Five tracks to take your mind elsewhere

Sometimes we wish our minds would just switch off, which is near impossible. Here are some tracks to allow your mind not to shut down, but to wander.

Ludovico Einaudi – Fly

Einaudi’s minimalist pieces are simple and yet they never cease to instil emotions you might not have known were hiding. The tentative strings play silently as the piano echoes on, a delicate yet purposeful pattern that takes you to other places. It’s difficult to dwell on the mundanities of daily life when your ears are being blessed by Einaudi.

Radiohead – Daydreaming

The name says it all. This song is dreamy and wistful, swirls of sound and texture merging to form something that promises to take each listener on a different path. I’ve attached the music video below, because it’s beautiful, but I’ve found that exploring this song without visuals is something of a surreal experience.

Gorillaz – Faust

 This quiet, unassuming song is one of the hidden gems from the band’s discography. The tinkling synth, drifting along to the thrumming bass, creates a safe and curious atmosphere. The female vocalist here sings in Japanese, and you don’t need to understand the language to appreciate her soft lyrics. The song is childlike; when I listen to it, I want to go off and explore.

White Hinterland – Icarus

There is something explicitly cheerful, yet apprehensive about this song. When I listen to it I think of air, of cool colours. The artist sings about Icarus, and the lightness of her voice floats throughout the song, kept warm by the bass.

Tom Rosenthal – To You Alone

Simple, soft, raw, haunting. Tom’s work is lovely and I highly recommend you listen to (and watch) his other songs, if in need of hope or inspiration… or, sometimes, if you’re not in the mood to take things seriously.

Feel free to leave music recommendations below – I’ll always welcome new tracks. 

Header image: sourced