The leaves are shifting from pasty green to brilliant, fiery shades of autumnal cheer; Dr. Martens are being polished and laced over patterned wool socks; and fall playlists are sprouting from the tired catalogs of melancholy indie acts like Bon Iver, Fleet Foxes, and Mumford & Sons. Go ahead and gaze at the vibrancy of the pine-lined streets and tighten up those combat boots, but step away from the exhausted crybaby carols. With just over a month of autumn left, there’s still time to freshen up your cold-weather playlist.
“Roadside” – Rise Against
Shedding its punk rock armor for a beautifully vulnerable three-and-a-half minutes, the Chicago quartet exposes some fresh wounds in this number. Rise Against returned to the delicacy of previous single “Swing Life Away,” this time with wispy female vocals and an approachable lament of pain. An unexpectedly poignant tune, this song is a great companion on those introspective walks that go hand in hand with the fall.
“Plumage” – Menomena
Menomena brings a certain quirky flair to the table with its recent album Moms. This nuanced indie-pop features infectious melodies without pesky ear worm hooks and whiny choruses. As if the song weren’t great enough, this Trevor McMahan-directed music video shows self-transformation at its most outlandish.
“Family” – The Cast of Cheers
The Cast of Cheers, with two albums under its belt and recent release Family just gaining traction, has created autumnal gold with the title track of its newest album. “Family” is a welcome departure from the usual softcore folk prevailing the airwaves as summer makes way for the cool breezes and gingerly layered attire of fall. With vocals uncannily resembling Bloc Party and ringing guitar riffs unassumingly building tension throughout, it’s hard to deny this Irish quartet a spot on a fall playlist.
“Lose Your Mind” – So Many Wizards
Southern Californian group So Many Wizards has crafted one of the most foolproof pieces of indie bliss this year. “Lose Your Mind” is a wispy number that creates aural distance with echoing vocals and spotlight-shunning guitar. From carefully constructed hooks to entrancing vocals, these DIY’ers seem to have had autumn in mind when creating these dreamy cuts.
“Vagabond” – Wolfmother
While fans of the flawlessly scored film (500) Days of Summer may cite this song as an obvious fall playlist choice, it has an undeniable appeal during blustery days suited for curling up inside or strolling along leaf-scattered sidewalks. This Aussie rock outfit shows no discomfort in the acoustic realm, even though it’s a change of pace from the usual time-warp rock . “Vagabond” will lift your spirits during the increasingly chilly days.
“Ask” – The Smiths
From the season’s beauty to its vaguely isolating overtones, The Smiths seems to embody the best and worst of autumn. Morrissey personifies human alienation in a manner in which he is both the victim and the spokesman. He is every music fan’s antihero–a sad social pariah with a gentle voice–but dammit, he’s Morrissey. Fall can gust in feelings of loneliness as one is surrounded by fortress walls of limp leaves and moats of stale rain, but Morrissey will always be there to understand, to vent and to push one out of that autumnal funk. So cheers to all of the acoustic-guzzling introverts and yet another wonderful autumn.
