want to switch off your brain for a bit.

Pure Comedy – Father John Misty

What is winter for, if not a dirgey 75-minute social commentary? I feel as though I’m underselling Pure Comedy here, but you’ll have to be somewhat mentally present to absorb most of the tracks, especially if you want to sit through Leaving LA in its thirteen-minute glory without getting bored and skipping it a few minutes in. Examining the human condition throughout history, religion and the threat of a climate crisis, Pure Comedy still feels incredibly relevant 6 years on from its initial release. It’s not as melodic as some of Father John Misty’s other albums, but his songwriting more than compensates for this, and it sits as a totally unique feature of Tillman’s discography. It’s a little bleak, but its interesting, it’s witty and engaging (if you’re willing to engage) and it’s nice to switch your brain off to something a little less intellectual but a little more interesting than a documentary.

When to listen:

I used to love listening to this while I commuted to and from work on my year out, especially loitering around waiting for public transport in dark afternoons. I had an almost biblical experience listening to ‘Smoochie’ on Kingsgate bridge on my way back from a late tutorial last year. Really good stuff, I promise – you just need to give it the time of day.

Stand-out tracks:

‘Pure Comedy’, ‘Things It Would Be Helpful to Know Before the Revolution’, ‘Ballad of the Dying Man’, ‘A Bigger Paper Bag’ and ‘The Memo’.

NO THANK YOU – Little Simz

Simz’ latest album couldn’t have come at a better time. Last winter, she dropped NO THANK YOU with about a week’s notice, and it sits in an uncomfortable contrast to her prior album, Sometimes I Might Be Introvert. Contrary to the introspective journey of self-acceptance that Simz’ took us on, NO THANK YOU has this utterly despondent feeling to it that makes it perfectly suited to these short, dark days, as Simz bounces back from exploitation in the music industry with a calculated, measured revenge album. While it’s still a beautifully introspective album to end the year, we see more of the edge Simz showed off in earlier releases, such as Grey Area and A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons. I was recently fortunate enough to see Simz on tour again, after deciding two years ago that she was the best live artist I’d ever seen, and I can honestly say that her stage presence has only improved since then. A truly inspiring lyricist, if you like this album then I implore you to check out some of her earlier work; when an artist pours their heart out into every song, the more songs you hear, the more intimate each song feels.

*When to listen: *

Walking to the pub and pottering about in your room late at night. Or any time after about 8 PM. They feel equivalent at this time of year.

Stand-out tracks:

‘Gorilla’ is the obvious answer, but ‘Heart on Fire’, ‘Broken’, ‘Angel’, ‘Silhouette’ and ‘Control’ all deserve a mention. While you’re at it, give ‘X’ and ‘No Merci’ a spin as well.

Krystal – Matt Maltese

Days that seem to end as soon as you wake up bring about a type of despair that’s entirely unique to the end of the year. We grow melancholy and brood over the events of the last twelve months, usually coming to the depressing conclusion that even if the year wasn’t that bad, it doesn’t feel as though there was an awful lot to show for it. Matt Maltese’s sophomore effort navigates the all-too-familiar situations that the aforementioned despair can force us into: namely, the hot pursuit of a relationship to fill an emotional void (I like to imagine every love song is for a different woman who just wasn’t particularly interested in him) and good old-fashioned moping around. It’s a beautifully mellow album, really easy on the ears, but with the added bonus of Maltese’s signature clever, bitter, solemn lyricism.

When to listen:

I don’t think a better shower album exists. Also serves as a great companion for walking to and from the station on bitter mornings and dark afternoons, gazing out the window of public transport and lamenting a love lost.

Stand-out tracks:

‘Rom-Com Gone Wrong’, ‘Jupiter’, ‘Krystal’, ‘Curl Up & Die’, ‘Wedding Singer’ (demo). ‘Tall Buildings’ taints the flow of the album a little for me, but I suppose it has its charm.

Blue Roses – Blue Roses

I grew up with two copies of this album on CD in the house because my dad saw it on sale for 50p in Waterstones and it broke his heart that it was being sold for so little that he had to buy another. Laura Groves is one of those singer-songwriters who you know was probably responsible for most of the relationships that she sings about ending, but you’ll side with her forever since you know her ex-lover couldn’t write nearly as beautiful a song. Heavy on the piano and acoustic guitar, with some fantastic string arrangements, the album was mostly recorded in music shops in and around Bradford, giving it this very amateurish (in the best possible way), down-to-earth essence. Expect Groves’ yearning lyrics and wailing vocals with a Yorkshire twang, and some very obvious Joni Mitchell influence.

When to listen:

In bed with a cup of tea and a hot water bottle, or play it in the shower, as I’ve been doing for about a decade. Alternatively, on a drive or frolic through the country – you’re never more than a ten minute walk from a field in Durham.

Stand-out tracks:

‘I Wish I…’, ‘Does Anyone Love Me Now?’, ‘Rebecca’, ‘Doubtful Comforts’.

