As the season of fall dawns upon us, I have become compelled to soundtrack the colorful atmosphere with music from the genre of midwest emo. Contrary to the reputation the word “emo” has, midwest emo is a quite palatable genre of music, with songs taking on a soft, indie, and sometimes whiny sound. It embraces the aesthetic of flannels, suburban life, and dirty Converse shoes, paired with lyrics about love, friendship, nostalgia, and heartbreak. 

One of the most influential midwest emo albums is American Football’s self-titled album, released on September 14, 1999.

In its 40 minute runtime, this album showcases several beautiful, dreamy, and youthful melodies. It starts off strong with “Never Meant,” a ballad which seems to be about the singer wishing to forget a past relationship. This is the band’s most popular song, and one of my favorite songs in general, as it has such a raw and emotional essence to it. This song has a bit of an odd rhythm, where the main melody almost feels just a bit too fast and off-beat, but it works. 

Another notable track is “For Sure,” a soft love ballad which includes a trumpet introduction. I did not receive the trumpet introduction well upon first listen, but I have grown to love it as much as I love the tender guitar strummings that go along with it. My favorite track from this album is “But The Regrets are Killing Me,” a song which seems to be about the band’s departure from college, as this album was recorded shortly before they moved back home after graduation. 

To celebrate 25 years of American Football, the band has released a series of covers of songs from this iconic album, including a covers by Iron & Wine, Blondshell, Yvette Young, M.A.G.S., Girl Ultra, Manchester Orchestra, John McEntire, Novo Amor, Lowswimmer, and Ethel Cain, who happens to be my favorite musical artist. 

This album of covers puts an interesting spin on its predecessor, with most of the songs throwing away the midwest emo spirit and taking on a softer sound. Yvette Young’s cover of “You Know I Should Be Leaving Soon” features a stunning violin section, which is definitely worth listening to. 

My favorite cover was Ethel Cain’s “For Sure,” but perhaps I am biased. This song turns the previously short and sweet song into a nearly 10 minute long ambient track, with dreamy vocals and a lingering wistfulness. However, I unfortunately didn’t like Iron & Wine’s cover of “Never Meant” at all. This song sounds like it was butchered by a pretentious fedora-wearing hipster, which is truly a shame because the original song is such a masterpiece. If a 50-year anniversary cover album is released, hopefully they do it right.