Spring Fresh 23' Playlist

By the time this issue reaches you, the New England Spring thaw should have begun. It’s been an interesting Winter. Not nearly as much snow as we’ve come to expect, and there were many days where it felt like Spring came early. Of course, we can never know for certain what each season will bring, but we can be certain about our choices each new season. And as temperatures climb, glimmers of sunshine peek from behind clouds, and bright yellow and lavender sprig up through the soil, it’s hard not to feel a bit of fresh hope. This Spring, let’s choose to nurture that hope as we come out of hibernation and rejoin our communities and neighbors. With fresh eyes on our world and renewed will to do our part to help heal our own corner of the planet.

However we tend to our gardens, be those of the soil, or those of our spirit, music is always a friend. This Spring Fresh playlist was curated as a musical companion to accompany us on our journey out of wherever we planted ourselves during the darker winter, as we stretch, shake off the dirt, and reach again for the sun.

As you breeze through the pages of this season’s issue, maybe even outside on a patio or porch with one less layer than we’ve been accustomed to, we invite you to enjoy this year’s Spring Fresh playlist, to enhance the new growth and expansion of the season. Listen at Spotify - www.tinyurl.com/2p8d9bta

I’d love to hear your thoughts about this season’s curation! Feel free to email me at sharonjohnsonnyc@yahoo.com and you can follow me on Instagram @sharnyc1.

Healing

The Blue Stones

This Canadian blues rock duo shake us out of our wintry reverie, reminding us that even if we’ve hit a little stormy weather, we’re on the path to healing, and ooh it feels good to get out of the rain.

Bright Blue Day Haze

Mystic Braves

When we wake to that first warm morning with brilliant blue skies beckoning, we feel like as though we’ve been waiting forever for the season’s change. This psychedelic, surf and garage rock band from LA channel indulges the pleasure with a nostalgic sound, but with modern relevancy.

Deep in Love

Bonny Light Horsemen

New England Spring invariably teases with a flicker of a warm spell which, just like a fragile new love, causes our spirit to stir and our hopes to rise. This American folk supergroup casts their own spell with this track from their self-titled debut album.

Go Outside

Cults

This season is not without its foreboding mornings, but with their first sparkling notes, this indie pop duo coaxes those who’d rather hole up indoors to go outside and bathe in the light.

Dear Prudence

Siouxsie and the Banshees

“Won't you come out to play? The sun is up, the sky is blue…” Siouxsie Sioux and her band covered this Beatles classic to great acclaim in a shimmering dreamier production, with The Cure’s Robert Smith as temporary guitarist when it was recorded.

Feels like Summer

Childish Gambino

Amidst the mists and rains, and of course the last surprise snowstorm, we get those tease days, where we’re convinced Summer has come early. In the style of Marvin Gaye, Childish Gambino sings of the growing heat, beautiful to feel, but with some cautionary undertones.

What a Wonderful World

Alison Mosshart & The Forest Rangers

In a surprise departure from her signature snarl, the Kills/Dead Weather lead woman’s take on this Louis Armstrong classic is stripped-back and quietly moving. Backed by the roots rock of The Forest Rangers.

Sowing the Seeds of Love

Tears for Fears + cover by Urban Love

What kinds of seeds will you plant this season? TFF’s gorgeously Beatle-esque anthem urges us towards seeds of love. Because with love, anything is possible: an end to need, the politics of greed... And check out the alternate cover from Urban Love offering a decidedly chiller vibe.

One Fine Day

David Byrne & Brian Eno

The prolific Byrne of Talking Heads’ fame and Roxy Music’s Eno collaborate on this slow and steady rhythmic return to optimism. “Then a peace of mind fell over me. In these troubled times, I still can see. We can use the stars to guide the way. It is not that far, that one fine day.”

If I Had a Hammer

Pete Seeger

As we get to work on our Spring projects, the legendary Seeger brings us back to our community roots, rousing us to also work on love between our brothers and our sisters all over this beautiful land.