There’s something spiritual about being alone in a cabin in the middle of the woods, with the snow falling with just you and your thoughts.
When you’re out in the woods, you’re closer to nature, which just feels... right. When you have music accompanying the experience it makes for a good pairing.
This week’s playlist is full of tunes that are earthy, acoustic, and natural. Do those mean all the same thing? Yes.
Neil Young – “My My, Hey Hey:” It’s Neil Young. He just has “cabin music” written all over him.
Alexi Murdoch – “All My Days:” This song could possibly be my favourite on the list. This is a staple on most TV shows these days, mostly because the lyrics on this one will grab you. “I cried aloud, I shook my hands at what I’m doing here...”
Cat Stevens – “The Wind:” He goes by Yusuf Islam now. Fun fact: He almost drowned in California. Apparently, as he was drowning he yelled out “God, if you save me I will work for you.” He claims that shortly afterwards, a wave came up and swept him to shore, thus leading to the name change. Also, this song is all about nature, go figure.
Bon Iver – “Re: Stacks:” Okay, this guy actually hibernated in a cabin in Wisconsin for three months to write the album, For Emma, Forever Ago. He did that for two reasons: One was because he suffered from mono and the other was because he broke up with a girl. That’ll do it. You can definitely hear the cabin influence in his music too: it’s straightforward and uncomplicated.
Xavier Rudd – “Better People:” Rudd spends his time in two of the greatest countries in the world, Australia and Canada. He sings about the aboriginal peoples of both countries, and spirituality. This song in particular is about people respecting nature. Okay, so it’s a hippy song and this isn’t a bad thing. When you play this song it smells like reefer. Weird.
Led Zeppelin – “Going to California:” Acoustic Led Zeppelin confounds some people. I for one, welcome it with open arms.
Nick Drake – “Pink Moon:” Nick Drake is probably one of the most tragic musicians. He was an introvert, and hated to play in front of people, his record label dropped him because they found it impossible to promote his music without promotional appearances. He passed away shortly after at 26. His genius was never really recognized until after his death. When I hear this song I’d like to imagine that Mr. Drake is strumming his guitar alone in a cabin, which is where he belonged.