The Soundtrack to Your Summer
Ideal albums and songs to help you survive your crummy summer internships and other Hardships of the oh so short summer break!
By Melanie “Squeakers” Kowalski, Vanderbilt University
Tuesday June 20, 2006
Most of you career-savvy college kids are all too familiar with the pain of sacrificing a perfectly good summer vacation to the internship gods just to buff up the ol’ resume to a lustrous shine. After a long summer day spent inside sitting in your tiny intern cubicle staring outside at the blue sky and blinding hot sun, wishing you had thought to get your CPR training in high school so you could be lifeguard and enjoy the weather, you feel like your head might explode. So, you go to the record store on your way home partly because you think the cashier that works there is cute in that offbeat hipster kind of way.
You walk into said record store only to have your ears bombarded with all the delight you’ve been aching for at your dreadful 9 to 5. Sounds meld together into one final crescendo of musical awesomeness. That, my friend, is what we call the quintessential summertime song. It hits you in the face from the first note with nothing but ethereal melodies, upbeat staccato tympanis, keyboard set to the utterly joyful “harmonium” setting, beats so addictive they rival heroin in intensity. . . .
Many such songs exist in the world, my friend. But you must dig deep into the sticky, gooey depths of the independent music scene to find them — and that might stain the new suit your mom bought you. So rather than force you to front a hefty dry cleaning bill, I’ve put together a little compilation. It’s a Summertime Soundtrack for the Free Time Impaired. If you’ve been jonesing during lunch breaks for a little musical accompaniment to your imaginary nature hike or day at the beach, then run over to the nearest independent music store and check out the following artists. They’re guaranteed to rock your sandals off.
Animal Collective – “Who Could Win a Rabbit” off of Sung Tongs
No, it’s not their most recent work, but it’s the one I adore the most. It feels so primal, the beats (played at the appropriate volume and with sufficient bass) will get you high. No, I’m not kidding. Nancy Reagan would totally support this stuff. Really any Animal Collective album will get the job done, so don’t freak if you can’t find it. Just pick up another one. It will be okay.
Architecture in Helsinki – “It’s 5” off of In Case We Die
Oh, good lord! If “ Sesame Street” mated with “Fraggle Rock,” and the pregnant “Fraggle Rock” tripped acid while drinking Jack Daniels straight up and smoking three packs of Kools a day, the offspring would clearly need Ritalin but would have a severely addictive personality so would exceed its dosage regularly and sound a lot like Architecture in Helsinki. No more needs to be said.
Band of Horses – “Our Swords” off of Everything All the Time
A relatively new album but still so very good. My roommate once told me this song sounds like the Shins. I think if you take the Shins, Jane’s Addiction, and Built to Spill and put them in a blender, you’d not only have a pretty kick-ass margarita, you’d have Band of Horses.
Gnarls Barkley – “Gone Daddy Gone” off of St. Elsewhere
1. Cee-Lo + Danger Mouse = Gnarls Barkley. 2. Gnarls Barkley just released an album. The soul-hip-hop blend takes Marvin Gaye, throws him in blender with some OJ and Tabasco sauce, hits frappé, and knocks the product back in one mind-boggling, ear-splitting gulp. 3. This cover of a Violent Femmes classic hit me out of left field like a ton of bricks. Let’s hope you’re wearing your helmet.
Karate – “Original Spies” off of Some Boots
I don’t know if you all got the memo, but according to my brother’s friend, Dan, Karate is “the greatest band ever.” A little more jazzy, a little less mature, but still a huge and groovy sound, I highly recommend “Original Spies” for driving with the windows down, preferably over some kind of large body of water so that the sea breeze can complement Geoff Farina’s amazing vocal stylings.
M.I.A. – “Bucky Done Gone” off of Arular
If you ever feel the need to shake your hips to a steady beat but you’re very much afraid that those in close proximity might mock your awkward jerks, have no fear. M.I.A. is here! Straight out of Sri Lanka, this fine lady packs a mighty punch into her avant-garde hippity-hop style. iTunes tried to tell me this stuff classifies as “world” music . . . fools . . . “Bucky Done Gone” has just the smooth lyrical flow that we’ve come to know and love from hip-hop, with the added bonus of some severely offbeat yet addictively awesome drum beats. Get off your bum and shake it like you’re seizing.
Pinback – “X.I.Y.” off of Blue Screen Life
All I have to say about Pinback is “learn it, live it, love it.” It’s that good.
Pink Martini – “Sympathetique” off of Sympathetique
If you’re feeling international, go check this out. It’s got a little Brazil, a little French, a little Spanish, a little Italian, and a lot of wonderful. Make yourself a mojito, put on your bikini or speedo, slap on some sunscreen, and go bask in the sun poolside. It makes you want to speak another language in a country where nap time is governmentally mandated.
