I love the end of summer. Long after the lake becomes a novelty and the Texas heat has permeated through all of our skins, there is a beauty inherently ingrained in the air as the days give way to autumn. The first inkling of fall’s arrival seems to trigger a general “settling period” experienced by all of us in late August and September; whereas, May and June yield margaritas and porches and July has its late night steamy soirees and weekends at the lake. August starts a slowing down experience attributed to months of excessive heat and the general need to calm things down and get our days and nights back into order. Football is around the corner, school is starting, and generally the anticipation for cooler weather adds to our collective cool heels this time of year.
My favorite thing to do is create a mix CD (you know, like mix tapes from the past) at the end of summer, thinking throughout the entire process about the joy I will receive from driving with the windows down, blaring these audio gems throughout neighborhoods and wet streets and sidewalks littered with leaves. I think about the grey sky and the cooler air filtering through the car, and focus on how these songs will add to the overall synesthesia of the entire driving experience. Yes, as you have guessed, I do like to randomly drive around the city during the fall – I have done it since I was 16.
It’s funny how songs become the matrix of our daily lives – a fabric of sounds and swirling mental images that heighten and enliven our rote day-to-days. Activities become fresh and invigorating when accompanied with the right soundtrack; nights are fueled into the wee hours with the right jukebox at hand. How many of us have unconsciously pressed the accelerator to the floorboard during Bush’s “Machinehead”? How many of us have gotten laid to Mazzy Star’s “Fade into You”? How many people out there have felt a little bit cooler cruising down the road to War’s “Low Rider”? Music makes EVERYTHING better. Running with music? Better. Plane ride with headphones on? Great.
So, here are some of the best songs of late summer/early fall that I will definitely include in my CD mix this weekend as a treat to welcome the impending seasonal change:
Big Boi, “Shutterbugg”
After the long anticipation, Big Boi has unleashed his first truly solo release, and the results are epic. On this hyped-up disco synth-fest, Big Boi coolly drops some of his finest flows, and the chorus on this one sticks in your head hours after the song trickles to an end.
Cee-Lo, “F*ck You”
Throughout history, most songs have dealt with loss of a love and relationships gone astray. Often, these songs have also incorporated a Motown vibe that makes them jingly, jangly and soulful as well, such as the Temptations, Gloria Gaynor and the Supremes. Cee-Lo raises the bar on all of them with this song – a soulful gem about someone stealing his girl, and instead of getting sappy, he lays the lyrical smackdown on her and entreats her to do as the acerbic title suggests.
Arcade Fire, “Sprawl II” (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
As sprawling as it is anthemic, the Arcade Fire return with another collection of songs that are fresh and organic in their delivery, yet simultaneously fist-pumping and gorgeous. This song is one of the best on their new album The Suburbs, and it pulsates and excites with an infrequently heard thumping groove not recognizable in the groups’ prior outputs.
Best Coast, “Boyfriend”
Best Coast reinvents the wheel again in the indie realm, extending their own original brand of joyous and sugary sonic landscapes to the ears of new listeners everywhere. With “Boyfriend,” the duo unleash a bona fide summer jam that will still illicit warm smiles from listeners well into the winter.
I am excited about my new fall mix CD. Enjoy the seasonal change, and the soundtracks that it conjures. Good luck and good listening!
