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Ten Albums to Stare Out Windows To

Posted by Nostalgiaholic | on December 11, 2007

Some of the most profound moments of nostalgia that I’ve been lovingly attacked by have occurred while I was staring out a window.

Riding on a train, or as a passenger in a friend’s car, or sometimes just watching people pass by on the sidewalk while perched at my second floor apartment window with morning coffee in hand.

I reflect a lot on life, and my reflection reflects a lot on me… Oooooo ‘dats deep.

I’ve witnessed this sort of thing in movies as well. Characters, usually portrayed by Kevin Costner, stare out into the unknown, ruminating on the mysteries of existence (or in Costner’s case… tries to convince the audience that he’s thinking, not just deciding whether he’ll order his next latte non-fat). The scene is usually accompanied by a pleasant ambient soundtrack that doesn’t distract a person from their thoughts, instead it massages more wispy ideas to the surface. The kind of music that connects people to their memories without actually having been a part of them. The kind of music that puts people in the mood to stare cross-eyed into the afternoon sun and remember their first beach BBQ. The kind of music I love…

Putting this kind of music into a category is pointless, because the feelings of Nostalgia it creates can come from any genre of recorded sound. I personally get the most out there when I listen to lighter stuff, relaxing stuff, ambient, jazz, “trippy”, “breathy”, “a little funky, but not too much”…. see ? It’s so hard to explain. You know that song by Bran Van 3000 called “Drinking In LA” ? That’s a perfect example of “window music“. Every time I hear it, I just want to close my eyes and bob my head a bit like I’m drunk and imagine what life was like for one summer night ten years ago.

So here’s a list of albums that I slip into my headspace when I want to travel back in time without actually having to listen to the music I listened to back then (Cryptopsy ? what was I thinking ?). They’re chronological, and not ranked in any order of awesomeness. I think they’re all great !

Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells (1973) : My Dad had this album, and the cover alone takes me back… but thats not what we’re talking about. Despite the creepy Exorcist overtones in the opening theme, the album wraps hypnotic sounds around you like your friends did to you with cellophane and duct-tape when you fell asleep at your grad party.

Tangerine Dream - Rubycon (1975) : The bridge between Tangerine Dream’s uber-light early work and uber-weird later stuff, this album’s arsenal of fuzz, early synthesizer beats and layers of musique concrete make you feel like your experiencing a day in the life of a satellite dish. It’s a perfect album for staying up late and using your memories for creative purposes.

Brian Eno - Ambient 1/Music For Airports (1978) : “Unobtrusive” was the term Eno used to explain his aims for this album, and he was right on. The godfather of Ambient music created a soundscape that goes on forever and sounds exactly… EXACTLY as if you were staring out the monolithic glass windows at an airport, watching the plains take off and wondering where they’re going. Any memories you have of supermarkets, doctor’s offices, banks, and hospitals might also spring to mind if you give it a listen.

The Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (1995) : A very personal favourite. In between the tracks featuring buzz-saw guitars and “I’ll kill myself tomorrow, I swear” lyrics are tunes with a genuine yearning for the innocence of youth. The track “1979″ alone is worth the price of a double album, and one of the greatest nostalgic songs of all time.

Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children (1998) : From beginning to end , this album plugs directly into your memories of summer childhood (ie. camping, water-fights, garage sales, ping-pong, the beach, etc.) and fills you with a warm, tipsy feeling of sunburn and self-discovery.

Zero 7 - Simple Things (2001) : The downtempo demigod’s debut album is still their best. Long and luxurious soul-lounge songs coax memories of midnight butterflies that batted around in my stomach as I kissed her for the first time. I hope it works for you too…

Weekend Players - Pursuit of Happiness (2002) : This one is all about hanging out with your friends, and driving home from the beach as the sun is setting (much like the album cover implies). With the ghosts of mid-90s electro bands like Love Inc. whispering through tracks like “Higher Ground” and “Best Days of Our Lives”, you’ll probably find this album to be as much of a dance-able guilty pleasure as a nostalgic one.

The Postal Service - Give Up (2003) : Completely catchy, but melancholy tunes filled with sparse echoing pauses for you to wander through, only to be smacked around by Atari-esque synth blips and samples. A neat combination of styles at work, (don’t be put off by the Emo-like lead singer… he’s promised not to cry) and worth checking out for the cover of “Against All Odds” alone. The moment I heard a new band had covered a Phil Collins song, I knew nothing was uncool anymore.

The Go! Team - Thunder, Lightning, Strike (2004) : This album is just so freaking infectious I can’t help but think of them every time I think about any group events in high school. A combination of laidback electronic dance music, guitar fuzz, 70s movie themes, and high school pep-rally cheers, this music was certified “nostalgic” the moment it hit my headphones…. It’s a shame I never went to any of those pep-rallies…

David Gilmour - On An Island (2006) : I left Pink Floyd off the list intentionally because I know and love their music so well that I can’t help but focus ALL my attention on it when I hear it, thereby negating the “window” effect. Now David Gilmour’s latest solo album is the perfect blend of light, Floyd-ian guitar noodling and fluffy no-brainer lyrics that are necessary for aimless mental wandering.

Well, I can’t guarantee that these albums will instill the same warm melancholy in you that they do in me, but in our current age of internet freedom you can download bits and pieces of LPs in seconds… So go on, take a moment out of your busy schedule to have your own window-side nostalgia odyssey. Bring coffee… Pants are always optional.

Much Love…

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