Since the colder season has approached us and we’re now preparing for those chilly days spent indoors, Stage Confessions has put together a list of our favorite Winter albums for you to listen to on these days. Winter is a dreamy relaxing time and these albums with their polished snug feel will put you in the spirit of the season making you want to chill with a warm blanket by the fire as you watch the rain hit your window.

 

James Blake – The Colour In Anything

Label: Interscope
Release date: May 6, 2016

The Colour In Anything is absolutely perfect for those cold days as winter carries on in the later months. In addition to that, the album just exudes coziness– a feeling that is essential during the winter; you almost want to be wrapped up in blankets on a rainy day to get the best listen out of this album. It’s backed by Blake’s deep gospel-esque voice and blends sparse minimal electronic elements as well as Blake’s orthodox trumpet, piano, and gospel to create an assured and snug atmosphere. Even at the most experimental and different, you can still hear winter and cold peak through harsh beats in which they still feel frigid and icy. Check out the tracks “Radio Silence,” “Choose Me,” “I Need A Forest Fire,” “f.o.r.e.v.e.r,” “Love Me In Whatever Way,” and “Modern Soul.” – Miguel Anderson

 

Björk – Homogenic

Label: Elektra / One Little Indian
Release date: September 22, 1997

Björk’s most icy and ever so chilling piece of work is undeniably Homogenic. Frosty strings and piercing electronic beats cover every nook and cranny of this album, blending them with an eerie feel to recall the feeling of Bjork’s homeland: a barren and cold Iceland which is essentially what winter is. She creates an electronic maximalist industrialist world, which may sound hard-edged but the instruments and strings are meticulously crafted and blended so well together that they sound like an innovative sonic orchestra, taking cold theatrical and dramatic turns. Check out the tracks “Hunter,” “Jóga,” “Bachelorette,” “All Neon Like,” and “All Is Full Of Love.” – Miguel Anderson

 

Beach House – Depression Cherry

Label: Sub Pop
Release date: August 28, 2015

Depression Cherry is, simply put, quite beautifully depressing but not the kind of depressing that would normally come to mind; in a way that’s tough to put into words, it takes delight in sorrow and loneliness with music that transports you to a dream world. It uses lush synth, keyboard and electric guitar that complement Victoria Legrand’s melodic vocals perfectly to create an out of this world musical atmosphere. It’s the magical instrumentation filled with an alluring melancholy that will make you want to take in the beauty of Depression Cherry on a cold gloomy day. Check out the tracks “PPP,” “Space Song,” and “Days of Candy.” – Ashley Flamenco

 

Bon Iver – For Emma, Forever Ago

Label: Jagjaguwar
Release date: July 8, 2007

For Emma, Forever Ago is a humble collection of timeless folk breakup songs that were made in isolation in the Wisconsin wilderness. Folk instrumentation and the feeling of isolation is the very feeling which brings out the strong sense of winter in this album. He covers the separation between him and his girlfriend, the breakup of his band, and the unsatisfaction with himself to create an intimate, true, and collected album which points out the commonalities of every person’s life. All songs are decorated with a folk instrumentation that leaves you feeling calm as you listen to his melodies sung in his falsetto voice that rolls with his guitar riffs.  It’s bare and raw and all you could ask for on this winter season. Check out the tracks “Lump Sum,” “Skinny Love,” “The Wolves (Act I and II),” “For Emma,” and “Re: Stacks.” – Miguel Anderson

 

Erykah Badu – Baduizm

Label: Kedar
Release date: February 11, 1997

Jazz, soul, and mid-tempo grooves are what hold Baduizm up to its high standard. It’s extremely mature and subtly groovy. Baduizm is there for those days where you want to unwind and fix yourself up to be warm. It’s an essential and an ode, telling you to respect yourself and to not care about the cold that’s coming in for the season. Badu’s bars definitely add to the coldness of this album as she shuns judgment and leads the role for the need of self-care in your life. Erykah’s soulful singing hovers above the instrumentals which is a jazzy mix of hip-hop, silky beats, bass, piano, and drum & high hats. Check out the tracks “On & On,” “Other Side Of The Game” “4 Leaf Clover,” and “No Love.” – Miguel Anderson

 

Slow Hollows – Romantic

Label: Danger Collective
Release date: November 4, 2016

Romantic is ironically not romantic at all, it’s an album that deals a lot with teen angst, explores other despondent emotions that tend to be deeply felt during one’s youth and uses jazz-infused sounds and dull guitar riffs to do so. Lines from the opening track of the record, “I’d rather dream/ oh can’t you see,” that are sung in Austin Feinstein’s monotone voice, showcase the ample amount of depression that would make someone prefer their dreams over reality. And songs like “Romantic” display a relationship that didn’t end well and really has no hope of being fixed. Dreary guitar, saxophone, trumpet, and horns only promote the somber mood that the lyrics create on their own but produce the relaxing ambiance that makes this album ideal to listen to on a rainy day. Check out the tracks “Spirit Week,” “Softer,” and “Luxury Of Lull.” – Ashley Flamenco