QUIET NIGHTS – A Perfect Autumn Playlist

I have this Autumn chill. It’s a kind of warm chill that I always get at this time of year. I can hear that mouse in our apartment rattle along the varnished floorboards almost in time to Dylan’s incessant warnings of a colder time to come. This is a time of year when I end up having to stuff Sainsbury’s carrier bags inside my wellies to prevent my only good pair of socks becoming damp and unusable. There is that smell of Wandsworth park that is perfect for kicking broken and demoralised summer leaves into the next season’s fashion. We have only weeks of this brilliant sunshine soon to be followed by a freeze that hits the head as well as the heart. I savour the opportunity to submerge myself in the self-preserving warmth of the Autumn, it provides a good opportunity for reflection of the Summer before we plunge head first into the Winter months. I’ve always viewed Spring and Autumn as a kind of reprise from the other seasons, almost like natures home time.

The main point of this blog was to present to you a playlist, it’s a playlist that I feel is perfect for a reflective Autumn, get this up on Spotify and head down to Wandsworth Park to kick some leaves around. It did me a world of good. Please get the playlist here , and have a listen while you read the descriptions.

1. Todd Rundgren “Can We Still Be Friends?”

I went to see Vanilla Sky years ago with my sister, and despite the rest of the world discarding that movie as one of Tom Cruise’s worst ever films, we were both drawn into it’s tale, not for the sometimes over complex reality warping story, but for the elegant portrayal of human loss and love. This song is kind of off kilter but kicks in at a really poignant part of the film, makes me feel all edgy, but I totally imagine being all wrapped up in the park to this.

2. Kevin Devine “You’re Trailing Yourself”

This goes in totally just for the reason that I’ve had so many walks in the Autumn to this track after a drunken night out when you have made a fool of yourself. It’s so visual, a constant flow of images that snap together like puzzle pieces to make a stylised movie about a guy that just can’t help but say the wrong thing all the time.

3. The Beach Boys “Tears In The Morning”

This 1970 cut from the ‘Sunflower’ album breaks my heart every time I hear it. I know it’s lame that anything with a shuffle beat and a accordion makes me think of Autumn in Paris, but this song full drags you through the Le Bois de Vincennes by your gut. Sickly sweet harmonies parade around a desperate young voice. Classic break up music.

4. Elliott Smith – Any song you like really

It’s undeniable that Elliott Smith is pretty much the master of ‘on-your-own-songs’.

5. Local Natives “Wide Eyes”

Ok, this is a wild card, being a new band and all, but this album opener is a slice of melancholic praise is I have ever heard one. Sitting somewhere within some of the flash in the pan indie heavyweights at the moment (Vampire Weekend, Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses) and something a little more classic and lasting, this track is made for the movie of your life. It won’t outlast the decade, but is a perfect testament that there is some great music being put together out there.

6. Red House Painters “Grace Cathedral Park”

The ever-so-slow-and-openly-warming sound of Red House Painters is never one that fails to make me get totally choked up. A band that has gone on to influence countless literal miserablists (Mike Kinsella anyone?), with their open guitar tunings and one droning song styles (not a bad thing!), they open up their best box of tricks with this track that provides a fantastic opportunity to reflect on the season’s beginning.

7. Gene “London Can You Wait”

Heading back to my 90’s musical discovery days. Back when I begged my mum everyday for an Adidas jacket al a Damon Alban, my sister passed me “To See The Lights”. I guess this was way before I really understood the importance of The Smiths and Moz, and it must have filled that gap for me that exists in most boys. Also the guitar tone is really something, sounds like honey. A lament for a rainy leafy London.

8. Owen “I Woke Up Today”

I’m getting old. I have got grey spots in my beard and I’m getting a great Irish widow’s peak. This track from aforementioned Mike Kinsella (AKA Owen) is a homage to feeling that bit weather worn. The cascading acoustic guitar lines fit the falling leaves just right. I listen to this song at least once a week as it reminds me that I’m not the only one feeling so old these days.

9. Van Morrison “Cold Wind In August”

I love all those stories that you hear about Van Morrison. You know those ones about him storming off stages, being rude to people in the front row, banning drinking at his shows. They make this guy seem like such a mockery of himself that it’s often easy to forget that he is responsible for so many great songs. But this B-side to “Moondance” is a sickly smooth slow stomper of a track with those ever present New York brass sections and vocal quartet so note perfect they sound like a full choir. It may be a month too early, but it sums that feeling that colder times are just right round the corner. In my opinion, I hope he keeps making a fool of himself, and keeps that voice going for many years.

10. James Carr “The Dark End Of The Street”

Weddings. They are great, especially ones where you drink too much Guinness and slouch in a chair while the slow dances kick off. This song reminds me of those kinds of weddings for some reason. The Percy Sledge version has one of the best uses of a Hammond organ you will ever hear, it evokes so many memories for me, especially that ‘They’re gonna find us!’ bit. If I ever got married in the Autumn this would be the track I’d want to have a first dance to. His almost nasal vocal quality opens up a plethora of sentimental warmth that you can’t help but get sucked into the tale of hidden yet celebrated love. Man, I’m getting all mushy. A great song, and one that you need to have in your daily playlist.

11. Percy Sledge “A Whiter Shade of Pale”

Talking of the old PS and his ever present use of Hammond organs, my final track for the playlist is his version of Procol Harum’s legally bruised classic. Almost revamped into a solemn club version, this track still manages to control your insides with what is possibly one of the best opening lines ever in a song; “We skipped the light fandango, turning cartwheels across the floor, I was feeling kinda sea sick”. Timeless, refined and instantly gratifying, this version blows away the original. Haunting and yet subtly inviting.

Ok, so that was my Autumn walk playlist, I hope you enjoyed it!