The fall months are definitely my favorite out of the year. I like to tailor the music I listen to around the fall atmosphere. This year’s October playlist features some of my favorite picks that encompass that energy. 

Mac Demarco’s acoustic chord progression on “My Old Man” is a perfect backtrack for a morning commute. I love Demarco’s use of mellow synth tones; they accompany the rhythm guitar well and add a layer of simplicity to the song. I always add well-written songs into my fall playlists, the storytelling seems to fit the mood and I like to slow down and focus on the lyrical content of the pieces. In Donald Fagen’s “The Goodbye Look,” an American couple gets caught up in the Cuban revolution while on their holiday vacation. Following the Cuban theme, “Rosalinda’s Eyes” is a hypothetical ode to Billy Joel’s mother from his father who abandoned his family and left for Cuba. Joel pairs this interesting story with his FenderRhodes keyboard, which captures the quintessential calypso salsa feel. The October playlist closes on an ominous note with “Light My Fire,” “Don’t Take Me Alive” and “Time of the Season”. Larry Carlton takes a masterful guitar solo on “Don’t Take Me Alive,” a song about a pinned down criminal hiding from the police, armed with a stick of dynamite. The Westside Wired October playlist is perfect for any fall occasion, so get outside and enjoy the cool weather. 

You can listen to this playlist on your iPad by clicking on the playlist to the right, or you can scan the Spotify code and listen on your mobile device.

• Into the Mystic – Van Morrison
• My Old Man – Mac Demarco
• Rosalinda’s Eyes – Billy Joel
• The Goodbye Look – Donald Fagen
• Beginnings – Chicago
• Another Park, Another Sunday – The Doobie Brothers
• Light My Fire – The Doors
• Don’t Take Me Alive – Steely Dan
• Time of the Season – The Zombies