Essential Sounds of Autumn: Part 2 of 2
October 16th, 2009 | by jason grishkoff, camden andrews, Jess Alatorre and el gringo rico | published in playlists | 6 comments
Indie Shuffle presents the follow up to Essential Sounds of Autumn: Part One, with ten more songs from albums that we like to pull out when the leaves begin to change. Similar to our last edition, you’ll find that we’ve continued the slow-down, switching from indie pop to folk, from glam rock to instrumental ambient. Where you might find a change is in our featuring Aesop Rock’s Labor Days, autumn-relevant mainly for its exploration of the plight of the working class as we head into a tougher season.
From here, you have three options: 1) you can skip all we’ve written and simply hit play on the playlist below; 2) you can read everything and listen to individual songs as it suits you; or 3) you could do both of those at once. Regardless of which exciting route you choose, remember to follow up afterward by supporting the artist! – Jason Grishkoff
10. Noah and the Whale – Peaceful, the World Lays me Down
What’s so good? By Jessica Alatorre
Choosing the one song to highlight here is tough. We could go with the slow building sounds of “Mary” or “Rocks and Daggers;” there’s the upbeat skipping of “shape of my heart” or “5 years time.” But ultimately, “2 atoms in a molecule” and “give a little love” showcase the best of noah and the whale circa 2008.
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download: noah and the whale – 2 atoms and a molecule
full album: click on album cover to support the artist
These songs put a bounce in your step but hold many surprises. It’s like a walk outside on a bright sunny day when the day might look warm, but the tip of your nose is sure to be a tab bit colder than your hands stuffed inside those sweater pockets. The reworked folk-pop sounds of Noah and the Whale are beautiful on the album “peaceful, the world lays me down.” With so many top songs, this album had to be one of our fall favorites. Leader singer Charlie Fink has a warm emotional voice, and the lyrics are heartfelt, “What you share with the world is what it keeps of you.”
9. The National – Boxer
What’s so good? By Jason Grishkoff
In may of 2007, The National released their fourth album, Boxer. Notable to their sound is front man Matt Berninger, whose deep and distinctive baritone voice defines a sound appropriate for fall. But it is not just Berninger’s vocal and lyrical prowess, however, that lend this album the honor of being included as an essential of autumn.
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download: the national – ada
full album: click on album cover to support the artist
Clean, layered guitar work and drummer Bryan Devendorf ’s effortless alternations from rampant flurries to muted details, entwine around Mr. Berninger’s midtempo melodies, recounting the 1980s mope-rock of New Order and the Cure. With an original and wholesome sound, it is not surprising that you will find this album has popped up on a number of “Top Albums of the 00s” lists.
8. Aesop Rock – Labor Days
What’s so good? By el grinco rico
Hear this: Hip hop isn’t dead; It resides underground. Every now and then, when you least expect it, an artist comes along that reaffirms your faith in music and mankind as a whole. Aesop Rock is one of these artists.
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download: aesop rock – daylight
full album: click on album cover to support the artist
Over the past 10 years, the self proclaimed “earthworm” (he who burrows in the soil to aerate and break up the ground) has escalated himself into the ranks of hip hop lore. His abstract and complex rhymes personify the profundity of spoken poetry and the art MCing. His second album “Labor Days” is autumn-relevant mainly for its exploration of the plight of the working class. “9-5ers Anthem” is an inspiring testament to the trials and tribulations of the worker bee, while the haunting trumpets of “Battery” will influence you enough to care about where every homeless man in your city is buckling down for the winter. Every track is a gem on Labor Days, but “Daylight” and “No Regrets” are two of the underground movement’s most formidable anthems and a great place to dive into the pandora’s box that is Aesop Rock.
7. The Tallest Man on Earth – Shallow Grave
What’s so good? By Camden Andrews
Enter Kristian Matsson, a skinny Swedish songwriter dressed in a traditional folk singer garb, and standing in at 5′8.” As soon as he opens his mouth though, he’s the Tallest Man on Earth, an early-Dylanesque singer with a booming, gravelly voice and a quirky passion for his rustic music.
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download: tallest man on earth – i won’t be found
full album: click on album cover to support the artist
With bare instrumentation containing nothing but an acoustic guitar or a banjo, it’s easy to imagine him picking away in front of a campfire somewhere in an open field watching the last of summer’s sunsets. I’m not sure what autumn is like in Sweden, but he captures a universal sense of the season’s bittersweet tranquility beautifully.
6. Devendra Banhart – Cripple Crow
What’s so good? By el grinco rico
devendra banhart is known for many things: his unique vision towards folk music, his relentless exploration into new realms of musical experimentation, and his ultimately bewildering demeanor. He sometimes claims to be a child stuck in a grown man’s body. The king of freak folk’s music is far from immature, however, as the development of his music over the last decade amply demonstrates.
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download: devendra banhart – cripple crow
full album: click on album cover to support the artist
Cripple Crow is in our opinion, an excellent fit for the fall because it delivers a variety of minimalist yet mystical musical styles on themes such as wolves, mountains, and love. About a third of the album is in Spanish, but fear not, you don’t need to know the words to enjoy these playful melodies.
