Summer's Demise: A Mix in the Key of D

  

We look forward to summer all year long.  Kids long for being a summer camp and adults picture their dream vacation or getaway.  Then, when August rolls into September, what do we have to show for it all?  Campers tell friends that they'll write to them over the year.  Summer romances must decide whether to forgo the effort or swim against the tide.  Vacations and adventures are reduced to rehashed episodic anecdotes that no one really cares about.  So here's a question worth asking.  When summer ends, what do we have to show for it?  I think music best captures our memories and reflections of a time best summed up in images anyway.  

Catching lightning bugs, watching fireworks, running after the ice cream truck, having light to play until nearly 10pm, making s'mores, singing at campfires, camping and hiking excursions are image that come to mind.  Me, I remember lying in my grandfather's hammock in his backyard listening letting of the tzzuezz cicadas lull me to sleep.  Summer is a time of frolic and fun.  And as it ends, so does our youth, in a sense. I always thought to myself that I should go live in the Southern Hemisphere for the half of the year that we experience autumn and winter so I don't have to leave youth.  But, we all know that like everything, it must end.  'Nothing gold can stay', after all!

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'Blurred Lines' by Robin Thicke

'When I Get You Alone' by Robin Thicke

Exactly ten years ago, in 2003, Robin Thicke came out with his debut album, A Beautiful World.  I remember the moment when I saw the video for 'When I Get You Alone' on MTV2 (back when there was such a thing that only showed videos).  This was back when MTV was just getting raunchy and bubblegum with the Carson Daily video countdown and shows like Jackass or Next.  I loved what I heard, and immediately got the album when it came out.  It was good.  No, it was great.  I had not heard a white dude with so much soul since, well, ever really.

Robin Thicke, as you may all know is the son of actor, Alan Thicke, best known for his role as the psychiatrist Ward-like dad, Dr. Jason Seaver, on Growing Pains.  Robin Thicke's mother, Gloria Loring is also an actress and a singer.  Robin Thicke is all over the airwaves now.  I think we can officially deem his song the hit of summer 2013.  Ever car stereo and grocery store speaker plays that catchy song.  It's in your head and probably in your Itunes library.

It's not a bad song but I am resentful that ten years ago I called this.  I knew Robin Thicke would be huge.  When his single and debut album came out, I was talking about him but no one else seemed to know who he was.  I didn't hear his stuff at any college parties and except for his hit 'When I Get You Alone', he was virtually unheard of.  This single came in 2002, and its success was a catalyst for the release of his debut album in 2003.  But unlike his first single, the album didn't gain as much notoriety.  I remember the single in the movie for the book, The Rules of Attraction (which, by the way, has a kickass soundtrack.)  Other than that, nothing. 

In fact, I thought, after the album's release, that Robin Thicke faded into the abyss of one-hit wonder fate.  I was upset because I knew he was such a talent.  But fast forward ten years and boom.  He's come out with five other albums, which includes Blurred Lines.  He's had other success, though,  since his first album until now.  His 2007 album, The Evolution of Robin Thicke was number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop chart.  His 2008 album, Something Else sold around 140,000 copies in its first week and was number three on the Billboard 200 Chart.

All I can say is that 'I called it'.  Though his summer hit is slightly annoying, I will say 'I told you so'.  It's like my Green Day story.  When I was in sixth grade, I remember sitting in art class and telling my peers, 'hey guys, have you heard of Green Day?'.  They had not.  But a year later, everyone had.  Dookie  was bought as a tape (when you could still get those) or CD for every birthday party.  So I called that one too.  I just never get any credit.  Sigh!

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As summer comes to a close, we often reflect upon our travels and adventures and what they have taught us.  Summer is a metaphor for adolescence and youth.  Perhaps the reason that many people feel so glum and sentimental at the end of summer is that as we enter fall, we metaphorically enter into adulthood.  The end of summer represents 'the fall' in poetry and literature.  At summer's end, we fall from innocence and naivety.  We shed our youth and energy and find our true skin.  We wiggle around in our new skin, though everything seems too roomy and too expansive.

