We enter winter once again. So, we asked the writers of The Progressive Subway to create a playlist of all the tracks that reminded them of winter. Spoiler alert: it didn’t turn out to be a playlist of warm fireside ditties.
If you enjoyed this playlist, you might want to look at some of the related articles at the bottom of this page which links to reviews of similar bands. You can also hear from the contributors of this playlist below – they’ll tell you why the songs they chose make them think of winter’s chill even in the middle of summer. If we missed your favourite wintry song, let us know in the comments.
Happy new year, reader.
Dylan:
So this was an awkward playlist to pick songs for… not because I hate winter mind you. But rather because IT IS LITERALLY SUMMER IN ARGENTINA AND I’M SLOW COOKING MYSELF TO BE SERVED WITH BBQ SAUCE
In all seriousness, if you ask any fan what a “winter-y” song is you’ll get a variance of responses with almost no correlation. Sure, you’re probably not getting a lot of people saying Stoner Doom’s the #1 winter genre but also there is very little as far as genres go that make it appropriate for a particular season of the year. So what people end up defining as winter songs are tracks that are literally based on something about winter/the holidays or songs that in their instrumentation provide a “chilly” or “snowy” feel. I kind of fall victim to using this criteria, but still feel like my 3 selections all fit the idea of a winter track without them having much overlap within each other
First of all is my popular band get out of jail card with Leprous‘ “See the Train”. Here is where the first cliche falls into place, as to me this feels like a proggy Christmas carol particularly thanks the constant choiring in the song. Adding to this, even as someone who doesn’t care about lyrics all too much I can’t help to notice how well written the rhymes are, almost giving a moral in the story like most Christmas’ stories. Next up, we move to more obscure territory starting out with “Erased”, the title track in Axios‘ debut album, which I tend to find hard to describe. You see, if you listen to this song and barely know Opeth your mind’s gonna jump right into Damnation era composition style, the problem being that I had barely heard any Opeth when I first checked this album out so now the song feels… Erased era style(?) if it makes sense. This atmosphere makes for a really chilly feel, and the synth that’s playing a musical bells like patch also adds to the immediate association with holiday times. Finally, “Wasteland” by Universe Effects shares the idea of a wintery atmosphere but almost in its complete opposite; it feels like an epic quest against the overwhelming odds where our protagonist is going through a snowy avalanche to uncover a mystery greater than life (also the production in this record is quite flat so I think it further accomplishes this atmosphere, even if it was probably an accident).
Will:
I find that my music tastes fluctuate with the seasons. There’s a particular point around Autumn when the leaves are just past their brightest; fiery reds and yellows give way to dull browns and the trees slowly become more skeletal, their naked limbs raking at the cold morning mists. It’s at this point where the music I must listen to is as dark and bleak as my surroundings. The tracks I chose by Numenorian, Negura Bunget, and Hoth aim to do just that.
I chose “Siberian Divide” by Mastodon and “Orogeny” by Anachronism because of my fascination with the indifference of nature towards human life, of which I am reminded in winter. I’m mildly obsessed with the strange feeling I get when considering the vastness and power of nature. That the ocean doesn’t care if I were to drown in it, nor does the mountain harbour any sympathy to those who crawl across its surface. The warmth, therefore, that we find in winter festivities are purely human and in spite of the season, not because of it.
Zach:
Ah, winter. Or as I like to call it as a Floridian, summer. The season with the snow and the cold and the things I don’t get down here in good ol’ gatorland. But that doesn’t mean I can’t throw on some Agalloch and pretend like I’m staring out the window of my log cabin in the middle of bumfuck nowhere, watching the snowflakes rain down. Despite being black metal, a fairly abrasive genre, I’ve always found them to be one of my cozy bands. And on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, winter reminds me of the fake fantasy lands I conjure up in my brain, and the mighty heroes that preside within them. And what better music to make fantasy to than Stormkeep? Music befitting the scenery of a lone wizard traveling across a barren, snowy landscape. Complete with ridiculously awesome lyrics that will send any Robert E. Howard fan’s heart aflutter.
But, winter isn’t always about the cozy indoors or fun in the snow. It’s sometimes about the harsh, unforgiving, borderline alien conditions. And no band has embodied that more than Ophidian I‘s sophomore album Desolate. Perfectly embodied by it’s beautiful album cover, Ophidian I are a blizzard of riffs and icy technical precision. Of course, this playlist wouldn’t be complete without a little Istapp, would it? I mean, the band’s name means icicle in Swedish. Can’t get much more wintery than that. Even in Florida, these Swedes bring the biting cold of Sweden straight to my room within seconds. And I appreciate that, because it’s hot as hell down here.
Sam:
Winter to me is a period of solace and introspection. Certainly, there is the icy black metal that cuts like the northern winds, but for me the primary association is cold air amidst a low sun and complete silence. Ironically, it’s a warm, fuzzy feeling (with a touch of nostalgia) that I think of for winter, and that is exactly the vibe I tried to capture with the songs I selected. There are two introspective prog rock ballads (courtesy of Subsignal and Gungfly), and two more aggressive prog metal tracks (courtesy of Vanden Plas and Caligula’s Horse) that still keep in line with that winter feel of warm solace.
Sebastian:
As Dylan said, when it comes to Winter Prog there is a good stylistic assortment of music here. Some bands can give us a sonic association to winter through their dissonant and frigid performances, some genres that I think go naturally well with the brutality and cold apathy of winter are post-rock/post-metal, and of course, black metal. We have not reviewed Fen on our blog yet but they are one of my favorite atmospheric black metal bands, they really draw out their compositions with progressive twists and turns but deliver hard on their immersive builds. One track I especially enjoy is on their fifth studio album Winter, “IV (Interment)”, this delivers on long builds, hard-hitting riffs, and atmospheric black metal. On a similar extreme note, I also added Vinsta, an Opeth-inspired progressive death metal band that places an emphasis on atmosphere, in their sophomore album Drei Deita they bring in the cold of winter with their balance of melodic hooks and low growls.
For those who are not yet acclimated into the harsh vocal gang, I added a few solid underground wintery picks from stuff I reviewed last year. Hecla is just about the most wintery instrumental djent band I have come across with their upbeat, frosty, yet cozy riffs, it is hard not to get into the festive mood when listening to their debut album In a World of One’s Own (for those who are fans of Plini and winter festivities). Carnatia is another band with very present winter qualities but this one is a very special band to me personally; it is also very atmospheric and emotional with an 11+ minute instrumental in the middle. Their sound is kind of Leprous-y, kind of post-rock-ish with a good bit of classical music in the mix. It really highlights the loneliness and introspectiveness of a cold winter morning and I would not be able to live with myself if I did not add this to the playlist.
And to close off this playlist, I felt I should add a Christmas prog classic: “6:00” by Dream Theater. I’m sure most of the readers will know this song as it is practically a cliché at this point but it is a winter staple for our community. And on that note, the songs by Redemption and Wine Guardian are also festive, DT-esque songs that I thought the listeners might appreciate.
Mathis:
Geez, everyone else wrote a whole article! I’ll wrap everything up with something a little more short and sweet. I love winter, I think it can be especially magical for Floridians like me. When the weather gets a tiny bit less humid and a tiny bit less hot I just feel so alive. What doesn’t make me feel alive though is obnoxious Christmas music, so I found some alternatives like Victoria’s “January 1st” or Absently’s “Frozen”. If you need a little switch up this year, and don’t want to rock around the Christmas tree for the rest of the season, then this playlist should serve you well. Happy Holidays!
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