It’s been a long and humid and awful summer full of yucky gray skies from the smog and moisture that collects in your pores and causes zits. I know, gross. It’s fabulous that I’m back now, huh? I agree completely. It is great. So, on to the music that is making me pray every night for a sudden plummet in the temperature. And yearn for fall foliage.

Tallahassee: Tallahassee Schmallahassee

Tallahassee: Gypsy Son

Have you heard this song?  I mean, even the name screams “wood-y and fall-like and dash-causing-way-of-describing-things.”  It’s really quite soothing.  I have to say I’m quite fixated on the violin that suddenly plays in the background.  And, the guitar riff mixed in with it just makes it sound like something straight out of Cold Mountain or something of that ilk.  Haunting isn’t the right word, but I can’t think of any other term to fully describe it.

Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros: Up From Below

Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros: 40 Day Dream

How do Edward Sharpe & his Magnetic Zeros pull it off, to make themselves sound so out of the 60’s and 70’s without even trying?  Edward & his Zeros Who Happen To Be Magnetic give a shout out to the Beatles in this tip-tap-y sing-along worthy song.  They say, “it’s the MAGICAL MYSTERY kind” which is, obviously, you know, a reference to John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

Anyway, I was hooked on Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros’ other song “Home” but this one is just as good.  I like the piano and the echo for the voice.  Very cool, chaps, very coolly played.

The Everybodyfields: Plague of Dreams

The Everybodyfields: By Your Side

I LOVE THIS SONG.  Everything about it makes me happy.  The guitar, the violin, the two voices, the twang in the voices, the lyrics, EVERYTHING.  I sing along to this song at least twice a day, no lie.  I play this song on my guitar and pretend I’m super awesome and living in a cabin the woods and I just happened to create this amazing work of musical-ness.  (not really, that was just a total lie but now I wish I had thought of that beforehand.)  Oh yeah, did I mention there seems to be a hint OF A BANJO? Yes,  I know.  You just spazz’d a bit out of pure joy.  This. Song. Is. Perfect. For. Fall.

Sea Wolf: Leaves in the River

Sea Wolf: Middle Distance Runner

I really like this song.  Sea Wolf’s main guy is Alex Brown Church, who happens to have a really fun name to say.  This song has that beautiful quality about it when it reaches the chorus where it seamlessly blends slightly cheeky lyrics and a sweeping sound.  The guitar picking is really very soothing and pretty and lovely and I don’t know what else to say about this song except that it’s really fantastic.  In my humble, yet always correct, opinion.

Stornoway: Beachcomber's Windowsill

Stornoway: I Saw You Blink

These lads are not from ye olde Scotland, land of Macbeth and haggis and plaid, but they are still totally rocking.  However, the name of their band, Stornoway, is the name of a Scottish (aka Macbeth-haggis-plaid-land) seaside town that has a natural harbor that the Vikings took a liking to and now about a zillion years later is a picturesque little town.  (BONUS KNOWLEDGE: Donald Trump’s mother is from Stornoway, Scotland. Know you know.)

This band is so cool, though.  I love their sound.  They all seem to sing in the background.  The tune is super duper catchy and the lyrics are just as catchy.  If I’d have to pick a band I’d want to see live this year, I would have to say that band is Stornoway.  Not only is this song of theirs great, all their others are just as good.  I could have picked a number of their songs to put on here.  However, they don’t play out of Europe or something.  I think they played a gig in New York City this summer on a random rooftop because, you know, English people do cool things like that when visiting foreign countries.