IN MY FEELS PLAYLIST
Songs that speak to an aching heart
On those dark days and nights when my soul is aching, I turn to music for comfort. People passionate about downtempo electronica, shoe gaze, and trip hop will probably find this list pretty basic. But fuck it: this is what I turn to when my spirit needs soothing.
Radiohead - High and Dry
The Bends had me in a chokehold in my youth. There is an ache in their sound and in Yorke’s voice that still speaks to me. I also loved Pearl Jam during this period, but if I’m going to back to a familiar sound from this time, it’s going to be Radiohead. ‘Fake Plastic Trees’ is perhaps one of their most popular hits after ‘Creep’. But ‘High and Dry’ pulls at my heart strings.
Portishead - Mysterons
From those first notes on the guitar, followed by the understated scratching, the groove of this track transports me to another dimension. This entire album is so cohesive and rich with undeniable coolness. One of the best albums to play if I’m feeling moody and want to walk through a city like I’m in a movie.
Daft Punk - Something About Us
Does it get any cooler than Daft Punk? This music, those words, that video. This is the song you put on when you’re thinking about your crush and you’re allowing yourself to lean into all that limerence.
Ani DiFranco - Falling Is Like This
I’m a secret folk girl at heart and DiFranco’s Out of Range album encapsulates so many tender and raw emotions that I like to revisit every now and again. I’m putting this song on my list because I think it goes well after Daft Punk. But the song could have easily been ‘Hell Yeah’ or ‘You Had Time’ from the same album.
Jeff Buckley - Should’ve Come Over
Y’all I cannot even begin to express how much it irked me how popular ‘Hallelujah’ got because of Rufus Wainwright’s rendition of this Leonard Cohen masterpiece. I stumbled across the K.D. Lang version recently which, apparently Cohen considered the definitive version of this song. But it’s Buckley’s version that captures the sweet ache for me. Every artist who sings this Cohen classic should give their flowers to Buckley.
But it’s ‘Should’ve Come over’ that does it for me every time and that’s why it’s making this list. With lyrics like, “a kingdom for a kiss upon her shoulder,” this song epic with emotion. Buckley at his finest.
Zero 7 - In The Waiting Line
The organic beats alongside Sophie Barker’s smooth vocals somehow make my shoulders relax, allowing me to breathe deeply.
Mazzy Star - Fade Into You
Road trip vibes with the top down through a Lynchian dream scape
Robyn - Dancing On My Own
You win some, you lose some. Get up. Keep dancing.