By Jason Grishkoff | October 9th, 2009
Every season seems to have a mood set by the changing scenery. Fall is especially pronounced: Time to pull out the sweaters, drink more tea, enjoy the pumpkin sightings, and watch the trees change colors. As the air cools, the days grow shorter, and our hands grow colder, so too do we adjust our accompanying album shuffle. We switch from indie pop to folk, from glam rock to instrumental ambient. Indie Shuffle contributors have compiled their favorite albums for autumn.
So what did we pick? Below are our favorite fall-time albums, with our favorite song from each, made available for your listening pleasure. You’ll find that we’re slowing it down, we’re getting introspective and most importantly, we’re going back to basics. Many of these albums are beautiful in their simplicity. All of them have an emotional effect. We felt it was especially important to include Neil Young’s “Harvest,” the sound of which we hear echoing through the newer artists on this list. This is only Part I of our albums for fall mix. Check back next week for part II, now time to mellow out to these autumn sounds. – Jessica Alatorre
"Jose Gonzalez - Down The Line"
The first album I switch to as autumn sets in is that of Jose Gonzalez. The guitar picking, delicately textured sounds, and solemn emotion juxtapose the vibrant sunsets that come with cooler days. This album won’t leave you feeling upbeat, but it never brings you down. Just beneath the surface lie sounds of hope.
The same feeling we get when a hot chocolate warms our hands after a walk through the trees, the trees beckoning the shorter days ahead. Raspy melting voices and acoustic folk lend itself so well to the changing season. “Down the Line” is the one song that reminds me how beautiful fall can be.
Download from: iTunes
Note: In many cases we can't share a track for free. So, we either link to sites that can, or provide purchase links (e.g., iTunes).
Note: In many cases we can't share a track for free. So, we either link to sites that can, or provide purchase links (e.g., iTunes).
"Pinback - Rousseau"
Pinback’s most recent album is titled Autumn of the Seraphs. Why then, you might be asking, do I feel that another of their albums is more appropriate for fall? Frankly, This Is A Pinback CD album puts me in the mood for Autumn, while their latest effort does not. The album was their debut, released in October 1999.
I’ll be honest: that was way before I had a clue who Pinback was. Since then, however, they have become one of my favorite groups. There is a delicate yet authentic sensibility to this album. Take for example the above song, "Loro," which has a rhythmic and warm sound to it — almost a lullaby of sorts. I don’t think you could get much more fall than that. Oh, wait! This is only number 2 on our list?
Download from: iTunes
Note: In many cases we can't share a track for free. So, we either link to sites that can, or provide purchase links (e.g., iTunes).
Note: In many cases we can't share a track for free. So, we either link to sites that can, or provide purchase links (e.g., iTunes).
"Iron & Wine - Naked As We Came"
This album was a gimme (and there was consensus among all of us). Acoustic guitar and that angelic voice? What more could you want in a folk-feeling fall album. Our Endless Numbered Days is the second full-length album of Iron & Wine.
Released in March of 2004, it was the first non-solo effort by Sam Beam under his Iron & Winemoniker. The album marked a change in the group’s sound, as it was their first record produced in a professional studio. The above song, Cinders and Smoke, has ranked highly on my Fall playlist for the last five years.
Download from: iTunes
Note: In many cases we can't share a track for free. So, we either link to sites that can, or provide purchase links (e.g., iTunes).
Note: In many cases we can't share a track for free. So, we either link to sites that can, or provide purchase links (e.g., iTunes).
"Paul Curreri - Songs for Devon Sproule"
This album, recorded in only two days, feels like falling in love quickly. There’s a beautiful note of hesitation, and ultimate letting go. Paul Curreri’s fast guitar strumming, emotion-filled vocals, and lyrics that sounds like love letters, make this album a classic for the fall season.
The album is reflective, with a range of moods, and there is simplicity to enjoy as one man beats his foot on wooden floors to keep beat with his guitar. With this album, the lyrics are especially important; just listen to “Letting Us Be” or “Beneath a Crozet Nestle Bridge.”
Download from: iTunes
Note: In many cases we can't share a track for free. So, we either link to sites that can, or provide purchase links (e.g., iTunes).
