Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Soundtrack for Fall

I like soundtracks. Both on the big screen and in real life: at parties, on road trips, while cleaning the house, working out, studying, relaxing, grieving, celebrating. The right music for the right mood......yum. Similarly, there are certain albums that I typically only listen to during certain seasons. Anyone else out there share this oddity? (Maybe it’s not an oddity but current conversation usually revolves around pumpkin spice lattes not albums, so who knows?) At any rate, here are my picks for the perfect fall soundscape.


This Empty Northern Hemisphere by Gregory Alan Isakov
This mellow album can best be described as Indie folk. Last fall, the high school I teach at threw a barn party and my students performed several songs from this album. They played them right at dusk and it was the perfect setting for our soundscape: old barn, hay bales, corn fields, and indigo mountains against a crimson sunset.


Rare Bird Alert by Steve Martin & the Steep Canyon Rangers
Autumn isn't complete without some barn party hoe-down music! Steve Martin (yes, the actor and comedian) combines his fantastic banjo skills with gift of humor for an enjoyable album with both silly songs and beautiful instrumental numbers. Features guests artists Paul McCartney and the Dixie Chicks.


My Head is an Animal by Of Monsters & Men
Scandinavia never disappoints when it comes to its output of musicians. Of Monsters & Men is what I’d call Indie pop. “Little Talks” was a hit on Top 40 radio for weeks. They’re both edgy and charming, mellow and upbeat, contemplative and fun. They alternate between female and male lead vocals and did I mention there is a strong vein of Viking mythology thrown in as well? A refreshing change that won’t leave you reaching for the scan button on your car radio.


Johann Sebastian Bach: Die Motetten by Thomanerchor Leipzig
When I was in middle school, my father’s cousins visited us from Germany.  They brought us souvenirs and my gift was a CD of a German Boys Choir singing gorgeous motets by J.S. Bach. I remember the first time I played it on the stereo in my bedroom. It was a Friday night in early fall and since then I associate this soothing album with cool autumn evenings. The rich lush textures and unique sound of an all boys choir gives a sophisticated and uplifting tone.

 Jar of Flies by Alice in Chains
Ah, the 90s. The closing of the 90s signaled the end of quality radio. I discovered grunge after its time and was intrigued by its realism and gritty layers of sound. There is something about the timbre, texture, and darkness of grunge that seems to match the beauty of decaying leaves. This Chains album is mellower than their other albums with a more acoustic vibe, which is why it is my fall pick.


Anything by Ralph Vaughan Williams
Anything is not an album....it literally means anything! This man waxes eloquence with every composition. He takes you to soaring emotional heights and then plummets to valleys so dark and wrenching you'll need a flashlight and a box of tissues. My personal favorites are "Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis," "The Wasps Overture," "The Lark Ascending," "Serenade to Music," and "Concerto Grosso for String Orchestra."


Portrait in Jazz by the Bill Evans Trio
Jazz works for many occasions and adds instant class. Bill Evans is so classic and very accessible for the music listener who claims they hate jazz. Tracks 2 and 3 are titled "Autumn Leaves" so there you go.

Thanks for reading and thanks-in-advance for listening. :-)

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