Our favorite season is here. We are breaking out our scarves and jackets and stepping on leaves. Pumpkins are on porches and apple cider is flying off the shelves. Halloween candy is waiting in bulk and the air is chill. All the fall wheels are in motion; all that’s left to decide now is what to listen to.
The fall album. It usually comes out around the beginning of a new semester, and eventually becomes a major source for nostalgia. It makes us feel like we’re characters in Catcher in the Rye or On the Road, and makes us feel simultaneously heartbroken and deeply in love. The fall album fits right in with the end of summer; it’s a soundtrack to the sad/beautiful changing of the season.
When I think of “Fall Music,†the first thing that actually comes to my mind is Vagrant Records. The Another Year on the Streets compilations were perfect for fall, mostly because of a few bands like Saves the Day and Dashboard Confessional. I still notice that those acts usually release their albums amidst the autumn months; it’s a great ploy on their part. Even at this moment, I have an urge to listen to Saves the Day (which I haven’t done since, well, last Fall).
I’ve discovered some great fall music over the years. What I’ve come to enjoy these days seems to be very different from Saves the Day though, because the style of music I listen to most often during autumn has turned out to be instrumental music. I could mention Mirah, Pinback, or Sleeping at Last (wonderful fall music), but I’d like to express the beauty to be found in the following instrumental bands. So check out these myspace players for some great fall listening (click on band name for myspace):
The Album Leaf:
There are fall days when you have to just sit on the porch with a mug of hot cider by yourself and ponder. But if you need a perfect companion for this lovely fall event, bring the Album Leaf along. (listen to Shine and you’ll see what I mean)
Next time you’re stuck in your place because of a rainy fall day, put on Unwed Sailor. Maybe even close your eyes and lay down on your couch. But make sure the window is open a little bit so that the sound of the rain on the leaves outside will mesh with Unwed Sailor’s slow and subtle ambience.
This band opened for Anathallo a couple years back, and blew your ears out before you were able to enjoy the complex and delicate eccentricities of Anathallo. But if it’s one of those brisk, upbeat fall days, check out The Exquisite Death of Saxon Shore, otherwise, listen to their earlier records for a perfect soundtrack to a typical dreary fall day.
Eluvium opened for Explosions in the Sky on their last tour, and personally, I thought that Eluvium blew EitS’s performance out of the water. Layer upon layer of sound was built up until a strong wall of ambience surrounded you like an ocean. You wouldn’t guess this by the songs on the myspace player, but the quiet beauty of Eluvium’s recorded material perfectly compliments a walk on a blustery day. Check “Genius and the Thief†and you’ll understand.
