The Archive’s Albums of Spring

In place of a traditional Songs of the Week piece, we’ll discuss the Archive’s favorite albums to welcome the spring season. As the cold wanes, the days lengthen, and the flowers begin to bloom, spring is a complex time of both rebirth and melancholy, ushering in the new while possibly mourning what passed during winter. From country balladry to swooning R&B, the albums of spring are a mixed, yet delightful, bag.

Genre(s): Country, hip-hop, R&B, electronic

1. Golden Hour by Kacey Musgraves: When I think of spring, my mind goes to Kacey Musgraves. Her particular brand of delicate, emotionally charged country music plays perfectly as a soundtrack to the budding trees, and the lasting winter chill that does not seem to cease. Whether enjoying the simple charm of the opening track “Slow Burn,” or relating to the FOMO of “Lonely Weekend,” to saying goodbye to old lovers on “Space Cowboy,” there is truly something for everyone on Golden Hour. What ties together this project is Musgraves’s earnest delivery, her wide-eyed optimism, and the promise that with time comes healing.
2. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill by Lauryn Hill: Miseducation will always remind me of spring, as I first listened to this masterpiece meld of hip-hop, R&B, and alternative music in the spring of 2018 during a particularly challenging time in my life. My relationships with friends and lovers were changing, my best friend/roommate at the time was moving to a new city, and I was stuck in myself. Lauryn Hill’s biblical talent guided me. Songs like “Ex-Factor,” “To Zion,” and “Every Ghetto Every City” grounded me in reality, teaching me that life is change, that good comes with the bad, and that you never stop learning. Interspersed interludes of children discussing life topics in a classroom setting, a motif that ties together Miseducation brilliantly, sets the tone, and any listener can imagine themselves alongside those kids, perhaps peering out onto the schoolyard, the sun tantalizing and the warm breeze scurrying in from an open window. It’s a visceral album that accompanies the bursting life of spring with stark maturity and honesty, and a project no person should deprive their ears of hearing.
3. Rapture by Anita Baker: Another album I discovered as winter turned to spring, Rapture is a wonderful collection of love ballads that never goes stale, ushered in by Baker’s expressive, captivating voice. With Anita Baker, love is a malleable, but always real, entity that occupies all corners of life. “Sweet Love” and its sweeping arrangement fully envelop the heart and mind, a perfect gate into Baker’s world. The songs to come are stunning, with warm vocals and kitschy ’80s production that charms without verging on the cliche. Rapture is the perfect accompaniment to a stroll through the neighborhood on a warm April evening, the sky bursting with oranges, yellows, pinks, and blues, the same endless expression as Baker’s wide range.
4. Jolene by Dolly Parton: What can I say? Country music and spring just mesh well. I’m a lifelong Parton fan, the same as any other rational person, and Jolene is a gem in her extensive repertoire. Of course, the iconic title track needs no reintroduction, but tracks such as “When Someone Wants to Leave,” “Early Morning Breeze,” and the original “I Will Always Love You” flesh out the album with tangible loveliness and Parton’s featherlight touch on full display, her angelic voice flitting from song to song. If you’re aiming to explore her discography, Jolene is a great start and an encapsulation of all I love about Dolly Parton.
5. Sixteen Oceans by Four Tet: I often associate electronic music with wintertime for specific reasons. The typically introspective nature of the genre fits well with cold isolation, but Four Tet’s Sixteen Oceans, like many electronic pieces, does burst with a warmth akin to spring. Interspersed with nature sounds, the collection brims with life. Songs such as “This Is for You” and “Mama Teaches Sanskrit” exude a certain physicality, a body-bound beauty that fully expresses the emotions of spring, of growth, and of honoring the past as one looks forward to the warmth of new life. Though I am a big fan of Four Tet’s dancier contributions, such as the Nelly Furtado-sampling “Only Human,” Sixteen Oceans is a must-listen album for spring.