Katrina's Playlist

Music has the ability to transport us. Maybe that’s why we love it so much. It has the ability to transform a mundane task such as doing laundry or getting groceries into something magical, and dare I say, cinematic. As we put our headphones on and push play, the walk doesn’t seem as dreary. All the colors seem brighter, the people, friendlier…wait, what am I describing again? Ah yes, a good song. This is often what I feel when I listen to Weyes Blood’s song “Movies” off her 2019 album Titanic Rising. It’s hard to describe her music or fit it into a genre. Think of a woman from the Victorian age, a romantic who lives alone in a cottage filled with books and spends the day writing love poems and reminiscing about former flames. Now imagine she somehow manages to time travel to 1980s NYC and joins an electro pop group. Maybe that’s a bit vague. Anyway, I was lucky enough to be able to catch her concert at Paradiso at the beginning of February. It was my first time at the main Paradiso and I was instantly charmed by the gorgeous old church. The building was packed. We went up flight after flight of stairs, hoping we could find a place near the railing on one of the three balconies. Being around 5’3, my view is often blocked by the tall and lanky, especially in the Netherlands. Luckily, we found a small clearing and if I stood slightly up on my tip-toes, I had a clear view of the stage.

One of my favorite things about concerts is seeing what kind of aesthetic the artist has chosen to create on stage for the night. The color of the lights, stage decoration, lack of stage decoration, all of these things send a message about what the artist is trying to convey to their audience. At Paradiso, giant candelabras adorned the stage, complete with burning flames. A grand piano, basking in purple light, sat off to one corner. Weyes Blood, real name Natalie Laura Mering, made her entrance dressed in a long white gown, complete with a matching cape, which she twirled and spun as she danced around the stage. Her songs were tinged with melancholy and emotion, but her voice was soaring. As I looked around at the audience, it seemed as if everyone was mouthing the words. Something in the music seemed to speak to everyone. In addition to providing a little bit of cinematic quality to our lives, music also helps make us feel less alone. Whether it be a bad breakup or just an emotionally gray day, it reassures us that someone has braved this before and lived to tell the tale.

The two hours flew by (time really flies when you realize you’ve situated yourself in the direct path to the bar and you’re nearly trampled by beer-thirsty audience members every few minutes). The last song was “Andromeda” also off of Titanic Rising and coincidentally my favorite Weyes song. It features a slide guitar, giving it an Americana flair, which I love. I listened to it on repeat last summer after I discovered it. Hearing it took me back to my summer, full of sunshine and trips to mountain lakes, though at times bittersweet. “Andromeda” kept me company or served as a shot of inspiration during more than one gray day. Looking around at the audience that night, I realized that they too had found something in the music to give them solace and keep them company on their gray days. I know everyone there that night will be forever grateful for the presence of Weyes Blood in our musical lives, and hopefully, when you hear a song or two, you will too.