It’s getting darker, literally and sonically. Yes, daylight is dwindling as we creep deep into fall. But also local champs are releasing songs that mirror the mood of autumn.
Rejecting the blunt sunny pop of summer, these artists add nuance, shade, and a bit of rage to the season. But before you tap out, know that these locals mix brilliance with sadness and introspection in these five Songs of Fall.
“Only Fools (Betarseed),” Savoir Faire
Inspired by the protests in Iran that followed the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the police, “Only Fools (Betarseed)” ridicules oppressors while trying to lift up protesters with hope. But that hope doesn’t come with cheeriness. In an approach that’s become a hallmark of Savoir Faire’s unique, dark rock, she pairs devastating lyrics — “Does my skin make you crawl? Does my hair make you bawl? I vocalize to pulverize/Are you alive? Did you survive this song?” — with hypnotic, labyrinthine, epic guitar lines. Like so much of her work, it’s personal and political, catchy and complicated, and completely her own.
“Spinning Tires,” Jeremy Moses Curtis
“I’ve spent my life spinning tires,” sings Jeremy Moses Curtis, sublime and weary. “I pay the bills, remember the highlights, thank my stars when the weekend arrives.” So worn out, so beautiful, like something between “Nashville Skyline” and “Blood on the Tracks,” an old Wilco ballad and Jason Isbell on NyQuil Extra Strength. As a sideman and producer, Curtis spent most of his career helping others make great stuff (Booker T, Jeffrey Foucault, Tim Gearen). On this lonely, wonderful tune — and all over new album “Midlife Chrysler” (how’s that for a fall album title?) — Curtis makes his own magic out of a sort of noir version of Americana.
“At My Age,” Magen Tracy & the Missed Connections
Magen Tracy has written a lot of smart, tight rock songs — see “Is It Enough?” and “Dirty Little Secret” and “Harder Girl” and… But “At My Age” might be a new peak. Political and personal, anthemic and intimate, “At My Age” is so much at once: a perfect nugget of a rock song, an honest look at a personal decision, and a mighty act of defiance.
“Raleigh,” One Fall
2023 Rock & Roll Rumble champs and Salem punks One Fall’s second EP “Spine First!” punches, counter punches, kicks and kicks again with tremendous force. All five tracks including the bold Springsteen “Born to Run” cover stand out, but the most autumnal of the tunes is “Raleigh.” Somewhere between the hardcore fury, frontwoman Helen McWilliams finds both harmony and introspection, some punk rock bop bops and a huge chorus. It’s the rare song right for fist pumping and pondering life.
