Everyone’s parents have a go-to blame for seasonal bugs. My mom’s? Easy, no matter what ailed you, if could always be attributed to a lack of z’s. In honor of the ubiquitous disease this time of year (and that good woman, Luada Grimm), I’m takin’ Momma G’s advice and prescribing you all a Top Five Songs to Get You Snoozin’ – not that these tunes put you to sleep in a boring sense, more like they cast a tranquil spell over you. For health’s sake, you know. So get snuggly and peruse on:
“Bedtime Lullaby” by Mark Kozelek
The sexy mumbler from Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon certainly pulls a comatose-inducing number here on his 2008 release “The Finally LP.” Kozelek’s soft, simple acoustic guitar strokin’ and directions to “rest your head/ Time for bed” and a quick laundry list of pleasant topics on which to focus your dreamy senses … well, it can’t be argued. Hey, stop drooling.
“Sleep Sandwich” by Elvis Perkins
Bespeckled folkster Perkins details a “science fiction movie” that played in his REM-cycling noggin the night prior with light percussion and floaty guitar. It gets a little epic in some of the tom-rumbling, but nothing intense enough to shake the sleep from your eyes.
“My Darling” by Wilco
Yes, I realize I sure bring up Jeff Tweedy a lot in these weekly lists. Deal. The opening of this song sucks you into dream world in the most fluid way with water-rippling keyboard and Tweedy’s gently gliding vocals. Listen to the man and just go back to sleep.
“Asleep” by The Smiths
Morrissey’s got the pipes to convince you to do pretty much whatever he wants. Paired with some smooth ivory and his lavender tea vocals, this ditty ain’t ideal for soundtracking any type of driving.
“In the Evening When the Sun Goes Down” by Leadbelly
Legendary blues/folkman tells a sleepy story seemingly from the busted seat of his back porch rocker. The track exists solely of his slightly vibrato, honest voices and three chords. Go ahead and sip a little whisky with this one. What? It dulls the pain of that sore throat! Honest.
