One of the best things I like doing while traveling and hiking is listening to some tunes. So here are some more great songs to listen to while you are out exploring.
This Week’s Picks
[Editor’s Note: If you’ve been following or keeping tabs on our weekly blog post where we pick creative commons songs, you know they’ve usually been on Saturdays. Well, they’re moving to Monday. The Saturday Song Selection series is now (drum roll puh-lease)….Monday Morning Music Picks (or M3P). How cool is that acronym for a music series? Huh? Huh? So, every other week or so start looking for new music picks on Monday morning. Okay, I return you to your regularly scheduled programming and blog post by our very own Chris Huslage.]
So this week’s mixtape is again with the theme of roaming, mainly because I am about to take a trip out to the west coast and do some serious hiking. And there is nothing better than some great tunes to listen to while taking in the wonderful landscapes of the west coast, which vary as much as the music on this mixtape. I tried to go for some peaceful tunes while also unleashing some groove-inducing pieces for those moments when driving down the vast black highway with nothing but the emotions of a song to get you through until the next stop. I hope you enjoy!
Hachiko by The Kyoto Connection (CC-BY-SA): I chose this song because it’s very light and simple in the beginning and in the middle is where it picks up for me. The tune speeds up but the piano is so peaceful and delicate that I can almost imagine a person starting up into the heavy wooded trees above them with the sun shining down on them, twirling and laughing. It’s about having fun and I think this song has a great ambience to it. The end is has a bit too much orchestral parts to me (like the clarinet) but the rest of this song is great.
Transcanada by Fog Lake (CC-BY): This is the perfect ambient song for being on the west coast. A fog rolls in, trees covered, the mountains barely protruding out from the cold mist. All of these elements play well with this song, its tones creating a distinct lonely like quality but also a richness to it. Almost like its ok to be lonely or alone in the mountains. It’s a natural state of being. [Note: this is the opening song to Ron’s “Mixed in America” film. Check it out.]
All Things Considered by Lovira (CC-BY-SA): I chose this one because it’s a fast paced classical song. Who doesn’t love those? Even though it has the classical flavor of it, I think the speed of the song along with the emotion behind it lends to making it more impactful than I think most people would give it credit for. It’s got a lot of punch for stringed instruments 🙂
Games by Christianne (CC-BY): To be honest I would not have normally put this type of song on one of these mixtapes but the voice of Christianne is so powerful and so sultry that it just had to be put on a list. I think it fits in well here if you are walking around the downtown parts of a city. This tune, blasting in your headphones as you see the urban streets sprawling in front of you, people scurrying around like ants to get to their next activity, businesses that never shut down, just makes it all make sense.
Microvolt by PC-One (CC-BY): And just in case you thought this mixtape was too soft, I included this one in for you rockers that need a little extra juice in the mornings when you are trying to get your ass out of bed after traveling the entire previous day. Add this as a morning ringtone, crank it up high, and let the music do the rest when your alarm goes off. Just don’t blame me if your significant other hits you with a pillow.
