Grab some cider and donuts (preferably mulled and glazed, respectively). It's time to sample the music written for and about the autumn season.

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Keane bids adieu to uplifting ballads and ushers in a different style -- '80s-influenced pop -- with Perfect Symmetry. While the album isn't solely devoted to exploring that new genre, it's certainly the focus, and "Spiralling" appropriately kickstarts the set with whooping vocals and retro synthesizers. "When we fall in love," sings Tom Chaplin in his Wembley-geared voice, "we're just falling in love with ourselves." Coming from the same mouth that once crooned the over-earnest strains of "Somewhere Only We Know," those lyrics are wholly different -- a sign that four years spent in the shadow of U2, Coldplay, and other like-minded bands have convinced Keane to make their own Achtung Baby.

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It used to be that a list of albums offered up in December or January could paint a definitive, or at least representative, picture of The Year in Music. While that annual list is still a great way to say goodbye to the past year’s music and hello to what is to come, nowadays so many new albums and reissues vie for listeners that even a list of the best music from the past six months can seem quaintly out of touch. For this list, we focused on just the standout albums from July, August and September – and even then, it took a while to whittle it down to a reasonable size. Here are the mid to late summer releases you just might be listening to come fall and winter (and check out our lists of great music from the first six months of 2008 while you’re at it).

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