My Top-5 Albums for The Fall

Story posted October 4, 2022 in CommRadio, Arts & Entertainment by Charlie Hurwitz

Autumn has arrived and as the leaves begin to fall, the type of music many students listen to changes as well.

Here are my top five favorite albums to listen to in the fall if you are looking for some chill yet thoughtful tracks:

Songs of Her’s- Her’s (2017)

Despite their tragic death in March of 2019, Her’s is still one of the most popular bands in the indie pop scene. The compilation album from the Liverpool based band features nine tracks, beautifully woven together. Each song keeps you on your toes, guessing what kind of sounds will come next, yet they all blend together so well.

There truly is something for everyone on this album. Songs like “Cool With You” and “You Don’t Know This Guy” are deeply mysterious and psychedelic, talking about relationships and the ups-and-downs that come with them. Then, with songs like “Marcel,”  “What Once Was” and “I’ll Try”, we get some more upbeat sounding songs laced with divine guitar chords and arpeggios.

Though they may sound different by themselves, each song on Songs of Her’s creates a perfect harmony of sadness, hope and wish fullness when combined together.

Favorite Song: “Marcel”

All Things Must Pass- George Harrison (1970)

His first solo work since the breakup of The Beatles, All Things Must Pass is by all accounts an all-time great. The three-sided tape features numerous classics and is now seven-times platinum.

Harrison really proved himself as more than just a background man to Paul McCartney and John Lennon. George shows off his own style and does a good job of branching off from his work with the Beatles, implementing a lot of slide guitar and catchy hooks.

When the Beatles split in 1970, all four members dropped solo albums pretty recent to the break up. Harrison, in my opinion, was the only one to really try something new and it definitely showed. In the cramped songwriting space of the Beatles, Harrison struggled to fully express his visions with the band. Those visions shine in this album with songs like “My Sweet Lord,”  “If Not For You” and “Awaiting On You All.” 

This is one of my favorite albums of all time and I’m glad George finally got the respect he deserves after this release.

Favorite Song: What is LIfe

Pray For Paris - Westside Gunn (2020)

In the world of hip-hop, it’s hard to stand out and find your own sound. Yet, that is nothing Westside Gunn has ever had a problem with.

The high-pitched Buffalo native and member of Griselda delivers a refreshing take on lyrical rap in his third studio album: Pray For Paris. The 2020 masterpiece boasts features from rap royalty like Tyler, The Creator, Freddie Gibbs, Joey Bada$$, Wale and fellow Griselda members Conway the Machine and Benny The Butcher.

For me, the best part about this album is the production. In songs like “327” (prod. by Camoflouge Monk), “$500 ounces'' (Prod. by The Alchemist) and “Versace” (prod. by Jay Versace), Gunn floats on the angelic beats while delivering clever yet raunchy bars. This album is a breath of fresh air for Rap fans like myself and shows how Gunn continues to prove why he is one of the best rappers in the game.

Favorite Song: George Bondo

French Exit- TV Girl (2014)

TV Girl is an odd mixture of melancholy, nostalgia and romance. The California-based band’s first studio album, French Exit offers soft yet hard exhilarating tracks in an almost hypnagogic state. Some say that it is a hard listen due to the mumbling singer style, but I think it works perfectly.

TV Girl is not your average indie band. They are seemingly blending together Indie pop, electronic sounds and even a bit of rap through their excellent use of sampling. French Exit  is a foggy love story, and talks about being so invested with someone that you can’t even imagine life without them. That mumbly voice adds to the dream-like landscape as it sings on syncopated, melodic beats.

Songs like “Her and Her Friend” and “Lovers Rock” talk more about  the different aspects of love and the ups and downs that come with it. This is a very unique album and beautifully juxtaposes fun songs with deeply introspective lyrics.

Favorite Song: Her and Her Friend

You- Larry Lovestein & The Velvet Revival (2012)

Ah, Larry Lovestein. An alter ego of the late legend Mac Miller.

In You, Mac branches out from his previous subject matter and dives deeper into his own head. This experimentation later led to albums like Swimming and Circles which showed clear influence from jazz, funk, soul and more.

Mac released his mixtape Macadelic just three months before he dropped You. He certainly took a step away from the “backpack raps” of Macadelic. Featuring five songs and lasting just 22 minutes, Mac (or should I say Larry), keeps it short and sweet here. The album starts with “Life Can Wait” and “Love Affair,” where Lovestein is so deep in love that everything else in life is moved to the side.

In “Suspicions,” Lovestein begins to fear his lover will leave him. We then get “A moment 4 Jazz”, a smooth instrumental which brings us to the finale: “You.” Perfectly wrapping up the album, “You” reflects upon the love these two share and their experiences together.

This album is super impressive and I am so glad that Mac’s career took the turn it did. He is one of the best artists of his generation and is truly a legend.  This is certainly not his best album, but is still a deeply unique and interesting project.

Favorite Song: Suspicions

 

Charlie Hurwitz is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email cah6646@psu.edu.