It’s that time of the year again. Leaves are changing, it’s getting dark earlier, but luckily for you the WERS writing team has your back with some of our favorite fall albums to get you through it all.
Tapestry by Carole King
While Carole King sings “winter, spring, summer or fall,” in “You’ve Got A Friend,” I always find myself gravitating towards her music during the autumn months. I grew up listening to Tapestry with my grandma, and the nostalgia of hearing the intricate piano parts and King’s soft vibrato always brings me comfort and familiarity I associate with the fall season, like wearing a cozy sweater and drinking a hot cup of apple cider. To this day, the record remains one of my go-tos as I walk around the Boston Common and watch the leaves change.
The songs also evoke memories of my favorite TV show and the ultimate fall rewatch: Gilmore Girls. “Where You Lead” serves as the series’ theme song and instantly transports me to the cozy, fictional town of Stars Hollow.
From the wistful melodies of “So Far Away” to the upbeat piano solo in “I Feel the Earth Move,” Tapestry is not only a brilliant example of songwriting but also the perfect addition to your fall playlist.
– Annie Sarlin, Staff Writer
When the Pawn… by Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple has a gift for crafting intricately cohesive sonic experiences, and When The Pawn… remains one of my favorite albums to revisit each autumn.
The album opens with “On The Bound,” with the track immediately establishing an urgent, confessional tone that draws you into Fiona’s world of When The Pawn… Standout tracks throughout the album, notably “Paper Bag,” (arguably her magnum opus) juxtaposes upbeat jazz piano instrumentals against the ache of misplaced hope in Fiona’s voice, creating that perfect tension between lightness and melancholy, much like autumn itself as a season.
The album closes with my favorite track, “I Know.” A devastating meditation drenched in bluesy piano, “I Know” tells the story of loving someone from the wings, wrapped in poignant metaphors and delivered with Fiona’s signature trembling vocal sincerity. The album leaves you suspended between hope and heartbreak, much like autumn itself: beautiful in its transience, aching with what’s passing, yet somehow still warm enough to hold onto.
– Kelly Cheng, Staff Writer
Hozier by Hozier
At the cross between a masterful debut album and an underrated fall favorite is Hozier, by the one and only Hozier. In the Fall of 2014, Hozier came out swinging and proceeded to take the music industry by storm. He’s certainly swept us here at 88-9 off of our feet. From the first time I heard “Take Me To Church” on the radio to watching him impress a crowd of 37,000 at Fenway last July, he’s always been an artist who knows what he’s doing and does it well. This remains true every fall when I dust off my Hozier vinyl, or stream the album on a fall walk. The warm, base-ridden melodies and Hozier’s raw, soulful voice pair well with the icy breeze and crunchy leaves that take over the city come October. Themes of death and rebirth, all in the name of love, carry me through spooky season and the blend of blues, soul, rock and folky melodies keep me listening through Thanksgiving until the winter blues kick in. To me, nothing says Fall more like a chilly walk through the foliage, apple cider, and Hozier to keep you warm.
– Avieana Rivera, Music Coordinator
Stick Season by Noah Kahan
The first time I saw Noah Kahan sitting in his living room, casually strumming his guitar and singing along to the chorus of his then-unreleased song “Stick Season,” it was love at first listen. Since the album officially dropped in October 2022, it’s become my absolute fopto whenever the air gets a little crisper and the leaves start to turn red and brown. A native of Strafford, Vermont, Kahan knows his way around the cold, and it shows in his self-declared “Northern Attitude.” The whole album feels like fall in audio form: cozy, nostalgic, and sentimental. Stick Season paints a vivid picture of rural hometowns and the bittersweet ache of growing up. It digs into how relationships shift, how home never stays the same, and how, as we get older, we sometimes outgrow the places that once felt the most familiar to us.
Two of my favorite tracks, “Come Over” and “Strawberry Wine,” slow things down and show off Kahan’s incredible emotional range. He captures everything from the shame and frustration of self-image to the tender, naive sweetness of first love. This album launched Kahan into the mainstream, practically catapulting him into the folk-pop spotlight. If autumn had a soundtrack, this would be it.
–Lindsay Gould, Staff Writer
For Emma, Forever Ago and SABLE fABLE by Bon Iver
In 2007, Justin Vernon, also known as Bon Iver, forever changed the folk scene with the release of his debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago. On top of the overall feel of this album, For Emma, Forever Ago is a snapshot into the destructive nature of heartbreak. On this album, we see Vernon retreat into himself and see the depths to which losing and falling out of love has affected him. My first introduction to this album was through the titular track, “For Emma.” Being the second-to-last song, we see Vernon come to terms with the loss of Emma. He takes a resentful stance, almost, but it is glazed over with his beautiful falsetto and melodic, hypnotizing acoustic chord progressions. To add to the beauty of this song, at WERS, we have one of, if not the best, live versions of this song in-studio.
Another defining aspect of For Emma, Forever Ago is the folklore behind it. The story goes that Justin Vernon retreated to his dad’s hunting cabin in Wisconsin following a breakup. It is through that isolation that he emerged with For Emma, Forever Ago and put his feelings of isolation and loneliness into words.
Again, earlier this year, Vernon managed to release another album, SABLE fABLE, that, in my opinion, is a direct sequel to For Emma, Forever Ago. On this album, he breaks free from the mindset that has cornered him since winter in 2006. SABLE fABLE explores the brighter side of fall, the beautiful oranges and reds, as opposed to For Emma, Forever Ago’s exploration of the darkness and loneliness that it entails.
– Fenton Wright, Web Services Coordinator
