“Evening Song” – Cornell University Glee Club
At around 6:15 PM every day, from the narrow streets of Collegetown to the gothic towers of West Campus, there’s one sound that will always ring true: the Cornell chimes ending the evening concert with “Evening Song.” About fifteen minutes later, the Cornell Glee Club and Chorus come together on Ho Plaza, arm in arm, to sing the same piece as we watch the sunset grow and then fade over Libe Slope. Non-Cornellian passerbys may think it strange that the tune of “O Christmas Tree” or “O Tannenbaum” plays every day of the year, but Cornellians know better. This song represents generations of Cornellians coming together “when the sun fades far away in the crimson of the west” and giving thanks for friends, family, and memories. Looking for a sign to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve left them? This is it. – EMILY HURWITZ
“Midnight Rider” – Gregg Allman
December 8th marks what would be Gregg Allman’s seventy-third birthday, so it is fitting for one of his classics to make an appearance on this month’s playlist. A more laid back take on the 1970 Allman Brothers Band hit, Gregg Allman’s solo version of “Midnight Rider” digs deep with its raw and stripped-down arrangement. It is the first track off of his 1973 Laid Back album, and he takes the previously deemed untouchable masterpiece down a darker road. While the song does build throughout the piece with an orchestra rave-up, its overall tone still remains gloomy and solemn, a perfect soundtrack for a reflection overlooking a winter sunset. “Midnight Rider” fades out to a silence, leaving the listener inspired to ride out into the sunset on a winter evening. “I’m not gon’ let ’em catch me, no / Not gon’ let ’em catch the midnight rider.” – SPENCER NACHMAN
“Shake Your Lonely” – Twin Peaks
East Coast Park, Singapore
Shake Your Lonely by Twin Peaks is an indie-pop, folk-inspired tune for a tranquil evening. Cradled by the steady amble of the drums, the syrupy electric guitars sketch a melody which goes down easily, drowsy and mellow. Frontman Cadien James’s smooth, winsome crooning is swathed in airy, shimmering upper-register harmonies as he makes the earnest promise that however the day passed, “it’s gonna be good.” Twin Peaks paints a soundscape like a sunset haze, glowing russet gold and serene, gently easing into indigo as the song draws to a close, taking the day’s cares with it. – LYNN HONG
“Mess” – Noah Kahan
Cornellians are full of ambition, always working towards achieving some goal. In his song “Mess,” Noah Kahan writes an honest depiction of his own wistful longing for the life of normalcy prior to reaching his goal of success and fame. Kahan’s raw lyrics combined with his distinct, husky voice and gentle strums of the guitar give an acoustic, folksy vibe not often found in pop songs. He sings “I would wipe myself clean of what I knew was unimportant” and “I paid off my debts but found the world boring” to remind us all of our roots. It gives off a nostalgic feel for every person’s own happy moments like kicking back on Libe Slope with friends or running through Collegetown together to catch a TCAT. There is a sense of comfort knowing that even this up-and-coming artist gets told “oh, you’re a mess, you’re a mess, good God” sometimes. – MIA GLASS
“Talking Slow” – Dylan Jordan
Filled with reverb and echoing sirens, Dylan Jordan’s “Talking Slow” elicits a feeling of nostalgia from every listener. The melody is comfortingly simple, and supplemented by layers of sounds, from a chorus of vocals to steady cymbals to the few strums of a guitar. Synthesized instruments and the ad-libbed vocals backing Dylan’s voice paint a cloudy dreamscape, complementing the story being told, “You were mine, at one point in time.” As a college student home for the holidays, I find myself torn between the joy of being with my family once again and the longing that I feel for my life at school. “Talking Slow” offers solace to those who are yearning to return to their independence, as Dylan reassures himself quietly “I am fine,” and we are reminded that we aren’t the only ones homesick in a new kind of way. – GRACE STASOLLA
“Closing Time” – Semisonic
Last Spring, I drove away from Cornell as a defeated man. Coming off the abrupt cancellation of our season and the school year, I had nothing left to give. Making matters worse, I was worried about the Canada-USA border, and getting stuck in a game of strange geopolitics that would not allow me to get home. Sulking away from Ithaca down the west side of Cayuga Lake, I gave up the fight and played closing time on repeat. Now, staring down the barrel of my last semester in Ithaca, the sun is setting on my own time in the finger lakes. Closing time indeed. – JON DONVILLE
