15/20 - I'll Watch You Melt

The weather has turned again. It is now very warm. But the gulls and terns have left, the wind has died down, the summer guests have returned to their offices, and I can't figure out what to focus my mind on. We are lumbering around in a daze, avoiding efforts and stressful sounds. Soothing songs for a sunny weekend it is then:

Bedouine - Bird

This is probably the song I've listened to most times during the past month or so. And for each time it just gets better and better. My favourite part is when she sings "Rikki... Tikki... Tavi". It jots out of the song structure and makes such a significant grounding, and it makes me remember when I watched Rikki Tıkki Tavi at my neighbour's as a child.

Aldous Harding - Weight of the Planets

I detect slight whiffs of Serge Gainsbourg in those stabs of strings over that lovely fat bassline. But then the backing vocals dip in and steal the show. It's a delicious mood.

Nilüfer Yanya - Melt

This song perfectly captures that moment when you've been out in the sun for too long and the warmth turns from comfortable to dizzying. The luscious, dreamy instrumental backdrop start to contrast with increasingly paranoid/threatening lyrics.

I bet your brain cells won't last 

I bet they cling to the trash 

I hope you melt on the way 

Back to your place

Jessica Pratt - Back, Baby

You're back at the house. You cool down again. You think of the autumn ahead while lounging in the shade. It's all very, very relaxing.

Sharon van Etten - Seventeen

Back when this was on BBC6 all the time I didn't quite get into it. But now, suddenly, that jump into pure belting at 3:00 absolutely jolts my entire being. Even as you settle in to time passing and everyone being grown up and life being quite pleasant after all, there's always, still, that ghost of youth and all its freedom and ambitions...