**Modal Soul – Nujabes

Nujabes would’ve turned 50 this winter, and it seemed only right to include Modal Soul on this list. The Japanese producer combines hip-hop with jazz to create a rich yet ambient sound, it’s like comfort food for the ears. It’s an album for a warm room or a dark garden, with lyrics about the human condition that feel more relevant than ever. At a time when there doesn’t seem to be all too much light, Modal Soul is a beacon to get through some of the hardest months of the year. What I love most about Nujabes’ music is that it doesn’t have that samey, saccharine sound that a lot of more lo-fi hip-hop tends to have. There’s almost this zing to it, like a pinch of flaky salt on sliced tomato, or that squeeze of lemon juice to elevate the same pesto pasta you’ve been eating for weeks. If I haven’t lost you yet with the rather abstract flavour analogies, give Modal Soul a spin.

*When to listen: *

Curled up in bed, pretending it’s normal to be winding down at 6pm. Good kitchen album too, whether you’re cooking or want something on in the background over dinner. Also makes pres and afters feel quite civilised. The instrumental tracks are just mellow enough for studying as well.

Stand-out tracks:

‘Luv(sic.) pt3’, ‘Thank You’, ‘The Sign’ and ‘Feather’ are my favourite hip-hop tracks on the album. ‘World’s End Rhapsody’, ‘Modal Soul’ and ‘Horizon’ are some particularly good instrumentals. If you like ‘Luv(sic.) pt3’, check out the rest of the Luv (sic.) Hexalogy – it’s one of my favourite albums.

Take Me to Your Leader – King Geedorah

One of the benefits of 15-hour nights is that albums like Take Me to Your Leader feel delightfully atmospheric for most of the time you’re up, regardless of whether it’s the late afternoon or late at night. There’s a distinctly 80s feel to this album, most noticeably in the heavy synth, space-age aesthetics and retro cartoon snippets. Combining that nostalgia with skits evocative of low-rent thriller results in yet another rich soundscape from MF DOOM. It also features ‘Krazy World’, one of my favourite DOOM tracks, which samples The 5th Dimension’s ‘Requiem: 8:20 Latham’, capturing a couple of bars in the middle which sound like the cold setting in with the first leaves of autumn, to create the most poignant beat I’ve ever heard. ‘Take Me to Your Leader’ takes you back to a time when nights were darker and more exciting, so take advantage of them.

*When to listen: *

Walking through town at night and reluctantly catching up on reading over the holidays.

Stand-out tracks:

Fazers, Next Level, Anti-Matter, Lockjaw, Krazy World (just in case you’re as enthusiastic about Krazy World as I am, the beat is called Lemon Grass).

For The First Time – Black Country, New Road

I’ve been listening to each album as I sit and write these. The first observation I’ll make is that the very first part of the very first song immediately feels like those surges of urgency you get at night to do something or write something or be something. When the days are this short and the year is almost over, the fear sets in that you haven’t had adequate time that day to satisfy your constant desire for reinvention, which is somehow perfectly encapsulated by ‘Instrumental’. There’s always the possibility I’ve just listened to ‘Theme From Failure’ too many times. Regardless, a delightfully dark album, building to a grand finale that somehow feels reminiscent of a drunken dash around a bonfire, with the histrionic undertone of an ITV drama. ‘Sunglasses’ comes to mind. Beautiful, complex instrumentation is to be expected from any BCNR song, alongside Isaac Wood’s ironic, self-pitying lyricism with his unsettling, grave delivery (which are, alas, no longer to be expected from further releases).

When to listen:

It’s dark, moody, and at times perverse, so I’d say probably not one for pres unless you know none of you are making it to a club. If you want to cry while a bit of saxophone occasionally plays in the background, keep this album on standby.

Stand-out tracks:

Of course I’m going to say I preferred the single versions of ‘Athen’s France’ and ‘Sunglasses’, but the way the songs were rewritten for the album almost tells a new story in and of itself that spans the divide between the single and album versions. There are only six songs, you may as well listen to the entire thing.

International Velvet – Catatonia

Finally, we have Reading, Writing and Arithmetic’s less whimsical, more burnt-out older sister. I’m about as English as they come, yet International Velvet instils such a sense of pride in me that I put Welsh nationalism on my list of 2023 ins, and it’s here to stay for the foreseeable. Aside from the eponymous anthem, we have more failed love affairs, from yearning for someone who feels mostly ambivalent, to grisly one-night stands, as well as existential concerns about whether you’re living ‘properly’ and, topically, seasonal depression. Cerys Matthews’ voice might be a bit of an acquired taste for some, but it sits so beautifully with the raw guitar, giving her smart lyricism the sort of grit that can distract you from the words for its purely aesthetic and emotional value. It might be wise to ease into the album with a few of its single beforehand if you want something conventionally palatable.

When to listen:

Much like NO THANK YOU, it’s great for tidying your room when you’ve gotten up far too late and you need to do something.

Stand-out tracks:

‘Mulder and Scully’, ‘International Velvet Game On’, ‘Road Rage’, ‘Why I Can’t Stand One Night Stands’, ‘Part of the Furniture’, ‘No Stone Unturned’.

By Jacquetta Stevens