While it may seem hard to imagine now — as I write this, it’s struggling to reach 20 degrees outside — there will come warmer days, open windows and stiff breezes. And on those days, out for a stroll, it’s not uncommon to hear strange music wafting from those windows — songs on the wind, if you will.

I write from time to time about various movies and shows in Throwback Thursday, and sometimes about video games in Bit by Bit — but we haven’t had a column for music, and as we keep expanding our little Scene column universe, starting the new year seemed like as good a time to add one as any.

Music is far and away the medium I most consume. I was a voracious reader as a youth, and I still read a book now and then — and, as I mentioned, I do watch stuff and play stuff. But, the last Spotify Wrapped I had — I’ve since switched platforms to Tidal and sadly don’t get as detailed of stats anymore — I was somewhere in the neighborhood of 70,000 minutes of music listened to. Whether I’m reading or writing, gaming or designing your (hopefully) favorite newspaper, odds are extremely high that I have music on in the background.

A few readers that know me personally are aware that I maintain annual playlists of new music for each year which I then review at the end of the year and provide my favorites. A disproportionate amount of that is various subgenres of metal — but, I didn’t want to just write about one genre when our readership is so broad. Fortunately, so are my musical tastes!

The goal here is that once a month, I’ll write one of these columns and fill it with songs from a variety of genres of music. I don’t expect anyone to listen to all of these songs, to be clear. Some months, you may even not be interested in any of them, and that’s fine!

However, it is my sincere hope that some of you might find some new songs and artists that you like. All of these songs are widely available on streaming services and by doing some quick searching on Youtube and such, and if I want to highlight something harder to find, I’ll include detailed instructions on how to do so.

Without further ado, here’s some songs that would come from my window this month — if it was, you know, open.

There Were Roses — John Whelan

This Celtic ballad tells a tale of two friends during the Irish Troubles, allegedly based on a true story. Technically a cover — the song was written by Tommy Sands, from Northern Ireland — this version is the first I ever encountered, since I had John Whelan’s Celtic Crossroads album as a teenager.

This song’s lyrics and performance are both very powerful, and sometimes it leaves me feeling a little hollow — but in a good way. One of my friends heard me listening to it once and told me to turn it off because “you should listen to music that makes you happy.” I disagree. Sometimes you need music that makes you think, or that plucks your heartstrings. This song does both.

The Duty of Dust — Auri

“It is the duty of dust / to remind us that which must / never, ever, be forgotten.” This lyric is as good of a pull to this song as any. It is a fantastic message, wrapped in a gentle caress of warm instrumentation and vocals.

This song starts — and ends — very slowly, although it does build quite a bit during the climax. It also never fails to produce frisson for me… that pleasurable, skin-tingling sensation that some people refer to as making the hairs on their arms stand up. Auri is a bit of a mixed bag genre-wise. I’d hesitate to put a genre to them — if anything, and I know this will sound crazy, I think of them like some of the tableaus in “I, Spy” books, if anyone other than me remembers those. Auri is pretty chill in sound but rich in detail, and many of their songs are haunting and emotionally impactful.

Running from Wolves — Shireen

If you like to go to either the Apothecary or Two Maidens in Lock Haven, odds are you probably already know this artist — and if you don’t, you should! Shireen’s music is sometimes described as witch pop, and that’s a pretty good description.

Fundamentally, it’s pop at its core, but it uses a generally slower tempo, warm notes and lots of plucking and strings to embody a darker, cozier vibe. Think cottagecore, but in your ears. If that sounds up your alley, give Shireen a try. Do note that, while there is no swearing on the listed track, some of her songs do have a stray expletive here or there, so if you branch out into her other songs, don’t get caught off guard by that.

Mary —

American Murder Song

This up-tempo song is an earworm that’s sure to wriggle its way in. American Murder Song is a project by Terrance Zdunich and Saar Hendelman, who worked together on the musical “Repo! The Genetic Opera.” A lot of their music features mysterious killers, with a heavy focus on folk tales and Appalachia.

“Mary” is a good example of their musicianship — a knee-slapper of a tune, but paired with excellent storytelling as an Americana-rich horror story plays out before your very ears. Most of their catalog has this very lyrically-rich environment, played out across theatrical, almost showtune-esque soundscapes.

Chords — The Amazing Devil

I stumbled upon this group quite by accident, as they were an autoplay algorithm success. While researching them, I discovered the most apt descriptor for them, better than anything I could come up with: “Music for sad people at train stations.” It’s rather British.

There’s a wonderful closeness to their music, and this song in particular — it has kind of a coffeehouse vibe to it. At the same time, the song kind of entwines back in and around itself in a fascinatingly complex way.

Note there’s a pair of expletives in this one, although one is in the background and pretty hard to hear. Fun fact, if you’re a fan of the Witcher TV show, apparently the male vocalist is the actor who portrays Jaskier in it.

Shadow on an Endless Sea — Seven Spires

So, I already said that I won’t be going deep on metal in this column. But it’s fair to expect one track each time — and I have to start with my favorite band, Seven Spires. If you already like metal, this won’t be too bad. If you don’t, but if you’re feeling adventurous, be warned that about half the song is what’s called growls, or harsh vocals. The other half is clean vocals. The neat part? Both are sung by the lead singer, Adrienne Cowan, and you’ll get to hear her switch between the two styles shockingly regularly — sometimes even within the same lyric.

If you’re still interested, I’d recommend following along with the lyrics either through your streaming app of choice or by going online. The lyrical work Seven Spires puts out is absolutely incredible. I’d happily rave for an entire column about Seven Spires, so I’ll end here before I prattle on for too long.

— — — —

Arianna McKee is Design Editor for The Express.