Tom Vek – “I Ain’t Saying My Goodbyes” off of We Have Sound
And for those of you feeling like a lil’ booty shakin’, Tom Vek is your man. He’s just enough dance party to get you movin’ but won’t make you break a vicious sweat (sweat makes the eyeliner run — hideous). So if you need to walk somewhere and you want a back beat, give Tom some lovin’.
Wolf Parade – “I’ll Believe in Anything” off of Apologies to the Queen Mary
Last but certainly not least (cuz that’s mean), we have Wolf Parade. One of the many “Wolf” bands to hit the market recently, Wolf Parade is my fav. They’ve got a certain vibe that’s both “too cool for school” and “I am having a love affair with Ralph Waldo Emerson, and yes, I know he’s dead.” It’s truly wonderful. Let me tease you into buying this album by quoting “I’ll Believe in Anything”: “Give me your eyes. I need the sunshine.” Yes, it’s lame, but oh sooo delicious.
An earlier version of this article appeared in Orbis, a Camus Progress sponsored publication.
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Comments
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Kudos to the Horses. I’d add some Love Is All. Camus Progress (see above) – I like it. Washington needs more existentialism anyway.
— geoff aung - Jun 24, 07:11 AM - #Nice to know there are still people who will listen to whatever Pitchfork.com tells them to.
— luke - Jun 25, 02:10 PM - #nice to know there are still people who will read pitchfork just so they know what bands they can slam people for listening to.
— johan - Jun 26, 03:21 AM - #zing! there is, in fact, other useful information on that site…
— luke - Jun 26, 03:28 PM - #Right, b/c pfork is the only source in the entire music world that likes those bands.
I will be the first to say their news team depletes all of my concert $$$ – definitely other useful info.
Seriously, though, the only thing more cliched than thinking pitchfork is god is hating on pitchfork. Time for a new scapegoat – let’s make it too-cool elitists.
— geoff aung - Jun 26, 11:48 PM - #You couldn’t be more correct, which is why I don’t ‘hate on’ Pitchfork – only on those who allow themselves to be led blindly by it. Is that really elitism? What do I base that on, then, individualism? I plead guilty: yes, thinking for yourself is better than letting some website do it.
— luke - Jun 27, 03:54 PM - #A fair point, Luke, but the difference between elitism (negative) and individualism (positive) has something to do with, essentially, whether or not you’re looking down on whom you’re speaking to. Elitism, to me, puts things at the bottom of one’s nose, while something more positive – to keep an awkward metaphor – levels two people eye-to-eye. If all you were trying to do is encourage individualism, then cool – but it didn’t sound that way.
Either way, my point was that you don’t have to read Pitchfork to hear of these bands. All you have to do is vaguely follow music, and you won’t have had much trouble knowing these bands.
— geoff aung - Jun 30, 06:52 AM - #Also a fair point. But I suppose I expect more from Campus Progress than a list consisting of 10 bands, at least 7 (!) of which have been pseudo-official Pitchfork darlings only within the last year or so. Coincidence? If so, I eat my words. But it seems unlikely. And for the record: if you follow music closely, you know that some bands (including some on this list) owe their very existence to a favorable review by Pitchfork. I know of no other outlet – on the internet or in print – with such influence or ability to make or break an artist. So yeah, you can hear about these bands elsehwere – but in many cases, those other places are writing about them simply because Pitchfork did first.
— luke - Jul 1, 02:00 AM - #Obviously, you guys spend too much time on Pitchfork, as you seem to be way too concerned with it. Find good music where you can, enjoy the music and don’t hypervent on how you came across it. Good reviews.
— ered - Jul 3, 08:40 AM - #Some suggestions:
J.R. Writer – Grill Em
Busta Rhymes feat. Raekwon – Goldmine
The new Futureheads album
— Tom - Jul 4, 05:53 PM - #well, i have never been to pitchfork and know 8 of those bands. know meaning, i actually listen to and own their cd’s. isn’t democracy about freedom of choice? if one wanted to go to pitchfork for some suggestions of bands, that is great that they have the opportunity. if they go to this pitchfork website and just pretend they like what is posted as a suggestion then that is wrong and fake, but still their decision.
— amy - Aug 8, 10:38 AM - #ok- seriously. less words about where you learn about good bands & artists! More words about good music!
I highly rec. going back and dusting off a few classics every summer. This year, my favorite rediscovered classic is the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Go back. Listen to it. I dare to say it holds up against any hip-hop album before or after. And it helps the summer internship breeze by if you have a little good beat behind you… no offense to some of the indie stuff on this list.
— John O-R - Aug 15, 12:59 AM - #I would have to put Nick Drake as the ultimate get away music. If your mind doesnt calm down when listening to Northern Sky or From the Morning, I dont know what will. Also, some Jazz like Thelonius Monk or John Coltrane.
— Joe - Jun 5, 03:55 AM - #