Thursday, January 10, 2013

210/365: Mellow Tunes for Steady Hands

iphone app camera effects in layers
(my version of photoshop)
Today I made:

album art
& a playlist...

Wow, I am all over the place with my creativity lately! I have a few projects in progress, but couldn't help starting a new one today. I figure I should move with the inspiration on these chilly winter days when it's sometimes hard to get off my cozy couch. Whatever wants to get made gets made.

Today I am inspired by music- long lost music that once upon a time won my heart. Music has always fullfilled a deep need for me, but for a while now in my quiet state, I've forgotten about these soul lifters. (I guess I've been in my head- excessively.) So I've started the process of digging through my old albums, pulling together the favorites of the favorites. It's like hearing some of them for the first time, getting the same goosebumps.

Alas, I wish I could say I created this music. I have little to no talent in that area, but I can compile one sweet playlist! There are too many gems to choose from, so this will probably be Volume I of several. This is the perfect mix for closing the door to your art space and doing a little slow dancing with your muse. Mellow Tunes for Steady Hands is a gift for my brilliant jewelry designer friend, who is spending more time in her creative space these days. I wanted to share some of the songs that put me in my happiest creating zone the last few years. Oh how I've missed them!

Singer/songwriter, indie, blues and folk flavored, some songs mellow all the way through, some with just the right amount of build up and bounce. Some old, some new, none mainstream that I know of. I am in lyric love with all of them. This is poetry set to music. It keeps my stormy thoughts at bay and helps to tune out the inner critic. It frees me up to think less and play more in my creative space. If any of this sounds appealing, I highly, highly recommend these songs. Hopefully some of them are new finds for you.

No links for now, just a list, but you could easily search them and hear previews. I think that's part of the fun of discovering new music. Enjoy!

From The Morning, by Nick Drake ...(Someday I will paint these lyrics on my bedroom wall.)
Each Coming Night, by Iron & Wine ...(Probably one of my favorite bands ever ever!)
Tenuousness, by Andrew Bird ...(wonderful wordsmith)
Flowering Spade, by Sean Hayes ...(makes me want to dance)
Big Bird In a Small Cage, by Patrick Watson ...(awesome build up- wait for it!)
Growing Up Beside You, by Paolo Nutini ...(A little Scottish brogue never hurt anyone. Sweet song!)
Mango Tree, by Angus & Julia Stone ...(Australian brother & sister band)
Ten Women, by Conor Oberst and The Mystic Valley Band ...(lovely guitar stylings!)
Empty, by Ray LaMontagne ...(stormy, beautiful lyrics)
Watch Over Me, by Bernard Fanning ...(perpetually stuck in my head)
Leaves In the River, by Sea Wolf ...(a haunting story of a song)
The Trapeze Swinger, by Iron & Wine ...(So nice, I added them twice!)
A Thousand Tiny Pieces, a cover by The Be Good Tanyas ...("What's your story, Universe?)
Can I Keep You, by Phillip Roebuck ...(first dance at our wedding, by a dear and very talented friend)
Here Comes the Sun Again, by M. Ward ...(This song just makes me happy.)

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