Do you wait all winter for the sweet summer heat? Janet and I were born in months that whisper, Let’s go outside and play. So we do. Year after year, being outside is one big way we recharge. On bicycles, running, or in a place full of starlight (the photo above—our secret hideout). And music moves us through those spaces. So here’s a playlist of songs, new and old, in rotation this summer. It starts with Sampha’s latest, “Spirit 2.0.” Other highlights:

"Transatlantic Flight,” Leif Vollebekk: The first time I heard this song, I was closing shop for the day. The glow of dusk filled the studio. The song’s first seconds played and it was like someone firmly but gently pushed me down into the nearest chair and said, Stop. Soak this in. I love songs that do that. The other track in this playlist that made me stop and listen: “Love Not War” by Emeli Sandé.
“Dealing in Hypotheticals,” Soft Glas, Madison McFerrin: We got to see Madison at Rambling House this summer. If you get a chance to catch this rising star on stage, don’t miss it.
“Everybody’s Talkin’” by Harry Nilson is one of those songs that should never be covered. Ever. Or so I used to think, until Diana Krall wrapped it in velvet.
Love the layered sonic of The Bright Light Social Hour. “Sea of the Edge” is a song I want to hear in outer space—here on Earth and a billion light years away.
“Almanac,” Volcano Choir: I don’t put much stock in Vernon’s lyrics, but the line “I’ll be alive when all of this is over” hits a vertical perspective. And the mass of sound as that line hits… it’s music for wide open spaces.

See you outside, friends. Until then, the playlist:

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