Autumn Playlists

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All images are those I've generated using artificial intelligence.

Good morning music enthusiasts! Happy October, happy Q4 and happy pre-holiday season to all. It has been a minute since my last post and I must apologize for the neglect. I appreciate each and every one of you reading these words today and thank you for being here.

I know we align in our love of music and even as my focus has been elsewhere as of late, music has never been far from my mind.

Let’s catch up with a few playlists!

Since my last post, I’ve written a screenplay! I will let you know should it ever actually become a movie. It is within the horror genre, which just so happens to be quite appropriate for this crisp October morning.

I rattled on about this over on my other newsletter, Kiki’s Notebook. Since the post is seasonally appropriate, being about my favorite horror movie of all time, Under The Skin, I have provided a little link here if you’d like to check it out.

Under The Skin would not be the masterpiece it is without its fabulous and haunting soundtrack. As we slide into the season of Halloween and Halloween party playlists, I decided to put together a compilation that felt dark and moody but that wasn’t the classic Halloween collection. This eerie playlist opens with a track from Under The Skin to set the mood, has a handful of epic songs from a recent discovery, Anna Von Hausswolff (thanks so much to the fabulous Zapato’s Jam for the introduction), finds room for Nina Simone and Skip James, and still manages to have a few brief moments of levity so it doesn’t overwhelm.

If you’re feeling the somber weight of winter’s approach, this playlist might be a cathartic listen.

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This is perhaps one of my favorite playlists I’ve ever made. If listening to it on Spotify’s custom setting, it has a nice flow without too much clunking between genres. It captured my attention for quite a while, looping for days as I wrote my screenplay.

I wonder how much the music we listen to while writing or painting, or conducting any form of creation, influences the end result? I have always wanted to make a series of paintings, each painted while listening solely to one artist/band. I think it would be fascinating to see how or if the influence of the music might represent itself in the finished product.

I hope one day to try this experiment, but thought I’d throw it out there in case someone felt inclined to beat me to it.

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Finally, I’ll share my latest obsession.

I have fallen deeply into a Tricky phase. I’ve been a fan since his Massive Attack days, but the vibe has really pulled me in lately. His songs are on both of the other playlists I’m sharing in this post, but this one is Tricky-centric.

I am in love with the minimalism and the sultriness of his work. His collaborations with the likes of Martina Topley-Bird, Marta, Lucia, Francesca Belmont, Oh Land, Tirzah and other vocal goddesses have kept me spellbound.

Which music has been shaping your autumn mood? As the leaves change, the weather cools and the pumpkin spice army takes to the streets, there is a somberness that sometimes fills the air. Does anyone in particular capture that vibe for your eardrums? I’d love to check it out if you’d be willing to share.