Fall 2022 Playlist: Annotated
I’ve been going through a lot lately. My dad has been sick, so I’ve been driving back and forth between Kentucky and Wisconsin to help take care of him. Things have felt uncertain, and I think that bled into my 2022 Fall Playlist—jittery, restless. A lot more rock-heavy than I normally do during this season. But “restless” can encompass different motivations—there’s an uncomfortable restlessness here, but also a hopeful, dreamy one.
1) “Tusk” by Fleetwood Mac - This song serves as the thesis statement of the playlist—mistrustful, anxious, full of frenetic energy. I was reminded of it when my dad was watching a Fleetwood Mac concert DVD the other week. I don’t even own DVDs anymore.
2) “The Dance of Lions” by Ak Dan Gwang Chil - Going from Fleetwood Mac to Korean folk rock may not be the most immediately obvious choice, but it definitely keeps the frenetic energy going. I recommend listening to their entire “Such is Life” album—all hits, no skips.
3) “Daffodil” by Florence + The Machine - “I couldn’t help it, yes, I let it get in / The helpless optimism of spring / Worn out and tired, and my heart never tired / And the world bent double from weeping.” This song is an extremely melodramatic version of how I’ve been feeling lately. Plus, Florence is the queen of fall. Fact.
4) “Mary on a Cross” by Ghost - I had to include everybody’s favorite TikTok jam! I love it when The Youth “discover” a band that’s been around for years. (Seriously, I love it—I did the same thing when I was young.) This song has everything: a sweet organ riff, English lyrics written by Swedish people that are consequently a little off, theatrical satanism. It’s catchy as hell. (See what I did there?)
5) “Life After Salem” by Lil Nas X - A true bummer of a song. Sorry if this playlist is kind of a bummer! For what it’s worth, I did find real delight in moving straight from Swedish satanic metal into queer hip hop.
6) “Eight” by Andrew Bird - I think the transition from “Life After Salem” into this song qualifies me as a literal genius. I’d be a great music producer if only I knew the first thing about producing music. This is from Andrew Bird’s new album, which I love—but that’s not surprising because I pretty much love everything he does.
7) “The Guests” by Leonard Cohen - I’ve never put Leonard Cohen on one of my playlists before, which may be a crime. This song is so, so beautiful.
8) “Burning” by Yeah Yeah Yeahs - I got to see Yeah Yeah Yeahs at Riot Fest a few weeks ago, which was cathartic to say the least—they’ve been one of my favorites since high school. I want to scream with Karen O nonstop. This is a new single—their new album is coming out this week!
9) “Famous” by SATE - Remember how I said I was putting more rock on here than I normally would in the fall? Yeah. I don’t really want to be famous, but I do have ambition, and it’s hard to have ambition when life throws really fucking tragic curveballs at you.
10) “Throne” by Ezra Furman - I like the march of this song—moving forward, moving forward, relentlessly. Just like change, which is what the song is about.
11) “Strange Days” by THE BOBBY LEES - I don’t know how I found a song with the same driving piano in the same key as the previous song, either. What can I say? It popped up on my Discover Weekly playlist. It’s ominous. I dig it.
12) “Running Up That Hill” by Car Seat Headrest - I wanted to acknowledge the mighty grip Kate Bush had on our nation after the latest season of Stranger Things aired, but I thought we might all be a little tired of the original at this point. I figured a good cover would be in order—and this one by Car Seat Headrest is certainly jittery.
13) “Willow” by Blackwater Holylight - Another visitor from my Discover Weekly playlist. It gives me trippy 70s rock vibes, which I always enjoy.
14) “HaHaHome” by Twen - Yet another song from my Discover Weekly playlist! I don’t know why I loaded them all toward the end. This song is also kind of trippy, but it’s more a breath of fresh air. After all those jitters, you have to breathe.
15) “The Rain” by Little Quirks - I was Instagram influenced into seeking out this song. It confuses me! It’s from 2022, but it sounds like it was made in 2011 when twee was in and 2/3 of white people formed a folk rock band. It also sounds like they could secretly be a Christian band? I get some youth group worship vibes. But I do like it! I wouldn’t have put it on the playlist if I didn’t.
16) “on air” by always centered at night, Moby & serpentwithfeet - I loooooove serpentwithfeet’s voice, so I was thrilled to find this one. “May the shadows leave us be at night.” I’m wishing that for all of us these days.
17) “The Back Seat of My Car” by Paul and Linda McCartney - I was driving my dad to one of his many doctor appointments, and this came on his iPod. (Yes, he still uses an iPod.) I had completely forgotten about the song—it’s much better than I remember! It’s very theatrical. It sounds like the first-act finale of a post-Beatles McCartney jukebox musical that someone is undoubtedly writing as we speak. And it’s restless, but in a much more hopeful way. Gotta end the playlist on hope.
Did you notice that this is my shortest seasonal playlist yet? I got ruthless this time. And I didn’t put a Mountain Goats song on there. Be proud of me.
Need more fall music?