The winter season predicts cold temperatures, shortened days by the sun and the stress of final 

10 albums to keep you cozy this winter season exams. As another long year is coming to an end, music is one of few things to comfort us during this dark season and embrace the cold dreary air. Here are 10 albums to listen to by the fire-side. 

10.) “If You’re Feeling Sinister,” Belle and Sebastian (1996) 

The second record from Glasgow’s Belle and Sebastian is simply a warm cup of tea. Accompanied by piano and acoustic arrangements, the soft and sincere vocals of songwriter Stuart Murdoch carry the album through melancholic folk melodies. “If You’re Feeling Sinister” is best described as whimsical, yet so despairing. 

Key track: “Fox in the Snow”

9.) “All Mirrors,” Angel Olsen (2016) 

“All Mirrors” is the fifth album to come from singer-songwriter and is noted as her best record to date. It is a complex album, illustrating self-love after heartbreak. The album is filled with orchestral elements surrounded by cinematic attributes. Each song is fleshed out by a grand finale toward the end of each track, ultimately creating a masterpiece. While there is a song titled “Spring,” “All Mirrors” purely captures the lush essence of the winter season. 

Key track: “Chance”

8.) “Do Hollywood,” The Lemon Twigs (2016)

Noted as their first debut album, “Do Hollywood” is as playful and groovy as a childhood’s Christmas but has missed many people’s radar upon its release. Performers Michael and Brian D’Addario’s vocals capture a sound reminiscent of bands like The Beach Boys and Bowie. The record embraces a nostalgic and familiar sound yet tailors it to a unique sound that has never been done before. Ranging from romantic ballads such as “How Lucky Am I?” to frantic tracks such as “Baby, Baby,” “Do Hollywood” is the modern Magical Mystery Tour.

Key track: “I Wanna Prove to You” 

7.) “Gala,” Lush (1990)

No genre perfectly fits the whimsical winter season better than dream pop. Based in London, Lush is a particular band as their music crosses over the contrasting categories of dream pop and alternative rock. Haunting vocals from vocalist Miki Berenyi are backed up by dreamy guitar chords and blissful beats. Listening to “Gala” feels like you’re stuck in a winter wonderland snowglobe.

Key track: “Sweetness and Light” 

6.) “Titanic Rising,” Weyes Blood (2019)

“Titanic Rising” is one of those staple albums everyone needs to hear at least once in their lives. Singer-songwriter Natalie Mering, formerly known as Weyes Blood, discusses many topics in the album. Topics ranging from ecological fears and nature to the meaning of life are poured out in powerful vocals. The simplest word to describe “Titanic Rising” is pretty because it is. It is an elegant and beautiful 42-minute piece of music.

Key track: “Andromeda”

5.) “Public Strain,” Women (2010)

This record goes beyond the surface of an indie rock record. The album cover even illustrates the winter season as it is a photograph of people walking in a snowstorm. “Public Strain” is a record you listen to while sitting near a fireplace. Tracks such as “Narrow in the Hall” and “Eyesore” create dense imagery of love and relationships with darker undertones. 

Key track: “Eyesore”

4.) “Holiday,” The Magnetic Fields (1994)

“Holiday” is the fourth studio album from the alternative band, The Magnetic Fields. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, “Holiday” captures the feelings of a joyful vacation without explicitly saying it. Elements of ‘80s synth-pop are tied together with lyrics containing dark humor. The record is guaranteed to put nothing but a smile on your face. 

Key track: “Desert Island”

3.) “Ceres and Calypso in the Deep Time,” Candy Claws (2013)

Mentioned as an “immersive listening experience, but also a claustrophobic one” by Pitchfork, “Ceres and Calypso in the Deep Time” is truly one of the most unique records across the dream pop and indie horizon. The album captures the story of a Ceres, who’s illustrated as a “beast” and Calypso, a young girl. The tracks feel more like soundscapes, rather than standard songs. Listening to this record with headphones on during the winter season is guaranteed to escape you from the darkest of seasons.

Key track: “Birth of the Flower (Seagreen)”

2.) “Psychocandy,” The Jesus and Mary Chain (2013)

Shoegaze: a subgenre of alternative music defined by harsh noises and distortion. No other band captures this essence more than Scotland’s The Jesus and Mary Chain. Shoegaze and winter go hand in hand as both have a sense of eerie and bleakness. Psychocandy is many things packed into one 39-minute album. It’s noisy, yet hauntingly comforting. 

Key track: “Just Like Honey”

1.) “The Power Out,” Electrelane (2004)

Minimalist and clean-cut are the best words to describe the second studio album from England’s all-female rock band Electrelane. “The Power Out” is the sound of a cold winter morning where you are able to see your own breath. The record carries a lighthearted ambiance among simple songwriting, it’s truly a cocktail of minimal alternative mixed with post-punk angst. 

Key track: “Enter laughing” 

Jolie Asuncion can be reached out at [email protected]