What Were You Listening To This Summer?

So it's starting to feel less and less like summer everyday now. Believe it or not there's a few weeks left. All we've been talking about here are summer records; I listed my favorite record releases of the (spring and) summer and LLV basically gave a run down of what she's been into this summer with a wide range of selections from Eminem to Fleetwood Mac.

I had this idea to ask a few people what their favorite records were to listen to in the summer. For me it's Weezer's Blue Album, hands down. It's as if I forget that record exists until it gets warm outside. The opening chords of the acoustic on "My Name Is Jonas", the lyrics in "Surf Wax America" (and the title!) and the visual I get from "In The Garage" seem to just scream "It's summer, get out, enjoy the weather, have fun!!!". Hell, I don't even own a car this is the feeling I get from popping some ear buds in my ear so I can only imagine what fun I'd be inspired to have if I hopped into a car and cranked the volume up to 'obnoxious'. This summer however I've gotten a bit dark. Along with my beloved Weezer summer pick-me-up I've been putting Kittie's discography on repeat. Ironically, one of my favorite songs by the band is called "Summer Dies"

SO, I asked Raimy Rosenduft, Sarah Bastin, Jamie Holm (Sick of Sarah), Brad Hale (Now, Now Every Children) and Lindsey Byrnes to fill us in on what they've been blasting this summer. I'm nosy, I ask a lot of people a lot of things and you're no different. I'd love to see what you guys have been listening to this summer in the comments!

And yeah The Byrnes' answer is kind of short. But if you're a fan of The Byrnes then you know how busy she is, seriously, I don't think the woman sleeps! Glad I could get a hold of her to get this! Enjoy

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Nada Surf's 'Let Go' it just happened that way, I got back to Los Angeles after being gone for almost a year and it's just what has been on my ipod. That and Next Stop Soweto and Miriam Makeba's Greatest Hits and a bunch of other afrobeat... and the new LCD and Washed Out all on shuffle. It reminds me of walking around Park Slope and Ft. Greene... home.

-Raimy
http://raimyrosenduft.com
http://twitter.com/muthafunka

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my record of the summer 2010 is ra ra riot - boy
because before them i hated the cello and the violin. because their new record makes me sad, happy, joyful, melancolic and summer is all about that. it's the moment of the year to reach a new level in work and life, you start a new year in the summer. ra ra riot is a great band for roadtrips !

-Sarah
http://sarahbastin.net
http://twitter.com/sarahbastin
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The album I've been listening to the most is my boyfriends band, Vaudeville, I'm a nerd. Haha. Other than that I would have to say Mermaid Avenue, Wilco & Billy Bragg. I'm addicted.

-Jamie
http://sickofsarah.com
http://twitter.com/jamiestrange

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I'm not big on summer, so whenever summer happens to come around I need to listen to music that distracts me from the heat. Every summer for the past handful of years I have found myself retreating to the Sufjan Stevens "Songs for Christmas" albums. Maybe it's a bad habit, but it totally gives me this nostalgic feeling that I can never find anywhere during summer.

-Brad
http://nownowband.tumblr.com
http://twitter.com/poopybrad

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Steel Train/Steel Train
Pixies/ Doolittle
Tegan and Sara/Sainthood

These are the CDs that are currently on rotation in my car.

-Lindsey
http://lindseybyrnes.com
http://twitter.com/lindseybyrnes

Illustrations by Jodi Sandler

http://jodisandler.com

http://twitter.com/jodisandler

Another Summer Playlist! (Can't Have Too Many)

My summer playlist…is long and all over-the-place. When you have a job that allows you to listen to music during all 8 hours you work every day, the amount of music you acquire tends to build up. Don’t worry, I won’t bore you with my entire playlist.

Janay beat me to the punch on several artists she mentioned in her playlist, so I just wanted to add that Hesta Prynn, Japanese Cartoon, Steel Train [my favourite album for work] (+ Terrible Thrills), and Kaki King are all on heavy rotation for me too. Fantastic albums!

Geographer - Animal Shapes EP


I stumbled upon this band by complete accident a couple years ago around the time their first album, Innocent Ghosts, came out. I was an instant fan. Since then, they’ve released Kites EP and now Animal Shapes EP. Their sound has changed quite a bit as well; their latest releases are more up-beat…a mix between electro-pop and rock. The instrumentals are always BIG with lots going on – I can never sit still listening. Then add Mike Deni’s very distinct vocals and the result is one of the most beautiful songs you’ll hear. On Animal Shapes, Mike definitely challenges his vocal range, adding so much more emotion and power to their songs (Age of Consent [Kites EP] is a great example). I can’t say enough about this band, nor do them justice with my thoughts, you got to see...err listen yourself.
Standouts: ALL

Braids [CAN]


