Conceptual Inspiration:
The concept for doing an autumn-themed mix came to me many years ago when I became hooked on the Twin Peaks series, and more importantly David Lynch's soundtrack featuring Julee Cruise. The captivating, melancholy textures and ethereal female vocals led me to seeking more of this sound, much later finding Sam Rosenthal's venerable Projekt Records Label with the likes of Frolic and Love Spirals Downwards. The genre carries a mysterious and atmospheric quality that I have long associated with the season of autumn, as the mystery of the unknown is glimpsed through the transition in nature from life to death. Vastly different than any of my other ambient mixes, this one explores the realms of vocal atmospheres, goth-textured ambient, and peacefully melancholy moods.

The title refers to the dismal mood commonly felt during the “Fall” season when awareness tends to draw within revealing the “shadows” or darker aspects of the self that have been neglected. The “Fall of Shadows” in a literal sense alludes to the leaves that fall out of the trees that once provided the shadow. Metaphorically the leaves represent the masks or personalities of the self beneath which shadows exist in the human character. When the masks fall, the shadows disappear losing their power and leaving only truth. The only “shadow” left is from the true form of the tree, which with gray skies ultimately disappears representing the impermanence of form. Lamenting or sorrow is the emotion that illustrates the human character’s identification with and attachment to the world of form--that which is always fleeting. Through this process of grievance we allow a form-shedding to occur as we welcome death to release that which no longer serves us, bringing us closer to truth, and making way for the awakening into new form--rebirth.

This mix is a dedication to David Lynch, Julee Cruise, Sam Rosenthal, Samhain's thin veil, witches, goddesses, the paintings of Tor Lundvall, and the magick of autumn's transformational energy. In short, capturing the character of autumn through the mystery felt in the chilling breeze, seen in the blowing leaves that blanket the streets in a spectrum of brilliant color, and the frail skeletons of trees that support the ominous, gray void above.

Track Listing:
1. Intro - (Excerpts from Frolic)
2. Oophoi - Season's Tide (The Rustling of Leaves)
3. Frolic - Skin
4. Aes Dana - Haze
5. Closedown - Bliss
6. Love Spirals Downwards - Kykeon
7. Frolic - Aqua
8. Tor Lundvall - It's Over Now
9. Julee Cruise - Into the Night
10. Omicron - A Thousand Dyes on the Moist Earth
11. Future Sound of London - Vit Drowning/Through Your Gills I Breathe
12. Tor Lundvall - Last Light
13. Frolic - To Dream Perchance to Sleep
14. Tor Lundvall - Sunday Evening
15. Angelo Badalamenti - Laura Palmer's Theme
16. Love Spirals Downwards - Promises
17. Static Effect - Circle Breaks the Line
18. Frolic - In Winter
19. Vidna Obmana & Sam Rosenthal - These Ancient Halls

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For other seasonally themed mixes by Solomoon see:
Snow Drift
Snowjourn: Snow drift 2