One of my all-time favorite things to do is curate playlists based on specific things. A mood I’m feeling, a scenario I’ve made up in my head, different seasons, etc. I have a playlist for everything. The art of creating the perfect Spotify playlist is something I take way too seriously, and I’ve been told I have a knack for it.
While playlists are great, I take great pride in mine; sometimes it’s better to pick out a good album and listen to it front to back a million times. Sometimes, a song you may not like hearing by itself can turn into one of your favorites just from hearing it in the context of the album and the way it fits together with the other songs in terms of musicality.
The best albums are those that some may label as a “no-skip album”, referring to when you love each song on it so much that you aren’t inclined to skip over one and can listen to the whole thing the whole way through.
An article consisting of everything that I would consider a “no-skip” would be way too long, so instead, here are five of my all-time favorites I circle back to every fall.
Five Seconds Flat by Lizzy McAlpine
Lizzy McAlpine’s Five Seconds Flat is one of those albums that just feels like fall to me. This album I recently only just gave a full listen to last fall, having only been familiar with the songs “ceilings” and “doomsday,” but I am so happy I took the dive and explored the whole record. It has that perfect mix of dreamy indie-pop and heartbreaking lyrics that make for an amazing car ride of making up scenarios in your head. There’s something so comforting about the way Lizzy writes about love, growing up, and the messy feelings that come with both. I think what makes me associate the album the most with fall is the fact that almost every, if not all, the songs have acoustic elements to them. Each one feels like you are sitting there listening to her perform live, which I adore.
Faith in the Future by Louis Tomlinson
Growing up, and let’s be real, still today, I was a huge One Direction fan. Like one of my biggest grudges I still hold is against my mom for telling me I couldn’t see them in concert when they played in Buffalo in 2015 and that we’d catch them the next time. Then they broke up, and there was no next time. Thanks, Mom! Regardless, I now follow their solo careers pretty closely. While most gravitate towards Harry or Niall’s albums, which is true about me, I also have an extremely deep love for Louis Tomlinson’s projects. His 2022 album Faith in the Future is one of my favorite albums any of the boys have released post-band, and its indie rock vibe is perfect for long drives through the fall foliage.
evermore by Taylor Swift
Oh, evermore, my favorite forgotten child. The second surprise album Taylor Swift wrote during the pandemic, evermore has got to be one of her more underappreciated works, especially next to its more popular sister album, folklore. Now this may be a bit controversial to say, but I think evermore is the better album. The storytelling is absolutely phenomenal, some of Swift’s best writing to date, and the album just screams fall, but in a late fall, early winter way.
Rumours by Fleetwood Mac
A classic. In my eyes, Fleetwood Mac can do no wrong. Rumors, if you live under a rock and are unfamiliar with it, is one of the most iconic albums of all time. I grew up listening to their whole discography, but this CD was always what my dad would pull out for a long car ride. There’s really not that much else I can say but just go give it a listen. Like right now. The music will do all the talking.
Red (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift
And finally, we have made it to the fall album. As soon as I feel a slight chill in the air at the end of August, Red (Taylor’s Version) rejoins the rotation. If you are unfamiliar with what the “Taylor’s Version” at the end of the title means, this album is a re-recording. The original Red album was released back in 2012. Then in November of 2021, in an effort to own all of her albums that were sold from under her, Taylor released a new, updated version of Red, which included nine tracks that were originally written for the album, but had been cut. Now she’s a hefty one. The full album consists of thirty songs and spans just over two hours, the vinyl print being four disks with a front and back. But, if you can will yourself to sit through the whole thing, I can promise you won’t be sorry.