In Hear This, A.V. Club writers sing the praises of songs they know well. This week, we’re picking our favorite songs with “fall” in the title.
Once autumn hits and the weather starts to chill, I invariably begin reaching for records by bands that I have classified as “fall music” in my mind. One band that’s always top of mind during this period is Small Brown Bike, due in large part to its 2003 EP Nail Yourself To The Ground. Though its earlier efforts dealt solely in gut-level post-hardcore, here the band seemed to be putting more of an emphasis on the “post” part of that genre descriptor, making for five songs that showed the band at the peak of its power.
“So I Fall” may be the song that I revisit most when temperatures start to dip, all thanks to the band stepping outside of itself on the track. It’s the biggest curveball in the band’s catalog, as acoustic guitar strums whistle like the wind, the snare drum rattles like leaves rustling against concrete, and vocalist Mike Reed forgoes his normal bellowing for a tuneful performance that’s more alt-country than post-hardcore. It’s a song that, much like fall itself, seems to wash away just as quickly as it starts, and that’s what makes it all the better. It’s a fleeting moment of delicacy in the band’s otherwise combustive catalog, and that’s what makes me return to “So I Fall” every autumn, basking in its warmth for as long as it lasts.