An autumnal mix for all your strolling-through-the-leaves needs.

‘Running Up That Hill‘ by Placebo

British band Placebo’s 2006 cover of British singer Kate Bush’s 1985 hit ‘Running Up That Hill’ completely reinvents the song for a new audience. Without Bush’s dramatic ’80s vocals, Placebo’s haunting cover gives the song a modern emotional depth that sets a beautiful, melancholy mood. I heard this song in a shoppe in London in August and was sure I had heard it before. I don’t know whether or not I actually had, and if so, whether it was the Placebo or Kate Bush version. But I haven’t been able to get it off my mind since.

‘Let the World Turn’ by Death

In the 1970s, a rock band most excellently named Death was performing shows in their hometown of Detroit, Michigan. They played a gritty, fast, and energetic style that predated punk as much as more well-known and legendary ‘proto-punk’ rock groups. They could’ve made it pretty big, too – they had the sound, the attitude, the innovation, and the fearlessness to help spearhead rock into the lower depths of punk. Then-Columbia Records president Clive Davis even funded a recording session for the band in hopes of putting out a full-length album. During these recordings, Davis asked the band to change their name. They refused, Davis lost interest, the full-length was never completed, and Death fizzled into obscurity. You can’t really get more punk than that.

‘Devil Do’ by Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs

Another awesome find thanks to NPR, Holly Golightly and the Brokeoffs have created a sound somewhere in between rough, backcountry folk music and garage band rock. Born in London, Holly was named after, you guessed it, Audrey Hepburn’s character in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Her bandmate, Lawyer Dave has a gruff, southern accent (I believe he’s from Georgia) that strikes you as incongruous when you hear them in conversation, but musically their sound is fascinating.”Devil Do” is quickly becoming one of my favourite tracks. Their latest album, “Sunday Roll Me Over” is rough, unpolished, and amazing!