It’s that time of year, fall is upon us, and with that come the many niches prescribed to autumn and autumn alone. When thinking of fall, many things probably come to mind: turning leaves, pumpkins, baking, and holidays. Fall is a season known for many things, the perfect aesthetic being one of them. This fall, I decided to match these perfect aesthetics with the perfect playlist, one filled with alternative rock.
Alternative rock doesn’t have one exact definition, but is generally characterized as being outside the mainstream rock conventions. It’s one of those things that everyone knows, but it’s not one thing that makes something alternative rock, more it’s many things combined that make it unique from other forms of rock and this is what makes it so iconic. In many ways fall is the same way, it’s not one thing that makes this time of year iconic or what it is, more it’s the culmination of activities, visuals, and vibes of fall that make it so special. Realizing this made me realize an important thing; alternative rock perfectly fits fall, as in many ways fall is the alternative rock of seasons. It’s outside of the mainstream, not celebrated for its long breaks or extremes, it’s somewhere uniquely in between and loved.
Autumn is a very emotional time of year. As the days get colder, our moods get moodier. That is why, during this journey, I knew that the artists I listened to had to be preaching a similar amount of emotion that fall exudes every day. Rock in general is a very broad genre, with anger, love, and more being expressed in every note. This is all heightened with alternative rock, with a counter-culture genre, many artists using their music to preach movements opposed to the status quo. For example, in “My Own Worst Enemy,” the Lit sings of feelings of insecurity and anger with oneself.
Alternative rock is a broad genre; from decade to decade, it has evolved and expanded. While in many ways, alternative rock is still flourishing today, many of it’s most iconic moments were in the 90s. Because of this, I kept getting drawn back to 90s bands throughout this journey. Just as the fall season seems to linger, it made sense to me to find artists that, despite being decades old, keep lingering in people’s playlists. This also meant that I found myself listening to “dad music.”Â
The same bands that I was discovering and falling in love with for the first time were bands that my dad had fallen for decades ago. Artists such as Radiohead, Green Day, and The Pixies, that I was listening to this fall for the first time. Were bands that my dad has listened to for many falls over the last few decades. That is how, this fall, my quest for the perfect autumn soundtrack led me to steal my Dad’s playlist.
This fall I jammed out to artists I had never really listened to before. Iconic artists such as Lit, The Strokes, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. Artists that ended up being much closer to home than I previously realized, with my own father having filled many falls with this perfect backdrop. These artists from decades ago proved an excellent soundtrack to this moody in between season, with their iconic, moody, persisting nature perfectly matching fall. That is why the perfect playlist for this autumn is filled with alternative rock.
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