It’s been quite a rollercoaster of a year, for all sorts of reasons, and there were times when it felt like we were hunkering down and waiting for a beating to end. But people are getting vaccinated now and it’s spring, and suddenly it seems reasonable to start hoping once more.
Musically, the period I associate most with “hope,” as opposed to “nihilism” or “despair” or “80s hair,” is the time from the late 1990s through about 2003 or so, which produced some of the loveliest songs of hope and happiness I can remember. Part of it was the rise of indie rock, part probably the sustained recovery of the world economy. Maybe it was just that I got married at the beginning of the period, who knows? For whatever reason, it feels like a good time to dust off some of these tracks and start hoping again.
Do not attempt to adjust your set…
- Untitled 4 (“Njósnavélin”) – Sigur Rós (( ))
- Scratch – Morphine (Yes)
- The Laws Have Changed – The New Pornographers (Electric Version)
- When You’re Falling – Afro Celt Sound System (Volume 3: Further in Time)
- The Way That He Sings – My Morning Jacket (At Dawn)
- Diamond In Your Mind – Solomon Burke (Don’t Give Up On Me)
- Brief & Boundless – Richard Buckner (Since)
- All Possibilities – Badly Drawn Boy (Have You Fed The Fish?)
- Time Travel is Lonely – John Vanderslice (Time Travel Is Lonely)
- Shine – Mark Eitzel (The Invisible Man)
- Why Not Smile – R.E.M. (Up)
- You Are Invited – The Dismemberment Plan (Emergency & I)
- Where Do I Begin – The Chemical Brothers (Dig Your Own Hole)
- I’m Still Here – Tom Waits (Alice)