Favorite records for when the weather gets cold!

Alright. It's officially colder out. Trees look dead, you wanna go out less. You need some comfort music to ease that seasonal depression. Brady's got you covered. It's pretty simple. I'm gonna gush about some albums. I'll link each one too. Some records I'll have more to say about than others. There's no specific order. Here goes nothing!

Alessandro Cortini - Avanti

I wanted to bring this one up first since I figured it was the most appropriate for this sort of weather. It's fuzzy, warm synths layered over delay and reverb. The record was made as a soundtrack to Cortini's home videos, which had no audio to them whatsoever when he discovered the original tapes. The record is a stunning piece of music and it was my gateway to discovering tape recorders as instruments, and my gateway to his solo work. Can't recommend it enough.

Fennesz - Black Sea

Fennesz is one of those artists I wish I found out about sooner. Black Sea is dark. It's murky and rich in layered guitars, ambiance, and field recordings. An excellent dark ambient album for sitting by a large body of water. It's ambient music, what more can I say? Check it out!

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo OST

AH, AH! I bet you thought I was gonna bring up Ghosts again. Wrong! I love this soundtrack, and I would say soundtracks are more than valid when it comes to discussing records. I have a soft spot for the ambiance and the whole vibe of this movie, it's my favorite David Fincher movie and the winter landscape is perfect with the murder-mystery pairing of the plot. It's not exactly a "sit in a ball on the couch and get cozy" kind of record (or movie, for that matter), but what it DOES do well, it exceeds in. It's like a long commute home in the freezing cold, is how I would best describe the record. You're waiting for public transport at an unholy hour of night and you only have this to listen to as the snow whips down on you. In my experience, at least, I feel that's much more appropriate an environment to listen to this album.
The soundscapes are gorgeous, and that it's so lengthy and out there (clocking in at nearly three hours) really adds to the listening experience. You certainly feel the depth and the weight of the project over its runtime.

ISIS (The Band) - Panopticon

A recent discovery for me over the past several months, Panopticon is an excellent record that may not strictly be a cold-weather record, but certainly scratches a certain itch with it being colder out. Panopticon is a killer post-metal record from a very talented band. While not as *heavy* as their peers, the record's loftiness and spacey feel aids to a unique listen. I personally really enjoy the record and would have to recommend it even if you're not crazy on heavy music. Its contrasting elements of relaxed, slower, contemplated rhythms and airy keys and clean guitars pair nicely with the more crushing moments.

Matt Christensen - Winter Solstice 2016

Hey, I actually know this guy! Matt runs the band Zelienople and has a helluva solo catalog as well. The guy's constantly putting out music, and this was one I found doing some digging through his work and really enjoyed. A standout track for me was "3." Matt has a pretty crazy output, so dive down that rabbit hole and check out some really great music.

Russian Circles - Memorial

Russian Circles are another post-metal project, and I found them before catching them opening for Mastodon at the Aragon Ballroom in 2017. I used to actually own this one on vinyl, and (tragically) sold it like a damn fool! I had this gorgeous blue transparent press that's since been scalped like crazy. If anyone has any leads on it, I'd love to have it back in my collection. The record is a gorgeous addition to their discography and if you know Russian Circles at all, you know it'll be a quality record that's very consistent with their sound but still pushing the group in ways they weren't before.

Jon Hassell - Listening To Pictures (Pentimento, Vol. One)

I was introduced to this album by the great Dereck Higgins and his segment on Adult Swim, who I've now been following for some time now since getting especially into Opeth during the early days of the pandemic. This record was a real treat and I'm still eager to scoop this up on vinyl as soon as I can. I really enjoy the dense synth layering here and beat work, and the way it meshes with the brass horn sections that soar over the synths. For a late-career record and one of Hassell's last, this was an excellent introduction to his immense catalog. I would also recommend the second part of this series, Seeing Through Sound, as it was a worthwhile follow-up and is definitely worth listening to as well.

Opeth - Blackwater Park

While I would say this spot for Opeth could very easily be swapped with say, Ghost Reveries, Damnation, or even any of their newer stuff like Sorceress or In Cauda Venenum, Blackwater Park is simply top-shelf Opeth. It's a masterful, air-tight record with so much going on. Blackwater Park is a dark, impending storm of an album that just oozes that crisp, cold air of autumn and rips your fucking head off. I adore this record, it was one of my introductions to the band, and while it took a long time to come around to it, it was more than worth giving the time.