round and round and round it goes

Last year at about this time, I decided to slow down. Maybe it was the heat that made everything feel so slow, but I really just wanted to slow down and calm down and de-stress. Exams, etc. were overwhelming and so I turned to old things to facilitate my newfound slowness. This corresponded with me wanting a few albums that were cheaper or only available on vinyl. So I bought a portable turntable on ebay that took forever to get here, and started collecting vinyl records. I made rules for my record player--only I could use it, I couldn't do anything on the computer while I played music on it, I could sew or paint or knit or cook, but not do real work, etc. I also chose my music carefully--a lot of old folk from the 60's and newer stuff inspired by that stuff. For a few months, my room was a perfect folk and vinyl paradise. I was totally chill and the summer was nice and everything was slow and dreamy.

Then Karim got me a bunch of records from Asian Man with ska and punk bands I like, and my record player became a means to the end of my one-woman dance parties. After that I got a bunch of This Bike is a Pipe Bomb records and now pretty much everything I listen to on my turntable is a bit more upbeat.

When I do want to slow down, though, I listen to Espers. It started out as one of those, "If you like Vashti Bunyan and Devendra Banhart, you'll like them" kind of things--but I will be honest and say that Espers is entirely different and much more enjoyable to listen to than both. They have this dreamy quality that is so proverbially last summer (for me) that I calm down immediately when I listen to them. I have a feeling my parents, who are huge Seals and Crofts fans, would, as well. Espers is a lot more modern--there are definitely electric guitars in some songs, but there are generally a lot of ooooohing and acoustic instruments and hazy voices.

Because I'm stressed out today and trying to slow down, I am listening to Espers, and so should you:
Espers-Flowery Noontide
Espers-Riding