My Fall Frequencies.
Issue 016: Toni's autumnal music picks
Oh, how I've missed autumn. I did beg for hot weather, and while I managed to make the best of the countless scorchers last season granted us, it's time to part ways for now. We're at the bliss point of the season, the early beginning where it's not too hot or too cold, but the air is crisp, and there's relief when it hits your lungs. With the temperature changes, my moods have followed suit with spontaneous highs and lows, affecting what I'd like to hear, too. My love for sad music has been hushed for a minute as I wanted something more uplifting for my sunny days, and now it's itching to resurface. While I'm definitely going to budge, I remain eager to tend to all of my emotional states so that the feel-good energy won't be too far off from what's making me whole.
Last month, I posted this note:
Lately, I've been yielding to my desire for new listens. With all the music to find, I can't comprehend the dry spells I've had where I felt like there was nothing to put on. It's insanity! I've been trying out well-known albums, lowkey ones, and everything in between as much as I can, as long as I haven't heard the majority of the project. I've found albums fitting for the autumnal sweet spot, satisfying my inner sad girl and the girl who thrives off of heartening vibrations. Both are coexisting, and both are fed. All new to me, and maybe new to you: here are projects bringing in my fall.
Kate Bush, The Sensual World (1989)
Now, I know what you're thinking: how could I have started off with a megastar like Kate Bush, but I was simply not hip enough until recently. I am aware of her haze-like essence, a sort of mystery to her sound, although she is shameless in expressing her lovingness, heartbreak, and desires. The Sensual World is a cocktail of alluring components, such as feathery vocals that evolve into eruptions of passion alongside vigorous production. The album is the workings of a true wordsmith, and its strikingly alive execution only makes it all more compelling. Entrancing experience aside, it was also educational to explore this album as I could hear how she has inspired many different artists across genres with her experimental sound. The Sensual World is full of theatrics with drama-filled ballads and delicious guitar solos, a perfect art-rock project that also demonstrates how expansive the pop genre can be.
Toni’s fave tracks: “Reaching Out” and “Rocket’s Tail”
Corinne Bailey Rae, Black Rainbows (2023)
So not proud to admit that it took me a little over a year to reach such a profoundly astonishing body of work that sat in my music library, watching me choose countless other albums. Black Rainbows is the Afrofuturism project that I needed, one that taps into Black femininity, spirituality, upbringings and ancestors, and the belonging of Black humanity in all of the cosmos. This album downright shook me to my core. There's endless pride in Black culture and unbearable pain; the uses of thundering rock and jazz, and dreamy electronic R&B are cathartic in Black Rainbows, a project that demands a release to create a new reality. My challenge to describe the gravity of how Black Rainbows makes me feel is an affirmation of its balm-like totality that wraps itself around wounds and plants promising feelings of reassurance. This brilliance is only understood through firsthand engagement, and it's worthy of complete focus and an outpouring of love.
Toni’s fave tracks: “Red Horse,” “He Will Follow You With His Eyes,” and “SilverCane”
Sufjan Stevens, Illinois (2005)
As a lover of "Chicago," a song filled with a charming sentimentality that always moves me, I finally took a leap and indulged in the hour-and fourteen-minute odyssey that is Illinois. A concept album regarding people, places, and things that carry ties to the state of Illinois, the storytelling abilities of Sufjan Stevens make the subjects equally intriguing, whether they're naturally engaging or more on the dull side. The album has the character of a musical production (which it has actually turned into!), a unique reality only existing within its duration. Some tracks resemble show tunes, others are folk and rock, and there are sprinkles of lo-fi and even classical music, too; it's a mixed bag, yet somehow, the songs all work in harmony. I absolutely love albums that paint a new universe in your mind as you listen, and Illinois is an imaginative piece of work that really makes you want to throw yourself entirely into your wildest dreams, no matter how wacky they sound. Stevens isn't for everybody, but I swear by his remarkable orchestral arrangements that can and will tug on the heartstrings of anyone who gives it a chance.
Toni’s fave tracks: “Chicago,” it’s an essential listen, but I’ll also give you guys “Come On! Feel the Illinoise! (Part I: The World’s Columbian Exposition – Part II: Carl Sandburg Visits Me in a Dream)” aaannnddddd "The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!"
Yazmin Lacey, Voice Notes (2023)
Neo-soul, jazz, and electronica aficionados, Yazmin Lacey's debut album would like to have a word! Voice Notes has an easygoing approach but an assured energy that only increases as the album progresses, a cheeky way of stating that it's the real deal. Nowadays, it's not easy to come across a genuinely sexy ambiance from projects, especially albums that aren't strictly about sensuality. Lacey's choices are funky, electrifying, and inviting; her vocals flawlessly trace the patterns of the shared experiences etched into our souls. Each track contains a rather unpredictable beat drop that keeps the ball rolling with continual surprises. Another treat is the hour length, as shorter albums have been heavily popularized in the last two decades, and Lacey takes us back to our roots. Voice Notes is an acknowledgment of successes, failures, fear, and daringness aided by fluid, silk-like rhythms and down-to-earth banter.
