WHAT TO LISTEN TO THIS FALL
BY SOPHIE BRADECICH
After a long humid summer, I think that well into October it is safe to proclaim we are officially into fall. I have always been partial to this time of year and the media that comes with it. However, this summer made me fall in love with the music associated with no school, beach days, and going out with friends without the pressure of assignments due the following week. I’ll miss my 2024 Brat summer, but my fall playlist has been locked and loaded since last February, so here are some perfect fall albums to soften your transition from summer to midterms.
Ladies of the Canyon- Joni Mitchell. I am listing this one first because I wasn’t sure if I classified it as more of a summer or Fall album. Blue is unquestionably a winter album, but Joni feels like such an autumn vibe that I had to include something of her. For if you’re feeling all the nostalgia I highly recommend “The Circle Game.” If you’re having one of those days where it is impossible to get out of bed, or you are in desperate need of an adult lullaby, listen to “Morning Morgantown” which to me is the musical equivalent of warm cookies on a rainy day.
Tapestry - Carole King. Look at her and her cat in that album cover. Her sweater alone is enough to tell you that she is ready to feel some leaves crunch under those (for some unknown reason) bare feet. Tapestry is an all-time favorite album of mine, and though I don’t watch Gilmore Girls, I know that the theme song “Where You Lead” is on this album. Now this might be a more specific pick for my fellow college freshman of the world who are also missing their mom and friends back home, but “So Far Away” has always made me tear up, but it is hitting extra hard this time around.
Pink Moon- Nick Drake. If you are a lover of phenomenal acoustic guitar playing it doesn’t get much better than with Nick Drake. His soft voice over these insanely impressive picking patterns that hurt my novice brain to think about blows my mind every time. One of my all time favorites is “Road,” but I also really love the titular track, “Pink Moon.”
Revealer- Madison Cunningham. The folk albums I have been recommending all albums my grandparents were listening to before my parents were even born. If you’re looking for something from 2022 is a more modern and fun pick. It veers away from Nick Drake’s acoustic patterns, into something less mellow but that still won the Grammy for best folk album. I really love “Hospital” for something that is much closer to rock than any of my other recommendations, and has a sort of anger behind it that folk sometimes lacks. Another upbeat track that I love from that album is “Anywhere,” her vocals and the instrumental feel bouncy in a way and I love the backing vocals. It’s very playful in a way I really love.
Either/Or - Elliott Smith. It would feel dishonest for me to share all my favorite albums and not include any Eliott Smith. I recommend his entire discography, and it all falls to me (though I of course listen to it year round). I will warn you that if you are not familiar with Elliott Smith that his music is some of the most depressing out there. Similar to Nick Drake he is a master of a soft voice singing absolutely heart-breaking lyrics over intricately picked guitar. “Tomorrow Tomorrow” is a great example of this, and one of my all time favorite Smith songs is “I Didn’t Understand”- this acapella album closer is Pentatonix for sorrowful-teens.
There are so many more albums and songs I could recommend, but these are the ones I had a lot to say about today. Other honorable mentions are Songs- Adrienne Lenker, Stranger In the Alps- Phoebe Bridgers, Carrie and Lowell- Sufjan Stevens, Bookends- Simon and Garfunkel, No Need To Argue- The Cranberries, and Reading, Writing, And Arithmetic- The Sundays.
