Some slower songs for your fall season
By Ben Spells // Polar
Tundra Tunes, Saturday 12am-2am
Fall has always been my favorite time of year, and as the weather here in Soda City starts to cool off, I find myself reflecting on where I have been and where I am going. I spend more time outside hiking in the woods and marveling at the beauty of nature. My fall playlist takes a turn to my favorite slower tracks, the tracks that remind me of how big our world is. Here are some favorites that I am listening to this season:
Lord Huron: Ends of the Earth
(Lonesome Dreams, 2012)
This song has always felt airy to me. I think of open skies and mountain roads because the vocals and rise and fall of the melody are so heavenly. Year after year, I return to this song as I put my car windows down, open the sunroof, and bask in the crisp autumn sun.
Robert Ellis: How I Love You
(Robert Ellis, 2016)
Lyrically, this song is beautiful. I think it is so elegant in its simplicity, and I love how the guitar, drums, and piano were written. “How I Love You” is truly unlike any other track I have heard, and I always return to it this time of year.
Mipso: My Burden with Me
(Coming Down the Mountain, 2017)
This song has a lot of rich imagery, and I absolutely love when folksy songs take this turn. “My Burden with Me” has some beautiful guitar riffs, and the vocals are very front-and-center. I cannot recommend this song enough.
Judah and the Lion: Our Love
(Sweet Tennessee, 2013)
There is something about this song that has me coming back three years after I found this song. Maybe it is the way the banjo was incorporated; it could be the lyrics. Perhaps it is Judah Akers’s vocals. There is nothing by Judah and the Lion that I would not recommend, so narrowing down their work to this one song took some work!
Bootstraps: Haywire
(Bootstraps, 2014)
What isn’t to love about this song? Every time I hear this song, I think of sitting around a campfire, looking at the stars in the crisp autumn air. Whatever happens to be weighing me down always slides off my shoulders after this track because it’s just that smooth.
Johnnyswim: Live While We’re Young – Live
(Live At Rockwood Music Hall, 2016)
This song is always a reminder to live in the moment for me. Tomorrow is never guaranteed, and the lyrics clearly remind the listener of the waning opportunities to do what they want. My favorite lyrics from the song are: “We'll chase down the sun / Hands off the brake / We can die when we're done / Let's live while we're young.”
The Head and the Heart: Rivers and Roads
(The Head and the Heart, 2010)
I listened to this song a lot during my senior year of high school. The lyrics are a bit sad – this is definitely a song to listen to when uncontrollable changes are happening. For me, it’s a song for reminding myself that everything only happens once. Life is about savoring the moments as they happen.
MUNA: Around U
(About U, 2017)
“Something massive happened here / Can you feel it in the atmosphere?” As the weather changes, so much else changes, too. People find themselves in and out of relationships, moving here or there, or dealing with whatever life throws at them. I love the themes of independence and reflection in this song; while this may be a bit different from the rest, it still packs a lyrical and musical punch that keeps me coming back.
Listen to A Chill in the Air on Spotify.