December Moonday

A drive over salt waters and winding roads on one of the darkest Monday evenings of the year. Perfect amounts of fog with a cold ghostly moon rising in the grainy dark grey five o'clock sky. Heading to my boyfriend and his wife's isolated RV home to pick him up and take him to our house. Later to be joined by her for hours upon hours of hazy-yet-intense flame-lit fucking.

Most of this is stuff I heard on KEXP while I was alone in the car driving along with the moon and thin swaths of fog, but a few songs were actually playing during the "action". Not "Western" music . . . but it all kind of is:


1. Palma Violets - STEP UP FOR THE COOL CATS

Breaking free from long chains of headlights and brake lights, heading for hairpin turns and FUN LOVE!


2. Futurebirds - TAN LINES:

The title and surf sound somehow made the fog and cold and moon and almost-winter even more hauntingly evocative, speaking of skin I was heading towards, warmed by propane-fueled flames at night instead of sun. The music conjures up old eroded beaches . . . which is almost like Washington in December when you add a steel guitar.


3. Mutual Benefit - ADVANCED FALCONRY:

Gentle banjo and hand-clappy sounds. Sweet and wistful . . . with a cool name.


4. Mac DeMarco: ODE TO VICEROY:

I love the bass line. Lazy unhealthy addiction.


5. Red House Painters - MISTRESS:
I always love Red House Painters' sound. The snare in this and Cure-y guitar against the fuzzy one . . . layers of texture and rhythm. With a much better voice than the songs above.


6. Two Gallants - THE HAND THAT HELD ME DOWN:
BEAUTIFUL. There's a harmonica . . . but don't let that bother you. BECAUSE IT'S BEAUTIFUL. And makes me feel like shit. Which is what beautiful music should do.

7. Wooden Shjips - THESE SHADOWS:
More foggy, faded, road-surfing atmosphere.


8. The Kills - BABY SAYS:
Okay, it's time to start fucking.


9. The Black Hollies - LUNATIC INFLUENZA PT II: TAKE ME AS I AM:
Slow. Hypnotized. Sex Zombies.


10. Futurebirds - DEATH AWAITS:
Put this in your "songs to fuck like a slow dance to" binder. Or your "stoned and find yourself with your hand asleep under your butt and finger inexplicably crooked in your asshole" folder. Whatever.


11. Red House Painters - SHOCK ME:
This was the first RHP song Delia ever played for me, and I fell in love. I think all of my favorite musicians do expertly haunting covers.


12. Phosphorescent - SONG FOR ZULA:
It's long. And when you're stoned and horny it's super nice to have extra-long songs in your sexy-time playlist. And it starts out sounding like The Rose with less expertly-crappy vocals and some sounds that resonate with Don't Come Around Here No More. Maybe the words are sad, but whatever . . . just let the sounds vibrate in you.
13. Neil Young - DOWN BY THE RIVER:
I don't know why I like coming to songs where someone's baby gets shot dead. Do you?



14. Red House Painters - MAKE LIKE PAPER:
Okay, now we're in the right season. And I have had so many orgasms to the guitar solo in this . . . you don't even know. I guess I just don't listen to any words that are problematic or off-topic to my situation at hand.



15. Solange - CASH IN:

Maybe it sounds way different than the rest of these songs, but I'm still intrigued by the sounds and the lyrics.