It's October. Grey clouds in the sky and fiery orange leaves on the ground, you’re indoors watching Gilmore Girls for the fifth time, re-establishing the fact that you’re Team Jess all the way. The episode ends with Lorelai looking shocked about an eminently avoidable conflict with Luke, your cinnamon and fig scented candle flickers its final embers, and you long for a record that is as comforting and warm as the Jodi Picoult novel you’ve finally gotten around to reading.
Just as the season changes, so does the musical accompaniment to go with it. Gone are the dance beats and synth pop that make you think you’re at a beach club in Ibiza when you’re really in your mate’s flat drinking cocktails from a can.
Well, dear reader, have no fear! Those days are gone! You don’t have to pretend to know the difference between David Guetta and Calvin Harris for at least another nine months! Throw the DJ decks away and get yourself an acoustic guitar: this is folk season. It’s earnest, it’s storytelling, and it’s oh so comforting. But just in case the crazy summer heat has left you out of sorts, I’m here to get you back into your joggers and snuggled into the sofa with an assortment of certified Autumn classics, with some of your new favourites sprinkled in for good measure.
Get your fluffy socks on, take a sip of your pumpkin spice latte, and relax into the sonic comfort of these Autumn essentials…
Frankly, it would be rude of me to not immediately mention Taylor Swift. Don’t worry, this won’t become a love letter to Ms Americana herself (I’ll save that for when her new album Midnights comes out IN TWO DAYS), but she deserves at least a reference in the category of Autumn anthems.
The land of the autumn musician is wrought with heartbreak. It tears you apart and rebuilds you all at once, and nobody does that better than Taylor. Both of her unexpected 2020 masterpieces, folklore and evermore, gained not only critical acclaim and fan adulation, but also encompass all that Autumn music should be.
Tales of lost love in the form of ‘champagne problems’ and ‘coney island (ft. The National)’ (evermore) blend seamlessly with Swift’s ability to inhabit a character and tell a story that makes you feel as if you’ve known that person all your life; tales of a high school love triangle in the form of tremendous triad ‘cardigan’, ‘august’, and ‘betty’ (folklore) allow the mind to wander out of your living room and to a small portion of American suburbia. Nowhere does she do this better than in ‘All Too Well (10-minute version)’ from Red (Taylor’s Version), however. Again, a rambling sonnet about how much I love that song will come later, but for now let me just say that if you wanted autumn in audio form, that is the one.
Both folklore and evermore feature collaborations with Wisconsin tour de force Bon Iver, maestros of the autumn tune in and of themselves. For Emma, Forever Ago (2007) was a new birth for indie-folk, providing the world with such anthems as ‘Skinny Love’, covered in 2011 by Hampshire-wunderkind Birdy. ‘Flume’ and ‘Re:Stacks’ are the highlights of the album for me, however, with Justin Vernon’s haunting vocals and campfire-esque guitar work befitting a dimly lit countryside pub in the Lake District.
Setting is crucially important for successful autumnal music, tending towards romantic walks on forest trails or around a misty lake as the sun sets. It feels only right, therefore, to mention Swedish folk duet First Aid Kit and their ode to country legends, ‘Emmylou’ (2012). Rarely for Autumn sounds, this track is musically more upbeat, even if the sentiment of a true love that just can’t last returns the piece to the heart-wrenching tradition of the autumn. The use of buttery harmonies and country techniques such as combining acoustic and electric guitars to create layers of sound allow the group to not only create a narrative of longing, but also a tune that would fit perfectly in a montage of New York at Halloween.
This post has so far focussed heavily on folk, and unapologetically so. But Autumn is more than that. The comforting elements of swelling musical moments and voices telling a story, no matter what the subject, can be found across genres. The work of French DJ Petit Biscuit, especially in the form of ‘Sunset Lover’, gives the same sense of safety and emotion as pop-heavyweight Billie Eilish’s ‘i love you’. Indie-karaoke classic ‘Iris’ by The Goo Goo Dolls hits the comforting notes of a cup of herbal tea, whilst emo-turned-pop band Panic! At The Disco’s ‘Always’ smothers you in a loving embrace while you sit in a fairy light-laden paradise. The genre may change, but certain things have to be there in an autumn track: softness, storytelling, and serenity.
Autumn is a time of beautiful decay. It is the tying up of loose ends before the cold drives you indoors. You need songs that give you a hug, keep you wrapped up warm, and get you ready for the rebirth and sunny optimism of spring. Hopefully I’ve managed to start you off on your journey through the next few months. Just in case I haven’t, though, take a peek below for some honourable mentions. I hope your autumn is as idyllic as the one I’ve painted here. If I don’t hear from you beforehand, have an amazing few months.
Only ten more Saturdays until Christmas!
Honourable mentions:
Backroads – Lonely The Brave
the author – Luz
River – Leon Bridges
The Promise – Tracy Chapman
Fade Into You – Mazzy Star
Gabriel – Bear’s Den
No. 1 Party Anthem – Arctic Monkeys
Better – Khalid
Love Is Not Enough – Bess Atwell
Ballroom Dance Scene – Horsegirl
No Nightmares – Oneohtrix Point Never
Joni Mitchell – Both Sides Now