Do I really need to say anymore? Even though I probably don't, I guess I should. What says fall/winter more than the cold, electronic sounds of Kid A? From the vocal modulations of "Everything in its Right Place" to the "film-scoreesque" "Motion Picture Soundtrack," Kid A
redefined the rock album eschewing conventional rock instruments and
using Thom's vocals as an instrument that coexists and blends in with
the instrumentation instead of overpowering it. I could go on and on for
while about Radiohead and their discography. Instead, I'll just leave
you with a video of "Idoteque," quite possibly the best Radiohead
song ever!
If you didn't see my video remix of "Lotus Flower" and Reservoir Dogs, enjoy!
The Gloria Record has to be my all time favorite fall/winter band. When I
first bought their eponymous ep, I would head over to Barnes and Noble
with a portable CD player (remember those) and listen to it while
looking at books and drinking Starbucks. The Gloria Record originated in
Austin, Texas and rose from theashes of the second wave "emo-band"
Mineral. The video below is from Mineral's last show, ironically enough, at Emo's in Autsin.
Their entire first album, The Power of Failing, took a hold of me
over the summer of 1997, and I could not get that tape out of my car.
Someone gave me Mineral's album backed with a Christie Front Drive
album. Anyways, the sincerity and truth behind Chris Simpson's lyrics
and the noisiness of the music made me fall in love with the band. About
a year after Mineral broke up, The Gloria Record released their
self-titled ep. A departure from Mineral, the ep relied heavily on
acoustic guitars and dreamy, sweeping arrangements. Part of the album's
allure for the fall/winter comes from some of the lyrics. For example,
growing up in the South, I always wonder when fall or winter will be
here. Simpson sums that up with "It's the middle of October and you'd
think there would be a nice cool breeze by now, but you'd be wrong." I
remember when I went to a show in Lake Charles to see another offshoot
from Mineral, Pop Unknown. At the show, some friends of mine were
talking to a guy who gushed over The Gloria Record; he told them that he
would roll his windows down in the winter and blast his air conditioner
while listening to them. Now that's emo? If you haven't checked out The Gloria Record or Mineral, do yourself a favor and do it soon. Their final album, Start Here,
is a masterpiece. For me though, their ep stands as my fall/winter
choice. If you listen to the end of "Grain Towers, Telephone Poles" you
will hear some of the influences on my guitar playing, specifically the
octaves and fast strumming. I'll leave you with a song from Start Here.
"Cinema Air" is a great song. It's about the encroachment of
civilization onto nature as well as the solitariness of modern life.
