Listen Up: 10 Albums for the Fall
Fashion has spring/summer and fall/winter, but for the music industry, it’s broken down by the summer and the fall. We covered the heavy hitters for the summer music fest season and we’re back to shed some light on what you can expect to hear for the fall. The list is mix of the critically acclaimed to ones that have barely reached cult status. Plug in, listen up, and be sure to check out the playlist of our favorites below.
01. Farewell, Starlite!
Francis and the Lights
The NY city-based Francis & the Lights are a progressive band that mixes electronic with a bit of blue-eyed soul. The record is a nice mix of music you can kick-back to and a few tracks that’ll make you want to groove. The stand out track is the collaboration with Justin Vernon (We’ll get to him later) and Kanye West “Friends”, but we can’t get “May I Have This Dance” out of our ears.
02. Yes Lawd!
NxWorries
NxWorries is the duo of silky smooth beatmaker Knxwledge and the summer’s breakout rapper Anderson Paak. The album reminds us that there’s no bond quiet like a rapper and producer, and the two clearly work well together. Yes Lawd! is full of tracks that remind you why Paak owned the radio this year, and the track “Get Bigger / Do U Luv” illustrates the perfect balance between both Knowledge and Paaks talents.
03. I Had A Dream That You Were Mine
Hamilton Leithaus + Rostam
The pairing of the Walkmen’s Hamilton Leithauser and the former Vampire Weekend producer Rostam turns out to work for the best. The album title is a great intro to the songs you’ll hear, with most of the subject matter surrounding the duo reminiscing about the past. The music is smitten with lush vocals and rich instrumentals, and you’ll definitely have to focus to also notice the lyrics. We currently have “In a Black Out” on repeat.
04. 22, A Million
Bon Iver
With 5 years in the making, Bon Iver’s album 22, A Million is an unexpected experimental twist. Instead of following the path of the gorgeous 2011 self-titled album, Justin Vernon has taken bits and pieces and fragmented the folk genre for his follow-up. While songs sound glitched and the track titles are cryptic, the album offers a unique perspective to the fall music offerings.
05. A Seat at the Table
Solange
From the quick opening of “Rise,” to the closing of “Scales,” A Seat at the Table oozes with sweet piano, jazz, funk, and rhythm and blues sounds. The master musician Raphael Saadiq serves as the albums co-producer and with collaborations with Sampha on the excellent “Don’t Touch My Hair” and Lil Wayne on “Mad,” this is a record that you can’t miss.
06. StarBoy
The Weeknd
It seems The Weeknd can never miss when it comes to releasing a single, and he’s landed yet another radio hit with “Star Boy,” his collaboration with music royalty Daft Punk. With the release of the single came the announcement of the album and we couldn’t be more excited. Keep an eye out for this one.
07. Atrocity Exhibition
Danny Brown
The rap album for the fall, Atrocity Exhibition includes already released songs “Rolling Stone,” “When It Rain,” and the heavy hitter “Really Doe”. The single “Really Doe” links Danny with high caliber rappers for a five-minute whirlwind of wordplay, drums, and a snarling bass. Brown has a classic mentality as a rapper, so listen to the rest of the record for a bevy of hip-hop gems.
08. The Altar
BANKS
The singer/songwriter thats known for crafting moody, downcast pop music is back with a follow up album after touring with The Weeknd. She stuck to her winning formula and teamed up with SOHN for her single “Gemini Feed”. The album itself is full of anthems and post-break up songs, that’s sure to strike a cord during the cooler months.
09. Three
Phantogram
It seems like this fall is the year of dynamic duos with the addition of Phantogram. They started the season off by releasing the high energy single “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore” and followed up with the album release of Three. With collaborators such as The Dream, and Ricky Reed, it’s sure to be a record you want to check out.
10. Big Baby D.R.A.M
D.R.A.M
While a lot of the fall releases are owned by slower subdued genres, you won’t find that anywhere with Big Baby D.R.A.M. His name speaks for itself, D.R.A.M. stands for “Does Real Ass Music” and with this record you get just that. It’s filled with feel good singles that are made to induce a good time. We have a few suggestions in mind, but start with Cash Machine and go from there.
https://open.spotify.com/user/onsclothing/playlist/3B99oDj5CsElp75U16pQTs
