The sweltering heat, the god-awful movies with catering budgets that rival the national gross of small European nations (Latveria and Freedonia aside), the reemergence of the ice cream man…. As Fountains of Wayne would say, “it must be summer”. That is if you live somewhere besides Florida where we’re treated to humid weather and French Canadians flexing their pale asses all year round. Honestly, if not for unnecessary sequels, offensive remakes, and hurricane scares, there’d be no way to distinguish this season from the others. So, when offered the opportunity to construct a “summer mix list” I was rather perplexed. Do I cram the list with adolescent surfer anthems and Sublime, or dare I be a revisionist of sorts, and give my own interpretation of the season I essentially experience all year? Go ahead and scroll down, look for “Wipe Out” or “Santeria” on the track listing? Ok, ok, so you know what route I took.
So besides the aforementioned bad movies and weather panics what makes summer, summer to me? Summer to me has always represented the pause between a major transition. Perhaps its because I’ve spent the better part of my life in school. To any and all students, our new year begins in the fall with summer being that short respite before everything is reset. It’s your personal time to catch up and come of age in time for the new “year”. In the summer months I grow very nostalgic, and more than anything, I try to be intimate with my city, which I’ve had to neglect for the most part in my studies. Summer is the one time in the year where you can live out some of the dreams you’ve been having. You can travel, take chances, f*ck up and be proud of it. My version of summer exists somewhere between the youthful adventurous tone of The Sandlot and the frantic dread of Ghost World. The comic, not the movie.
So, when it comes to summer songs, I tend to prefer songs that take me places. They’re poppy, with lavish production and friendly choruses that don’t bite when you sing them. You’re not going to find many slow or long songs on here, that’s for sure.
And with the risk-taking nature of summer, I decided to take a risk of my own and concoct a gimmicky mix of sorts. When I began compiling the songs, I noticed that an overwhelming number of the selections were the second tracks of the albums they originally appeared on. So that’s what I did. A summer sample of track #2s, a trail-mix of picaresque ditties for you to nibble on that may help you determine or delay the next leap you make in your life. Enjoy!
1. “Black and White Town”- The Doves- We kick things off with some thrusting psychedelic rock, courtesy of the Doves, those time-traveling Brits who probably should have lived in the 60’s, but certainly make a welcome addition in this decade. This song particularly is a good way to start off your summer. It gets you in a good mood, and most importantly, keeps you there.
2. “Down on the Street” – Adam Green- Adam Green reminds you of one of your wisecracking friends. The kind that can get away with the stupidest jokes, and make you laugh no matter how lame they are. You can only handle him in small does, and at only two to three minutes tops a song, he’s repeatedly manageably amusing. Plus, any song with the line “dirty stinking….Jew”, gets my approval.
3. “Billy Liar”- The Decemberists- If you’ve ever seen me in a message board or read my contribution to the long forgotten “Late Night Jukebox” section that used to accompany J.R. Fernandez’s column, you’ll know I’m absolutely in love with this band. And, they more than any other band, know how to write the perfect summer song. Between “July July”, “Grace Cathedral Hill”, “Shiny”, and “We Both Go Down Together” for starters, they’re hummable narratives of wayward youths and lusty pirates fit right in with the mood of the season. The best of them though is this song that perfectly captures the youthful wastefulness of summer. “So the summer is eternity for you, sleeping in until your fathers shaking you down”. The lyrical hook of the chorus is especially fitting. “Will you stay pure for a while dear….”. With the onset of a new year coming, the innocence we taunt so freely in summer is quickly compromised.
4. “Do You Remember the Riots…”- Jens Lenkman- Three cheers for Swedish Accapella!! In this song, Jens recounts a breakup he had during a summer riot. It’s funny and touching at the same time. “And your hand slipped out of mine. I couldn’t see no love in your eye. I knew what I had to do, burn down the avenue”.
5. “Flagpole Sitta”- Harvey Danger- I’m ashamed to admit, I used to be a major MTV junkie in the late 90s. I remember the many afternoons spent watching the network during the era in which it last played music. It was also the last time mainstream alternative (an oxymoron if ever the was one) rock was genuinely good. The Barenaked Ladies, Monster Magnet, Fuel, Nada Surf,….the list goes on and on for bands that had been bubbling near the surface of public consciousness. With a lead singer who could’ve been a stunt double on Dexter’s Laboratory, and wacky lyrics that I thought we’re brilliant when I was fifteen (now they’re just cute), I was hooked on catching this video the three or four times it aired every day.
6. “Freetime”- Kenna- If I was actually invited to parties or had enough confidence to crash one, this is a song I’d like to hear played at least twice.
7. “Not a Love Song”- Maria Taylor- Taylor, of Azure Ray fame (A band who makes some great autumn music) has a tight grasp on what makes a pop song work. Catchy choruses? Check. Strong intro? Check. Accessible yet smart lyrics? Check. In the off chance that your summer adventures land you in love, this is one song you’ll want to make out to again and again.
8. “Who Will Run the Starfish Hospital”- The Paperbacks- Is it unsettling or inspiring that a group of guys from cold as f*ck Winnipeg Canada can write a great beach song? I guess I should start an opus of my own on glaciers. A reflective song about change with some fantastic aquatic imagery.
