WARMER MIXTAPES #476 | by Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond

1. Roberta Flack | The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face (Peggy Seeger Cover)
Songs can slow your heart rate down and make time itself seem to suspend. This song does that. It is a song of complete love and wonder. A performance that transfixes. The song She Does Not Brave The War was my attempt at writing something that felt unrushed, that the space between the notes would remain empty. We also modeled the approach to the drums after this tune, that the brushes would very lightly suggest the rhythm, propelling the ship forward like a very gentle quiet motor.

2. Violent Femmes | Blister In The Sun
By using brushes on the drums, instead of sticks, the VF was able to blend Punk and Folk idioms in a really unique way. We used them as a model for the way we approached the drums on our new album.

3. Nick Drake | River Man
This is one of those songs that you can listen to a thousand times and never get tired of hearing. The arranging here is so beautiful and rich.

4. Annie (The Musical) | It's The Hard-Knock Life
The horn section for this is so amazing and the arrangement is Hard Core.

5. Björk | Hyper-Ballad
I love the drums, the quiet quick pace.

6. Édith Piaf | L’Hymne À L’Amour
One of the most profound songs, a message that Love is stronger than Death.

7. Tom Waits | Flower’s Grave
I remember the showers, but no one puts flowers on a flower’s grave. So priceless, elegant, haunting, beautiful, comforting and sad.

8. Otis Redding | These Arms Of Mine
The architecture and marriage of lyrics with melody as well as Otis’ gripping vocal performance are perfection.

9. Tom Waits | Chocolate Jesus
If Tom Waits was the pastor, I’d be a parishioner.

10. Sam & Dave | When Something Is Wrong With My Baby
A song of great empathy and compassion, something we need a lot of these days.