Whenever a holiday comes around, it’s fairly easy to tack a theme on anything. Just look at any new episode of your favorite TV show this week. I promise there will be some form of turkey worship in sitcoms across the board. It was no different for Halloween, and the pattern for Chrismahannukwanza stays every bit as predictable as a “Two and a Half Men” storyline.
Why go against the grain? I enjoy holidays as much as a good set list, so why not combine the two? A typical holiday playlist would have a slew of well-known oldies. Those are nice for family-time nostalgia, but then there is the fact that today’s modern songs are tomorrow’s oldies. Maybe I’m succumbing to a Black Friday mindset, but I’m going to beat the rush for the next classic Thanksgiving compilation.
Thanksgiving brings to mind the “three Fs:” family, food and feasting. I admit, that’s a little redundant, and so was the original concept for this playlist. I had tried to mix songs about food until I realized their short supply in a Thanksgiving scene. Aside from MF Doom’s anagrammatical “MM..Food,” in which every track listing relates to edibles, there aren’t all that many strictly-food songs that come to mind. As a consolation to Doom, I thought of adding his verses in Gorillaz’ “November Has Come,” for obvious timely connotations, but the tone, not to mention lyrics, didn’t quite fit the mold.
Instead, I’m going a more standard route with a few songs about thanks and a generally cozy vibe. There is nothing provocative about this list, but there is plenty of warmth and fuzziness. If you’re hungry, eat some turkey. Sound isn’t edible anyway.
“Country Baked Yams” – Zion I
Judging by this first track, it seems food songs aren’t necessarily that far from the Thanksgiving feel after all. It might not be an ideal grandparents gathering song, but it has that bouncy ecstatic tune is truly reflective of any holiday spirit. Listen to this one on the trip home for the holidays, wherever that may be. While I’ve never eaten yams, I might suggest you try them country baked this season.
“Feel Together” – Euforquestra
I don’t mean to sound too sentimental or Hallmarky, but feeling together is what holidays are all about. Why do you think your wiscmail inbox is full of Thanksgiving Badger Bus advertisements? They want to get you home for the holidays! OK, maybe commercialism is a holiday staple as well. Erase that advertiser’s angst with this track from Euforquestra, an eclectic festival band with a genuinely blissful music philosophy. They’re generous to their listeners, too. You can find their album Soup for free on their website.
Something about horns and upbeat dub rhythms never fails to spread a grin on my face, and this track is the great example of that.
“Nothing Short of Thankful” – The Avett Brothers
The unorthodox holiday cheer from Euforquestra needs a follow-up that can carry the momentum. Listen no further than the brothers Avett, whose bluegrass folk maintains a homecoming warmth with an energy level that could only occur pre-feast.
Despite my aforementioned delusions of a food list, this playlist is becoming every bit as lyrically driven as I had thought, albeit under a veil of thankfulness rather than gluttony. At its surface, the harmonized traveling imagery gives the impression of a misguided trip back home. Meanwhile, a breakdown to a sloth-speed rhythm sets you up nicely for the following track.
“October” – Broken Bells
Thus ends the lyrical connection to Thanksgiving. There is, however, something about this song that radiates the creeping sentiment of a snowy (or rainy) November.
It must have something to do with vocalist James Mercer’s somnambulist tone, reminiscent of his early work in the Shins’ Oh, Inverted World. Couple his swoon with a Danger Mouse production, and the equation slopes downward on the axis of tone, leading into an unplanned post-turkey couch-nap.
“Country Pie” – Bob Dylan
Don’t nap for too long. Dessert is ready – “Country Pie” to go with Zion I’s yams. This may seem like a gimmicky, contrived use of an artist such as Bob Dylan, whose music catalogue could go on for days and contains more influential statements than many politicians. But when something fits, you’ve got to go with the flow.
In this case, the flow is a bright production escaping from an uncle’s old record player. The message is as simple as a home-cooked meal: (almost) everybody likes pie. It’s that cheery, thought-free (not thoughtless) interpretation that presents what an enjoyable holiday should be.
“Grey Gardens” – Rufus Wainwright
What color do gardens and foliage turn at the onset of winter around Thanksgiving time? Obviously, the song has no intentional connection to this playlist. When you listen to the melodically flamboyant crooning in “Grey Gardens,” however, the pleasant holiday connection seems a tad more likely. An earful of rich arrangement carries this song through an autumn-fringed home of relaxed energy, at least until the football game is on.
Whether he lulls you to sleep or food coma, or extends your alert satisfaction, Rufus Wainwright provides an unsurprising beauty of a piano track to envelope a living room full of wistful revelers, or to keep the car interior warm on the trek back to Madison after the celebration is over.
Joe Nistler ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in Italian and Journalism
