Phosphorescent, Baby!

I cheated a little bit here, because I've included a bonus track on my Zen Playlist that isn't by the band Phosphorescent, but I love how the lead singer (Matthew Houck) included the most lovely calming bookends on his two most recent albums - C'est La Vie (2018) and Muchacho (2013).

Muchacho begins with "Sun, Arise! (An Invocation, An Introduction)" and ends with"Sun's Arising (A Koan, An Exit)." It can't get more Zen than that because "koan" is literally a Zen term! (Meaning "a paradoxical anecdote or riddle, used in Zen Buddhism to demonstrate the inadequacy of logical reasoning and to provoke enlightenment.") Both songs begin with this slow pulsing instrumentation and Matthew's high falsetto luring you into a state of chilled out bliss, that to me sounds like waves lapping and receding on a sandy shore. Before the pandemic, I would play "Sun, Arise! (An Invocation, An Introduction)" on repeat everyday during my commute to work - to try to calm my mind and drown out the noise on the bus and train I had to take so I could create my own Zen bubble. This was the only way I'd be able to focus on the book I was reading, and was also a helpful tool if I ever needed to detach myself from the bustle around me. I included "Song For Zula" after "Sun, Arise! (An Invocation, An Introduction)" on my playlist because this second song on the album feels like a continuation of the first. These two songs do my favorite thing for albums to do, where you won't even know that one song has ended and another has begun unless you're looking at the time counter and notice that a new song has started. This is due to the fact that "Song For Zula" starts with the same pulsating beat that "Sun, Arise! (An Invocation, An Introduction)" ends with. Though "Song For Zula" is the only song on my playlist with discernible words, it still has this airy, repetitious quality that to me makes it just as calming as the instrumental songs on my list.

To my absolute surprise and glee, Matthew gave listeners the same gift on C'est La Vie. Still using wordplay with "Black Moon / Silver Waves" as the first song and "Black Waves / Silver Moon" as the last, these tracks differ in that they're ever so slightly more rowdy than the album bookends on Muchacho. The drum beat on "Black Waves / Silver Moon" still pulses throughout, just as it did on the last album, but with more electronic instruments added it takes you more to the place of bliss and clear-headedness of loud ambient music rather than the island scene invoked by the bookends of Muchacho.

Muchacho was released right before I graduated college and when I had little to no awareness of what the music scene in my hometown of Chicago was like, but looking back I can see why I was drawn to the ambient music quality of Phosphorescent. That's why I included the bonus track of "Forever" by Julianna Barwick. She invokes the exact same feeling of calm lapping waves that Matthew did with his Muchacho bookends. But there's something about her somewhat nasal-y voice coming in and out that takes things up a notch. To put it metaphorically, if Phosphorescent was the boho tapestry hanging up in my college house, then Julianna Barwick is the minimalist abstract painting I'd be drawn to in a vintage shop now. (I found out much later that Muchacho and Julianna's album "Nepenthe" came out the same year! But I wasn't introduced to Julianna Barwick's music until 2018.) My music tastes have changed over the years, but all the music that has ever calmed me down will always have a special place in my heart.

You can check out my Zen Vibes playlist below. Clocking in at just under 30 minutes, it's the perfect length for yoga, meditation, or a break during a long workday.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7kGDk2AzKU9wIY0Xzw6HPN?si=kAlZ2EOMQOS3YqPGvPTlpw