Where I live, the seasons are so extreme that when you’re in the middle of one, it’s impossible to imagine that the other ever existed.
In the depths of winter, when you walk in a permanent shrug to keep your scarf pressed up against your cheekbones, you look up at the bare trees and it seems ridiculous that they ever had leaves. You know they looked green once, but it’s difficult to picture it.
But a few weeks of summer is all it takes to experience the opposite effect. You see your comically bulky winter coat tucked in the closet, and you can’t believe there will ever be a time when you will need to wear it. You can’t understand why you ever wore so much clothing.
So to help you enjoy another endless summer that will be over before you know it, here’s a wonderful song by Laura Viers.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. Her voice is doubled. Lots of singers do this (John Lennon did it all the time) and for some reason, the resulting sound makes me think of the optical illusion of heat waves rising from the street.
2. The drums. They never really break out into a standard rhythm, sticking instead to a steady heartbeat on the toms.
3. The video. It’s done in stop-motion and it features all your favourite summertime animals. If you still need convincing, it’s also got fireworks made of peaches. And what could possibly say “summer” more than fireworks made of peaches?
Recommended listening activity:
Making a drink with a 1-to-1 ratio of liquid to ice cubes.