The Sounds of Autumn

I told Kerra the other day that Autumn was my favorite time of year for music. It seems to be a time when my musical taste is defined more than the other months of the year. I usually like to keep it pretty Americana with a touch of Rock and Roll, always moody. Some favorites seem to come around every year, but its always seems like a few new artists work their way into the rotation. Here's what will be streaming off my iPod and into my ears this Autumn.



The Gabe Dixon Band//The Gabe Dixon Band: Alright so these guys have to be one of the best kept secrets in the music industry. Dixon can straight up play the piano. Their music sounds much like early, pre-sparkly glasses Elton John or even Billy Joel. One of my favorite new artists.



Jason Reeves//The Magnificent Adventures of Heartache (And Other Frightening Tales...: Reeves did a song a while back with Colbie Caillet. His music's pretty poppy but he possesses a smoothness reminiscent of many of the Hotel Cafe Artists. "You in a Song" is a great track.




Conor Oberst//Conor Oberst: Alright so this is no new Bright Eyes album, but it is pretty good nonetheless. Oberst takes the Americana nature Bright Eyes' latest album a step further and even adds a little Mexican/Western flavor.



Matt Pond PA//Several Arrow Later: Ok this is probably my favorite Autumn album of all time. I picked it up a couple years ago and I seriously play it twice or three times a week every week through the entire Autumn and Winter. They're a rock band with a cello player. A simply flawless album.



Jeff Tweedy//Sunken Treasure: I picked up this DVD a year ago for the sole reason of getting the acoustic set you can download once when you put the DVD in your computer. The songs Tweedy plays are rarely heard at a Wilco concert, but the purely acoustic tracks, spiritual overtones and warm banter of Tweedy makes this an excellent Autumn selection.



Wild Sweet Orange//We Have Cause To Be Uneasy: I saw these guys open for Matt Kearney about a year ago. I remember sitting there with Kerra and thinking, "the raw emotion and message of this band will take them far." Lots of subtle biblical imagery joined with painfully honest reflections on life and love make this album a must listen.



Phil Whickham//Singalong: Whickham's haunting voice. The best tracks from both of his albums. The greatest hymns ever. Acoustic. And its absolutely free!! Download it for free at www.philwhickham.com.


And that's it. The Melodic sounds of Autumn 2008.