Autumnal days are slowly creeping upon us again; red and golden leaves are settling on the ground, and the darkness hours and chilling cold are closing in. The rain has been relentless recently and sometimes this feels like pathetic fallacy— reflecting the mixed emotions of being at a great university in a beautiful setting with stress of assignments, flu, and missing friends away this semester.
Despite this, autumn is my favourite season, a magical period for appreciating the little, cosy things. It is different from some of his other poppier songs— think Jack Johnson chillness and the perfect background music for a deep chat cradling a chai latte in a candlelit kitchen. This album, like the rest of his before, reached number one in the UK.
Somehow, he seems to know exactly what people need, and when. He can feel like a therapist that hits the nail on the head of your exact feelings and emotions. Magical is about falling in love, American Town is about a relationship, whilst When Will I Be Alright and Amazing have more sombre tones, capturing the hopelessness that can hit us all sometimes. Spring discusses feelings of inadequacy and failure but remains optimistic, advocating resilience until spring, which represents hope and light.
Some lyrics hit uncomfortably close to home, especially as a student…. But the song still feels hopeful, just like England , a song that makes me feel the most patriotic I ever have. In some ways, this song sums up him as a performer — this album is comfort music, like comfort food. Sometimes the songs are uncomfortable to listen to — some are too familiar in their themes, but that is the magic of the music and lyrics he creates. Many schools have faced budget cuts, and the arts are rarely favoured.
Many school music departments have little funding, some not even enough to continue running as a study option. Creative Scotland supports organisations, providing many opportunities in the arts and culture sector over Scotland.
