(i took this pic and i'm quite proud of it, hopefully you like it)
hey bros. i'm not gonna lie, i just get so stoked every time i realise that it is now officially summer (even though we are still stuck in school). if you have been reading this blog attentively you may remember that i posted a summer mix a while back in winter. i was really tired of cold weather. actually, it is now a little too hot and humid for my taste. i think i like the idea of summer and the freedom and no responsibilities and fun and hangin' with friends more than the real thing (which is not to say i don't enjoy the real thing). anyways, here is part 1 of a mix/playlist compiled exclusively for listening to during summer or while thinking about summer. think of this as disc 1 of a two disc album, or, the A side of a vinyl record, or, Side A of a cassette tape. it may be interesting for you to compare this to my earlier summer mix to see how my tastes have changed/progressed/been influenced by the far-to-humid summer weather. i really hope you enjoy it though.
Link: http://8tracks.com/discretemath/kids-on-holiday (This part is tentatively titled Kids on Holiday, after the song of the same name which appears on it).
Tracklisting1. Beach Comber - Real Estate
I really like Real Estate, and this is my favorite song of theirs. There is something about their twangy, reverb drenched, washed out/far away sound that is very summery and relaxing and "chill". Their s/t full length came out last year and is great, I heartily recommend it to everyone.
2. Mega Secrets - Family Portrait
I don't really know much about this band, but I enjoy their stuff. I first heard them on a compilation by the Friendship Bracelet Club.
3. Providence - The Love Language
This song is quite fun. I found out about this band last summer and listened to this song a heckuva bunch, so I guess there are some summer memories behind it. They are sorta reminescent of bands like Dr. Dog and The Magic Kids. Lo-fi retro pop excellence.
4. People - Silver Jews
The most criminally overlooked band. There album
American Water is one of the best albums ever, but vastly overlooked. Stephen Malkmus plays guitar, Dave Berman sings and writes the tunes. There are other members too. Dave's lyrics are very amazing, but there is some nonsense/"out there" lyrics so beware. The band Suburban Kids With Biblical Names got their name from this song. Listen to "Random Rules" as well.
5. Twin Peaks - Surfer Blood
Man, I really, really like this band, I think
Astrocoast is maybe my favorite debut this year so far. It's kinda odd, cause when i first heard "Swim (To Reach the End)" last year I really didn't like it, but they really grow on you. My recent love is sparked by a friend including their song "Floating Vibes" on a mix she made for me. This song is my favorite of there's I think. Key Lyric: "Why is everything a chore? I'm too young to be defeated" Youth and no responsibilities is what summer is all about. Sort of surfy lo-fi-ish garage pop with reverby vocals. It's really excellent.
6. Droplet on a Hot Stone - Julian Lynch
Julian Lynch has some cool songs, they are really lo-fi and far away sounding. He's very akin to Ducktails I think.
7. Shore Patrol - Fluffy Lumbers
Man, I really like this song (and Fluffy Lumbers in general) a whole lot. He's from NJ and is kind of a part of that whole Real Estate/Ducktails/Julian Lynch scene. Very beachy, summery tunes, he has only one EP out I think.
8. Fair Weather Friends - Daedelus
This is a little different from all the other stuff I have on here. This song is a lot different from most of Daedelus' other stuff too (I don't really like a lot of his stuff). He sounds sort of like Flying Lotus so if that is your thing I'd recommend him. This song's good though, fun samples and beat and stuff.
9. New Wife, New Life - Truman Peyote
This song is very heavily AnCo influenced. I like it a lot, but I don't really like much of Truman Peyote's other stuff, excluding a couple of songs. A lot of it is sort of unlistenable in my opinion.
10. Kids on Holiday - Animal Collective
You probably know AnCo so I won't really go into them. However, I will say that I really really really like Sung Tongs and think it is a superb summer album.
11. In Spain - Vadoinmessico
I don't really know much about this band. This song's quite fun though. There is a definite latin/spanish influence (as noted by the title) in this song with fun rhythms and guitar and percussion. The voice is definitely tinged by an accent as well. I think most everyone will probably enjoy this one.
12. Summertime - Girls
I love Girls. At first I wasn't really into them but "Lust for Life" is such a irresistable, catchy pop song and that kind of lead me into listening to all their stuff. All the songs off
Album are good and fun. While some of the songs are sad/mopey (in a good way) they don't need to be taken seriously, they just need to be enjoyed. They also do a lot of good songs that weren't released on the album, I'd recommend "Heartbreaker".
13. Texico Bitches - Broken Social Scene
Broken Social Scene is a band I forget a lot about, but love every time I listen to.
You Forgot it in People is truly a great album and one I always come back to. There's a lot of variety and I like how they are a large band with a lot of rotating members but a kind of core sound. This song's off their new album and I like it a lot.
14. Summer - Modest Mouse
Good song by my favorite ever band off the great
The Fruit that Ate Itself EP.
15. July, July! - The Decemberists
The first Decemeberists song I heard, so I guess there is some nostalgia here. It's quite a fun song.
16. Crushed Bones - Why?
I've been listening to a lot of Why? recently. While I generally don't like rap/hip hop these guys pull it off quite well and a lot of their songs aren't technically hip-hop but there is a definite heavy influence. If you know some other bands like them please let me know. Great, great lyrics by Yoni.
17. Boardwalk Theme - Desolation Wilderness
Read about them here:
http://ourmathissodiscrete.blogspot.com/2010/05/desolation-wilderness.html
18. Young Hearts Spark Fire - Japandroids
Japandroids are awesome. A two-piece drums/guitar garage-y band where they both sing and play their hearts out. There songs are very fun and have a youth-y "let's just have fun and do stuff" feel to them. I listened to
Post-Nothing more than any other album last summer. Japandroids are summer. simple as that. Check out their new song "Younger Us". They were also featured on my previous summer mix.
19. Tunguska - Cymbals Eat Guitars
Cymbals is another band that I found out about and listened to a lot last summer. I've seen them live several times and they completely kill (look up the show review about them and Los Camp). They're super nice guys as well, and their facebook fan page is really fun. This song wasn't on their album,
Why There Are Mountains, but it, along with their other new songs, is great.
20. Relax at the Beach - The Sandwitches
Read about them here:
http://ourmathissodiscrete.blogspot.com/2010/02/sandwitches.html21. All My Friends - LCD Soundsystem
I don't really like most of LCD Soundsystem too much, but I quite enjoy their non-electro-dancey songs, like this one. The piano riff/jive is absolutley rad. It's very fun and anthemy and free-spirited but there is also a "tinge of melancholy". I think it's quite a good closer to part 1 of this mix.
Stay tuned for part 2.
-Alec
The new Avey Tare (Down There). Avey's my fave of Animal Collective and I never really listened to Panda Bear's solo stuff until pretty recently (although I'm really liking it), and I really liked his older solo stuff (like "Abyss Song") and the album he did with ex-wife Kria Brekkan, so I had super high hopes for this. I've listened to it several times but I can't really make up my mind about it. None of the songs really stand out or are particularly great, but it really does flow well as an album. You should give it a listen, but don't expect to be blown away. I feel like a lot of people like it just because it's by Avey.
