Falling 2009

I can count all of the things I actually like about living in New England on one hand. On the list would certainly be the fall. Watching the leaves go from green to brilliant shades of yellow, orange, and red is truly a pleasure. You wake up one morning and it's like you're living life in a technicolor movie. Or on an artist's palette. I'll never tire of long walks during this time of year. The perfect fall playlist is a necessity. There are certain songs that bring out the crispness in the air, the crunchiness of the leaves beneath your feet, and the sharpness of life around you. Here is my collection of fall songs.

Falling 2009
1. Noah and the Whale - Blue Skies
Taken from an album called The First Days of Spring, this is my new ultimate fall song. I started listening to this record when the weather started to change, and it encapsulates the perfect fall mood. There's hope in the fall; this season is a time for making changes in the positive direction.

"this is the last song that i write while still in love with you / this is the last song that i write while you're even on my mind / cause it's time to leave those feelings behind / cause blue skies are coming / but i know that it's hard"

2. Elliott - Drive On To Me
This Elliott album is a fall standard. It reminds me of the Pitt campus in October, walking to the radio station early in the morning.


3. Georgie James - More Lights
That there isn't a good YouTube clip of this song is a true shame.

4. Matt Pond PA - So Much Trouble
Even the video has falling leaves. There could have been only one thing on Matt Pond' mind when he worked on Several Arrows Later: fall. With songs like this, "Halloween," and "The Trees and the Wild," it's a great record for a perfect fall afternoon.


5. Jason Collett - Out of Time


6. Ryan Adams - Gonna Make You Love Me
I would have chosen "Halloweenhead," but I'll save that for my Halloween mix (wink, wink). Ryan Adams needs to be on any fall mix. Just cause.


7. Band of Horses - Funeral


8. The Wrens - She Sends Kisses
I was obsessed with this song one fall during college. It's heartache and it's something so familiar, but every time I listen to it I hear something new. But nothing will replace the feeling of autumn permanently timestamped on this track.


9. Wilco - Ashes of American Flags
Back in the days of LiveJournal (way back in the days of LiveJournal!), a friend once commented on a post of mine with these lyrics: "all my lies are always wishes." I think about that line often. One of the worst things I do is lie. I lie about the dumbest fucking things too. Maybe they're less lies and more exaggerations. But are these lies/exaggerations just wishes for what I want to really have happen? I seem to walk around the most during the fall, which leaves me with all the time in the world to think about these things.


10. The Shins - Gone For Good


11. Rocky Votolato - Before You Were Born
Also a complete shame that there isn't a great YouTube clip of this. "Before You Were Born" is a perennial favorite of mine. It sounds like the perfect soundtrack to rolling around in a pile of leaves with a crush. Hooded sweatshirts. Sitting on a bench drinking hot cocoa. Also, nothing beats this line: "under blankets and maps to keep up warm."


12. Josh Ritter - Monster Ballads
The best time to have a crush is the fall. People who say that about the spring or summer are crazy. There is nothing better than having a crush in the fall. It's hard to explain why this song makes me think of that.


13. Jets to Brazil - Cat Heaven


14. Hot Rod Circuit - This Is Not the Time or Place
This is fresh in my mind after seeing Andy Jackson do an acoustic set on Sunday night in Boston. This song = I'm 17 again. (UGH to no good clips…)


15. The Dreadful Yawns - You've Been Recorded
My friend Ross recommended The Dreadful Yawns to me. I've given the album Rest many listens, but the opening track, "You've Been Recorded," is so good sometimes I just stop there and listen to it over and over again. I think it's an excellent fall song.


16. Iron & Wine - Naked As We Came
This song seemed like too obvious a choice to include. But after seeing (and cringing through most of) The Mysteries of Pittsburgh this year, I cannot separate this song from the montage scene of Art, Cleveland, and Jane running around the city. Especially the part of the montage at Point State Park where they're playing football. I sat in a pretty empty theater by myself trying not to cry. But this song, that shot, and my longing to be home again won over and I sobbed.


17. AA Bondy - There's a Reason
This fall, I've been listening to AA Bondy with near (if I were) religious fervor. It's been the soundtrack to my nights, it's been my fallback when I don't know what else to listen to.


18. Alexi Murdoch - All My Days


19. The Lemonheads - The Outdoor Type


20. New Order - Run Wild
My favorite New Order song. One of my favorite all-time songs. I have dreams of writing a screenplay and putting words to paper to go along with all the stories in my head. And this will be the closing song. Without a doubt.