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- J.E Stanway
A Playlist for Wanderings
When it comes to wandering through nature, taking blissful leaps across trickling rivers, and hiding myself away among the poplars and moss-covered ground, I find folk and ethereal music to be the ideal listen for such adventures.
Last summer I created a full eight-hour playlist for these very ventures I've titled Woodland Wanderings, and below I've listed some of my favorites from this playlist. These songs will be sure to bring out the wanderer in your soul, reverting both mind and body to a simple existence among Aurora and her contemporaries.
Adeline by John Robert (Feat. Kathleen)
Easily my favorite song on this playlist, Adeline is a composition unlike anything I've ever really heard before. It's a beautiful duet that will imprint bittersweet reminders of first love won and lost, longing for things beyond our reach, and being there for the ones we love regardless of what we get back from them.
"Right before you left wish I’d let you know
That I have always adored you
That I will always adore you
Through all the people and places and lifetimes we pass through
It will always come back to you."
- Adeline by John Robert
Dancing Queen by Stacey Ryan
While we all know Dancing Queen from ABBA, Stacey Ryan recently released a folk version of this song that sets a whole new tone for the lyrics and feeling. Stacey has a beautiful melodic singing voice that transcends the original disco style of this song so flawlessly that you'll think it was written for an acoustic guitar.
Ulysses by RYVOLI
I was drawn to this song the moment I saw the name of it. Written and sung by folk duo Jenn Whiteman and Samantha Howard, Ulysses is a narrative of the uncertainty of life. It evokes a feeling of fear and excitement at once, stirring within the adventurer in all of us, deep in wonder about what is to come.
Jenn and Samantha harmonize in such a beautiful and ethereal way that you feel as if you're floating above the trees when their voices raise and the music becomes more intense. I never grow tired of this song, and it's usually one of the first that I play when I go on my woodland walks.
"There's half that we don't see
Doesn't always mean
It's what we want but what we need
Is obscure, it’s not sure."
- Ulysses by RYVOLI
To The Mountains by Lizzy McAlpine
This is a song that fills me with wanderlust and a great desire to take myself away to a chateau for an indeterminate amount of time. To the Mountains is about a young woman quite literally going to the mountains to find peace of mind from a stressful situation.
The nature sounds in the background along with the muffled effect over the guitar and vocals give this song a very rustic and down-to-earth feeling. If you're looking to escape into the mountains for a time, this song will be a solace for your soul.
Opaline by Novo Amor
Novo Amor is iconic in the indie artist genre, well-known for his ethereal style and beautiful melodic singing voice. Opaline is no exception. This is a song about rediscovering oneself, whether that be through your art, leaving toxic relationships behind, what have you - Novo leaves the exact details up to the listener.
For myself, this song speaks to the freedom I feel in having friends who understand me. The lyrics at the end of the chorus: "I feel like I'm finally me" bring me back to when I found true, kindred friends who I could be myself around. However you choose to interpret the message in Opaline, it will certainly speak to the "true self" within.
Total Time: 18 minutes
Click here to stream Woodland Wanderings on Spotify.