Monday Mixtape
"Florida Fall" edition! šš“š
Good morning and happy Monday!
If you read my last post, youāll know that there are some changes coming to Not Just Me. One of those changes is the Monday Mixtape ā weāre moving from bi-weekly to monthly, so consider this your November installation. š
I previously dubbed this monthās playlist the āUltimate Fall Playlist,ā but I fear that I may be giving it a little too much credit. When I think of music that falls under the āfallā category, I usually think of The Head and the Heart, Local Natives, Grizzly Bear, Fleet Foxes, The Twilight Saga: New Moon movie soundtrackā¦the list goes on. While I LOVE that vibe (have you ever listened to Fleet Foxesā āWhite Winter Hymnalā while driving through the Blue Ridge Mountains? Itās fucking magical) itās not usually what Iām in the mood for. Maybe if I lived somewhere where there are actual seasons, I would. In Florida we get the occasional dip into the 40s/50s/60s, but by 2PM the temps are typically back in the 80s.
All this to say, the Florida weather is rarely deserving of a full-force-fall playlist, so I take creative liberties in my listening choices during the season. Hence why, instead of calling this the āUltimate Fall Playlist",ā Iām calling it āFlorida Fall.ā
If you havenāt followed the playlist on Spotify, you can find it HERE (or below, if youāre reading this in the Substack app or on your desktop).
Another thing: this playlist (and the ones to follow) will be slightly longer since Iām transitioning the series into a monthly one. That also means I wonāt be writing about every single song included in this post. Otherwise, weād be here forever. Instead, Iām going to pick out a few special ones and write about them for a variety of reasons.
As always, if youāre reading this and the playlist above ^ doesnāt match what Iām writing about in the rest of this post, you might be reading an old post or the playlist may need a few minutes to refresh. Archived tracks from past playlists will live on the Monday Mixtape Archive found here!
Without further ado, hereās whatās been in my rotation lately:
The Great Equalizer by Ava McCoy
Iāve written about Ava and her EP Closer to the Bugs in previous Monday Mixtapes, and it is still in my rotation. Something about Avaās voice and the way it complements the light, almost idyllic instrumentation in the background brings me comfort and peace. The perfect tune for a sunny and chilly day in Florida.
āCause a river's immovable, and finding the grooves in all
The nooks and crannies, should make us one
We are just as tired, and hard-wired, to keep the ball moving
But a river never sleeps, it only weeps, for the moments we miss
Its runningā
Halloween Store by Andy Shauf
This Andy Shauf album was released back in January and Iāve been patiently waiting to listen to this song in particular during the Halloween season. Andy has one of the most endearing and consistent styles of songwriting out there ā I love listening to his albums in full to pick up on easter eggs and references to other songs in his discography (and the characters heās sung about, too).
āāHalloween is just around the cornerā
I was thinking today
Sat around getting high all afternoon
Wondering what I should wear
Eventually, I picked myself up
Put on my shoes and walked out the door
I had one destination in mind
And that destination was the Halloween storeā
Feeling/Meaning by Al Menne
This song falls into the category of āSongs I listened to because the cover image was coolā and Iām glad it did. Al Menne has such a soft and emotional voice. This song is short, sweet, and tender. To me, it screams āfall.ā
āYou don't have to give it meaning
Just lay into the feeling
Someday it's all gonna be
Water under something
That you just can't see
But you're caught up spinning
A tender little fantasy
In the grief of wanting
In the hopes of longingā
Time Aināt Accidental by Jess Williamson
āTime Aināt Accidentalā is such a cool song, and Jess Williamsonās voice is insane. Itās the kind of voice I know was destined to be heard. My introduction to Jess came through Katie Crutchfield, aka Waxahatchee (a favorite of mine). She and Katie have a duo project called Plains, also worth checking out. Jessā past solo work is fantastic, but this song from her most recent release of the same name lays the groundwork for the rest of the album: honest and straight from the heart.
āI loved your energy and the dim light
On the side of the highway in the middle of the night
Forget what they said to me, it doesn't connect
To the angel in bed with me, his face 'tween my legs
I read you Raymond Carver by the pool bar like a lady
Known you for a while, but you'd been somŠµone else's baby
WhŠµn the rain picked up, we took a drive, I had a rental
Torn up over timing, but time ain't accidentalā
Anywhere by Sarah Klang
You know those songs that youāre pretty sure will stick with you forever? The kind that illustrates a deep sense of intimacy between your inner life and the real world? The kind that says āI know exactly how you feelā¦ā? This song is one of those. Admittedly, I owe Sarah Klang a legitimate discography dive, but this one song that I know of hers is enough for me to say she is one of the most talented singer-songwriters out there. Her voice doesnāt try to do anything crazy (though it is rich and full of life), but the subject matter of the song is justā¦.ugh! So beautiful, so raw. I love it.
āI got two loves
One is always hurting me and making me sad
I got two lives
One is calm, the other one is driving me mad
I got one heart
It's burning like California
Time isārunningāfasterāthan horses onāa beach
Why doāI always cry when beauty hits my eyes?
I would go anywhere, anywhere
To find myself 'cause I feel so lost all the time
Do you have anything, anything for me?
I would do everything for a cure, babyā
When Iām Thinking About You by The Sundays
āWhen Iām Thinking About Youā by The Sundays is a song about daydreaming of the person you love. What I love about this song is the way The Sundays illustrates these mundane landscapes, sounds, and surroundings that contrast against the vivid and exciting thoughts that come with daydreaming about the person they love. The balance in production between Harriet Wheelerās voice and the instrumentation makes the song romantic and dreamy, the perfect song to complement a walk in the park with your favorite person.
āWhen you're searching your soul
When you're searching for pleasure
How often, pain is all you find
But when you're coasting along and nobody's trying too hard
You can turn around and like where you areā
Hope you enjoy. š Happy listening!
-Pam