Note: In many cases we can't share a track for free. So, we either link to sites that can, or provide purchase links (e.g., iTunes).
"Bob Dylan - Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"
Even the most minimally musically inclined person knows and understands the importance of Bob Dylan on folk music and the country as a whole. As we all know, Dylan is widely viewed as the father of folk music; the man who iconically resisted the system and in turn changed everything. Perhaps the most widely covered album of all time, the Freewheelin Bob Dylan was Dylan’s first album of completely original compositions.
The Bob Dylan we experience on this album was one who was yet to be affected by the crushing pressure of mainstream media and legions of admirers. What we experience on the album are the same emotions that come to surface as the leaves change and winter nears: beauty and frustration; appreciation and atonement; satisfying complexity…”You can be in my dream if I can be in yours…”
Download from: iTunes
Note: In many cases we can't share a track for free. So, we either link to sites that can, or provide purchase links (e.g., iTunes).
Note: In many cases we can't share a track for free. So, we either link to sites that can, or provide purchase links (e.g., iTunes).
"Broken Social Scene - Love and Mathematics"
Before Broken Social Scene received critical acclaim for their soaring indie rock classic, “You Forgot it In People,” they were making some damn good instrumental post-rock. Feel Good Lost is often overlooked, but is still a fantastic collection of the bands numerous talents, and a very promising debut.
Musically, their introspective, meandering jams suggest slower times, making it an excellent transition from the hot, fun days of summer. As the title indicates though, this is far from a bad thing. This is a perfect album to put on your headphones, lay back, and enjoy the fall scenery to.
Download from: iTunes
Note: In many cases we can't share a track for free. So, we either link to sites that can, or provide purchase links (e.g., iTunes).
Note: In many cases we can't share a track for free. So, we either link to sites that can, or provide purchase links (e.g., iTunes).
"The Books - Take Time"
The books have worked their way into my heart with their warm, wacky instrumental style. On any given day, I could easily put them in my “Top 10 favorite bands of all time.” The Lemon of Pink was released in 2003, bringing together a collage of samples, vocals and acoustic instrumentation.
Perhaps it’s the warm acoustic background that help to identify this album with fall. After all, something has to make up for the hectic sampling. This album sports no individual tracks: it’s a flowing work of art that I absolutely integrate with any Autumn experience.
Download from: iTunes
Note: In many cases we can't share a track for free. So, we either link to sites that can, or provide purchase links (e.g., iTunes).
Note: In many cases we can't share a track for free. So, we either link to sites that can, or provide purchase links (e.g., iTunes).
"Animal Collective - Purple Flowers"
Layering shimmering guitars, warm ambient drones, and spritely harmonies, Animal Collective albums tend to create a world of their own, and Feels is a particularly inviting one. It also happens to be reminiscent of cooler days, soft breezes, and sometimes a festive spirit with multicolored soundscapes that feel like a sweater-clad autumn stroll.
And as Avey Tare and Panda Bear yelp, screech, whimper, and cool lyrics about love, regret, and reflection, you can’t help but feel like times are changing and new beginnings are on their way.
Download from: Soundcloud
Note: In many cases we can't share a track for free. So, we either link to sites that can, or provide purchase links (e.g., iTunes).
Note: In many cases we can't share a track for free. So, we either link to sites that can, or provide purchase links (e.g., iTunes).
"Do Make Say Think - Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!"
Any album with the word 'winter' in the title may seem like a strange choice for an essential fall album, but make no mistake; Winter Hymn Country Hymn Secret Hymn is much more evocative of crunching leaves than it is of falling snow. The progressive musicality of Do Make Say Think seems to capture many complex emotions associated with fall: reflection, change, settling down, and the promise of darker times to come.
But even with the knowledge of an approaching winter, from the morning stretch of “Fredericia” to the closing celebration of “Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!”, this is much more concerned with taking time to glorify and enjoy the mild sweater weather and the beautiful autumn colors.
Download from: iTunes
Note: In many cases we can't share a track for free. So, we either link to sites that can, or provide purchase links (e.g., iTunes).
Note: In many cases we can't share a track for free. So, we either link to sites that can, or provide purchase links (e.g., iTunes).