Maybe this is too late a post. Summer is slowly fading and monsoon has begun knocking doors in my part of the world. But the pleasant showers have blessed only select regions and the rest of India is still battling the blaze of an angry sun. As if all the anxiety, paranoia and despair surrounding the COVID19 pandemic wasn’t enough. And then there are also the locust swarms.

What a shit year.

But there is always music to distract us. A friend had asked me for some suggestions and I thought maybe I should make a post out of it too. So here are 5 songs that I have been playing a lot on my phone these days.

  1. Hello, Anxiety – Phum Viphurit

This song has an amazing Daft-Punk/Disco vibe to it. Phum Viphurit is a Thailand based artist and has a voice that will throw you off, in a good way. Because he looks like a cute lost college boy, but sings like a seductive Jazz God. Kind of.

2. Cake by the Ocean/Ghungroo Mash up – Penn Masala

I discovered the Acapella collective ‘Penn Masala’ way back in 2009 when the film “American Desi” played on HBO. There was a really cool mix of a Bollywood song called ‘Aap Jaisa Koi’ in the film and I frantically googled to find out the MP3 version. That’s how I came to know about them.

While the members of the collective keep changing, one thing is constant – the awesomeness of their covers. Love this one.

3. Death With Dignity – Sufjan Stevens

‘Spirit of my silence…. I can hear you… But I’m afraid to be near you… And I don’t know where to begin… And I don’t know where to begin. Somewhere in the desert there’s a forest… And an acre before us… But I don’t know where to begin…”

These are the lyrics of the song and it makes me feel like I am sitting by a stream and somebody is singing close by in the woods. It has a dreamy tune and a calming effect.

4. Closer by Chainsmokers – Retro ’50s Prom Style cover

Trust YouTube’s algorithm to randomly suggest you songs that are fun. This one is a really fun retro cover that makes you start tapping your feet around the house.

And the entire band is so adorable, they swing happily throughout the cover and their energy is infectious.

5. Le Temps de l’Amour – Françoise Hardy 

I heard this song first in 2014 and it’s back on my list after a long time. No clue what the lyrics mean. Don’t care. It’s just got an interesting beat.

And that’s the end of the list. Have a great weekend!

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