Ten great tracks for your Autumn playlist.

 

The leaves are turning brown and falling from the trees. The sun is shining (sometimes) on crisp, chilly mornings, and September has rolled into October. Autumn is well and truly upon us, and in a year that has ripped up the rule book, it is nice to seek comfort in the unfailing rhythm of the changing of the seasons. Below are ten tracks soaked in seasonal atmosphere perfect for your Autumnal playlist. So wrap up warm and stick on these tunes to get that Autumnal feeling!

The White Stripes – ‘Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground’ – Any tracks from The White Stripes classic record ‘White Blood Cells’ could feature on this playlist, but it is the brilliant opener that best fits the bill. Crunching guitars, unforgettable rhythms, and some of Jack White’s finest lyrics (“every breath that is in your lungs is a tiny little gift to me”) makes this the perfect soundtrack to an Autumnal walk in the sunshine.

The Zombies – ‘Time of the Season’ – Featuring one of the coolest intros ever recorded, this Zombies classic, with its unerring bassline and breathy vocals, is a classic and a moody accompaniment for your Autumn listening.

Van Morrison – ‘Moondance’ – One of Van the Man’s finest and most well-loved hits, ‘Moondance’ is a jazz infused love song that finds Van tell his lover that “it’s a fantabulous night to make romance neath the cover of October skies”.

The Kinks – ‘Autumn Almanac’ – Not one of their better known numbers, ‘Autumn Almanac’ is a fine showcase of Ray Davies’ witty lyricisms nonetheless. The acoustic opening twists into a quintessential Kinks melody and finds Davies contemplate subjects as diverse as autumnal mornings, rheumatic backs, and the street the protagonist was born on and has lived on all his days. An eccentric classic.

Patrick Watson – ‘Lighthouse’ – If you’re looking for a song to soundtrack a peaceful leaf strewn Autumn walk, you will not find anything more beautiful and contemplative than this composition. The haunting piano balladry builds into a crescendo of trumpets that sounds like the soundtrack to an old forgotten western. Sublime!

Simon and Garfunkel – ‘Leaves That Are Green’ – “I was twenty one years when I wrote this song, I’m twenty two now but won’t be for long, time hurries on, the leaves that are green turn to brown” sighs Simon on this track taken from the ‘Sounds of Silence’ LP. An example of Simon’s sixties poetic reflections on life as a young man, it finds him fearing growing old and the ends of relationships. Not as morbid as it sounds but instead an enjoyable baroque infused pop song.

The Voyces – ‘Relate to Me’ – This ballad finds the Voyces gently pondering loneliness and seeking comfort in shared experience as they sing “Can you feel your heartache, do you relate to me” over an effortlessly simple acoustic rhythm.

Neil Young – ‘Harvest Moon’ – The title track of Young’s 90’s classic record is an Autumnal soaked masterpiece. A deceptively simple marriage of acoustic rhythm and riff provide the perfect melancholic soundtrack to Young’s reflection of lost love and times gone by. 

The Mamas and the Papas – ‘California Dreaming’ – Perhaps the most obvious choice here (but far too good not to be included), the sixties classic finds the protagonist lost in the cold and crying out for the warmth of their native Californian sun. The vocal harmonies of the group and simple instrumental backing blend together to perfect effect on one of the best songs ever written.

Doves - ‘Kingdom of Rust’ – Wrapping things up, is the Doves epic masterpiece and the title track from their widely acclaimed 2009 record. A rollicking rhythm builds into an intense brooding number with real emotional depth as lead singer Jimi Goodwin sighs “my God it takes an ocean of trust to build the Kingdom of Rust”.