Planted and Enchanted: Vol. 2 - March '20

Planted and Enchanted
Written By Evan Hammonds
“I get the news I need on the weather report
I can gather all the news I need on the weather report
Hey, I’ve got nothing to do today but smile
Do-n-doh-d-doh-n-doh and here I am
The only living boy in New York”
— The Only Living Boy in New York , Simon & Garfunkel
 

You can enjoy the Planted and Enchanted: Vol. 2 playlist in its entirety on Spotify. Just click on the included Spotify plugin.

Playlist Highlight: The Only Living Boy in New York, Simon & Garfunkel

I have fond boyhood memories of sitting in the backseat of my grandmother’s car as we wore out her Simon & Garfunkel Greatest Hits cassette tape. Even then, their music seemed perfectly partitioned between jaunty “bops” (just try to listen to “Bye Bye Love” without tapping your foot, I dare you) and devastatingly somber songs (I can’t recall the last time I heard the gospel-inspired “Bridge over Troubled Water” and it didn’t send a celestial shiver down my spine).

My favorite piece in their catalog is their 1970 track “The Only Living Boy in New York.” On the devastatingly somber side of the S&G spectrum, the sparse acoustic guitar blends with a lush Hammond organ (no relation) to emit a blended mood that’s the musical equivalent of a sweet and salty snack…chocolate covered pretzels if you will.

I chose this song for this month’s playlist highlight not only because it’s one of my all-time favorites, but because I felt the lyrics were particularly relevant during this uncertain time:

I get the news I need on the weather report

I can gather all the news I need on the weather report

Hey, I've got nothing to do today but smile

In the age of covid-19, a constant barrage of ALL CAPS breaking news alerts, anxious “Costco is out of toilet paper” Instagram posts, endless “oh gosh, what now” push notifications, one too many ignorant Facebook soliloquies from your definitely-not-a-epidemiologist cousin, panicky group texts from your friends, and emails from your corporate leadership team informing you that your day-to-day work life must change immediately and for an unknown time period have all become the norm.

It’s one thing to stay informed, but this air raid of news has arguably as much debilitating effect on your mental health as the virus would on your physical health. If you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed by this content artillery, consider tuning it out for a little while in favor of a local weather report. That way you’ll know if you need to wear a rain jacket on your morning walk or if it’s finally warm enough to break out a pair of shorts. After all, you’ve got nothing to do today but smile; Do-n-doh-d-doh-n-doh.

What is Planted and Enchanted?

If you’re anything like me, you surely have a “junk drawer” somewhere in your home. It probably consists of an old flashlight with dead batteries in it, a handful of rubber bands alongside some pens running low on ink, enough loose keys for you to qualify as a middle school janitor, some birthday cards given to you years ago (how quickly can I throw these away without it being rude? Better wait another decade just to be safe.), the box to your old iPhone simply because it’s a pretty darn cool box, and a small library of service manuals for among other things: your refrigerator, hot water heater, and that Instant Pot you used just the one time.

I don’t consider my junk drawer “worthless” mind you, but rather see it a collection of delightful discoveries (Hey! I didn’t know I had a yo-yo!), and delightful rediscoveries (So that’s where my playing cards were!).

That’s my aim for this playlist series: Planted and Enchanted. A monthly track list consisting of songs that likely won’t fit perfectly together in a classic album sense, but are useful in planting the seeds of discovery of new genres, artists, and songs as well as the unearthing of music you loved but had long since forgotten about. Who knows, there may even be a hidden theme or two that the savvy listener can piece together. The best part about this playlist? If you don’t like it, that’s okay. We are talking about junk after all.

If you have a specific song that you’ve recently discovered or come to love, we’d love to hear from you. Just email us at freshcutfinds@gmail.com. We’re planning to roll out more content and a new playlist series in the coming months. Stay tuned!

Each month, we put together a playlist of our favorite discoveries new & old. Each playlist will be about the length of a mix CD (80 mins) and will be sent around the 15th of each month. Subscribe with your email address to receive the monthly Planted and Enchanted playlist, plus other occasional speciaty playlists.

Evan Hammonds
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Unearthed Vol. 9 - April '20

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Snakes & Shamrocks 2020