Music for the In-Between: Soundtracking Spring’s Fleeting Magic

By Niko Abian

There’s a particular electricity to spring’s last weeks—the sense of standing tip-toe at summer’s threshold while nature keeps teasing us with false starts. One moment, the sun spills golden and reckless; the next, a cold drizzle sends you scrambling for shelter. The season doesn’t just bridge winter and summer—it crackles with its own mercurial magic, where every rainstorm greens the earth and every gust of wind carries the scent of something blooming. These songs mimic that restless, hopeful energy. Some are full of forward momentum, others move slower, savoring the quiet growth happening beneath the surface—the steady return of light, the patient unfurling of what’s to come. But whether driven or unhurried, they share spring’s optimism.

1. “Don Gorgon Sound” - DJ Red Alert & Mike Slammer : This frenetic breakbeat song abruptly introduces and removes samples that pull the listener between moods without warning. British artists DJ Red Alert (Paul Rooney) and Mike Slammer (Grant Smith) incorporate vocal samples from Jamaican dancehall deejay Don Gorgon from whom the song gets its name.  While the pounding tempo might overwhelm some, others will hear the tension and excitement that it carries. A piano sample stabs through the noise with a melody that is both refreshing and bubbling with energy. The song captures the sensation of exhilaration and chaos that this time of year brings. In its very structure, the track embodies spring's essence - not with one emotion but as nature's dramatic reawakening, where warmth and tranquility gives way to thrilling instability in the blink of an eye.

2. The Big Spin - Black Country, New Road : BCNR’s pianist May Kershaw connects the natural cycle of spring with the companionship of domestic life on recent release “The Big Spin”. The song was released on the English band’s latest album “Forever, Howlong” that came out April 4th, 2025. Kershaw describes the complications of living with others, but connects it to the inevitability of nature; she understands that the world will keep on spinning. She compares the connection between her partner and herself to tangled roots, remarking that any damage to their relationship will regrow like the root she compares it to. Musically the song mirrors the themes that Kershaw writes about, with the dense instrumentation rising and falling like the natural process Kershaw describes.

3. “Namorinho de Portão” - Gal Costa & Gilberto Gil : In the late 1960s, Brazil was controlled by a military dictatorship. Tropicália musicians like Gal Costa and Gilberto Gil fought back with something radical: joy. They incorporated Brazilian styles like Bossa Nova and Samba with the contemporary psychedelic sound of the era. Namorinho de Portão ("Little Flirt at the Gate")—originally written by Tom Zé, then reimagined here by Costa and Gil—channels this rebellious spirit: playful and unstoppable. The song begins with Costa’s voice, a single note trembling like a cool breeze before a fuzzed-out guitar enters, its dissonance melting into the track’s lively instrumentation. Lively whistling and Costa’s teasing delivery turn the air sweet, evoking the pollinating birds that sing during spring. The chorus, "Good guy, well-mannered / There ain’t ones like that no more,"  is delivered with whimsical sweetness. Just as spring defies winter’s freeze, Costa and Gil defied facism with romance, warmth, and unshakable life.

4. “I’m Glad You're Mine” - Al Green : Al Green delivers a simple smooth soul cut at the prime of his career with “I’m Glad You’re Mine”. Green’s effortless vocals glide over lush electric piano and strings, while a güiro’s rasp adds organic texture. Green’s lyrics brim with gratitude—a fitting emotion for May, when the world feels ripe with possibility. The tracks drummer Howard Grimes plays a wonderfully understated groove largely based around the snare and closed hi-hat, open hi-hat hits end measures with a breath of fresh air. Despite the sharp groove the song takes a leisurely tempo, perfect for a slow appreciative spring walk. 

5. Kungo Sogoni - Nahawa Doumbia : Malian Singer Nahawa Doumbia is one of the most famous Wassoulou singers in the world. The style's name comes from the region in which it was developed, south of the Niger River where Mali, Guinea and Cote d'Ivoire meet. The song, released in 1982, slowly builds with an ostinato rhythm, a common feature in the music of west Africa and its diaspora communities. On top of this electronic guitar, played by Doumbia’s husband N’Gou Bakayoko, and an electric keyboard trade short licks. Doumbia enters with her wonderfully nasal delivery. Her singing always allows the simple instrumentation enough time to shine, quickly appearing and fading away. It’s a song that will captivate the audience without any notice, with its repeated elements lulling the listener into a relaxed state. These elements settle in like the season’s new pleasures—the longer, warmer sunsets that arrive unannounced but soon become an everyday occurrence.

