Winter has never really been that good to me. For the past seven days, I have been content to stay indoors and only acknowledge the snow, the cold, the blanket of grey through my balcony window. Winter and I are not friends.
However, I don’t always mind the inevitable disposition-altering effects that this season has on me. After the holidays, I instantly become more melancholy, more reflective, more interested in keeping to myself. There is music for when you feel lonely, and music for when you want to feel alone. I think there is a big difference.
Thankfully, I discovered a perfect album to accompany my many recent evenings of contemplation. Paul Murphy of the Juno award-winning band, Wintersleep, has joined his brother, Michael, to create the duo Postdata and a collection of deeply personal songs destined for winter’s slow and sleepy progressions. The self-titled album will be self-released on January 26, 2010.
The song, “Tobias Grey,” is a hushed realization of life’s tendency to stall out, to cling to unchanging weather. But, as Murphy himself writes, “Sometimes we have to close our eyes to see.” So, taking that advice, I plan to spend the next months in welcome immobility, anticipating the newness that will come with spring.
“They say the rain is gonna come, it’s gonna wash it away…”