Toni’s fave track: “Pieces”
Carpenters, Close To You (1969)
The Carpenter siblings are specialists in embodying the sounds of new beginnings. Ethereal love songs that make you swoon and ones that break the seal of a thousand tears! Encouraging narratives concerning the multifaceted feelings that arise from living life! The Carpenters go far beyond their first impression. After dabbling in Now & Then, Close To You was the next album I got into, and it stuck with me. Maintaining the organic magnetism that music from its decade has, Close To You remains unaffected by the passage of time and has a certain je ne sais quoi that can't be replicated today. The themes (love, hope, loss) remain the same, and the signature harmonization between the pair is all over this album; their polished and sharp vocals truly elevate pop records that would otherwise be nothing out of the ordinary. Close To You has a cozy grain; the duo's soft creative identity and sonic execution deliver covers and originals that gently linger.
Toni’s fave track: “Baby It’s You”
Ravyn Lenae, Bird’s Eye (2024)
One of my most anticipated albums this year was Ravyn Lenae's sophomore album, Bird's Eye, and the sophomore slump has been impressively evaded. The album conveys a return to oneself, a breath of fresh air, as change manifests after lacking groundedness. Lenae's commitment to exploring the variants of auditory sensations that can emerge from and within the genre of R&B continues with Bird's Eye, as her soothing nature thrives off downtempo beats, pop rock, and reggae, too. There's a really excellent airiness to the sounds of this album, ushering its central vulnerability as the pulse of its success. Bird's Eye is the perceptible existence and testimony of Lenae's growth as she connects every experience and emotion of hers to the journey she has been on and how that has made her who she is now; it's a soundtrack to picking up the pieces and making peace with everything along the way.
Toni’s fave tracks: “Candy” and “Pilot”
D’Angelo and the Vanguard, Black Messiah (2014)
"Really Love," the single from Black Messiah, and the only song I could connect to the album for the longest was a significant love song for me. It's looped in with the few songs that genuinely make me feel love coursing through my veins, a fuzzy feeling that's equally euphoric and overpowering. D'Angelo's homecoming after a hiatus that lasted over a decade, Black Messiah, is a tribute to personal reflection and radical love, communities in suffering that have had enough, a search for answers, and the collective desire to lead each other into a more just world. Fitting for the world events during its release and our current struggles, it's simultaneously a warm cradle and a motivated push towards the better. D'Angelo's rich R&B and soul signatures continue to make waves with mesmeric basslines, riffs, strings, and crooning. As a norm, hope and defeat tend to coexist, and that's a lifeline that makes trying a constant, and Black Messiah uplifts such.
Toni’s fave tracks: “Till It’s Done (Tutu)” and “Another Life”
Fana Hues, Moth (2024)
The name Fana Hues rolls off my tongue with familiarity; although I wasn't acquainted with her work, I've now made it. Better late than never, I've stumbled across a gem. Moth is her latest release and impresses with a serene voice that can effortlessly progress into a bold cadence that cements her self-conviction. Hues is direct as she navigates the messiness in relationships, self, and purpose. Moth has a dynamic presentation, similar to metamorphosing, with distinct sounds marking different stages. As another genre-bending artist, Hues has identifiable R&B and pop bases that expand with subtle choices that cause a double-take, or should I say double-listen? Each track contains a hint of at least one contrasting genre, and the integration is a delight. "Summer Rain" is a wholesome closing that brings together the whole album, cheering on a generation of artists to come by giving them a voice; what a beautiful life to live, the life of an artist.
Toni’s fave tracks: “What Speaks” and “Apple Picking”
Orion Sun, Orion (2024)
Another long-awaited release from this year, Orion Sun's self-titled album is filled with childlike wonder as the artist explores the world as a 20-something with only self-sufficiency in mind. Orion has a reputation for breakup music that sounds magical, as somber as those feelings are, and the light sparks from the idea that parting ways is an opportunity to get to know oneself fully. Heartbreak can cause all-consuming hurting, but what about the transformative self-growth? Orion ruminates on these thoughts while yearning, recognizing how powerful the strength of love is and how it feels to be blessed with such a sensation. I adore string arrangements, which are a recurring element in this album; it has vintage R&B feels and a sound that feels nostalgic but enhanced and natural. The connection I have with Orion is special as her Black queer experiences are in my universe, and the divinity she highlights as a part of her identity through her wanderings is necessary. To be seen is tenderly haunting but eternally necessary, and I have an inkling that I won't be the only person sharing this sentiment.
Toni’s fave tracks: “Nights Like This” and “These Days”
The Cure, Wish (1992)
It's a Thursday, but "Friday I'm In Love" remains a fall staple! What better time to listen to Wish in full than this season? A significant commercial success, it's an easily digestible alternative rock album with relatable themes: lost time, high expectations and the unpredictability of actual outcomes, selfishness, and how that affects reaching true happiness because it is still attainable. The lighter guitar rhythms create a surreal hum, and the pop moments make for sudden bursts of fun and danceable energy. Wish is a well-done album for the temperamental; it lets your "wow everything sucks" and "wait, I'm love and light, and that also exists everywhere " junctures live together and cooperate. With catchy tunes both for great longing and unearthed good fortune, I can see how the Cure has achieved their cult following.
Toni’s fave track: “Doing The Unstuck”
Enjoy your autumn, everyone! We've made it to four seasons together, and I thank all of you for being here with me. Whether you're a seasoned supporter or a newcomer, it means a lot. You can refer to the other seasonal music recommendations in my archive anytime. Happy Listening!
Okay, I'm back here to say that I LOVED Bird's Eye. I started with Hypnos a few weeks ago and I listened to Bird's Eye and this album plus At Long Last A$AP made me realise that I love albums where artists play with a diversity of sounds and themes 😊
I’ve been stuck on podcasts the last month. You’ve made me excited to jump back into music.