The November theme for Rain City Mix Tape Club is Rainy fall jams. It's a good theme, there's lots of songs that just scream out to be listened to on an overcast fall day (especially here in the northwest).

I thought it might be neat to take a more data-driven approach to this mix than usual. I have 3+ years of my music listening data on Last.fm, so I *should* be able to say, quantitatively, what my ultimate rainy fall jams are, based on what I was actually listening to, on rainy days in the fall. The really interesting bit would be whether or not that matched up at all with what I would subjectively choose to put on a rainy fall jams mix.

For a nerdy technical breakdown of how I did it, check out this post.

I was originally just going to take the 15 songs that I listened to the most on overcast or rainy days between September and December. As it turns out, 9 of them were by the same band, because I tend to get obsessive about certain albums.

So instead, I decided the best way to represent the data in a single mix, while still giving it some variety, was to take the most listened-to song by each of the 15 bands I listened to the most during Autumn, under those weather conditions. There were a couple surprises, but for the most part I'm pretty pleased that it actually turned into a fairly listenable mix.

Here's how it ended up:

I tried to link directly to the song, where possible. Last.fm didn't have a streaming version of all of them, though.

1. Yo, Get Into It, by Latterman

   I wouldn't have guessed this would be my top song on rainy fall days. But it turns out, during cold, rainy weather, I listen to this band way more than anything else. I guess bleak fall days call for an anthemic pop-punk pick-me-up.

2. Radio, by Alkaline Trio

   This one makes a lot more sense. I'm not a big fan of fall so it makes sense that bleak, depressing songs with a healthy sprinkling of "go f**k yourself" seem just about perfect.

3. Cry of the Black Birds, by Amon Amarth

   Thor FTW! If I were a viking, I'd do most of my pillaging and plundering between Labor Day and Christmas.

4. Across the Shields by Torche

   Poppy metal is a great counterpoint to weeks of non-stop drizzle.

5. Better Half, by Jawbreaker

   I was a little surprised that this song scored this high, but Jawbreaker was one of my favorite bands in High School, and cold autumn days make me nostalgic, so I guess it makes sense.

6. Thousand Scars by Envy

   I can see Elliot Bay from my office window, and this song + the rain + the cargo ships sailing past = awesome. I can't really explain it. There's just something about it all that looks / sounds rad.

7. Rodeo Clown, by Lifetime

   Not an obvious fall song, but I listen to this band a lot year-round. Chances are, it would also be on my Winter, Spring and Summer jams mixes, too.

8. We're so Small, by The Epoxies

   Another one filed under "poppy new wave antidote for gloomy weather."

9. Flights End, by Burst

   Honestly, I don't even like this band that much. I have no clue how they ended up ranking so high. I guess I just subconsciously gravitate towards Swedish metal bands in the fall?

10. Shadows, by Sinking Ships

    I can't really put my finger on it, but something about this song seems totally appropriate for this mix, even though it's not terribly obvious.

11. Spit Shine Your Black Clouds, by The Blood Brothers

    The darkness and weirdness of this song (this whole album, actually) makes a great compliment to those days when you're going just a tad bit crazy because you haven't seen the sun in weeks.

12. On the Nod, by Avail

    Like the Lifetime song above, this one is on here because I listened to this band all. the. damn. time.

13. Train Wreck Love, by Stabbed By Words

    This one was a complete surprise. I think this song is pretty stupid, actually. But, it's catchy. The rest of this album is much better.

14. Chips Ahoy!, by The Hold Steady

    Sometimes you need to feel happy, that's what The Hold Steady is for.

15. David Comes to Life, by Fucked Up

    This band reminds me that however insane I get while cooped up in the rain all winter, there's a fat, hairy, mostly naked Canadian man who's much, much worse.

Here's how the packaging turned out: