and this is the first of what will hopefully be many many posts to come, I'll start with a two-fer of Autumn-related top fives:
Category The First: Top 5 favorite things about the season.
1. The Leaves: I've lived in GA, Minneapolis MN, and now Boston, and while this has always been my favorite time of year, I've never seen anything that compares to a New England autumn. The trees go a special brand of firework beautiful up here. Everything is hazy and vibrant, sparking like a fairytale or some kind of Victorian painting. Unbelievable.
2. The Sports: Does it get any better than this? Post-season Baseball kicks off tonight! (since my Braves are out of the mix, I guess Go Sox, Twins, and Cards) If you have the time and the inclination, you can spend all weekend, and Monday nights, watching football. The crushing intensity of the NFL, and even better, the pageantry and rivalries of college. FOOTBALL SEASON, BABY! Plus, Hockey Season just got underway, and I think I forgot until the other night just how powerfully graceful large, angry dudes are on skates. Yes, you CAN look like Nancy Carrigan while crushing someone into the boards or firing a puck at 100 mph. And since I just made that analogy (and this has to be done): "Toe pick!"
3. Apples: Apples, apples, apples. Apple everything. Apple pickin', apple eatin', fresh apple cider, apple pie, apple cobbler. Mmmmmmm, tasty.
4. The Air: Crisp, cool, breezy, perfect. I love the temperature fluctuations, I love that undefinable smell that only occurs this time of year. Have you ever noticed how on sunny fall days the whole world looks like someone Photoshopped it with a slight sepia shading? Like the atmosphere is wearing slightly blurred, warm-tinted sunglasses. You gotta dig this stuff.
Thanks Ma Nature, kudos to you.
5. The Food: Does that sound weird? Think about it; as soon as that first chilly night rolls around, you get to eat stuff you just don't normally consume in summer. Things with "loaf" and "roast" affixed to the back end of their names. Stews, heavy helpings of mashed potatoes slathered in gravy... you know, the good stuff. (plus, as excellent as summer BBQ's are, anything coming off an outdoor grill tastes its best when it's between 65 and 45 degrees outside, especially if you also have a tasty Pumpkin beer in hand.)
Category The Second: Top 5 greatest Fall songs:
(The season, not the band. Do "The Fall" even have five good songs? Wait, why do I care?)
1. This Time Of Year - Better Than Ezra: An outstanding tune from one of the 90s' most underrated bands. Happy and mellow, with Kevin Griffin's recognizable voice crooning about the season, and some really nice, subtle guitar work. Absolutely perfect for a sunny fall afternoon.
2. The Urge For Going - Joni Mitchell: Pretty much the opposite of that first tune, this one is a haunting, spacious ballad about what fall does to us, our environment, and (sometimes) our love lives. Just Joni and a guitar. This is definitely suited for grey days, broken hearts, and unfulfilled wanderlust.
3. L'atunno (Autumn) - Vivaldi (from "The Four Seasons"): I don't even care how obvious and uncreative a choice this is, (I confess to the cop-out of going with a piece named after the category, it's just... well ...I can't leave it out.) Just go listen to it and tell me it doesn't encapsulate the season to perfection. Amazing, lilting themes and downright gorgeous orchestration. Beautiful.
4. Caledonia - Dougie Maclean: Just a killer folk ballad that for some reason or other resonates most with me during the season. Really pretty guitar hook, great lyrics, and sung in a lovely voice. This guy is absolutely worth checking out if you don't already have any of his stuff and you like really good folk music.
5. Basin Street Blues - Miles Davis: Just a phenomenal rendition of a classic tune by probably the greatest jazz group ever assembled. By turns melancholy, sly, and completely chill, perfect windy evenings 'round about sunset, or gloomy but pleasant late mornings in bed. Good, good stuff.
Ok, many thanks to anyone reading. Lists were in no particular order. Please, please post your own lists in the comments section. The whole point of this blog is to discover other cool music and books, and to get other slants on topics by posting and reading as many contrasting thoughts and opinions as possible. Blogs updated every Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Y'all come back now, y'hear? Be well.
