As I write this, the first day of autumn is just 3 days away. The mornings are much colder, the afternoons are still hot. That's the September experience.
In fonder times of my life, I associate September with the beginning of the school year. Whatever my life was like in the summer, that was soon to vanish. But sometimes... I was okay with that. A lot of music memories attached with my college days of trying to accumulate friends I could keep around for the semester, to prepare myself for the forthcoming seasonal depression about to hit me like a truck.
Here are some songs that take me back to wandering campus like a lost tourist, and the slightest breeze had the potential to blow away my scattered little mind.
Here's 10 SONGZ!
Neil Young & Crazy Horse Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
I'll just get this out of the way: Neil Young is the King of Autumn Music. Most everything here is merely an extension of the folk rock sounds he created. Neil lasts from Sep-Nov every year. Pick an album. You can't really lose.
Nick Drake Three Hours
Nick Drake is the other King of Autumn Music. Nick mastered melancholy on multiple musical levels (that's a lot of m's). This song might be his most intricate.
Built to Spill Fling
I absolutely consider Built to Spill's There's Nothing Wrong with Love an autumn album. A lot of crunchy guitars and Neil Young influence. Granted, the rest of the album sounds nothing like "Fling." But it's that sour cello part that keeps it an autumn song for me.
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart Young Adult Friction
There's an autumnal side to indie rock, not to be confused with the naturally grainy strands of indie folk. I mean like, hipster stuff. Some of the whitest music you'll ever hear. Skinny dudes in knitted sweaters spilling all the intelligent charm they can muster into their schoolwork, flirting, and music.
Uncle Tupelo Slate
Uncle Tupelo's Anodyne doesn't sound anywhere nearly as aged as you'd expect from early 90s country music. I think this is how Neil envisioned the future of country when he made Harvest. This is a brisk fall morning if I've ever heard one.
Bob Dylan Girl from North Country
It's hard to pinpoint the state of modern music lyricism in the early 60s, and why Bob was such a revolutionary standout. But dang, I definitely remember my first time listening to The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan in the 2010s. The simplest songs carry the most emotional weight.
The Pastels Nothing to be Done
Another indie rock pick, although the characters feel a lot different. If The Pastels were taking classes at all, they sure sound like they were failing. The chemistry here is cute and the guitars are corrosive. Holding hands and drinkin' beers. Gotta love it.
The Band When You Awake
The first 2 albums by The Band make for some of the prettiest music I've ever heard. "When You Awake," like the rest of the band's self-titled album, is meant to take place during the U.S. Civil War. The bearded Canadian rockers accidentally reinvented 100 years of American music.
Elliott Smith Alameda
I believe there's an Elliott Smith album for every season. I don't think Either/Or is depressing enough to be his winter album, but it can definitely a downer. A reminder of the cold things to come. Singing along to "Nobody broke your heart, you broke your own...." Yeah, that first hint of autumn chill just shot down my spine.
Big Star September Gurls
Not to get too on the nose here, but c'mon. It's September. I guess I could have added the Earth, Wind & Fire song, but I gotta have that crunch. This song is a walk in the autumn sun.
