Playlist: The Winter Passing

I spend a lot of time writing about music so it’s probably no surprise that the characters in The Winter Passing are wrapped up in sound.

The main character has synesthesia (she sees the colour of sound) and it’s a chance meeting with a musician that sets her story going. Throughout the book the records they love, the songs they play each other and the ones he sings are mentioned (although fairly obliquely). Music is a comfort and a connection between them.

I don’t think I could have written this story without weaving music through it. More than that I don’t know that I can (or want to) write words that aren’t in someway connected to sound.

So, mainly for myself (and during fits of procrastination) I made a playlist on Spotify of the tracks I imagined filled the ears of my characters. You can find it here.

• The Cure – Pictures of You
• Pixies – Where is my mind?
• Fuzzbox – Irish Bride
• The Yards – Fireflies
• Tom Petty – Wildflowers
• Francoise Hardy – Stars
• Vashti Bunyan – Train Song
• Blind Faith – Can’t Find My Way Home
• Felt – Primitive Painters
• The Charlatans – You’re A Big Girl Now
• The Staves – Let Me Down
• Graham Coxon – Brave the Storm
• Trashcan Sinatras – All the Dark Horses
• Jeff Buckley – Lover, You Should’ve Come Over
• Alice in Chains – Don’t Follow
• Imogen Heap – Hide and Seek
• Bat for Lashes – Moon and Moon
• Nick Drake – Northern Sky
• Big Star – I’m in Love with a Girl
• Kathryn Williams – The Mind is its Own Place
• Sara Forslund – Water Became Wild
• Otis Redding – That’s How Strong My Love Is
• Drugstore – Fader
• Juliana Hatfield – Simplicity is Beautiful
• Belly – Seal My Fate
• The Flying Burrito Brothers – Wild Horses.

Maybe the playlist, like the bigger story, isn’t quite done but it feels right to share it.