Indie Music Madness: A Seven-Song Playlist of Winter Wonders

Some people are beach bunnies. Not me. I'm more of a snow bunny. So here is an Arctic offering to the glacial gods, seven gelid jams, as I pray for just one badass blizzard this year.

1. Cold Water — "Wolf Willow"

Haunted by country howls that drift in and out of cocoony consciousness while brimming with nervous tension and dark poetry, this titillating track is immediately reminiscent of "Bad Things" by Jace Everett, the eerie theme song from HBO's standout series True Blood. The howls of Cold Water's Canadian frontman Kevin Stebner, however, echo from a barrel-chested voice that's an entire octave lower than that of fangbanger Jace Everett. Stebner's rumblings are every bit as gripping as a biting boreal blast, a tundra chill that glazes roadways, encases trees and powerlines, and freezes listeners in their spot with the emotional heaviness of a hypothermic hurl of hailstones.

2. Late Night Alumni — "Empty Streets"

One of my favorite things to do on winter nights, especially when there's a full moon after a fresh snow, is to cut all the lights in my house, open the front door, and stare out across the moonlit hills of Chester County where I live. In the background plays a Buddha Bar Chill Out compilation, lingering in the darkest of corners, filling the vastest of spaces. "Empty Streets" by Late Night Alumni is the perfect hushed reverie for such a chilled-out lounge-house soundtrack — listening to its soft-as-snow trance vocals is akin to watching an angel's breath crystallize in pristine pudersnö air.

3. George Ezra — "Budapest"

This joyous and jaunty folk-poppin' jam from George Ezra will get you out of your blizzard-burried house, making you eager to run outside and greet the surge of snow like a cabin-fever kid complete with a brand spankin' new sled. Spurring your mirthful musical merriment is the song's feel-good fuzziness, which wraps around your soul like a colorful scarf, adding a layering of high-spirited sentimentality that's decidedly snug.

4. Bombay Bicycle Club — "Carry Me"

With a jangly guitar that's nearly trombone-like in its brash and bold brassiness, juxtaposed with a distorted dual percussion expanded by smashing cymbals, this experimental clatterer is a fascinating and jocund journey from start to finish. The twitchy textures and unorthodox arrangements of this blizzardy bumper by British indie rock band Bombay Bicycle Club excite the ears; meanwhile, the whirring samples and repetitive vocals soften the song's post-punk edges and spreads its shivering sound with ease. "Carry Me" shuttles along at a riveting pace, much like Santa's sleigh skipping across snow-skidded rooftops.

5. Other Lives — "Tamer Animals"

In the same vein as Fleet Foxes, this indie rock band from Stillwater, Oklahoma taps on the door of grandeur in a way that's awesome without being ostentatious. Wide-open and ambitious, "Tamer Animals" by Other Lives is pastoral yet never strays too far from the fenceposts of organic originality. The tundric track immerses itself in a seemingly spontaneous process as its harmonic arrangements paint a vividly wondrous wintry landscape.

6. Laura Hill — "Blue Skies"

It's winter and most people don't want to go outside. They want to stay warm inside. But I like the cold. So does Laura Hill. Laura Hill also loves her walking shoes. She tells us about these loves in the lyrics to her brumal and blustery bopper "Blue Skies." Well, guess what, Laura. I also love your subzero snuggly song. It feels — and sounds — like polar paradise.

7. Brandi Carlile — "Hard Way Home"

I saved the best for the last. And also for first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth. Either way, it's never the hard way when being heralded by the heiress of ears. In fact, you might even intentionally take the long way just to listen to the pacifyingly rich vocals of Brandi Carlile, which have a timeless tonality and quality akin to the peerless perfection of Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn. I know this is something I do; I take the long way home for the sole purpose of filling my music lungs with the auditory enthrallment of Brandi's frozen frolic finisher.