9. “Brimful of Asha”- Cornershop- Another MTV Buzzworthy classic. The closest indy rock has ever come to being actual Indie rock. Or would that be Hindi rock? Ok, that’s just bad. It’s true that this song goes on for way too long, becoming useless and slightly annoying at the four minute mark, but truth be told, I just can’t get enough of that guitar riff that carries the song from beginning to end. And you’ve just got to love that ancient Eastern philosophy: “Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow”.
10. “Breathe In”- Frou Frou- In my most recent relationship that lasted approximately one month ( I purposely stayed in it one extra day for that purpose), the girl I was with made me three mixes. Yes, that’s a lot for a short period of time, but most of them were pretty spiffy. Of all the songs on them, this was my favorite. The drumbeat is so childish that I almost feel like punching myself in the face for falling hopelessly for it each time, but I just can’t!! It’s too good. In a guilty way of course.
11. “Elevator Love Letter”- Stars- Frou Frou and Stars go together on mixes like Dr. Seuss and funny interpretations of Nazis. Summer is definitely the time of being overtly cheesy with the romance tactics. This song is so gooey, I’m waiting for Nora Ephron to adapt it for the screen.
12. “Tell Everybody I Know”- Keb’ Mo- The lyrics in this song are even cornier than in :”Elevator Love Letter”, but it’s cool, because it’s a black guy singing them. Blacks don’t do gooey. They couldn’t if they tried. You could get a black guy to do an album of Journey and Carpenters covers, and he’d find someway to make it seem hip. I think I’ve found my new quest in life: Get a black guy to sing a Journey song. Cleveland joining in on “Don’t Stop Believing Doesn’t Count”. Oh, I’m writing about this song, that’s right. It’s simple and sweet and you should like it. There you go.
13. “Aside”- The Weakerthans- The band I came of age with. The band I’m still in love with no matter how many times I’ve listened to their songs. The band that keeps me in touch with my city, even if they’re thousands of miles away from it. As to why I picked this song, in particular I’ll just let John K. Samson’s incredible lyrics do the job for me: “And I’m leaning on this broken fence, between past and present tense/And I’m losing all those stupid games that I swore I’d never play/ But it feels okay…..”
14. “Kingston”- Greg Macpherson Band- The melody sounds a lot like “The Story in Your Eyes” by the Moody Blues but with the grittiness Macpehrson naturally adds to any song both lyrically and vocally. A song about taking a chance and failing. Ah, the familiar sounds of summer.
15. “Glitter and Twang”- Tullycraft- A goofy, affectionate song that only those without souls wouldn’t fall for. In other words, I can’t explain why I love it so much. So I won’t try.
16. “A Movie Script Ending”- Death Cab for Cutie- The closest thing I do have to an epic on this mix. Right from the start, this song just feels important. There’s something about it that leaves me in awe every time I listen to it. And, if you have the means to acquire it, I highly recommend finding the innovative video which is what made me first aware of this song.
17. “Hazey Jane II”- Nick Drake- Hazey Jane II appears on Drake’s album Bryter Layter(His best by far) a few tracks before Hazey Jane I. Take that George Lucas, you , plagiarizing, gungan loving bastard. The song definitely has that vibe of pleasantly falling
Into a combustible relationship. Hey, those can be good to. I got a Frou Frou song out of one.
18. “Singing in My Sleep”- Semisonic- A song about mixes on a mix. Either I’m a hack when it comes to making these things (no opinions needed!), or I have a penchant for obvious irony. Semisonic is my favorite of the MTV bands, and this is the song that got me into them, not that annoying “Closing Time” with matching split screen video. I can remember the days I wish I was smart enough to pen a line like “in the city the lion sleeps, pray to Sony my soul to keep”.
19. “The Tension and the Terror”- Straylight Run- Maybe it’s the snob in me, but I feel bad for liking this song. It’s beyond infantile. The vocals are laughable, and the lyrics aren’t much better. In fact, taping me belting this song out in the shower like I’ve done many times will either make you go deaf or allow you to have the best blackmail material you can ever hold over me. Admitting I like this song? Yeah, that’s my big summer risk.
20. “Solar Sister”- The Posies-Ah, pop I don’t have to be ashamed to enjoy. How refreshing. I came about this band when I was working at WLCX, a small college radio station for a few months. I “liberated” a few albums that weren’t getting airplay. I’d stumbled on this band when I came up shorthanded looking for the Pixies. As it turns out, I’m a much bigger admirer of the Posies. See kids, your Bible lies to you. Stealing is beneficial if it allows you to be introduced to new music.
21. “Nights of the Living Dead”- Tilly and the Wall- In tribute to George A. Romero and his new movie “Land of the Dead”, one of the sequels coming out in the next few years that A. makes sense and B. Looks at least halfway watchable. Alright, the song has nothing to do with zombies or Pittsburgh, but it is fun to dance to and has tap dancing in it, and the best use of the word “f*ck” (well, a variation of it) in a song. If only they’d talked about dirty stinking Jews
