As the leaves change their hue, the inevitable moment arrives when you slip on a fuzzy knit sweater to better bear the brisk weather sliding into summer’s absence. It’s a strangely pleasant time of year, but it somehow feels warmer when pitted snugly against a song acknowledging the coming chill. An autumn track ought to recognize the impending isolation of darker days without resorting to hopelessness. Here are a few to play while you thumb through that novel you’ve been meaning to read.

Oh, Moz. You love the colder months, don’t you? The alienated king of isolation makes music for times such as these. As The Smiths perform “Bigmouth Strikes Again/Vicar In A Tutu,” take time to appreciate the soon-to-be-bare branches in your neighborhood.

With soft harmonies that pine for a lover’s arms, you can almost hear a fall wind beneath Ida‘s quiet songcraft. “Shotgun,” one of its earliest pieces, brings home the seasonal change of guard.

The distant, reverbed vocals on Deleted Scenes‘ “Fake IDs” imply a calm longing, suitably complimenting the transitory weather. Mildly melancholic chords ask for permanence, when there is none. This Friday, the band will be tugging pre-einter heartstrings at Iota in Arlington.

BONUS: What? I left out the most obvious choice? Well, it’s a pretty literal take on today’s theme, but the music is more than appropriate (and this is a pretty nice performance). So, here it is folks, Yo La Tengo‘s “Autumn Sweater.”