Here we are! You know that if I miss a post, I try to get one up within 24 hours. This post that I started last night didn’t get finished.

Tonight, it’s finished. I come to you with music.

It’s gotten to be a habit of sorts, hasn’t it, this posting of my personal Spotify playlists? It started with Halloween, I believe. I wanted to share the songs I’ve been listening to this month when not cranking my usual music. (By “usual music,” I mean industrial. My favorite sub-sub-genres of the EDM sub-genre of industrial music are electro-industrial/electronic body music/industrial metal/power noise.)

But this post is about some of my favorite singable songs outside of that realm.

 

 

Because every song on this playlist is a song that I like to sing, and that is the most unifying thing about it.

Many of these tracks are throw-backs. The German songs, for instance, I’ve been singing since the late 80’s. Most of the songs, come to think of it. Late 80’s, early 90’s.

While I’ve labeled this a “mood” playlist, I’d say that it’s more about my enjoyment of singing the songs than of its mood. Having said that, its thread does have a quality and feel of fantasy and longing and hauntedness.

Two of the songs are ghost stories made chilling by Sinéad’s powerful and evocative voice (“Jackie” and “I Am Stretched on Your Grave”). Two others are dark fantasies (“The Waitress” and “Memories”), and another is a haunting telling of the sinking of the Titanic (“Terra Titanic”). There’s a fairytale song of longing (“Unerkannt durchs Märchenland”), and one of wistful sadness reflected by the rain (“Es Regnet”). “Memories Fade” speaks from the aftermath of loss.

“Touch and Go” is an acerbic look at the rat race, but it has me at its musical greatness. It’s the one original song on this list whose musicality stuns me more than its lyrics. It’s a treasure the likes of which I rarely hear anymore, and if you’re into keys and synths, you’ll dig it for the masterpiece that it is. I can’t think of a song whose keys I appreciate more than this one’s. Keith Emerson was a genius on the keyboards!

“Ironbound/Fancy Poultry” moves me to tears… it’s my favorite song of Suzanne Vega’s, and she’s one of my favorite poet-musicians. And “Bad Moon Rising” is a CCR cover by Rasputina. The harmonious clashing of their signature cello in this cover’s sudden violent turn to metal is brilliant.

So these are the songs I’ve been singing to my one-cat audience of Nenette.

(Side-note, true story: While I was writing some of the above text late last night, I paused to check my email, and I found a new one from 23andMe that read: “Your Ability to Match Musical Pitch report is waiting for you.” I’d already seen that I’ve inherited my ability to match musical pitch, but I clicked into it, anyway. The scientific detail that goes into these reports is fascinating.)

(Side-note 2: Just because I can match musical pitch doesn’t mean that I can sing. I cannot. My pitch is excellent. My voice isn’t.)

Anyway, here’s my playlist, for anyone interested. 11 songs, 45 minutes:

 

 

I hope this finds you all well. Take care, everyone!