Melancholy Winter

Baby it's cold outside, and a tad grim, but with these glorious tracks, winter's downcast face instantly brightens. While Björk's hymn-like "Vokuro" calls to mind ice castles, and Mazzy Star's dreamy "Rhymes of an Hour" is reminiscent of a winter day's languidness, a song like Simon & Garfunkel's "A Hazy Shade of Winter" is more rhythmically dynamic . . . and there's even a bossa nova entry from Brazilian song thrush Bebel Gilberto. Take your pick, winter lovers. Art rock gets a wintry charge, in Next Steps.

The sky is set like a stone wall, and Jack Frost is nipping at every extremity, but the seasonal melancholy has an hidden euphoria that can be released by these Essentials. From the art song stylings of Brian Eno ("The Chill Air") and the Cocteau Twins ("How to Bring a Blush to the Snow") to the more rustic musings of the Be Good Tanyas ("Rain and Snow") and Rachel Unthank & The Winterset ("January Man"), winter reveals itself in many shadings. The chill-out room really is chilly, in Deep Cuts.

If you've had your fill of holly jolly snowmen, fun-loving elves, flying reindeer and fairy-lit winter wonderlands, we're really honing in on your vibe now. Peeking into Jesse Sykes' musical diary is enlightening ("Winter Hunter" is best mulled by firelight), Alison Krauss scatters frosted bluegrass around "Winter of a Broken Heart" and Trentemøller dusts the chill-out room with digital snowflakes on "While the Cold Winter Waiting".

In the words of Victor Hugo, "'Be off!' say winter's snows; 'Now it's my turn to sing!'" As the iron-grey skies meet the horizon's white snowy vistas, what better way to cope — or celebrate — than to curl up with a warm brandy, a good book, and a stack of tunes that soften winter's harshest dimensions? Our playlist covers the more contemplative side of the year's final season, with introspective musings mainly from an alt-perspective, but even Chris de Burgh ("Snow Is Falling") and Kenny Loggins ("December") get a bit melancholy with the minor keys. Short, dark, cold days — bring 'em on!