Author’s Note: I am using the term “indie rock” as a means to categorize these lists. The artists represented in this list can fall under many genres.

Greetings Autumn enthusiasts. Wade here again for another list of albums that I seem to play most in the fall. This time around I decided to go in a more indie rock direction. In the last list I created, I went for more popular albums, as bloggers often tend to whip out their hipster cocks when talking about music. They’ll find the most esoteric bands they know, contrive a long winded and condescending dissertation on said bands, and really do very little to educate or entice the reader to learn more about these basement dwelling reverb junkies. Though my music collection is teeming with those kinds of bands, I still went towards the more popular side of indie rock-ish music in an effort to stimulate more communication in the comments section. No one benefits from a list of artists no one has heard of.

I have fall albums in every genre of music, so if you’re looking at this list and wondering “where the hell is Aphex Twin-Selected Ambient Works?” , know that I am compiling the electronic fall albums for next year. Please sound off in the comments section with your top ten fall indie rock albums and thanks for tuning in.

10. The War On Drugs – Slave Ambient

I got this record during the summer, and while it certainly impressed me from the get go, it didn’t really hit me till I was driving during sunset in Burlington, Vermont this September. There is a deep Dylan vibe happening with singer Adam Granduciel in a drone that compliments the ambient nature of the band. The compositions on Slave Ambient are founded by a track produced by Granduciel that runs under the entire record. This seething ethereal wash permeates each track and leads the band to stretch out songs like Best Night and Your Love is Calling. Somewhere between Caribou’s Swim and The Slip’s Eisenhower, Slave Ambient blurs the line between pop music and tripping balls.

Fall Mix Track: Best Night

READ ON for Wade’s Top 9 Fall Indie Rock LPs…

9. Wilco – A Ghost Is Born

Grammy award-winning and sonically stunning, this piece of art by Chicago’s indie royalty is the perfect companion for an autumn drive. The record seems to be coated in a grey sheen not unlike the cover art. Tweedy assumed more of a lead guitar role with the departure of Jay Bennett and it comes shining through the darkness on At Least That’s What You Said. Sedated and seductive, these tracks embody the mentality of a pre-rehab Tweedy who is seemingly writing a letter to the ghost of himself that his demons had created. The glimmers of hope are slight with Hummingbird and Theologians, and provide some dynamics for the flow of the album. If you haven’t heard this record, you haven’t heard Wilco.

Fall Mix Track: Less Than You Think

8. The Flaming Lips – Soft Bulletin

I don’t think anyone who had been following The Flaming Lips’ career could have seen an emotional juggernaut like this emerging from the deep psychedelic and punk background the band came from. Suddenly, Coyne becomes the voice of our feelings through rich metaphors and quirky stanza’s about spoonfuls of the sun. Still deeply rooted in psychedelia, the band layers soundscapes beautifully on top of many unique rhythyms laid down by Steven Drozd. Still, throughout all the great production and arrangements, Coyne’s newfound take on everyman’s struggle to understand life is the clear and uncontested hero.

Fall Mix Track: Feeling Yourself Disintegrate

7. Jimmy Eat World – Clarity

Clarity was heralded by critics as the blueprint to emo as we know it. Soaring vocal takes, spot-on harmonies, and for some reason, a glockenspiel, were all laid down in ways they never had amongst power chords on the guitars. The energy of the tracks is aggressive, but the content was emotional, and thus, emo was born. Snobs like me will tell you All was equally important to emo’s development, but that’s for a Pitchfork article. What you need to take away from this record besides the timeless For Me This Is Heaven is the final track Goodbye Sky Harbor, a 17 minute epic replete with drum machine outro at the end that set a standard for jamming out the last song on an indie rock record. (See also Weezer’s Only In Dreams)

Fall Mix Track: For Me This Is Heaven

6. Ryan Adams – Love Is Hell

This record was made during the dark period of Ryan’s career when he wasn’t playing with Brad Pemberton, a time he recalls as damaging and painful. Pain has been the harbinger of many great works of art, and Love Is Hell is no different. The ghost of a thousand speedballs rattles around Ryan’s raspy vocal takes and seeks refuge in the dissonant arrangements. “Strung out like some Christmas lights out here in the Chelsea night,” makes clear the plight of the protagonist in the dreary gospel album closer. I save this record for rainy fall days almost as a comfort that no matter how sad I am, I could never be more depressed than this record. Thankfully, there is a broken beauty about the songs that somehow makes you smile.

