Quick little playlist of the week. These three songs have been strangely appropriate for the past couple of days. Both Beijing and Nanjing have been so cold and windy lately. Winter in China somehow feels a bit more barren and vast than it does back at home.
Come to think of it, I am fairly certain that the sense of space has nothing to do with the actually size of the city or the temperature. For some reason the cold reminds me of the distance between where I am and my family and friends. By the same token, it also serves as a reminder of the distance between where I am and where I would like to be.
I think I’m coming home for good in a week. What’s funny is that I haven’t quite decided yet. Seems like somewhat of an anticlimactic
end to the past year spent in China. I might feel better if I were kicked out or something.
Eh, whatever. The National is a Band I somehow or another found last week and the Notwist I found a couple of months ago and just recently decided to listen to them. Good stuff indeed. Tom Petty’s ‘Time to Move On’ has been a favorite since the song came out waaaay back in 92. In fact, I proudly own the cassette. I’d actually go so far as to say that ‘Time to Move On’ is one of my favorite, all-time Petty songs.
I first listened to ‘Wasp Nest’ on my first evening in Beijing. Exhausted, freezing and stuck in a cab for two hours trying to get to the other side of the city, Matt Berninger’s deep voice and slow acoustic strumming was the perfect contrast to the bustle of a windy, traffic-filled city at dusk.
The Notwist’s ‘Consequence’ played while I was at the airport waiting for my flight. Really couldn’t be any more perfect. Again, there’s this magic in listening to a song that contrasts so sharply with the outside world. Here’s this quiet, techno/acoustic gem surrounded by the absolute chaos that is Beijing’s airport. I was listening to the song and just had to stop a while and sit down while the song played out. As the song crescendo-ed I started paying attention to individual faces and trying to figure them out for a bit.
Go download and enjoy. To those in the US, I’ll see you in a week. To those in China…it’s been fun, but it’s time to move on.
1) The National – Wasp Nest
2) The Notwist – Consequence
3) Tom Petty – Time to Move On