Fall favorites

Today was one of those perfect fall days: it started out rather chilly, then as the day wore on it warmed up a touch, the sun came out, and that cool fall breeze kicked in. It's days like these that call for my favorite fall music, and to honor the season, I'm posting a sampling of what I consider to be the essentials.


Counting Crows :: August and Everything After (live)

On my drive to work this morning, I popped in August and Everything After (Geffen, 1993) and was reminded about how absolutely brilliant it is. It's a timeless album that still sounds fresh with every listen. The Counting Crows really nailed it with that one. This song, however, is not from that album, but it's a live cut of the title track that never made the album, so for that, it's significant. For those of you wondering which song's lyrics were scribbled on the album cover art, this is the one.

Counting Crows :: High Life

As a bonus, I've also thrown in a favorite off This Desert Life (Interscope, 1999). If I had to look back on the album that got me thinking critically about the music I listen to, this might have been it. We were reviewing new CDs for an issue of my high school paper, and by random drawing, this is the one I picked. The rest, as they say, is history!


David Gray :: Shine

His most recent release, Life in Slow Motion, makes for a great new fall soundtrack, but when it comes to fall, I'll take any ol' David Gray, especially his early work. It's raw and stripped down, pumped with emotion, and personally I think it's Gray at his best. This is the opening track off his debut album, A Century Ends (Caroline, 1993).


Elliott Smith :: Waltz #2 (XO)

Oh, Elliott. It's been two years since you've passed, but thank goodness we can listen to your music forever. There are occasions when I hear Elliott Smith and I am in disbelief at just how good he was. Such brilliant songwriting and heartfelt lyrics. The one thing that's guaranteed is that you can't listen to his music and not feel something. Waltz #2 off XO (Dreamworks, 1998) is no exception.


Nick Drake :: One of These Things First

Nick Drake is yet another brilliant songwriter who left the world too soon, but also left us with a wealth of beautiful music to enjoy. This song appeared on Bryter Layter (Hannibal, 1970) and makes me want to go outside on a windy fall day, run around in an open field, and kick around the falling leaves. There's something about the music that transports you to a different time and place. This song is especially light and playful, which is a departure from a lot of his darker, more depressing themes.


Nickel Creek :: When You Come Back Down

I absolutely love this song, which is actually a cover of a song written by Tim O'Brien and Danny O'Keefe. It appeared on Nickel Creek's self-titled debut album (Sugarhill, 2000), which is an accessible blend of bluegrass, folk, and classical, among other genres. This tune in particular is a beautiful and heart-wrenching love song that has everything that makes a song wonderful. Chris Thile's soothing voice rings through delicately over gorgeous fiddle solos and three-part harmonies. Just perfect.


Dave Matthews :: Stay or Leave

Mr. Matthews did quite a number on his first and only solo effort, Some Devil (RCA, 2003). This is a fall pick because this album was released at the beginning of my last year in college, and I'm pretty sure it sat in the CD player of my car for the majority of the season. It reminds me of fall drives in Charlottesville, golf classes in the morning, weekend hikes or picnics, and in general how there seemed to be no better place to be than UVA in the fall.


R.E.M. :: Nightswimming

Chris Martin told Spin magazine, "I'll tell you what I'm most proud of. The other day I had a pizza with Mike Mills from R.E.M., and he played 'Nightswimming' on the piano for me. I was so proud that I got to the position where I could hear that." This is one of my favorite R.E.M. tunes off of one of my favorite R.E.M. albums, Automatic for the People (Warner Bros, 1992).


And there you have it. Enjoy!