I Am Healthy, I Am Whole, But I Have Poor Impulse Control

First of all, Monday: Don't think you're stopping me from doing a Mountain Goats post of my own. Oh, no. You're not getting away with this. Stay tuned for next week: Tuesday's EVEN BETTER top ten Mountain Goats songs. Yeah, I said it. (No but really, all the ones she posted are fantastic and everyone should listen to her and listen to them. She's great, JD's great, everyone's great. We're all friends here.)
Except for the fact that the title IS "September 19th Triple X Love! Love". Seriously. Wikipedia never lies. Monday, it's time to change your iTunes info.

So.

Like I said, the theme of this post is winter. Snow, specifically. Because it's winter. And it's snowing. Already. Before Thanksgiving. And my Uggs and long puffy down coat are beginning to push themselves toward the front of my closet, becoming more and more enticing every day. The gloves are out, the hats are out, the dozens of hand-knit scarves are out. Every time I go to class, I have to peel off four layers of outerwear before I can even sit down. It's officially wintertime. And these are the songs I want to listen to in the snow.

Zipped.

1. Aphex Twin - "Girl/Boy Song"
The elegance in this song astounds me. I am really not a huge fan of Aphex Twin in general, but that's the first word that comes to mind when I hear this. Elegance. It just feels somehow like the beginnings of a snowstorm; the movement in the song mirrors the swirling of the flakes, and you just start to see patterns everywhere. Elegance, pure and simple.

2. The Flaming Lips - "Suddenly Everything Has Changed"
This song just feels so slow, in the best way possible. I love how it deals with sparsity, and yet every moment in the song, even when it's essentially silent, seems so completely full and loaded. This is a sitting-inside-and-looking-out song (as opposed to the Aphex Twin, which is most definitely a tromping-around-in-the-snow song).

3. John Cale - "Paris 1919"
Just listen to how dense and wintry those intro strings are! Brr. Don't you just want to walk around in the snow chanting "You're a ghost, la la la la la la la la la!"?

4. Grizzly Bear - "Plans"
I love how the first line of this song just completely engulfs you. It's pressuring you, slowly, steadily. It's pushing up from under your feet until it encases you, keeping your pocketed hands pinned to your sides. The swinging, slogging rhythm covers you with sloth, with immobility, until all you can do is stand still and listen. In the snow, preferably.

5. Sun Kil Moon - "Carry Me Ohio"
Yeah, I mean, I had to. I live there. That's what this post is about, really. I can't speak for the rest of you, but this is Ohio for the next few months.

6. Air - "Highschool Lover"
The instrumental-only version of "Playground Love" from the "Virgin Suicides" soundtrack. This song is sort of old for me; the original was a big favorite of mine in high school. The ethereal-ness (ethereality?) works so well for the wintertime; the simplicity of the basic piano melody and the pulsing backdrop provide a clear setting.

7. Belle & Sebastian - "We Rule the School"
There were a few choices from "Tigermilk", B&S's debut album, that I was considering for this, but "Fox in the Snow" seemed too obvious and, ironically, "I Don't Love Anyone" just wasn't quite depressing enough. The gorgeousness of "We Rule the School" is in its simplicity: just a few instruments and very spare, understated vocals. This isn't a tromping-in-the-snow song or a sitting-inside song, this is a standing-in-the-middle-of-a-snowdrift-and-looking-at-everything-around-you song. Just make sure your boots are warm enough.

8. Indian Jewelry - "Swans"
I actually just found this band a couple hours ago, sifting through CDs in my school's radio station. The song isn't quite old and isn't quite new; the album, "Free Gold!", came out this past May. This song especially has a very static-y, My Bloody Valentine-esque feel to it. You just have to sit and bob your head while the sound fills the space around you.

9. The Walkmen - "The Rat"
Another high school oldie. But this song will never lose its flavor. I will never stop frantically air-drumming to this song whenever I hear it. This song probably has more power and energy than all the other songs on this list combined, which I think is a nice break from all those other, slow, "pretty" wintery songs. This song is nothing if not frantic. It's chilly. It's cold. Everyone needs a nice song to yell along to every once in a while.

10. David Bowie - "Life on Mars?"
Let's be honest, this song would probably be on any mix I'd make. Partially because yes, okay, I adore it, but also just because it's so fucking versatile. It works for almost anything. It's a good happy song, it's a good sad song, it's a good angry song, it's a good pump-up song. I can't think of anything I enjoy more in this world than driving around singing along to this song at the top of my lungs. Except, maybe, singing along to it at the top of my lungs while walking by myself. And that enjoyment could only be increased if it was snowing.

11. The Mountain Goats - "Riches and Wonders"
This was a hard choice. Like Miss Monday said yesterday, there's just SO MUCH to choose from. And I feel like lo-fi in general just goes along pretty well with winter - all that fuzziness, you know? - so virtually any of their older work would be nearly perfect. Especially the albums as a whole - for winter I'd especially recommend "Come, Come to the Sunset Tree" and "Zopilote Machine" - but I just think this is a really pretty song, in the simplest way possible. It warms my heart, which is something everyone needs on a cold day.

12. Little Joy - "Brand New Start"
Here's a new one. Bright and uplifting, a nice contrast to most of the other songs on here. You can't get through the entire season only listening to this depressing shit, even if it does reflect somewhat the world around you. Make yourself listen to something that'll make you feel good. Listen to this and take a walk - no, skip! - through the snow.

13. Emily Haines & the Soft Skeleton - "The Maid Needs a Maid"
Back to the depressing shit. We've got a somewhat higher-than-normal level of piano this winter, don't we? The melancholy in this song just works so beautifully well; it drags you right along with it. And even though I feel like I'm getting my heart broken every time I hear this, I can't keep myself from falling in love with something this utterly, inarguably beautiful.

14. Animal Collective - "Winter's Love"
Okay, okay, obvious, I know. But it's great (even if a little long for my taste). This song is all about catching snowflakes on your tongue.

15. Yo La Tengo - "Damage"
I first listened to this song last winter and I don't think I've stopped since. God, talk about getting your heart broken every time you hear a song. But I can still never tear myself away. I need to listen to it over and over, as masochistic as that may be.

16. The Innocence Mission - "What A Wonderful World"
Just a really cute, pretty, clean, clear cover. Not much else to it, and there doesn't need to be.

17. LCD Soundsystem - "New York I Love You"
This song works for me along the same lines as "Life on Mars?". But this song is just flat-out cold. Since it's started getting colder outside, I listen to this every night on my way back from the library at two in the morning. It lasts almost exactly as long as the walk does, and by the time I get back to my dorm I feel like my entire body is swelling, bursting at the seams, ready to explode into the frigid air.

That's all, folks. 'Til next week...the Uggs will be back by then, believe me. Brr.

xoxo,
Tuesday