Now that I’ve been implementing Part 1 of my Winter Survival Strategy thoroughly and consistently every day for the last three weeks—getting back into shape, developing a robust cardiovascular system and toned musculature, neither Taking My Eyes Off the Prize nor Giving Up the Dream, and most certainly never interrupting my fitness regimen for five days so I could go home for the holidays and sleep till noon and lie on the couch watching The Simpsons—I am feeling better about the season and less vulnerable to the various perils of another Minnesota winter.

Of course, another key component of my Winter Survival Strategy, and General Life Survival Strategy in General, is music. So Part 2 of my Winter Survival Strategy is called:

Music, Duh.

Something curious happens to my music-listening habits toward the beginning of a season, as my playlists shift subtly, then dramatically, toward the music that has traditionally provided the soundtrack to a given season. This means that, as October turns to November, I go from Peter Gabriel’s Us (which dominated fall 1992) to Yes’ Fragile (which dominated November of … 1992).

I realize this kind of regression is not entirely healthy. But I find myself taking refuge in this “comfort music” when other aspects of life aren’t quite as stable, or while experiencing a dearth of daylight and temperatures that don’t kill elderly people.

In fact, I have a playlist on my computer right now named “Regression” that is almost entirely composed of the old prog rock I listened to throughout high school; more specifically, the albums I listened to a lot in the winter: Genesis’ Wind & Wuthering, The Yes Album, Dark Side of the Moon, King Crimson’s Discipline.

On those rare occasions when I seem incapable of doing anything but lying on my couch during The Gloaming, I cue up this playlist and turn on the Christmas lights I’ve hung around the windows and I can almost—almost—believe that I’m fifteen again.

What makes this behavior just a shade less than totally pathetic is that I supplement my Regression playlist with music that isn’t older than I am. I still acquire and listen to and become completely enraptured with new music, even the Best New Music, on a regular basis. Now watch how stealthily I transition into that most dreaded yet inevitable year-end blogtrend, the Best-Of List. Sneaky, right?

Perhaps I can mitigate the B-o-L’s music-wonk pomposity by stating that I’ve probably put less thought into this list than ever before, and I’m not going to supplement it with barely relevant personal narratives or high-concept ostentation. It’s just there, and it’ll only take up a second of your time. Nor am I going to rank them, instead listing them chronologically, because these are the albums that accompanied my life in 2008, and in return, my life gave them a narrative.

Atlas Sound, Let The Blind Lead Those Who Can See But Cannot Feel
Goldfrapp, Seventh Tree
DJ Shadow & Cut Chemist, The Hard Sell
School of Language, Sea From Shore
Elbow, The Seldom Seen Kid
Kaki King, Dreaming of Revenge
Sun Kil Moon, April
M83, Saturdays=Youth
Subtle, ExitingArm
The Whigs, Mission Control
The Annuals/Sunfold, Wet Zoo EP
Portishead, Third
Dosh, Wolves & Wishes
Sunfold, Toy Tugboats
The Hold Steady, Stay Positive
Girl Talk, Feed the Animals
My Morning Jacket, Evil Urges
David Byrne & Brian Eno, Everything That Happens Will Happen Today
The Bird & The Bee, Please Clap Your Hands EP
TV on the Radio, Dear Science
The Dears, Missiles
School of Seven Bells, Alpinisms
Alias, Resurgam
Flying Lotus, Los Angeles
Hatchback, Colors of the Sun