I always thought that Autumn was the most interesting season. It gets colder, school starts back up, and all of the girls you followed on Instagram because you thought they were hot in high school but now you understand their shallowness won't be made up for by their physical attraction are incessantly posting pictures of them apple picking (sorry for the male-normative--and now heteronormative-- joke, but it was too poignant to pass up.) Despite all that, Autumn strangely works. It might be the change, as it's the first time since February where it gets colder again. It might be some auxiliary pleasures, like the aesthetic, football, or Oscar season starting up. But I think, on a grander scale, it's a return to form. The chill makes people more focused, and things get more deep, more layered, and more cool. And with that horrible joke, here are five essential albums to listen to in Autumn.
Sung Tongs- Animal Collective
Released: 2004
One of the best albums of Animal Collective's earlier, more experimental work is an acoustic set of energetic pop songs wrapped under the blanket of crisp production and wispy vocal layerings. The sung scales on "Leaf House" feels like the first day you need to put on a jacket, while "Who Could Win A Rabbit" is a dancy song that only feels right being played indoors. There's also a strong collegiate bond here, as "Visiting Friends", the 12 minute instrumental acoustic epic, emanates the right mix of excitement and nostalgia as you drive two hours to visit your friend in another college. "College", a 1 minute piece of noise that sounds like all of the scraps of The Beach Boys' cut songs fit together, mixed in a blender, and poured in a dixie cup is consisting lyrically of "You don't have to go to college." Now that we're back inside, it's time to get intimate and weird again.
Best Track: "We Tigers"
Illinois- Sufjan Stevens
Released: 2005
While Summer is better accompanied with a more stripped down, basic feel, Autumn needs more layering, both in clothing and musically. Illinois, Sufjan Stevens' 22 song masterpiece, does that. The horns in "Come on! Feel the Illinoise!", the strings in "They Are Night Zombies!!", and the piano on "Chicago" are just a few of many highlights in this grandiose masterpiece that mix in just so well with the nuanced beauty of Autumn.
Best Track: "The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us!"
In Rainbows- Radiohead
Released: 2007
After their experimental run (Kid A, Amnesiac, Hail To The Thief), Radiohead started the third act of their career with a surprise album that was the most accessible since OK Computer. Johnny Greenwood's selective and cautious approach to the electric guitar gives the album the feel of a coffee shop on a cold day, with the arpeggios on "Weird Fishes/Arpeggi", the barren chords on "House of Cards", and the sparky guitar solos on "Jigsaw Falling Into Place." Excellent album to put on in the background of your dorm room, coffee shop, or a walk in the park.
Best Track: "Reckoner"
Vampire Weekend- Vampire Weekend
Released: 2008
Sort of the antithesis to "Sung Tongs", Vampire Weekend's eponymous debut has the right in the center of collegiate grandeur accompanied by a sweltering sound. The afropop influences of "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa" and "The Kids Don't Stand A Chance" remind you of walking past the campus lawn to the sounds of the djembe, and the hurried sense of "Campus" makes you urgently need to get to class.
Best Track: "Oxford Comma"
I Love You, Honeybear- Father John Misty
Released: 2015
Just the title alone has remnants of fall feelings. Josh Tillman's second album under the pseudonym Father John Misty is a grand orchestration of songs. Don't be fooled by the instrumentation; there's still a lot of fun to be had because it's not quite winter yet. Tracks like "Bored in the USA" and "The Ideal Husband" are black humor at its best. There's also some great storytelling as well, especially with the track "The Night Josh Tillman Came To Our Apt." Think of this as the deceptively smart fall movie that comes out after blockbuster season.
Best Track: "Holy Sh*t"