Snow comes, snow goes, reading “the hardest winter of them all” in a bear cave, drinking hot chocolate with my little boy. I spend the day skating on frozen lakes and rivers. I stumble alone around the frosty paths and woods, dreaming of a better world, and the music in my headphones gives me hope. The world’s gone crazy it seems,  this month we’ve seen a nutty new president in town, and we’re living in a world where lies are now called “alternative facts”. We must stand up and fight for truth, for equality and for justice and for the weak and the helpless who are in real danger in this beautiful planet we share.

Then sometimes it’s just good to escape for a little while. I saw La La Land today , and it’s nominated for a ridiculous amount of oscars. It’s fun, but kind of like going to a  birthday party when you’re 5 and overdosing on ice cream, chocolate, cakes, crisps and pepsi.

A better way to escape is through a great indie pop album. I was lucky enough to be aimlessly walking around a record store yesterday, and I picked up the new(ish) Veruca Salt album “ghost notes” and I’ve been playing it relentlessly. It’s catchy, it’s fun, it’s got great little hooks, and their voices fit together perfectly. Here’s a couple of songs to cheer you up, first a slow one about breaking up with someone after one too many arguments, the second a fun grizzly frizzy pop song. So go for what you feel like, or play both. Enjoy!

It’s not the greatest album of all time, but neither is La LA Land the best film of all time. They serve a purpose though, and the world is a better place for it.