Fall Mix Track: Avalanche

5. Quicksand – Slip

Since I’ve just rattled off a bunch of tender records I feel I should throw in one of my heavier indulgences for the autumn. A favorite sub genre of mine is post-hardcore, with Quicksand being my ambassadors. Though the band toured mercilessly it only managed to put out two records. Slip, their 1993 debut, is full of raging hooks and deep basslines from Sergio Vega. I suppose the fall aspect comes from me raging this for pre game in college. Either way, download this record if you like Fugazi, Jawbox, Clutch, or Orange 9mm. #ragecage

Fall Mix Track: Freezing Process

4. Duncan Sheik - Humming

If you’re one of those people who only connect Duncan Sheik to his adult contemporary smash hit Barely Breathing, allow me to educate you. This buddhist songwriter with broadway roots also has a penchant for deep brooding string arrangements and thought-provoking lyrics. Humming is much darker than his debut record but still carries his signature tone of voice. There are well-placed high energy songs (Alibi and That Says It All) as well as a tribute to the late Jeff Buckley (A Body Goes Down). Once again, we have a record that stretches out at its finale when Nichiren becomes Foreshadowing, the latter, making an appearance on every mixtape I ever made a woman.

Fall Mix Track: That Says It All

3. Promise Ring – wood/water

This is the final release from Wisconsin emo darlings Promise Ring, which is depressing, because it is by far their most mature effort. Previous releases were lacking in production and the songs themselves lacked substance. However, after a huge surgery for a fist-sized tumor in his head, singer Davey von Bohlen’s whole outlook on life and songwriting changed and made for some impeccable lyrical content on wood/water. The production is polished and has a pop music glisten to it that is best highlighted by Say Goodbye Good. This is one of those records I am so grateful I stumbled upon and give it out to all my friends who are looking for new music.

Fall Mix Track: My Life Is At Home

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2. Yo La Tengo – And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-Out

I got this record from my best friend’s sister’s friend, which is how I imagine lots of kids get Yo La Tengo records. It followed me through high school and into college and eventually guided my ride to live with my future wife in Burlington, Vermont. Our Way To Fall was the first song I ever put on a mixtape for my wife and it gets a lot of play in Septemper and October in our house still. The vibe of this record easily fits in with the rest of the albums in this list with subdued and spacious arrangements. It even follows the “jam at the end of the record” trend with Night Falls on Hoboken, a shimmering glide through twilight in New Jersey.

Fall Mix Track: Our Way To Fall

1. Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain

Really, for indie rock and the fall, it all comes down to one record: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. The band seemed to shake off the lo-fi tinge of their previous release but still retain the noisy beauty of their sound. Hilarious lyrics about bashing the Stone Temple Pilots and jumping turnstiles interplayed with huge hooks on Elevate Me Later and Stop Breathing. I couldn’t imagine my fall without shuffling between Pavement and Phish’s versions of Gold Soundz with a bottle of red wine on the porch followed by CR, CR in its entirety. I leave you with the immortal words of Stephen Malkmus that made all the difference in my career: “Boy you gotta pay your dues before you pay the rent.” Amen, Malkmus. Amen.

Fall Mix Track: Gold Soundz

Wade Wilby

Wade has toured the country as a lighting designer and technician for arena acts Beck and My Chemical Romance, as well as a very memorable stint with one of his favorite bands Umphrey's McGee. These days, Wade is a DJ and producer, and can be seen in many clubs and theaters around the country.

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