The November Playlist | Sunday Sounds .01
A soundtrack for slowing down, finding your rhythm and rediscovering the pleasure of listening.
There is something particularly lovely about a November Sunday.
The light arrives a little later. The afternoon fades a little earlier. The invitation to stay indoors, make something warm and surrender to a slower pace becomes almost irresistible.
At anatomē, we believe wellbeing is found as much in the small pleasures of everyday life as in the rituals we deliberately create. The warmth of a bath. The familiar comfort of a favourite book. The simple pleasure of listening to music without doing anything else.
This November, we are re-introducing Sunday Sounds, a new monthly playlist series celebrating music as part of the art of living well - From Crescendo to Quiet, is an invitation to spend a little more time listening.
An Evening with Rachmaninoff
The idea began with an evening listening to Sergei Rachmaninoff.
There is something extraordinary about the way his music moves between intensity and tenderness. A melody can feel expansive and dramatic one moment, then beautifully intimate the next.
It reminded us that music has a remarkable ability to shape the atmosphere around us. A familiar song can change the feeling of a room, bring back a memory or encourage us to linger a little longer in the present.
We wanted to capture some of that experience in a playlist — not simply a collection of relaxing songs, but a musical journey with a beginning, a middle and a gentle ending.
Seventeen Tracks. One Musical Journey.
From Crescendo to Quiet brings together 17 carefully selected pieces spanning classical music, soul, jazz, contemporary songwriting and ambient sound.
The playlist opens with the expressive beauty of Rachmaninoff before moving into the effortless groove of Masego and FKJ, Parcels and British musician Tom Misch.
There is warmth and soul from Olivia Dean, Cleo Sol and Sampha; atmospheric intimacy from Rhye and Frank Ocean; and a gradual movement towards the instrumental worlds of Ólafur Arnalds, Nils Frahm and Brian Eno.
Each artist brings a different texture, but together the music follows one simple idea: to move from energy and expression towards softness and stillness.
It is deliberately eclectic. After all, our Sundays rarely unfold in a single mood.
From Awaken to Rest: Five Musical Moods
Rather than organising the playlist by genre, we imagined it as five gentle stages of a Sunday.
01. Awaken
An expressive beginning. Music with colour, movement and the ability to lift the spirit.
Rachmaninoff opens the journey, inviting us to listen closely before the day gathers momentum.
02. Flow
Rhythm begins to take over.
Jazz-influenced grooves, contemporary soul and infectious melodies bring a little energy to the afternoon. Music for cooking, moving around the house, meeting friends or simply enjoying the pleasure of a day without a rigid schedule.
03. Unwind
The tempo begins to soften.
Warm vocals and thoughtful arrangements encourage a more unhurried pace. The kind of music that sits beautifully alongside a late lunch, a book or the fading afternoon light.
04. Soften
The outside world begins to feel a little further away.
Intimate voices, delicate melodies and reflective songwriting create space for a quieter mood.
A moment to put down the phone, settle into a favourite chair and listen.
05. Rest
Finally, the music becomes more spacious.
Instrumental compositions and ambient soundscapes from artists including Nils Frahm, Marconi Union and Brian Eno bring the journey towards stillness.
Not an abrupt ending, but a gradual release.
Why Music Belongs in a Wellbeing Ritual
Music has long been part of how we celebrate, connect, remember and rest.
Research suggests that listening to music can influence emotional experience and, in certain settings, help reduce perceived stress. A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis published in Health Psychology Review found beneficial effects of music interventions on both psychological and physiological stress-related outcomes.
The relationship is personal, of course. One person's idea of calming music may be another person's favourite way to begin the morning.
That is why Sunday Sounds is not designed as a prescription for relaxation.
Instead, it is an invitation to notice how different sounds make you feel, to explore music beyond familiar favourites and to give listening a little more space in your day. Sometimes the ritual is simply choosing to be present for an entire piece of music...
Listen to the November Playlist
Sunday Sounds .01 — From Crescendo to Quiet
Seventeen tracks. Five musical moods. One invitation to slow down.
From Rachmaninoff to contemporary soul and ambient stillness, discover the first edition of our monthly playlist series.
Curated by anatomē, London Apothecary.
The art of slowing down.
Reference
de Witte, M., et al. (2022). Effects of music interventions on stress-related outcomes: A systematic review and two meta-analyses. Health Psychology Review, 16(1), 134–159. https://doi.org/10.1080/17437199.2020.1846580
