As I do every year, here are two final songs for New Year’s. I tend more to mournful dirge than raucous celebration, since the end of the year tends to be a time to reflect back on things not accomplished (again) and people who have passed.
I guess I really ought to focus on the renewal of hope part. We artificially divide one year from another and create this sense of rebirth. Start all over again. Make resolutions. Take this crummy year and stick in a drawer. They’re giving out new ones!
Every year, I post Dan Wilson‘s “What a Year for a New Year,” because it is always the perfect song for this time of year. Put it on your iPod, go stand outside under a starry sky, turn it up, and see if you don’t agree.
Drums and Tuba give us an instrumental version of the classic “Auld Lang Syne,” the Bobby Burns poem set to a folk tune. As I wrote back in an ’05 post:
The trio Drums & Tuba actually started in Austin, TX in 1995, first as a duo called Just Drums & Tuba, and then a guitarist was added. Brian Wolff (tuba & trumpet) relocated to New York City to complete a Masters degree in music education at NYU and never left. Bandmates Tony Nozero (drums) and Neal McKeeby (guitar) eventually both ended up in New Orleans, hometown of two bands that influenced the group: The ReBirth Brass Band and The Meters.
Have yourself a good celebration.
Dan Wilson – What A Year For A New Year
Drums and Tuba – Auld Lang Syne — BUY