Weekly Track Roundup #13
We've made it through backsweat, unpaid internships, no jobs, too many jobs, parents, patriotism, and longing for the time when summer just meant hanging out with friends. To bring you back to those sweet, sweaty moments of days past, we gathered up the tracks that ran around our brains the last few months.
"A year in a minute" - Fennesz
Simulating the movement of the ocean, Fennesz allows his composition to crackle and hiss yet makes the noise subordinate to the rolling melodic figure. For a moment, fractured synths shatter the continuity, but the undulating loop is quickly restored, reminding us that our experience is a single point on an infinite line. One final summer spent with my high school friends – the rhythm of the ocean; the rhythm of life.
- David Whitehouse
"California Sunrise - Dirty Gold
I would say this song pretty much speaks for itself. It makes you want to lie underneath a palm tree all day with a coconut popsicle and good friends. Over the summer, I was sure to play this song at least once a day to force it into becoming my quintessential summer song. (it worked !!!)
- Rachel Yanover
"River" - Leon Bridges
I remember walking to the bathroom, singing "River." The walls around me in the 2x2 lavatory had the sounds bouncing to a boom, the lows from my imitation vocals resinating throughout the entire space. What was it about the song I had just heard that glued it to the tape recorder in my head?
I guess I'm just a sucker for soulful harmonies.
- Harrison Nir
"Soft Power" - LVL UP
I “discovered” LVL UP at the beginning of the summer via talking to a random boy on Tinder :P. Pretty much from June onward I listened to this song at least once a day. It makes me want to dance really weirdly and bounce around a lot. The vocals are so good with a weird kind of laid back, but sharp (?) hook to them. And the guitar and overall rhythm are awesome! It’s the perfect mix of what I wanted my summer to be: hexes, witches, friends, etc.. And who doesn’t think a little “minimal heartbreak feels nice”?
- Michelle Rosen
"Flashlight" - The Front Bottoms
My summer was very Midwestern--whether I liked it, or not. I spent a lot of my time listening to music while I worked one of my two jobs, hunched over a desk while sorting old photos and newspaper clippings. I listened to a large variety of artists in this time, but I kept going back to the Front Bottoms, allowing myself to bask in the angst of my less-than-desirable summer situation. "Flashlight" was particularly comforting; its simple guitar melodies and energetic beat mirrored the immature and amateur flare of my Ohio summer.
- Kelsey Gordon
"The Less I Know The Better" - Tame Impala
"The Less I Know The Better" is probably the catchiest song from my personal album of the summer, Tame Impala's "Currents." Danceable from the get-go, this song features an infectious bassline which contributes to the white-boy funk/disco groove. Plus, "She was holding hands with Trevor/Not the greatest feeling ever." I'd recommend the entire album for sure (and the rest of Tame Impala's discography while you're at it).
- Adam Manson
"Mom Jeans" - Heyrocco
Mom Jeans is one of those songs I first heard in May and could sing in my sleep by the end of July. Heyrocco has a sort of pop punk sound that I would best describe as teenage nostalgia. Their entire album, Teenage Movie Soundtrack, is great, but Mom Jeans is catchy, totally danceable, and really captures the essence of the band.
- Cayla Blachman
"Old to Begin" - Pavement
At the beginning of the summer I picked up Brighten The Corners in the used section of my local music store. My car only plays CDs so it’s hard to tell if this was my jam because it’s an awesome song with some classic Stephen Malkmus screaming on an underrated Pavement album or because my radio doesn’t work.
- Megan West
"Talk Dirty to Me" - Poison
This summer I was a van driver at an ultra conservative "gentleman's retreat" in the middle of the California redwoods. Besides hosting lectures from world famous leaders and scholars whose names I can't disclose, the club has garnered a reputation as a cesspit of Illuminati members, Satan worshippers, and no-good-doers. Every morning, I would drive by a woman protesting outside the gates (who you might know of) blasting "Talk Dirty to Me" by Poison to try and make her dance. It worked for the first two weeks.
- Christopher Reed
"Them Changes" - Thundercat
I'd describe this song as infectiously groovy, head bobbing magic. This is a really awesome collab with Thundercat and Flying Lotus released this year.
- Viveka Cousins
"Gout! Gang! Go!" - Palma Violets
I've been listening to the Palma Violets' new album nonstop since the day it came out, and I still can't get enough of it. This song in particular always has me dancing and jumping on my bed as if I were Torrance listening to Cliff's mixtape in Bring It On. "Gout! Gang! Go!" is guaranteed to cure all blues, heartaches and back-to-school jitters. You just can't help feeling on top of the world with this one blasting.
- Aurora McGuckin
"Trying" - Bully
I rewatched Empire Records over the summer (totally holds up btw) and downloaded the soundtrack, and this song reminded me a ton of it. I highly recommend the rest of their debut album, Feels Like.
- Emily Feher
