Songs for Quarantine

So of course, just like all adversity in life and just like with all major historical events that touch the lives of millions, musicians and artists have looked to the global coronavirus pandemic for inspiration, and have provided at times poignant, touching, and comic inspiration from what they see,  They're cooped up and confined in their homes just like the rest of us, and their art - and frankly their appearance - reflect this.

Probably the gold standard of coronavirus songs in Ben Gibbard's Life In Quarantine.  The Death Cab for Cutie front man nailed it, and wrote what will probably be on the soundtrack of the inevitable Ken Burns documentary about the pandemic.

Lesser known but equally affecting, Minneapolis folk singer Humbird wrote a lovely Appalachian ballad about looking forward to the time when this will all be in our past.  The very first time I heard On the Day We Are Together Again, I didn't even realize that she meant together after the pandemic.

So all of this is very sensitive and sad and moving and all, but we're all already very sensitive and sad, and ready to move anywhere away from the 'Rona.  So here's some much needed but still very spot-on comedy from Walter Martin, with Matt Berninger (The National) providing some socially distant backup vocals.

All of this is all fine and good, but its all still homemade folk music, not rock 'n' roll.  Here's a bona fide rocker from Danish punk band Iceage to hammer home the message. It doesn't sound like they were socially distant when they recorded this one.

I'm sure there's a lot more songs out there, but this is enough to get me through this weekend.  I'll update with a subsequent post if I hear anything new that needs sharing.