“anything” – Adrianne Lenker
Without the rest of her main band Big Thief contributing to the indie folk sound, Adrianne Lenker plays alone with her acoustic guitar and mousy, nasally, close voice. The song begins with “staring at the barrel of the hot sun / shining with the sheen of a shotgun,” but soon delves into friends’ names and specific moments such as hanging her girlfriend’s jeans with clothespins and Christmas Eve with her family. Written in a cabin during lockdown, Lenker captures a relationship before its end (most of the new album songs is about her breakup), a winding melody guiding us through soft moments with a lover: “I wanna sleep in your car while you’re driving / lay in your lap while I’m crying.” The instrumental is sparse, only a light tapping of percussion with Lenker’s enchanting guitar plucking. “anything” feels as if it was conjured right out of nature, a fitting tune for gazing at a sunset, wrapped in a warm coat. – ANDIE CHAPMAN
“Chicago” – Sufjan Stevens
The center of Sufjan Steven’s 2006 masterpiece Illinois is a balancing act between orchestral crashes and isolation. After each instrumental build of horns, bells, cymbals, and layers of strings, culminating with a wall of choir vocals, the bottom of the song falls out, leaving Sufjan alone above simple piano chords. There, he begins his song: “I fell in love again, all things go. All things go.” – MILES GREENBLATT
“Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me” – Elton John
I don’t often roll down the windows, push the car stereo to the max, and let the rest of suburbia hear my undoubtedly ugly singing voice, but that’s just the Elton effect. Listen to this song at sunset and emotion will wash over you like Elton’s immaculate backing vocals wash over the instrumentation. Whether we want more time, more opportunities, or just a little more daylight in these dim December days, we can all relate to Elton’s plea to not let the sun go down on him. – JONAH LEVINE
“Nimrod (from “Enigma Variations”)” – Edward Elgar
Just as a sunset never fails to make me pause and stare, “Nimrod” imposes the same effect, never failing to make me stop everything I’m doing and solely internalizing this emotive work. The whispering awakening of violins lures in any listener who happens to stumble upon it. And just as there is a brief moment of a sunset, right before the sun dips below the horizon when the rays are most intense, “Nimrod” burgeons toward an impassioned climax, sustained by the restless roll of the timpani and blaring brass section before ending with a wistful egress. – PATRICIA KU
“Tag und Nacht (Day and Night)” – J. S. Bach
This aria for bass voice comes from a cantata of 1708 for the investiture of the Town Council in the German City of Mühlhausen. Written and performed when Bach was only twenty-two years old, the grandly ambitious work could be thought of as a senior thesis (though Bach never had the luxury of attending university): the cantata is full of newly acquired knowledge, original ideas, brave experiment—and new and beautiful music. The assuring tranquility of “Day and Night” projects both outward-looking wonder and interior reflection—those paradoxical emotions that sunsets so often inspire. In the aria’s instrumental introduction, pairs of flutes and oboes circle around one another, like the sun and earth, their motions marking the day and its end. The bass voice enters with a descending figure that divides the octave in half, as if chronicling the progress of the hours. As the piece moves calmly, inexorably on, we hear the passing of time and the moments—lingering, yet fleeting—between day and night.—DAVID YEARSLEY
Alma Mater – Cornell University Glee Club
As we come to the end of a historic semester, we can’t help but reminisce in semesters past when attending class wasn’t a potential health hazard. What better way to do so than by listening to the iconic Alma Mater performed by none other than the Cornell Glee Club. A culmination of the best musicians and singers on campus, the stellar performance is sure to make you think of late nights at Olin Library, or long grueling walks up the Slope. The interplay between the various voice parts creates a powerful and resonant sound that is remembered by generations of Cornilieans. The perfect anthem to listen to as we come to the bittersweet ending of this momentous semester. – AARIK IBANEZ