November was an interesting month—musically. I didn’t quite explore the genres and sounds as much as I normally do. Instead, a lot of my listening was devoted to the same atmosphere with occasional jaunts elsewhere. Since I spent a lot of time working on NaNoWriMo, I worked with the vibe I wanted for inspiration. This was mostly film scores for historical dramas and romances. This is also the reason Dario Marianelli slipped into my top artists on Spotify. However, I found new sounds through my usual sources and old favorites, and the result is a wholesome variety.
Still, I’m glad we have rules: no more than 20 songs per month, no more than 1 song per artist (not counting features), and no more than 3 songs per compilation album. That helps me narrow down from 46 ‘Liked’ songs on Spotify and pick from numerous albums. At the end of the year, only songs from each of these monthly lists will be eligible for the Best Of list. Songs marked with an asterisk* are old favorites and won’t qualify for my annual list.
Prepare for musical whiplash as we jump genres…
- “Tití Me Preguntó” by Bad Bunny ~ Que sonrían las que ya se olvidaron de mí
- “Casual” by Chappell Roan ~ And you’d show me off to your friends at the pier
- “Gilded Lily” by Cults ~ Haven’t I given enough, given enough?
- “Two Figures By a Fountain” by Dario Marianelli and Jean-Yves Thibaudet ~ Instrumental
- “Father” by The Front Bottoms ~ A long, long time ago, my great-great-great-great-grandfather / Took something that did not belong to him
- “If Only” by George Fenton ~ Instrumental
- “Hands Down” by The Greeting Committee ~ With you, it’s like I’m coming home again
- “Camping” by Jóhann Jóhannsson ~ Instrumental
- “The Princess Diaries Waltz” by John Debney ~ Instrumental
- “Off This Ride” by Maize ~ Cause I can barely pay my rent, tell me what’s the difference / Go back to school, get into debt or work three jobs
- “multiverse” by Maya Manuela feat. PEMBROKE ~ You buy me those roses I kept talking about
- “LIMBO!” by NATURE ~ 아슬아슬하니 두근대는 tension이 널 놓아준 순간
- “Orange Juice” by Noah Kahan ~ But it made you a stranger / And filled you with anger
- “Rag Doll” by poutyface feat. K. Flay ~ I’ll just scream at the top of my lungs
- “I Wanna Lose Five Pounds” by Rachel Lark & the Damaged Goods ~ This isn’t about looking good for a guy
- “2:00AM” by Sarah Crean ~ Tell me that you want me
- “Getaway Cabin” by Sidney Bird ~ I start to heal when I hear you laughing
- “Olive Branch” by Sophie Holohan ~ I’m a lover, till it hurts
- “Lavender Haze” by Taylor Swift ~ The only kind of girl they see (the only kind of girl they see) / Is a one night or a wife
- “Into My Body” by UPSAHL ~ I wanna feel like I’m myself again
I spent most of November with film scores: Pride and Prejudice, Atonement, Titanic, Ever After, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, The Princess Diaries. I’m still listening to Taylor Swift’s Midnights for the foreseeable future. I was pleasantly surprised by Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti. A few of these may be contenders for my favorite album of the year.
What will December bring? I can guarantee some festive holiday music, probably more film scores, and maybe a few surprises. I do love the deep cuts, after all. I will also be curating my Honorable Mentions and Favorite Songs of the Year, so we have that to look forward to. Until then, let’s keep jamming.
If you’re interested, you can find the ongoing What I Listened To in 2022 here.
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