5. Deer Tick – War Elephant
What’s so good? By Jessica Alatorre
The crackling voice of lead singer John McCauley oozes grit. War Elephant, his debut album at age 19, is best described as raw, with its minimal editing, emotional vocals and brooding guitars speaking the language of Americana. The alternative country twang in this album sounds like we’re going back to the roots of blues and folk music. The songs are melodic, but not catchy. McCauley’s lyrics sound like someone lost and searching.
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download: deertick – art isn’t real
full album: click on album cover to support the artist
At first, the vocals can be a bit of a surprise with their grunge-influenced sounds, but give this album a chance. War Elephant has many layers to it, much like leaves changing colors, and if you stick with it a little longer, the lyrics and music reveal their true beauty.
4. Coldplay – Parachutes
What’s so good? By Jason Grishkoff
Coldplay? Sell out! Pass your judgment, if you will, but I will maintain that this is one group that deserves to be as immensely successful as they are. Their debut album, Parachutes, was released in 2000, and since that day I have not grown tired of bringing it out to play.
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download: coldplay – don’t panic
full album: click on album cover to support the artist
The opening song Don’t Panic sets the tone as a gentle introduction to an album of remarkable depth and elegance. In particular, it is the song that, for me, identifies this album with the time of year that we make the slow and oft-gloomy transition into winter. And yet, through all its melancholy sound, this album remains undoubtedly uplifting. Sure, they sold out, but that doesn’t mean their music isn’t good anymore.
3. Grizzly Bear – Yellow House
What’s so good? By Jessica Alatorre
When I listen to this album I think: lo-fi, layered and heady. Yellow house has a spooky sound to it, led by sad pianos and scratchy violins. There are surprises in every song, with unexpected musical twists and turns. This is best exemplified at the end of “Knife,” which ends on a surprisingly beautiful minimalist note.
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download: grizzly bear – easier
full album: click on album cover to support the artist
“On a neck, on a spit” is complex, the layers of background noise and resulting moods make you feel a little lost. This 8-song album is cholk-full of brooding instrumentation. The album opener, “Easier” sets the tone, and Grizzly Bear takes us on a magical autumn-esque ride.
2. Nick Drake – Pink Moon
What’s so good? By Jason Grishkoff
While Nick Drake had been told by his friends that he was a “musical genius”, he could not come to terms with the fact that he had not found success. When he died of an overdose in 1974, he was relatively unknown, manically depressed and living with his parents. Since the mid-80s, however, Drake’s haunting, acoustic, autumnal folk has had an influence on a myriad of artists.
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download: nick drake – things behind the sun
full album: click on album cover to support the artist
Modern media has undoubtedly brought Nick Drake back to the forefront of the most influential singer-songwriters of the 20th century. Perhaps the most telling example of this media influence is the case of a Volkswagen ad in 2000 that featured the title track from Pink Moon. Within a month of the ad playing on TV, Drake had sold more records than he had in the previous thirty years.
1. Sufjan Stevens – Seven Swans
What’s so good? By Jessica Alatorre
This album is best reserved for the first cold, wet day of fall, the day when you really know, winter is only a few weeks away. Seven Swans has a melancholic sound, it is certainly an album to listen to when you need to be alone with your thoughts. “To be alone with you” probably best captures the feeling of imminent sadness (as days get colder).
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download: sufjan stevens – a good man is hard to find
full album: click on album cover to support the artist
There may be some light at the end of this tunnel, found in the form of “The dress looks nice on you,” but even here, there’s a shy sense of looking forward. Seven Swans has a quiet lo-fi folk sound. Stevens’ music on this album varies from that of, say, Illinois. Here we find him contemplative, spiritual and deeply questioning; his usual full multi-instrumentation backing is missing. This album is about the vocals, the focus on the lyrics, and combination of these two elements as they create a cohesive, subtle album.





















October 17th, 2009 at 4:52 am (#)
What timing! idaho’s the very most have just released an EP called Autumn! You can hear it on our site and download a free song called autumn air. why can’t i capitalise on this site?
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October 18th, 2009 at 7:05 pm (#)
lovely tracks. thank you!
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October 19th, 2009 at 4:01 pm (#)
thank you indieshufflers. refreshing choice to input aesop amongst the more indie-stock-rock/pop/whatever offerings. theres nothing better than watching the leaves fall, drinking copious amounts of hot rum-apple cider, smoking blunts, and listening to aesop rock totally spit socialist fire all over fools.
“Duke of early retirement pick a dream
American nightmare hogging the screen
I’ll hold the door open so you can stumble in”
g’s up, hos down.
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October 19th, 2009 at 7:48 pm (#)
ow wow I really enjoyed the tracks. nick drake… amazing, i didn’t know him!!!
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October 26th, 2009 at 12:27 am (#)
great selection…
my recomendation..
bus by radio dept (or something by them)
Tables And Chairs by andrew bird
End of the Day by beck
Lullaby 6000 by The Czars
going for the gold by bright eyes
….
etc etc…
somthing from final fantasy… The Divine Comedy… etc
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February 14th, 2010 at 3:28 pm (#)
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