LimeWire Music Blog

The Autumn equinox has come and gone with a mere whisper, and we’ve been enjoying jacket weather by nightfall for some time now here in New York City.  The pleasant shift in season mirrors a shift in my musical tastes, as I tend to crack out more dreamy, reflective tunes to celebrate the falling of the leaves.  I’ve already made mention of one of my all-time seasonal favorites, but there are dozens more to choose from.

Naturally, this calls for a video playlist, complete with a few extra hidden gems for your clicking pleasure. Let’s begin, shall we?

1. The Passions – “I’m in Love with a German Film Star“
A “one-hit wonder” from 1981, this track is the quintessential opening number to any self-respecting mix.  Those jangly guitars predate the college-rock sound of R.E.M. and Game Theory, adding that bit of sadness that makes me weak at the knees.

2. Curve – “Horror Head“
A little more energetic than most of their dream-pop peers, Curve not only predated the sultry, female fronted alternative swell of Garbage, but were darker, fuzzier, and far more aggressive.  Translation: more rewarding.

3. Winter Hours – “Hyacinth Girl“
This particularly beautiful track channels the jangly, college rock sounds mentioned at the start of this playlist.  In a series of veiled metaphors, “Hyacinth Girl” compares the heartbreak of a lost love and the changing of the seasons.  It’s a highly delicate affair.

4. Cranes – “Shining Road“
One of my favorites from my adolescence, this particular Portsmouth outfit began as a doom and gloom project, eventually blossoming into a fully-fledged dream-pop band.  It’s hard to pick a favorite track, so if you’re loving “Shining Road,” feel free to seek out the likes of “Jewel,” “Slide,” “Adoration,” and “Paris and Rome,” all of which continue hold my attention after all these years.

5. Mojave 3 – “Mercy“
I’ve already made a habit of championing underrated dream-pop visionaries Slowdive, so let’s let songwriters Neil Halstead and Rachel Goswell’s follow-up project share the spotlight.  Gone are the heavily swirling, reverb-drenched guitars, but the somber harmonies still remain intact.

6. An April March – “Lava“
This particular female-fronted band had the unfortunate displeasure of being pegged as a mere goth-knockoff, but they truly had some fantastic songs to share with the world.  This particular one was my first love, and I fondly recall plucking the 7” from a dusty bin for a mere dollar.  (Peep a minute long “official clip” here).

7. Pale Saints – “Sight of You”
Since I can’t seem to find an acceptable video for Secret Shine’s “Loveblind,” I’ll happily settle for another underrated shoegaze staple, one with equal power and a timeless melody.  This song was so stellar, like-minded peers Ride (who we can’t neglect in their own right) managed to record an identical cover for a radio session just a few years later.

8. Red House Painters – “Medicine Bottle”
Culled from the very first Red House Painters record, “Medicine Bottle” is essentially a demo recording, spanning over nine minutes in length and featuring some of the most haunting and heartbreaking lyrics ever penned.  An epic through and through, this track it set the stage for Mark Kozelek’s rewarding career.

9. Dead Can Dance – “The Host of Seraphim”
Scouring this playlist so far, it seems as if almost half of it is comprised of 4AD artists.  What can I say, the pioneering British independant label really knew how to churn out the seasonal sounds in their heyday. This one, by vast world-music enthusiasts and otherwise dualistically godly Dead Can Dance, still gives me chills after all these years.  Please use this one sparingly.

10. Medicine – “Time Baby II“
Since I’ve already made my long-standing love affair with the Cocteau Twins known on my Summertime playlist, let’s conclude this one with a track that exists in three different, but no less captivating versions.  Only the final two really matter, part two chock full of the band’s original fuzzed-out bliss, and part three lovingly remixed by Cocteau Twins guitarist Robin Guthrie ( featuring backup vocals by the inimitable Elisabeth Fraser, no less).  Since I can’t seem to find any proper audio/video track for the third version, the second will do just as nicely.

These are merely a few of my favorite seasonal sounds, but in case you haven’t had your fill, here’s a few bonus choices to round things out:

11. Lulabox – “Ride On”
12. This Mortal Coil – “Song to the Siren”
13. The House of Love – “Christine”
14. Swallow – “Follow Me Down”
15. Mary Goes Round – “Mary’s Garden”
16. Lush – “Nothing Natural”
17. The Lost Patrol – “Sirens”
18. Smashing Pumpkins – “Window Paine”
19. The Ecstasy of St. Theresa – “Fluidum”
20. Love Spirals Downwards – “Write In Water”
21. Kitchens of Distinction – “Quick as Rainbows”
22. Current 93 – “All the Pretty Little Horses“