Five great albums to listen to when you’re sick
We all know that cold season is in full swing – our Instagrams and Facebooks won’t let us forget. That being said, why not engage in some therapeutic listening with this slew of albums, old and recent? I’ve always felt that a great album on a good pair of headphones can give you that wee little boost needed to feel better, so here’s a handful of my favourite albums to listen to when under the weather.
5. Les Troubadours du Roi Baudoin – Missa Luba (1958)
King Baudoin’s Troubadours, a choir from Kamina, Congo, performs on this record. The music is a Congolese reworking of the Catholic liturgical mass. Yeah, it’s kind of a bizarre concept. Sure, the album’s history is more colonial than Colonel Kurtz and King Leopold II shooting 18 holes on a freshly bulldozed Congolese bush, but if you can get past its roots, the music is gorgeous. Infusing indigenous rhythms and instruments into the (often) gutless vein of Catholic liturgical music, this record will get your blood moving and your head nodding. Also, those who have seen the 1969 Malcolm McDowell film “If…” will almost certainly recognize parts of it.
4. Múm – Finally We Are No One (2002)
Nobody does bleeps and bloops quite like Iceland’s Múm, and 2002s Finally We Are No One is certainly proof of this. Eschewing traditional electronics for toys, trombones and all sorts of other weird bits and pieces, Múm apparently recorded this one in a lighthouse. Crafting a unique, almost childlike space, these Icelandic instrumentalists are a pleasure to listen to when relaxing and doing nothing in particular. Plus, Icelandic lighthouses are pretty cool to visualize when listening.
3. Deerhunter – Cryptograms (2007)
Perhaps the most fitting of Deerhunter’s self-branding as an “ambient punk” group, Bradford Cox, Lockett Pundt and co. make their most experimental music on 2007s Cryptograms. I’ve found this album can be listened to in two ways: either as a “trial run” of ideas explored on the subsequent albums Microcastle and Halcyon Digest, or as its own remarkably accomplished work. Either way, the sound collages and emotionally charged songs are sure to capture the listener
2. Exuma – Exuma (1970)
This one might be hard to come by – I just listened to it a few nights before writing this column. The enigmatic Bahamian musician Exuma has made some pretty bizarre music in his career – blending inspirations from the music of Nigeria, the West Indies and the Rolling Stones into a sort of “tribal minimalism” that is hypnotic and funky as all hell. If you enjoy Fela Kuti, you’ll adore this. Also, hunting down a vinyl copy would be a good Christmas present for the vinyl junkie in your family.
1. Joni Mitchell – The Hissing of Summer Lawns (1975)
In many ways marking the apex of Joni Mitchell’s elegant foray into jazz/funk fusion, this quintessentially “70s” album sounds consistently fresh. It’s my favourite Joni record, and one of my favourite “winter” albums, so I had to include it here at the top. With its delicate 70s cosmopolitan textures and tales of pimps, Southern belles and emotional toil, the album is essential Joni and essential Canadiana – two crucial steps to making the most out of winter.