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I don’t care what scientists, astronomers and the Old Farmer’s Almanac say, it’s autumn when I can’t fool myself into wearing my flip-flops any longer.
Autumn is imminent. Soon, it will be closer to 50 than 60 degrees in the daytime, and closer to freezing than thawing in the nighttime.
Autumn is the best season because it is the best time to smoke cigarettes, enjoy brandy and spend quality time listening to albums. Summer is best for playlists in cars, spring is best for songs and winter is best for mood pieces and for Christmas music. But autumn is the best season for albums.
I would like to suggest some music to eat apples and embark on hayrides to.
Neil Young, “Harvest”
Young’s 1972 album is among his most popular and well-known. “Heart of Gold” and “Harvest” in particular catch the bittersweet ambiance and melancholy of the season very well.
Animal Collective, “Strawberry Jam”
Though this one’s very recent (released September 2007), the hindsight afforded by the last year and the movement of the hype zeitgeist onto other bands and releases (remember Vampire Weekend?) does not at all diminish this work. “Fireworks” and “Peacebone” are as staggering accomplishments as any other piece of popular music from the turn of the century. But back to the point. “Strawberry Jam” isn’t always the most accessible work for the general audience, but it’s very rewarding, and it’s perfectly autumnal.
The Clientele, “Strange Geometry”
The Clientele is a band of several notable distinctions. First, The Clientele is more popular here than its native country, England, which is certainly an inversion of the normal order of music. Second, its earliest material (“Saturday,” “We Could Walk Together”) sounds like it might’ve been recorded 40 years ago. One cannot overstate how English this band is. It’s more English than Blur, it’s more English than awful food – Queen Elizabeth II might be less English than the group, all right? “My Own Face Inside the Trees,” “Geometry of Lawns” and the partially-spoken “Losing Haringey” are highlights from the album.
The Decemberists, “Picaresque”
Before any smart-aleck letters come in, let me mention this year’s winter solstice falls on Dec. 21, and it’s autumn until then. I could’ve chosen any Decemberists album, frankly, but this one is made a touch more relevant given the election season with its political number “16 Military Wives.” “The Engine Driver,” “The Bagman’s Gambit,” “Eli, the Barrow Boy” are all heartbreaking, evocative songs. “The Sporting Life” and “Of Angels and Angles” bring some levity, too. The use of acoustic guitar through the album, coupled with strings and more exotic instrumentation, make this work perfect for the season.
Friends of mine – and I would imagine some readers who have not made my acquaintance – know that I am a terrible news junkie and political wonk. Two of my favorite things in this world are talking politics and the Decemberists, in fact.
Earlier this year the two came together in an unexpected manner. My mother, once of solid-red Meridian, Idaho and now of solid-red Oklahoma City, forwarded an e-mail my way about a Portland rally for Barack Obama.
The Decemberists played a free concert in the city in support of the Democrat. In mentioning this, the e-mail hoped to de-emphasize the numbers, 75,000+ in attendance, and portray the crowd as having been more interested in the band than the man (let us overlook the band supports the candidate).
The e-mail went on, however, to note the Decemberists are not only named after Russian revolutionaries, but they have the audacity to occasionally play the national anthem of the former Soviet Union before their concerts. “How offensive,” the right-wing declares.
Of course, the Decembrists of Russia were democratic revolutionaries. Colin Meloy and his band mates support Barack Obama, the candidate of the Democratic Party of the United States. The Communist Party of the United States has not endorsed Obama, nor have they fielded a candidate. But it certainly brought a smile to my face to find the Kill Rock Stars alums mentioned by people who might’ve never heard them otherwise. Who knows? Maybe some Republican child will rebel and pick up an album. Here’s hoping.
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