There’s a chill in the air now in these English flatlands and a sense that Winter has finally arrived, albeit belatedly.
Much as I hate the shortness of the days, the frequent lack of light and all the practical inconveniences like scraping ice off the car windscreen and having to dry the washing indoors (freshly laundered socks and knickers are draped over the radiators as I type this) it is at least compensated by certain sights, sounds, smells, etc. which have an idiosyncratic charm. I find it in stark skies and crunchy leaves underfoot, welcoming lights behind window panes, a waft of woodsmoke and wrapping myself up in a thick woolly scarf: the responses to Winter which have remained unchanged since my childhood, when I didn’t have to worry about de-icing the car and drying the laundry.
I think music can also be seasonal. Some songs just sound better at certain times of year. My favourite Winter (and Autumn) tracks tend to be a bit on the wistful side, maybe a little melancholy. Thanks to the good man over at Anorak Thing blog I’ve just been introduced to one which captures the ambience perfectly and I can't seem to get enough of it at the moment. It’s like tired daylight fading behind skeletal trees, sharp air seizing your breath. And a north wind blowing south….
Philamore Lincoln: The North Wind Blew South
