April Come She Will

Artist: Simon & Garfunkel

Album: Sounds of Silence

Released: January 17, 1966

The light flurry of fingerpicked guitar that opens this track is a sonic representation of the feeling that comes over you when you realize for the first time that winter is truly over. Although the lyrics are guiding you through the story of a love that blooms in spring and dies in the fall, it all starts with the soothing words “April, come she will/ When streams are ripe and swelled with rain.” The whole song features some of the most beautiful, elemental language in the S&G catalogue.

April Fools

Artist: Rufus Wainwright

Album: Rufus Wainwright

Released: May 19, 1998

You might not guess from Wainwright’s free-flowing alt-pop sound that he once studied classical composition at McGill, but that’s what he was doing before he left behind the constricting academic life to pursue a professional music career. Singing about a failed relationship that started going downhill after Valentine’s Day and came to a halt on April 1, Wainwright deftly strings together his verses with seemingly effortless phrasing and pinpoint tonal precision, while the chorus is catchy enough to stay stuck in your head until Victoria Day.

April

Artist: Imaginary Future

Album: Fire Escape

Released: May 14, 2013

It’s a simple track that expertly embraces and makes the most out of a more subdued sound. The decision to slightly mute the Lumineers-esque drum kick that plays throughout the song allows listeners to take in the lingering resonance of fingers sliding across the frets of a guitar. “April” speaks to the hope for renewal that has become associated the month with lyrics like the chorus’ closing words, “April take me from your heart and cut me clean.”

April’s Song

Artist: Real Estate

Album: Atlas

Released: March 3, 2014

A lot has to go right for a four-minute instrumental track to succeed when it’s placed in the middle of an album, but “April’s Song” is a perfect interlude for the shimmering sounds of Real Estate’s most recent release. The track unfolds with cheerful rhythm guitars and clean drum beats providing a steady backdrop as a psychedelic-toned lead guitar fills in for the absent vocals. It makes for an upbeat final product that still manages to have a calming effect; April’s a lucky girl to have this song written for her