Braids recently opened for Holly Miranda and I had the pleasure of witnessing their phenomenal live set (I’m pretty sure I had to pick my jaw up from the floor). Originally they resided in Calgary and were known as The Neighbourhood Council. They put the Set Pieces EP out through this name. Now known as Braids, they moved to Montreal where they taught themselves how to record/make an album in their self-made studio. Native Speaker is the end result of this adventure, which is supposed to be released sometime in the fall. There are four members to the band, which is hard to believe when you hear all the layering of vocal tracks and instruments. It is also for that very reason why their live show is truly amazing.
Standouts: Live and Tan (Set Pieces), Lemonade, Native Speaker (Native Speaker)

Blue Hawaii – Blooming Summer [CAN]


The band consists of Raphaelle Standell-Preston (from Braids) and Alexander Cowan. Raphie refers to it as a “love project”. The songs on Blooming Summer are all about love and revelations with a very dream-like feel to it. The keyboards, synth, and drums have been beautifully layered and topped with Raphie’s unique vocals. There are only a few points during the album where her vocals sound like that in Braids, which shows the range she has and the challenges she creates for herself. The album will leave you in a daze and wanting more. Recently, they did a split cassette tape with Braids, which can be bought at their shows. I only have Floral from this release; it’s very Blue Hawaii-like but with more layers and backing vocals.
Standouts: Lilac, Dream Elextrixra, Blue Gowns

Eminem – Recovery


Em is back! Relapse was one of the worst albums I’ve heard and I can no longer listen to the majority of Encore. So let’s just say I was worried when I got Recovery. But Eminem pulled through and put together a great album that I can’t stop listening to. Recovery reminds me a lot of The Eminem Show; with him singing on tracks, using old classic song snippets, heartfelt songs for/about his daughters, etc. He has some great artists featuring on the album, however I wish he used Rihanna and Pink better, maybe give them more to sing. Eminem has always been known for his clever lyrics/lines, I think he took them to a whole new level this time; a lot more insulting, hilarious, and powerful (ie. love is evil, spell it backwards, I don’t need the swine flu to be a sick pig, I don’t need a tank top to be a wife beater, shake that ass like a donkey with parkinsons). It’s a very emotional album – as most of his are – but this one is different. You can tell he reached his breaking point, that he is hurting, and is ashamed (Going Through Changes is a great example…listen to the sound in his voice). The album left me thinking and reflecting on life.
Standouts: Going Through Changes, Not Afraid, Seduction, No Love, Space Bound, 25 to Life, Love the Way You Lie

Goldfrapp – Head First


I’ve been a fan of Goldfrapp for several years now and saw them in concert when they toured in support for Seventh Tree. Until recently, it was flat out THE best concert I had ever been to. Head First has Goldfrapp going back to its more electro-pop without grunge days. It was a nice change after Seventh Tree, which was a much slower album. You can’t help but move around in your seat and dance to Head First (very 80s like). Will Gregory and Alison Goldfrapp are an amazing pair; they balance each other so well. If they are ever in your city, do yourself a huge favour and go! Alison sounds amazing live and is accompanied by a huge band (note: W.Gregory does not do any live shows).
Standouts: Rocket, Believer, Head First, Shiny and Warm, I Wanna Life

Lights – Acoustic EP [CAN]


I found out about Lights when she wrote songs for the show Instant Star (yes, I actually liked that show). At that time, she only had a few songs on her myspace I could never remember and google could never find. The Acoustic EP (5 songs) is her latest release which has her covering a Rancid song, as well as releasing a new song, Romance Is… The EP really strips down her songs, which are very electro-pop driven, almost creating a demo-like sound (but better). To me it also shows off her vocal talent. A lot of people seem to write her off, not giving her the credit she deserves. I’d go into it, but my post is getting long. Look her up and read about her, watch her videos and you’ll see what I mean.
Standouts: Romance Is…, River, Saviour

Fleetwood Mac – Rumours


I’ve been listening to a lot of oldies lately because well, they really don’t make music like that anymore. There is something really special about it all. Rumours has been on repeat for a week and I’m still not tired of it. Every song is amazing and it’s a great album to dance around your room too. So blow the dust of your (or parents) old vinyls and give them a spin!
Standouts: ALL

Fences – Fences


A beautiful album - very raw. Christopher’s voice and the instrumentation are very soft and delicate with brutally honest lyrics about love, loss, and life. I really enjoy emotional acoustic records like this. It reminded me of City and Colour’s Sometimes record. It’s a must-have and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Fences.
Standouts: Boys Around Here, My Girl the Horse, From Russia With…um ALL

Honourable mentions: Lydia – Assailants, Hannah Georgas – This Is Good [CAN], Long Long Long – Shorts EP [CAN], Mesita – No Worries EP

Note: I’m a big person of putting on a bands entire discography and listening to it all (if you are able to do this with a band, it shows their talent). I also tried to only mention new releases in this post. With that I’d like to point out that Silversun Pickups, Shiny Toy Guns, Flyleaf, Against Me!, Angels & Airwaves, Paramore, Lydia, Tegan and Sara, Lightning Dust, Anberlin, and The Jezabels are my most played bands!!

[CAN] – Canadian Band

Thanks for reading...and thanks to Janay for asking me to do this!

- LLV