10 Songs for Chilling Out

Note: The following was originally featured here on 22 June 2007.

1. St. Augustine - Band of Horses. The final track from Band of Horses' 2006 debut, Everything All The Time, this track might roll along, but it definitely calms you down. The vocal harmonies are loose and don't feel forced. The sparse arrangement - a warm fingerpicked acoustic that moves from the main progression only slightly, is even better than hearing the guys from Charleston sing about a pretty place in Florida. Such a shame they don't include this one in the live set anymore.
2. Boots of Spanish Leather - Bob Dylan. When I listen to this song, I imagine Bob and a phantom woman singing the story out as a duet. Joan Baez probably filled that phantom spot at some point, but I don't really care that much for her so I pretend like that would have been impossible. Boots, from The Times They Are A-Changin', is so sad. Dylan makes you think there is so much hope to have for the sea-separated couple, but it all fades away in the end. Still, the song is so sonically smooth, I generally use it as my alarm clock. "Boots of Spanish Leather" is about the time I consider Dylan's voice to have been at its best, with the reedy, sax-like tenor moving up and down over his fingerwork. Lovely song.
3. 1/1 - Brian Eno. This is a no-brainer. The lead track from Ambient 1: Music for Airports, 1/1 was composed with the intention to calm people down without them knowing it at all. Eno's 1/1 was piped into airport terminals, first in Seattle, to calm down people who were forced to deal with the not-so-great service that airline companies historically provide. The warmth in the synths is the key to this track, and it is probably the most calming one I know of. Clocking in at over 17 minutes, the true testament to this one is that as you listen, you actually forget you are listening to anything at all. 1/1 should be piped into every place possible, especially today's airports. I suggest playing this in doctor's offices instead of Michael Bolton.
4. Radio War - Iron & Wine. I have no clue what instrument Sam Beam is strumming here. Is it dulcimer? Ukulele? Mandolin? A guitar in the high register? Who cares. This song makes me want to rock a baby to sleep, gently. Someone recently referred to Iron & WIne as sad-bastard music, and I can't really argue that one, but that sad-bastard wrote a damn good one here. Sam Beam tracks his voice over top of himself so many times, you think it would be a bit much (take note, Chris Martin), but it always takes me a minute or two to realize, "Oh shit, that dude has four part harmony going on right now and all I was thinking about was one voice." Really controls the mood.
5. Hallelujah - Jeff Buckley. Not a whole lot one can say about this track. Sure it is the definitive reading of the Leonard Cohen song. Just to warn: if you've fallen in love with Jeff's version, don't go digging around for any other version, including Cohen's. They are all inferior. I really wish there could be a rule that no one could play this song live or in studio any more, so we wouldn't have to hear Dave Matthews or that guy from Something Corporate butcher and steal the Buckley version. Jeff Buckley's version from Grace is actually multiple takes spliced together - he couldn't do it all in one take to a satisfactory level, which isn't surprising since it takes about 7 minutes and with all those banjo rolls towards the end. The calming effect, sonically, comes from what great production there is here. The guitar notes sound like chiming bells, and the voice is drenched in reverb. On the side, this recording is probably the best ever laid to tape by anyone, anywhere.
6. Clam, Crab, Cockle, Cowrie - Joanna Newsom. The composition classes Newsom took at Mills College when she was just starting her higher education shine through in her folk work. Take your pick of which version of this song you want, both The Milk-Eyed Mender and Joanna Newsom and the Ys Street Band takes are stellar. The placement of a minimalist track like this at the end of the record blows every bit of you away. It takes a massive pair of ovaries for Newsom to have her debut album's finale, an album characterized by African-harp rhythms, dense chords, and times changes be a song that features none of those attributes. While Milk-Eyed Mender isn't as frantic and chaotic as Ys or the recent EP, the final track settles everything, definitively.
7. Summer in the City - Regina Spektor - This song possesses even more sadness than the Dylan song above, which isn't an easy feat to accomplish. The whole track is reigned in a bit, feeling like it wants to move a bit faster, but it never breaks through. Like Newsom's track above, the fairly simple chord voicings help it with warmth and space. Spektor's voice here has the quaver that makes the track feel so delicate, and the drawl of a gospel singer, which is odd since she has the whole Russian/Jewish/New York background, but is completely comforting to me. Listen to the very end for the angelic choir entry.
8. Untitled 1 - Sigur Ros. I always wish I could go back to the time that I didn't know about Sigur Ros and hear this song again for the first time. There is a bit of density there, but they somehow find out how to make the arrangement feel more simple than it really is. Like most Sigur Ros, especially ( ), this track plods like nothing you can imagine. We are talking too slow for slow dancing here. The extended fourth beat throughout is great for slowing down your heart rate and creating that floating feeling. Forget drugs. Just listen to enough Sigur Ros. In fact, I remember when these guys first got big stateside, People were passing out at the shows because they got really high expecting some Pink Floyd type shit, but were so mellowed out from lack of stimulation, they went limp on the floor like noodles. That is pretty calming.
9. Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard - Julie Doiron. This cover version that Doiron put up on teh interweb for free last year is nothing like the Paul Simon version, which is pretty much exquisite. Imagine how much fun Simon's original is, then imagine if it was still that much fun, chill as could be, only a fingerpicked guitar, and a beautiful girl's voice singing. I like to pretend that Doiron goes to local kindergarten classes wherever she lives (probably Canada) and sings this to children before the start nap time. I haven't seen many pictures, but I also like to imagine that Julie Doiron is really hot. I think there is more of a chance of the latter than the former, but I would give her lots of respect for going to the schools if she did. You should hunt around and find this version, then listen to it before taking a nap.
10. Down to the River to Pray - Allison Krauss. I often have a lot of problems with Krauss' voice. It is a lot like eating sugar cubes coated in cool whip. This problem often comes up when she does something besides sing bluegrass or folkish music. Listen to that recording of her singing the Star-Spangled Banner that everyone raves about at Nascar events for reference. But when she does some mountain music, it can perfect. I don't know who the choir is that backs her here, but they should just follow her around while she goes about daily errands, because it is beautiful. Think about what a great thing it would be if you were working at McDonald's and Krauss with her giant choir ordered an egg mcmuffin from you. I know, amazing! This song has all the triads worked out perfectly, and the way the parts build in upon each other with each verse really hits hard. By the time the basses come in, around two minutes in, you feel so relaxed and in love with this recording. Stick to it Allison.