Keep It Chilly

I’ve been listening to a bump of thumping jams recently, and my ears got tired. Sometimes it’s just nice to take a deep breath, step back from the thudding speakers, and partake in some good old relaxed and relaxing music. I like to get my heartrate below 200bpm every now and then.

So it was perfect that a few such songs found their way into my playlist in the last week or so, and I frankly can’t get enough. The first comes from The Dimes, a band based out of Portland, OR that just put out a full album inspired by the history of Boston. Being from Boston at the moment, the disc spoke to me, especially as the first tune namedrops the street I walk down every morning on my way to the train station. It’s a smooth song that fits nicely with kicking your legs up and taking off your shoes.

The Dimes – Damrell’s Fire (YSI) (filesavr)

The second tune, which I heard originally a few weeks ago, comes from an album called Alela and Alina fittingly created by Alela Diane and Alina Hardin. Alela Diane is a fave around these parts, so I was psyched to hear this track. The first time I heard it, though, I wasn’t enthusiastic. It lacked the punch that I was looking for – maybe because it was sandwiched between industrial techno remixes or something. Revisiting it again this week, though, I am blown away. The two singers’ voices mix beautifully, and the repetitive folksy melodies are given a shot in the arm from the more ornamented vocal melodies creating a really enjoyable song that doesn’t try to be more than it is. Which is beautiful.

Alela Diane and Alina Hardin – Bowling Green (YSI) (filesavr)