Summer Soundtrack: Volume 1
As happens every summer, my music tastes have recently veered dramatically away from the usual sad-guy-with-guitar or pretentious-nerd-rock that I generally listen to. In their place are songs that promote "dancing", "singing" or "happiness", all things I generally try my best to avoid so as to maintain my scene cred. And, even despite Toronto's "extreme heat alerts" and "smog warnings", my lapse into summer music has pretty much been in full effect for a few weeks now. The following are all songs that I listened to way too much last summer and are now considered "essential" around my apartment.
Neil Michael Haggerty - Firebase Ripcord
If there was any justice, this song would have been number one on the charts for the past three years rather than just being on an (excellent) album that nobody seemed to notice. It still makes me dance around the house every time I hear it and I listen to it almost every day. Ok, every other day.
[From the Album Howling Hex]
The Softies - Me and the Bees
I know, the chorus of "In a cyclone of falling leaves" is probably a good indication that this song is describing a fall day rather than a summer one, but when I listen to it all I can think of is sunshine, insects, mid-afternoon, and sleeping on the lawn.
[From the album Holiday in Rhode Island]
The Blow - What Tom Said About Girls
All the lame dance-punk bands could learn some lessons from this song. All the good dance-punk bands probably could too. BTW, this song is not dance-punk.
[From th Album The Concussive Caress]
The Clean - Tally Ho
This song might actually be the very definition of "upbeat". It kind of reminds me of a peppy half-cousin to Redd Kross's "Linda Blair" (or, as I like to call it, the best song ever).
[From the album Anthology]
_________
On a different note, you should check out the crazy agro vibe on the Black Mountain message board during the past few weeks. Who knew Coldplay could evoke so much anger?
Neil Michael Haggerty - Firebase Ripcord
If there was any justice, this song would have been number one on the charts for the past three years rather than just being on an (excellent) album that nobody seemed to notice. It still makes me dance around the house every time I hear it and I listen to it almost every day. Ok, every other day.
[From the Album Howling Hex]
The Softies - Me and the Bees
I know, the chorus of "In a cyclone of falling leaves" is probably a good indication that this song is describing a fall day rather than a summer one, but when I listen to it all I can think of is sunshine, insects, mid-afternoon, and sleeping on the lawn.
[From the album Holiday in Rhode Island]
The Blow - What Tom Said About Girls
All the lame dance-punk bands could learn some lessons from this song. All the good dance-punk bands probably could too. BTW, this song is not dance-punk.
[From th Album The Concussive Caress]
The Clean - Tally Ho
This song might actually be the very definition of "upbeat". It kind of reminds me of a peppy half-cousin to Redd Kross's "Linda Blair" (or, as I like to call it, the best song ever).
[From the album Anthology]
_________
On a different note, you should check out the crazy agro vibe on the Black Mountain message board during the past few weeks. Who knew Coldplay could evoke so much anger?
posted by ian at 7:56 PM
5 Comments:
I've also been listening to Tally Ho! over and over this summer!
Whilst the Clean song is amazing and on permanent summer time soundtrack for me I can't believe that you made me listen to The Blow again. They were on my veto list, records that Jen could only listen to it when I wasn't home (she had a veto list too). I thought If I was publicly going to trash it I should listen to it again. For the life of me I can't figure out why every likes this terrible indie rock Hip-Hop, if you can even call it that. There are so many good hip-hop artist out there, doing things a million times more interesting than this. BAH-Humbug!
The Blow is just silly and the lyrics to this song are awesome. It's the only "hip-hop" sounding song on the album, really, and I think its more tongue in cheek than anything. And it's the very definition of a summer song: something I wouldn't normally listen to and that is totally light-hearted and that I don't need to analyze to death to enjoy.
The Blow is fun enough, although "Hey Boy" is the track of theirs that kicks off my summer soundtrack.
Liking the Tally Ho! though, and I've always got a soft spot for those Softies.
can you believe i rescued a copy of that neil michael hagerty album from my local record store's used bin? oh, the things people throw away!
i actually did an on-air performance (www.wbar.org, barnard college radio) with the blow, dear nora, and y.a.c.h.t. last november. good times.
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