Happy Mabon!

Happy Mabon and a good harvest for your year's endeavors!

I've been sitting here organizing whatever music seems "Mabony" (Mabonish? Mabonlike?), and it's making me realize that I have conflicted views on what this holiday entails. It's also making me realize I have time to organize music, and I'm deeply grateful for that, too, but still confused.

On the one hand, Mabon is essentially pagan Thanksgiving - an extra one, but still carries 'Thanksgiving' connotations for me. What that means, musically, is that I immediately lean towards irish and guitar instrumentals, because that's what my family always played as background Thanksgiving music.

Of course, Thanksgiving makes me think of family, so I also want songs about family or that remind me of family.

Except, Mabon is about the turn of the season to the Holly King, and the waning of the Oak King. So suddenly songs about goodbyes, endings, and lost things start to creep in.

And naturally, as the Equinox, it's also about the slow growth of the night. And that brings out the goth music, the slightly creepy lyrics, and songs that evoke the general anxiety that comes with being thankful for the second harvest - but worried about the third and last, and the length of the winter beyond that.

Of course, anxiety, over-planning, and family holidays go together like a pair of gloves, so there's more overlap inside my head than you'd think. After a bit of rearranging, I struck on the idea that the popular, more mainstream songs should head first - it's better cooking music - followed by the songs that are slowly, or clumsily, topical (sort of.), ending with the instrumentals. Which range from Irish jigs to this French dude I found on Jamendo who makes awesome background music filled with trepidation.

In conclusion, this is my two 1/2 hour playlist for Mabon:

Show Your ColoursShow Your Colours by Lonely Drifter Karen
Brother by Murder By Death
Artist in the Ambulance by Thrice
Time Is Running Out by Muse
Say Goodbye by DMB & Phish
White Light by Gorillaz
'til My Dying Days by Glengarry Bhoys
20/20 by Josh Woodward
Don't Go by TenPenny Joke
Bye Bye Beautiful by Nightwish
Last Dance by The Raveonettes
A Hole In The World by Thursday
Something Sacred by Kellee Maize
Witch's Rune by S.J.Tucker
My Destiny by Leaves' Eyes
Rose Red by Woodland
The Mabon by Damh The Bard
Scarborough Fair by Leaves' Eyes
Equinox by Noblesse Oblige
Hunter by Pandemonaeon
Raven's Lore by Spiral Dance
Water's In The Hold by Tricky Pixie
Mabon by Threefold
Chickies In The House by Tricky Pixie
Breath by Petite Viking
Level by Petite Viking
The Red-Haired Boy by Al Petteway
Arianrhod by Faith & The Muse
Instrumental by Hadrian's Wall
Roadside Jigset by Hadrian's Wall
Elbow Grease and Whiskey by Hadrian's Wall
Patterns in the Ivy by Opeth
Salt River by Petite Viking

Well, that was a total linkstorm. Most go to full recordings, hope you like something!
Blessed Be!
Pennanti