Hello, hello, gather round! Youâre receiving this particular edition of I MADE YOU A PLAYLIST because I recently attended a backyard fire pit event where no one knew what music to play, and I found myself without a sufficient fire-friendly playlist to offer. It was also inspired by my grandpaâs land in Brown County, Indiana, where he used to boil sap to make maple syrup every winter and where my dad and his siblings have continued the tradition in recent years. This is 100% where I pictured myself the whole time I was crafting this newsletter:
January is inarguably the bleakest of the winter months. It possibly makes you sad and probably makes you dread going outside. BUTâthe way I see it, peak winter is an opportunity for peak coziness. You canât be âcozyâ when itâs 89 and humid in the middle of July. It just doesnât work. So weâre going to take advantage of the frost advisory and light a dang fire!
*The fire can be real or pretend, both are equally acceptable for the purposes of this newsletter.
LISTEN
Pharmakon by Humbird
Humbirdâs 2020 LP exudes top-notch cozy cabin vibes but also packs some pretty ominous undertones. (Like, perhaps youâre sharing your Airbnb with a few ghosts or thereâs a spooky old portrait hanging in the hallwayâŠ) Despite their moments of darkness, I find these songs very comforting. âBone Heatâ is my favorite, partly because of the cool production but mostly because of this line right here:
Dreams that I have had drift along throughout the day
Like a cloud I caught but held too tight, and so it turned to rain
Oh, and âEve Boards a Trainâ will haunt my dreams for a long, long time.
â h/t @SpencerDukoff for this rec
READ
Blair Bravermanâs Ode to the Campfire for Outside Magazine
This is a lovely essay that needs little explanation, though I would like to highlight a quote from the piece that goes hand in hand with the mood of the playlist youâll encounter later: âThatâs the thing about sitting around a campfire: it makes even the smallest moments matter.â
Dana Stevensâ Review of Greta Gerwigâs Little Women for Slate
Itâs absolutely no secret I love this movie, but Iâm throwing this review in here anyway because itâs my favorite and also because this time last year I was in MAXIMUM obsession mode and saw Little Women in theaters three times. Itâs a flawlessly cozy film and therefore the perfect flagship poster child for an entire category of cozy films called Figgy Pudding Moviesâa label coined by Rachel Syme, one of my favorite writers and Twitter presences.
Chapters 15 and 16 of Frances Hodgson Burnettâs A Little Princess
If youâre at all familiar with A Little Princess, this is the scene in which Sara and Becky wake up to find warm blankets, new clothes, and the best breakfast ever waiting for them in their cold, sad, dilapidated attic room. I think about this scene LITERALLY all. the. time. It crosses my mind whenever Iâm snuggled under a particularly heavy blanket, or anytime I have a fresh cinnamon roll or sausage-and-egg biscuit for breakfast, or when Iâm really full but keep eating anyway because the food is so delicious and I know it wonât taste the same under any other circumstances.
This is some of the best descriptive writing I remember reading as a child. Also, I promise Iâm not the only one who is obsessed with this. If youâd like to scroll straight to it, the part Iâm referring to starts toward the end of Chapter 15 and continues through the beginning of Chapter 16. (If you really canât swing the text, the movie scene is *almost* as magical.)
FOLLOW
LorĂ© Pemberton paints adorably quaint woodland scenes that remind me of childrenâs books and usually make my heart explode in some tiny way. She illustrates whimsical places like âCold Hollowâ (Why are these squirrels making me so emotional?) and sweet indoor setups like this one, which features the window seat of my dreams.
My recent favorite is this very wholesome update from Mr. Mole, which maybe (definitely) made me shed more than one tear:
A letter from Mr. Mole:
Dear Friends, Iâve kept to myself lately especially as the soil begins to settle & freeze. And while the tunnels are cold & hard, my burrow smells of soft earth & bergamot. Iâve found company in my books & Iâve knit myself a fine pair of wool socks & a set of pale yellow mittens. Still, I think of spring, the hummingbirds dancing in bee balm, the river bubbling on its way & fresh earth in my paws. As the snow falls, I imagine the forest bright white, the wild branches & brambles scribbling their shapes on the blank page it offers & all my friends sleeping quietly as we wait for spring.
From, Mr. Mole, who is sometimes lonely but mostly content.