6. “Let's Stay Home” (A Director's Cut Classic Club Mix) Inaya Day, Frankie Knuckles & Eric Kupper : Frankie Knuckles, the legendary DJ who created house music at “The Warehouse” in Chicago, included this remix on his 2013 Boiler Room set. The piano provides positivity with its bright escalating melody. Inaya Day’s vocals are sweet and persuasive as she tries to convince her partner to stay home on a cloudy day, a scene that is not uncommon in May. While the piano and Day’s sweet lyrics establish the positive mood of the song, the song also hints at the reality of the season. The piano’s unaffected tone lets each key’s crispness cut through, cool yet familiar. The rainy scene Day describes makes the song perfect for those final damp days of spring, when the air thrums with anticipation but the couch still feels like home.

7. “Volando Voy” - Camaron de la Isla : Originally written by Kiko Vereno, this rumba inspired track first appeared on Spanish flamenco artist’s Camaron de la Isla’s 1979 album, “La Leyenda de Tiempo”. Volando voy is a phrase that can be translated as “Flying I go”. The narrator goes on to describe his journey, “Por el camino, me entretango” (On the journey I entertain myself”), “Y vola volando, vola volando voy/Volando vengo vengo” (And I fly, fly, fly, I go/Flying, I come, I come”. The lyrics also touch on the unpredictable journey that is life, “Enamorao de la vida, que aveces duela / si tengo frio, busco candela” (In love with the life, that sometimes hurts / if it’s cold, find flame). Camaron’s echoed vocals give the song a lush sound that is reinforced by dense instrumentation. The song has an exuberant rhythm that mixes influence from Caribbean rumba music, through the use of congas, and güiro, with the flamenco style that is constant in Camaron De La Isla’s music. The moments of muted guitar unfurl like ivy climbing a sun-warmed wall—inevitable and alive with the season’s momentum. Above the guitar a flute dances like a pollinator drunk on sunlight and the season’s sudden abundance.

8. “The Lung” - Dinosaur Jr. : Dinosaur Jr. pioneered a noise-rock sound defined by J. Mascis' distorted guitar leads and mumbled vocal delivery. Mascis’ guitar swells and recedes its tone thick like air on an overcast day. At the same time the song’s fast pace and piercing guitar fill the listener with anticipation for what's coming. Mascis waits over a minute and a half before entering, repeating “Nowhere to collapse the lung / Breathes a doubt in everyone” just four times total. After his first two repetitions, a sprawling guitar solo takes over before fading back for his return. When the vocals end, the guitar plays alternating riffs—one mellow and loose, the other frantic and heavy. The song builds and unravels in distinct phases, each part introduced naturally like wind changing direction, or the sun flickering through quick-moving clouds. 

9. Honey Bee - Gloria Gaynor : While Gloria Gaynor will forever be celebrated as the iconic voice behind the timeless anthem "I Will Survive," her illustrious career spans far beyond that iconic hit. With her soulful disco sound, Gaynor delivered countless gems—including the vibrant and seductive track "Honey Bee," which showcased her unique creativity and undeniable charisma. The track builds from a fuzzy guitar line, soon Gaynor begins ad-libbing, horns and strings are introduced, and the song has evolved into a driven disco epic, with Gaynor’s captivating vocals crying “You're my honey bee / come on and sting me.” The strings cut through like sharp winds, but the driving rhythm soon brings back Gaynor’s sweet refrain. It’s a reminder of pollination and new life—and with their soaring melody, the grand strings give her lyrics a conviction that feels unstoppable.

10.  Arman Doley - Mamman Sani : Ghanaian-Nigerien electronic artist Mamman Sani built his sound around the electronic organ. This track was released on the Sahel Sounds label in 2015 on a collection of Sani’s unreleased recordings from the early ‘80s. The song consists of a bouncing synth line locked in repetition, muted drum machine patter, and a radiant lead melody that cuts through the sparse arrangement. Sani’s vocals dance around that melody, shifting between high-pitched crooning and a conversational tone. There’s no clutter here; the song’s power lies in its sparseness, leaving space for Sani’s voice and keyboard to steer with authority. Sani’s songwriting is perfect for the first dog days of the year, it’s patience allows the listener to soak in each element of the song appreciating them for all their worth.