Ease Into Quiet

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When your mind won't switch off, the right music can slow it down. This tape was made for a night when you can't sleep and want to calm down slowly, so it doesn't start in silence. It meets you where you are, with soft voices and gentle guitars, and gets quieter as it goes, until there's almost nothing left but piano.

It begins with Norah Jones' "Come Away with Me", warm and unhurried, then José González's "Heartbeats", his cover of The Knife's song, just a voice and a softly picked nylon-string guitar. Iron & Wine's "Flightless Bird, American Mouth" is a hazy, whispered lullaby, and Damien Rice's "The Blower's Daughter" is quiet and aching. Elliott Smith's "Between the Bars" is sung barely above a whisper, and Sade's "By Your Side" is smooth and steady, easing the last tension out of the first half.

The second half drifts into old, warm recordings. Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is about as slow as a song can be, Billie Holiday's "I'll Be Seeing You" is a worn, comforting voice for the small hours, and Chet Baker's "My Funny Valentine" pairs muted trumpet with his soft, breathy singing. Then come Bill Evans' "Peace Piece", piano circling over the same two chords like slow, even breathing, and Keith Jarrett's "My Song", a simple melody with plenty of space. Agnes Obel's "Riverside" ends it with delicate piano and a hush.

The songs run from 1944 to 2010, folk and soul first, then mostly jazz, and it gets slower and sparser almost the whole way through. Turn the volume low, put the phone face down, lie back, and don't worry if you never hear the last song. If nights like this keep coming back, it's worth mentioning to your doctor.