Aphera Music

click on player to the right to listen

1. Absofacto “Synthesocietal” 2010

2. Toro Y Moi Remix “Alligator” 2010

3. Snowden “Anemone Arms” 2010

4. Kid A “Trampled Youth” 2009

5. Portugal. The Man “All My People” 2010

6. Best Coast “Moody” 2009

7. Radiohead “Palo Alto” 1998  - you know it’s good when it still sounds novel 12 years later

Oh West Coast Best Coast – I’m not sure if I’ll ever seriously embrace your granola ways. I’m not gonna lie, I love sipping on kambucha and smelling soy candles, but it’s too much to offer me flaxseed pancakes and locally grown organic eggs for breakfast. I kid you not, this stuff is on our hotel breakfast menu.

George and I are excited, however, to sneak away from family obligations in granola-town to check out the San Fran Indie scene. I’m hoping that a few Coachella leftovers wandered up to the North. Having done some research, I found we’re lucky to be there on the same days that Yo La Tengo is playing… but I’m thinking we’ll try some smaller venues such as Amnesia. Who knows, this is my first time doing San Fran Indie.

I was in a bad mood a couple nights ago and texted a few people to have them suggest a cure. My favorite response came from Paloma. Half of her texts made me feel worse; for example, she texted something about how every hour you spend in front of the television increases your risk of dying by something like 10 percent. Doubtful, maybe, but since I had just watched HP6 the night before, this assertion was really no help. But the effects of such texts were completely washed by others revealing her idiosyncrasies, ‘I also watched the Matrix every night it’s been on in the last 2 weeks. Now vying w Howl for my most-watched movie of all time.’ Only for Paloma and maybe my youngest brother, Alexander, would Howl’s Moving Castle, be their most-watched movie of all time. Somewhere between learning about polar bears being left-handed and reading Salinger’s alternate obituary in The Onion, I started to feel better.

Anyway, here is my stab at a cure for the winter blues. This is also a response to Paloma’s request for some ‘this-is-no-time-for-lethargy music.’ I am pretty sure I’m not the only one feeling this slump. The most recent episode of 30 Rock was titled ‘Winter Madness’; in other words, Tina Fey’s take on Seasonal Affective Disorder. Apparently February is the last month during which individuals in the Northern Hemisphere will usually experience symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder – so I learned when writing two papers on SAD last semester.

Here are some excellent tunes so cheer up. This is especially for the guy at work who said he’d gone through our playlist twice already and needed more. This is also for the girl who I sent one of these tracks to – you told me that you ’LOOVED!’ it. I promise, you’ll feel the same way about the rest of these.

photo by Ravi Bhalla

PLAY TRACKS

‘The Sun’  Portugal. The Man

‘Dog Days are Over’  Florence + The Machine

‘O.N.E’  Yeasayer

‘Take Care’  Beach House