*immediately writes letter back to Mr. Mole*
PLAY
In my experience, the hallmarks of any excellent campfire or cabin scenario have nothing to do with music and everything to do with hastily-scavenged marshmallow roasting sticks, tinfoil-wrapped potatoes that always take too long to cook, and happy voices rising above the crackle of the fire as everyone squints and smiles and shivers and pretends the smoke isnât bothering their eyes at all.
But in those moments when everyone is too busy licking melted marshmallow off their fingers or too entranced by the pretty flames and welcome warmth to spark any new conversation, you want whatever song is playing in the background to enhance the mood rather than disrupt it, right? Right.
This playlist is called âKindling,â and itâs a little woodsy, a little country⊠toasty and warm with the occasional moody chill. Itâs important to note that these songs work for virtual and imaginary fires as wellâlike, for example, crammed couch hangs with five different scented candles burning at once, or dinner gatherings with extra chairs pulled up to a table full of pasta and half-empty wine bottles. This playlist simply requires a *campfire state of mind.*
No matter what your fire looks like, if you choose to listen to this thing Iâve spent hours creating, please know this: My greatest wish is that it simply just ~fades~ into the background. The songs are solid, of course, and there is much to appreciate when you listen closely. But secretly I hope most of the time youâre hardly paying attention to the music because youâre too busy having fun. âš
Kindling
Kids Fallinâ In Love - DOPE LEMON (one of my favorite finds from the last few months)
October Road - James Taylor
Millionaire - Chris Stapleton
Funny How Time Slips Away - Willie Nelson (time is confusing. Willie gets it.)
Hey Mama - Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats
Lowlands - Bonny Light Horseman
Tonight Iâll Be Staying Here With You - Bob Dylan (unsurprisingly, Nashville Skyline BobDyl is my absolute favorite BobDyl)
Almost (Sweet Music) - Hozier
Pharmakon - Humbird
Country Road - James Taylor
Ohoopee River Bottomland - Larry Jon Wilson (thanks to Brent Cobb for this recommendation. Larry rocks.)
Starting Over - Chris Stapleton
Santa Ana Winds - Waylon Payne
From Eden - Hozier
Be Here to Love Me - Townes Van Zandt
Deep In Love - Bonny Light Horseman (you could very easily lull me into a hypnotic state with this on loop for hours on end, and I wouldnât be mad about it)
Iâve Got This Friend - The Civil Wars (pour a hot toddy out for this talented duo⊠long may their harmonies reign)
Cannonball! - Buck Meek
Money - Widowspeak
Willow - Taylor Swift
From Dusk to Dawn - Fever Dolls
Wildfire - Mandolin Orange (fact: you canât listen to a Mandolin Orange song and stay stressed! this one works, too)
Donât Cry - Charley Crockett
Rome Wasnât Built In A Day - JD McPherson
My Loving Doesnât Cost A Wish - Tattletale Saints (+ their cover of âDancing Queenâ is just lovely)
I Just Want to Dance With You - John Prine
Feet Off The Ground - Brent Cobb feat. Jade Bird (pure MAGIC)
Olivia - Rayland Baxter
On Trees And Birds And Fire - I Am Oak
Real Love Baby - Father John Misty
Donât Want to Say Good-bye - Cut Worms (his quirky album from last year is worth a listen)
Morning Stay - Doc Robinson
Gentle On My Mind - Robert Ellis feat. Courtney Hartman
If Not For You - George Harrison
One of These Days - Bedouine
Still Holding On - Andrew Duhon
Supply & Demand - Wilder Woods
Marinade - DOPE LEMON
Hey Girl - Them feat. Van Morrison
I Can Help - Charley Crockett (bonus: he is a kind and wonderful gem of a human)
Keep the Fire Burning - Anderson East
Had I Known You Better Then - Hall & Oates (if you havenât listened to Side A of Abandoned Luncheonette, do so immediately)
Harvest Moon - Sunflower Bean (to be fair, I love all âHarvest Moonâ covers, but this one is especially nice)
Re: Stacks - Bon Iver (Justin Vernon = cabin vibes / cabin vibes = Justin Vernon, they are one and the same)
Winterâs Lament - Jamestown Revival
Listen to the whole thing here.
Or find it right here if youâre an Apple Music user.
Okay I suppose itâs time to go ~tend to the fire~ đ€ Stay warm and toasty, happy and healthy, and thanks for being here!
Natalie