On this glorious July weekend I come bearing gifts for all with open ears. This is a collection of songs that I have loved so much recently that I really just need to let them go and find something new to listen to. Assuming the rest of you haven’t suffered from the same tendencies of addiction, have a listen to some of my favorite tracks for the summer. I like to think of the playlist as the music that could span a summer day, waking up late to the dream-like feel of Washed Out and a mellower Neon Indian track. As night descends and there are people to see and drinks to throw back, we can all start appreciating animals with Crookers and maybe getting obnoxiously drunk with the Bloody Beetroots. The picture above is what summer is all about to me: enjoying a beverage with friends before a surf in Big Sur (props to Stephanie Wirkus on the Photo).
1. Neon Indian – 6669 (I don’t know if you know)
This is a great waking up song because you might not be sure if you’re still dreaming or not (Inception anyone? It’s awesome) and Neon Indian is right there with you. Who needs waking life when you have lucid dreams?
2. LCD Soundsystem – Dance Yrself Clean
Yes, I will dance myself clean. Once your shoelaces are tied and your teeth are brushed, its time to put some pep in your step, and no one can set that in motion like LCD Soundsystem. This is a great song among an entire album of great songs, which is This is Happening.
3. Washed Out – Feel it All Around
This is an awesome track off of newcomer Ernest Greene’s 2010 Life of Leisure EP. I think it embodies a very similar feel to Neon Indian’s dream crafting abilities, which I obviously enjoy. Sleeping in late is why summer was invented back in 1240 AD anyway.
4. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Round and Round
Nothing sounds better than “Round and Round” when you are walking down the street on a hot sunny day. This is the most infectious song I can think of right now, I started whistling this song everywhere I went in early June. Its practically August now, and I’m still whistling. Good luck getting this one out of your head, if you ever want it to leave.
5. HEALTH – In Heat (Javelin Rmx)
HEALTH is a band that is too weird to live, too rare to die (to quote the godfather of Gonzo, R.I.P. H.S.T.). Their remix album, which this track is off of, is incredible and a bit more electro-pop than the original. Maybe a watered down HEALTH, or HEALTH with training wheels. My girlfriend claims to hear the bassline from Seinfeld in there somewhere, which I think is just preposterous.
6. Sleigh Bells – Rill Rill
“Have a heart, have a heart, have a heart, sixteen six six six like the pentagon.” A melodic tune alluding to teen angst and Satan? Yes, please. This song takes a sunny acoustic melody with soft vocals that may or may not mask something more sinister. Either way the song is amazing, and a rare treat in an album better known for its intense blasts of distorted guitar and slapping bass. I must thank Morgan for letting me know that the whole album is good and that I don’t need to just play the first three songs over and over.
7. Crystal Castles – Celestica
Crystal Castles (2010) is such an amazing album. There’s so much more to love about it than their first album, which I also absolutely loved. If you ask me, CC can do no wrong, and I could have just put my finger on the track list and picked any song from the album. CC will always have a place in my playlists.
8. Phoenix – Fences
I was a little late on the Phoenix bandwagon, probably because I wrote them off before I even heard any of their songs all the way through. It was Holy Ghost!’s remix of Lisztomania that got me into them, and now they are my guiltiest pleasure. This is a good one for kicking back in the late afternoon with a nice summer breeze, and maybe you can even ponder something.
9. VEGA – No Reasons
VEGA is Alan Palomo of Neon Indian’s side project. As you can tell it’s a little less dream inducing and a little more “Hey, are we in 1980? We should go party or something!” We can all enjoy those kinds of tunes. I am an 80’s baby, after all.
10. Crookers – We Love Animals Ft. Soulwax And Mixhell
Some of the best DJ’s from Italy, Belgium and Brazil all packed into one track. Sounds like a musical alliance that only World Cup soccer could strain. I’ve heard my buddy Nick refer to Crookers as “Fidget House,” which is a perfect description of the sound. It’s a little weird, a little paranoid but a lot of fun.
11. Calvin Harris – The Rain
Calvin Harris’ “The Rain” is a whole lotta’ disco packed into four and a half minutes. It makes sense coming from the man whose debut album was titled I Created Disco. Synths, organs, and even a saxophone solo are what make this track worth as many listens as you can stand. Definitely save this one for once the sun goes down and the time has come to dance.
12. Sebastien Tellier – Kilometer (Aeroplane ‘Italo 84′ Remix)
The original song was so over the top it was hilarious, but the Aeroplane remix makes is much more listenable. This is another throwback tune to a more rhinestone-laden time, a time that I would very much like to visit.
13. Boys Noize – Jeffer
I love the way that this song starts out. It goes from almost complete silence an explosion of sleek electro bliss, and doesn’t let up until the very end. This song should be employed during the pre-party to get more excited than you really need to be about going to a bar where they kick people out for getting too excited.
14. The Bloody Beetroots – Cornelius
These guys are the reincarnation of hardcore punk rock in electronic form. I would imagine that they would suffer playing this song in the summer heat under their black masks, but they would do it anyway because they are so hardcore. Seeing them live changed my life, and this song always brings me back to that night. This is the song that you play when you are too drunk at the end of the night and starting to bother people.
15. Neon Indian – Ephemeral Artery
This is one of Neon Indian’s tougher tracks, with a little less fuzz and a little more umph. Neon Indian is my idea of summer music at its finest, day or night, its always just right.
16. Sleigh Bells – Treats
This is my favorite Sleigh Bells song, which is saying a lot. The title track off of their album treats is so hard, so tough, so incredible. I’m not at all surprised that guitarist Derek E. Miller was in a hardcore band before this more danceable creation. If you don’t like this song, then odds are we won’t get along.
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