As the winter months begin to approach and the leaves fall from the trees, there are a number of albums that resonate in this atmosphere with the utmost style. Here, I've compiled five of these albums that I believe encompass this feeling rather brilliantly.
Minus the Bear - Planet of Ice: The name alone says it; this album is intended to be a companion on cold lonely nights. The art, a barren wasteland of frozen tundra, is in stark contrast to the album's sound; one of smooth, collected cacophony. Minus the Bear's musicians are some of the best, and while Jake Snider's smooth monotonous croon bothers some people, it's the perfect anchor to their technical electronics and guitars. The lyrics are, in contrast to Snider's sometimes cold tone, full of passion and intelligent songwriting. For example, "Throwin' Shapes" sports the lines: "Moving from sea to land dancing,/ swinging with the boats out there./ She steps on toes if she wants to./ No one's saying no; she wouldn't care." Lyrical passages like this convey the perfect level of emotion to accompany his smooth voice, and it's his voice that makes this album the perfect companion for a late, snowy drive or a walk to class when you're bundled under five layers of North Face.
Wintersleep - Welcome to the Night Sky: In addition to being my favorite album, well, ever, Welcome to the Night Sky is an incredible album for the changing season. The folk twang of songs like "Weighty Ghost" and "Archaeologist" radiate a tone of elated change. Falling leaves are the perfect companion to Paul Murphy's hushed vocals, and the incredible and dark buildups on tracks like "Murder" and "Early in the Morning" fit the sometimes despondent air of the dying summer. Not only is Murphy a soothing voice behind the mic, Loell Campbell's drumming is incredibly hard to best. On the aforementioned "Murderer" he plays an integral role in the buildup and eventual release of the track. The lyrics, like most other albums mentioned, are incredibly well-crafted, and in this season where introspection seems to be the norm, they're a real treat.
Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News: Modest Mouse has a way with twangy, odd hits. They perfected this on The Moon and Antartica, but that album doesn't have the mainstream appeal that can be found in Good News. Overall, from the, um … tributes, of "Bukowski" to the more subdued "Blame it on the Tetons," Modest Mouse prove they're a band that would have to work in order to make a bad album. Isaac Brock wails like a mad sailor throughout, while the rest of the musicians provide the same jangly, indie-infused rock they're known for. Let's not forget Brock's lyrics, which are always good for a laugh (in the best way possible). When the sun's shining on the leaves scattered across the ground and a despondent album doesn't fit the mood, I almost guarantee that Good News' swagger will put a skip in your step.
Lovedrug - Everything Starts Where It Ends: Ah, Lovedrug; one of my favorite bands with an album that is widely regarded as one of the best of the decade. That album, as you may have guessed, is entitled Everything Starts Where It Ends. Maybe the reason Everything is such a great fall album here in Ohio lies in the nature of Ohio's weather at this time: seventy degree days are met with thirty degree nights. It varies from requiring a coat, plus layers, in the morning to shorts and a t-shirt during the midday hours. Everything, like the weather here, has a little bit of well, everything, to appreciate. Like the upbeat rockers? Then I think "Happy Apple Poison" and "Bleed Together" are calling your name. A bigger fan of paramount choruses? Well, "Thieving" and "Ghost By Your Side" are perfectly suitable for just that. On top of this, Lovedrug experiments quite a bit within their indie-pop sound. Songs like "Salt of the Earth" and "American Swimming Lesson" are longer emotional pieces that channel a plethora of strong emotions and best fit the changing weather.
Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago: A tantalizingly emotional record, For Emma is the premier example of a heartfelt DIY record. For those that don't know, Justin Vernon, the voice of Bon Iver, recorded For Emma in a cabin with very simply tools. Thus, the stripped down and heartfelt sounds of Vernon's voice are carried across an intimate medium that more satisfactorily expounds his truly heartbreaking lyrics. From "Skinny Love" for example, Vernon's achy falsetto delivers the line: "If all your love is wasted, well then who the hell was I?" Perhaps For Emma suits the magic, woodsy feeling of fall since it was recorded in nearly the same setting. Regardless as to why it does, I can safely say that For Emma, Forever Ago is a nearly instant classic and one of the first albums I think of when I think of the atmosphere surrounding the autumn season.
