My two favourite seasons for music are spring and autumn. I'm not trying to be awkward when everyone else in the world seems to love summer and winter, but I have my reasons.
Spring is when everyone tours. Any new music released in winter is toured in spring. Major festival announcements develop themselves in spring. It's a time of rebirth, in nature and in music.
Summer is festival season. Full of live music and warm weather (dependant on where you live of course) and it's great if your someone who goes to festivals. If you're like me, however, summer is pretty boring. All tours come to a stop for four months and watching a live Glastonbury stream isn't the same as being there.
Then autumn comes around. The main festival season is over. The summer of live music trickles into the venues of the UK and tours sweep through the country. If there's a band you couldn't catch in spring or at a summer festival, this is your chance.
However, autumn leads to winter. It isn't all bad. Some great new music and tours appear in November, January and February. Even the start to middle of December sees its fair share of good music.
The problem is the 'festive season'. More to the point, the songs of the festive season. The never ending children's choirs, hymns, sleigh bells and songs you've avoided for the last eleven and a half months.
If it is a time to celebrate and be happy, why do we put ourselves through the same pain each year? Why do radio stations, shops, restaurants, everywhere you go, insist on playing the same songs over and over again? I try my best to avoid the radio in December. Even the start of December is dodgy territory because there's always one person who decides it's time to bombard us with jingling bells and song's we don't like.
I was asked earlier this month to name three Christmas songs I actually like, which wasn't difficult in the slightest because, of course, I have my favorites. I wouldn't say their your typical (annoying) Christmas songs. Everyone from the XX to Dog Is Dead, the Killers, Peace and the Wombats have made an attempt to help make festive music more bearable.
Following the true nature of this blog, there is a playlist filled with my favourites, which you can listen to here. There is the odd 'common' Christmas song and a lot of covers which I prefer to the originals. No, it does not seamlessly run from one track to the next and no it is not based on one genre or style, but neither do any of my playlists and Christmas is anything but seamless for me.
All I can say is enjoy. Enjoy the weird collection of tracks I have put together and the videos on this post. Have a happy holiday season/festive time and the Sound of 2017 is in sight.
Spotify - Shybulovesmusic