Author: Madeline Thomas
Header Photo by artist Logan O’Neil
“Music recommendations coming straight from the stars”
Is Astrology fake? Maybe. Should you still check your horoscope? Since you’re reading this article, you know the correct answer is, yes. Boring horoscopes be gone! Here’s the songs each sign will need to hear to get them through the month ahead. Plus, a list of upcoming astrological and astronomical events to look forward to.
Wishing you a warm welcome into Capricorn season would be misleading.
January starts in darkness; the partial solar eclipse on January 5th won’t be visible in Seattle, but its astrological influence will be in full force. Since the sun is in Capricorn, shadows cast by this eclipse can either block or catalyze ambition. The lunar eclipse on January 20th occurs while the moon is in Leo – emotions are raw, brutal, and the communication of desires can be selfish, lest you pay special attention to self-presentation.
With death comes rebirth – as the calendar begins again, allow the soil you call home to freeze over if only to protect the roots of intention, buried in anticipation of warmer months and flighter signs. As Aquarius season approaches, be mindful of the restrictive forces at work in daily routines. Shed your winter skin and past selves; melt and become formless – let no one shape you who does not know the ways in which you have changed with the seasons.
CAPRICORN (December 22—January 19): Be bad, you know you want to. Authority isn’t important this month- run with it. Security or freedom? Can the two exist simultaneously?
When authority rears its ugly head, you know what to play: Return of the Boom Bap – KRS-One
AQUARIUS (January 20—February 18): Be good to yourself insofar as this means you are good to others. January is a test. Not every call needs to be answered. How does air “stay grounded?” Figure out the answers.
You’ve got a lot of thinking to do, so you need a lot of music. Listen to The Complete BBC Recordings of Joy Division from ‘79
PISCES (February 19—March 20): When something goes down the drain, do you follow? Time is wasted in social circles with friends (or friends of friends) who do not energize you. Stay home on the weekend, but do not lay idle in bed.
Make your monthly mantra I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside by Earl Sweatshirt
ARIES (March 21—April 19): Mars is moving a lot this month- the ram who can keep up will get shit done. Forget a love life and focus on lust. Trust intuition, not impulses. Tell a riddle.
Fuel for late nights – MUDBOY by Sheck Wes
TAURUS (April 20—May 20): When the opportunity presents itself, take the risk. Fear can be motivating. Even if you play it safe, change is inevitable. Challenge yourself to speak openly.
Honor the past, and the slaps of the past, like B4.Da.$$ – Joey Bada$$
GEMINI (May 21—June 20): If something seems too good to be true, it is. If something once difficult to deal with is now an easy task, ask yourself why? What, or who, has changed? Who are you becoming?
Play mothe – Kilo Kish
CANCER (June 21—July 22): The mystery of open water is feared, respected, admired. Like the ocean, you, in emotional outpourings, are startling, spontaneously intense. You will be sought ought by those unfamiliar with intimacy.Be wary of the person who takes but does not give.
Embrace it. Mariah Carey always helps. Listen to her new album, Caution
LEO (July 23—August 22): Stereotypes ring true this month- January is all about you. Aquarius season will highlight your relationships, Leo, but now is the time for self-reflection. Don’t cut off people for caring. They don’t want to hold you back just because they want to hold you.
Grow and glow to Strength of a Woman – Mary J Blige
VIRGO (August 23—September 22): Whimsy becomes you, Virgo! What a wonder it is to feel capable in creative efforts. Create a plan to complete a project and honor the self you were when setting intentions.
Music for any mood you stumble into: Black Radio – Robert Glasper Experiment
LIBRA (September 23—October 22): Oh, so serious… Or flirtatious? Or is it friendliness? Confusion will be a reoccurring feeling in Capricorn season. Perhaps the urge for spontaneity isn’t evidence of courage, but avoidance of responsibility. Face the facts! Feel something, not everything!
Da Real World – Missy Elliot
SCORPIO (October 23—November 21): You hate when this happens- but love brooding about it afterwards. Decide if you believe in destiny. No matter how bad January might seem, February will only be worse, unless you can pinpoint what is blocking the flow of positivity.
Brood to Let Them Be Alien – Lebanon Hanover
SAGITTARIUS (November 22—December 21): No time to waste means no tears to cry. Make a plan for yourself which does not leave room for others- you’ve made the mistake of molding to fit someone else’s idea of you before. Take up space, take control, take note of who supports you for supporting yourself.
Tell your story, as inspired by War in my Pen – MIKE
Got an earth sign anthem worthy of sharing? That one album only water suns can truly empathize with? Add it to this elemental playlist series on Spotify. One for each of the four elements, for remembering who you are, and what you’re made of.
Follow me on Spotify for monthly mixes and more weirdly specific mood music.
MADELINE THOMAS| new year new costar update | KXSU Music Reporter
*(Album covers courtesy of the artists’ respective social media platforms.)