By Matt Paolizzi and Matt Soderberg, Co-Sports Editor and Staff Reporter
The air is getting colder and the days are getting shorter. With October almost over, Matt and Matt bring you two playlists to help enjoy the fall season.
Note: Some songs included are explicit.
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Matt Paolizzi:
Fall has a tendency to bring moods down along with all the leaves. Rather than wallow in yellow, orange, brown and red self-pity, let this playlist of calming folk and melancholy tunes bring you into a nice state of mellowed bliss.
Top 5:
“Dry the Rain” – The Beta Band
This one is a gem right here. Well known for being in the movie “High Fidelity,” this Beta Band classic is a methodical and brooding track. It’s melancholy, but not overly so. Kind of like fall.
“Blue Spotted Tail” – Fleet Foxes
This is a song that stays with you. “Helplessness Blues” is a titan of an album with everything sounding as crisp and fresh as an autumn morning. “Blue Spotted Tail” is a simple piece with only an acoustic guitar and vocals. But as Robin Pecknold muses about how “life is made only for an end”, you cannot help but get lost in the music.
“Cabezon” – Red House Painters
Normally classified as the archetypal slow-core band, Red House Painters showcases their long reaching sound. “Cabezon,” simply put, is ridiculously beautiful. Lacking vocals, it almost forces you to sing along, making up your own lyrics as you go along. It’s a happy song, but could easily be a sad one as well. It all depends on how you sing it.
“Pancho and Lefty” – Townes Van Zandt
Townes Van Zandt is the greatest country artist you’ve never heard of. And it’s a crying shame. Pancho and Lefty tells a tale of two friends who are thieves in the Wild West, but one sells out the other to the feds. It’s a heartbreaking song, but one that really grasps that temporary nature of fall. One minute, the leaves (or friendship) are there. The next one, they’re not.
“All Things Must Pass” – George Harrison
Oh my lord, where do I start? The best song from the best album from the best former Beatle? The title track from Harrison’s epic triple album is a monument to monotony. The soft and relaxing tone allows you to just float away. The lyrics tell of accepting that things happen, but that all things will go away eventually. Take that how you will I suppose. This song is the essence of fall. To take things as they tumble from the trees with clarity and reverence, while knowing that the growing cold won’t last forever.[/one-half-first]
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Matt Soderberg:
It is fall, your classes are not jokes anymore, and all you can think about is making it to thanksgiving break. If you can’t escape the stress of school, at least add some music. Here are fifteen songs to relax to this fall.
Top 5:
“Unattainable” – Little Joy
If you want to spend two minutes of your life just sort of smiling stupidly, this is your song. From the Brazilian-American super group, this is one of the most dulcet and enjoyable songs I have heard all year.
“Black Metal” – Max Jury
A haunting love song that takes some thought to get meaning out of, Max Jury’s big hit is incredibly catchy and yet bounces away from dangerous clichés.
“Boardwalks” – Little May
A remarkable little song that packs so much defiance and power it is hard not to mistake this small folk arrangement for a rock anthem stripped down.
“Divine” – Laura Marling
Former Noah and the Whale frontlady Marling has put out three solo efforts and still is only in her early twenties. This lead single from her new album released after a rocky episode is one of her best.
“Fourth Of July” – Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens has been putting out incredible music for a long time. But his latest effort, “Carrie and Lowell,” is the album of the year, perfectly constructed. The highlight is this mid-album track that perfectly captures the tone of the whole album.
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