PAST PRESENT FUTURE 002
Music holds memories. As Basquiat said, “Art is how we decorate space. Music is how we decorate time.” We’ve all pressed play on a song and found ourselves slipping back in time, to a mood or month or moment we thought we had left behind. Autumn is a time of changing seasons and customs, of falling leaves and temperatures, and as ever, of music.
We asked the WVUM Music Staff and some of our favorite college radio supporters about the tracks and albums that reminded them of the fall season, and compiled their thoughts here. Enjoy a selection of some of our favorite songs, and these scribbles in the margins, as you listen.
LABIOS ROTOS, ZOÉ — SINGLE
“A bit of an older addition, but the early 2010s rock vibe will always feel so Fall to me. I found this song earlier this month in a video about hit Mexican songs, and have not stopped playing it since. The whole live album is so good, but “Labios Rotos” is this gorgeous jewel at its center; it’s definitely one of my favorite songs of the year.”
THIS MUST BE THE PLACE, THE TALKING HEADS — SINGLE
“They’re definitely not underground, but I’ve really been loving the Talking Heads’ song “This Must Be the Place.” I’ve literally cried from how well it is produced. It’s just a really beautiful song.”
GLOW, TELEBOX — SINGLE
“This song is a highlight from the Galway band’s recent EP When Night Turns Into Day. It was such a goldmine stumbling onto this artist, and this song grabbed my attention right away. The layered harmonies and production result in a cinematic sound that feels like rolling hills and clear night skies; it leaves you wanting to hit replay before the last chords have even faded out.”
PULSAR, L’IMPERATRICE — ALBUM
“I’ve been really loving this French band L’Imperatrice. Their new album Pulsar is very fall; definitely more instrumental, this is the album you want to have playing in the background at a dinner party.”
PRIVATE SPACE, DURAND JONES AND THE INDICATIONS — ALBUM
“The perfect road trip album, the synth-filled soul blend of the band feels exactly like driving down a highway with your best friends. They sound like modern Foster the People fused with the Bee Gees, such a cool and fun sound.”
SIAMESE DREAM, THE SMASHING PUMPKINS — ALBUM
“Corgan. Tone. Pumpkins. Sick. Few words needed. Recording with guitars so cheap it hums without input, giving you that beautiful “Mayonaise” whistle. Blows your hair away every single time without fail. Front to back genius. Stank face from “Cherub Rock” to “Luna.” Sounds like how sugar and caramel feel in your mouth, warm and gooey in “Luna” and cold in tracks like “Rocket” or “Hummer.” Reaches everyone in every situation, from a July sunset in your rear view to a cold December morning.”
TWO STAR AND THE DREAM POLICE, MK.GEE — ALBUM
“This album was released in February, but I feel like it’s perfect for the fall. It’s a very moody, fall and wintry album. Lots of 80s synth and yearning.”
STRAWBERRY SCENTED, CLIFFORDS — EP
“This is one of my personal favorites of the fall, as anyone who has been in a car with me this year can confirm. The debut EP from the Cork-based band Cliffords, Strawberry Scented is moody, echoing, and beautiful. Iona Lynch’s vocals are bewitching, lilting and ardent; she’ll draw you in like a siren, and you’ll willingly maroon yourself for more. Absolutely entrancing and made to be left on repeat.”
DOGWOOD BLOSSOM, FIONN REGAN — SINGLE
“Casual Saturday morning recommendation from a friend that has altered my entire week. This song will cut to your core in a beautifully twisted way. It’s impossible not to be struck by the lyrics while listening, you will probably shed a tear and then put it right back on to do it again.”
WORDS AND MUSIC, MARGO GURYAN — ALBUM
“I always think jazz is very autumn music, and Guryan has a very old school, jazzy vibe. Words and Music is the kind of album that takes you back in time, and then surprises you when it’s modern.”
WARPED WINDOW, ANNA MIEKE — SINGLE
“Vocals so good you’ll want to eat them for dinner. Nostalgic but also beautifully sad, feels like stepping on crunchy leaves mixed with crying in the library. A beautiful description of the passage of time, passage of life, passage of people. Reminds me of staring out of a weathered window in your childhood home.”
アン・オープン・ドア (AN OPEN DOOR), FLAT7 — SINGLE
“They haven’t released since like 2012, so this is definitely a deep cut, but I’ve been loving this artist FLat7. They sound like the Cocteau Twins and the Cranberries mixed together, it’s such a cool sound, and this song is one of my favorites of theirs.”
ALL OF YOUR THOUGHTS, DROOK — SINGLE
“This song is so beautiful, it just feels like falling leaves and changing seasons. This song was played at a recent staff meeting and it seemed like everyone in the room stopped talking as they cued into the song.”
AH WELL, BAABA J — SINGLE
“This is an Afrobeats song I’ve been really liking. The basslines are just excellent. It’s been on repeat driving to school.”
SOUND & COLOR, ALABAMA SHAKES — ALBUM
“Sound & Color is cool. An alternative rock album from the Athens, Alabama based band, Sound & Color varies between the tracks, exploring and playing with new sound in each piece. No two tracks truly sound the same, as if new members of the band wrote each one. Together, however, they gel into a canvas of strong, yet relaxed, music and sound.”
THEE SACRED SOULS, THEE SACRED SOULS — ALBUM, x2
“I’ve had all of their songs on repeat lately! They combine happy music and really sweet lyrics, it’s like manifesting a positive day.”
“They have such feel good energy! I know they were performing at III Points earlier this month, I definitely wish I could have gone to see them while they were there—they must be so fun to hear live.”
Thank you for reading this edition of PAST PRESENT FUTURE and supporting college radio! Special thanks to our contributors, Music Directors Felicja Luciani and Makeda Brown, and Magda Martinez and Tadhg O’Brien, for taking the time to share their thoughts with me.
If you are interested in further broadening your indie and alternative horizons, tune in to my radio show STARBURST! on WVUM 90.5 FM. Any University of Miami students interested in getting involved with the blog or anyone passionate about up-and-coming artists to look out for can DM me on Instagram @starburst.905 or email us at blog@wvum.org. Keep it Locked!