When I was a kid, I would always get a little blue whenever the calendar turned from October to November. Halloween was over, Christmas was a good two months away, and there were no days off from school until Thanksgiving. It felt like holiday purgatory.
I was never overly excited by the November holiday in my younger years, as Halloween and Christmas seemed to set the bar too high. Between dressing in costumes and getting candy on the first holiday, and receiving presents the next, Thanksgiving simply had too much to live up to. The highlight of my Turkey Day was playing football with my brother, but that was often cut short by being called in to dinner. This is when I would see all my aunts who smothered me with cheek kisses, followed by being forced to sit at the dinner table when all I wanted to do was play football.
Now that I’m older, I have a newfound appreciation for Thanksgiving and the eleventh month of the calendar year, and it starts with listening to The Early November. I started listening to these guys in high school, when my music taste started yearning for anything alternative/punk/emo/indie rock. Part of the reason I still enjoy this band so much is its diverse musical range. Led by frontman Ace Enders, The Early November has an uncanny ability to lull listeners in with soft melodies, engage us with catchy guitar riffs, and make us think with inspiring lyrics. I often find myself involuntarily tilting my head to the side when one of their songs is playing. For example, it’s easy for me to get a crick in my neck every time I hear “1000 Times a Day,” a story about boy meets girl.
In the spirit of the first week of November, I invite you to enjoy the following playlist that includes my favorite tracks from The Early November, listed in no particular order. Each page includes some information on the band followed by a few of their songs courtesy of YouTube. To get started, click the “Next” arrow.
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