The Sound of Snow

Crammed into my middle seat on UA 339, next to ‘that coughing lady’ and drinking cold Starbucks finest, my depression from leaving 8 days of alpine bliss in Aspen is beginning to sink in. Be jealous, you should be. It’s also been the least I’ve listened to my iPod in a very long time as I wanted to know, what does the bubble of mountain perfection sound like?

Metallica, Pearl Jam, GnR, Gotan Project, Beatles, Doors, Bob Marley, Flo Rida, ZZ Top were all notable artists heard going up the lift …as can be expected, most mountain spots were heavy on classic rock. If I worked there, I would have definitely set up a Chopin/Satie/Ravel corner of the world.

On local Aspen Radio, I was surprised by a healthy rotation of Death Cab and also Spoon’s brilliant new song The Mystery Zone. It made the requisite Counting Crows much more tolerable.

When a snowstorm hit with hardly a soul around to disturb my date with Snowmass, I broke my fast, popped an earphone in and Hildur Gudnadottir’s “Without Sinking’ album was on repeat for the afternoon. The aching beauty of the elements, the movement of the snow and the solitude in the music hit me on a level I will never forget, truly an afternoon that will be with me for the rest of my life. And my skiing was damn fine that afternoon as well. I highly recommend it.

Back at the pad, drinks and panoramic Jacuzzi was essential for all. It deserves its own blog post, but let 1980 be known as the year of long-ass song outtros, and Hall and Oates wins. Seriously I had no idea we used to take that long to leave a song behind. By coincidence Mr. Handlebar himself was in Aspen last week for a sold out benefit concert, so the man is not quite as Out of Touch as I thought.

Except for an unexpected 2am JLS play from someone who shall not be named, our home stereo was instinctively yearning to play the gorgeous songs of Neil Young. It’s one of those things that can’t be explained, but its perfection in these conditions is absolute, and testament that his music that will stand the test of time. You know, the kind where the lyrics you’ve heard a million times sound brand new and full of piercing meaning. My Neil Young state of mind is a welcome reminder of the impact that amazing music should have, and always does.

So Aspen, Keep On Rockin In The Free World, I gotta Lotta Love for your Winter Winds.

(and Buttermilk, you get an A+ in décor for the massive disco balls on every chairlift)

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