It is not easy to transition from childhood/adolescence into adulthood.  Many people often ask what that one moment was when you remember feeling like an adult.  For me, it was when I took six kids to a punk rock show in Boston at the Avalon.  And I still remember exactly which six kids it was.  When I worked at a boarding school in Massachusetts, I used to take the students on weekend excursions.  My first such adventure was driving a bus with six students to a punk rock show at the Avalon in Boston.  They're all adults now.  And the Avalon has since closed.  And it's been almost ten years since I lived in Boston. So even retelling this story makes me feel old. 

I don't know what possessed me to actually drive the bus into Boston.  I thought, after just attending graduate school there, that I could navigate the streets easily.  No problem.  Only when I lived in Boston, I never actually drove in the city.  I took the T (subway) everywhere and only drove to get groceries or to the school I was student teaching at.  And note that I lived across the Charles River in Medford/Somerville which is different than Boston proper.

So as we are about 15-20 miles outside of Boston, it starts snowing.  And note that this is just before Halloween, late October.  And I don't mean a little snow.  There was snow coming down so hard that I had to crouch over the steering wheel to see out the window.  Windshield wipers were going at full speed.  Once I'm in Boston, or at least around Porter Square right outside of Cambridge, I see a parking lot.  But I don't go into the parking lot with the bus.  I think that I can find the destination, which is right near Fenway and BU in Kenmore. 

I asked for directions multiple times.  It's still snowing.  The kids are getting antsy and we're already an hour late for the show.  Plus the kids are getting hungry.  Then I see a grocery store.  Next, a T station parking lot.  WONDERLAND.  Blue line.  Okay, so I can go to the grocery store, make sure everyone gets something to eat.  We can drive to the T station parking lot, sit in the car and eat, then go to the show.  Wonderland is in Revere, and it's only slightly sketchy.  With six kids in tow, I should have parked the bus back at the Porter Square T station lot with the huge Stop n' Shop but too little too late.

So the kids and I eat dinner.  We leave the bus and take the T to Kenmore.  We're late for the show but it's really only just getting started.  Then, I look around and see kids with nose rings, full sleeve tattoos, and neon mohawks.  I felt like the oldest person in the place.  I only think to myself, 'wow, if it was only five years ago, I would have been these kids.'  But, I'm an adult in a cashmere sweater holding all the kids' coats standing next to a dad holding his kids' coats.  The dad and I look at each other and give one another a nod.  That was my initiation into adulthood.  Not only maneuvering children that weren't my own in an Adventures in Babysitting moment (minus the gang fight and garage thugs).

So as summer ends, so does our youth.  We enter the fall months and school starts.  Another year has begun and your once cute toddler is now learning multiplication or geography.  Young ladies and sirs go off to colleges and universities.  August marks a time when almost every car on the highway is from a different state and packed sky high with dorm gear.  It's an exciting time, the end of summer.  But it leaves room for doubt and hesitance.  All of us are unsure of our next steps.  Like me, many people probably feel a mixture of pangs at leaving memories of beach days and road trips behind.  What's left of your amazing vacation in India or France are your photos, both in your mind and on your camera.  We enter the fall as stronger, well seasoned veterans of adventure and challenge.  Whatever trials and tribulations happened during the summer are now notches on your belt of experience.

So with that being said, I present to you a playlist for the end of summer.  25 songs that will serenade and soothe your transition.  Summer isn't quite over yet.  But, before we know it, Halloween candy will be in your neighborhood store and leaves will begin changing colors and then fall to the ground.

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1) 'For All my Friends in Spring, For All my Friends in Fall'- The Loom


2) 'April Come She Will'- Trapper's Cabin (A) note: Tracy Grammer has another great version-original by Simon and Garfunkel (B)

A

B

3) 'Next Summer'- Choir of Young Believers  

4) 'Summer Rain'- Anna Ternheim

5) 'Indian Summer'- The Doors

6) 'Nobody'- J.K. and Co.

7)  'Wild Horses'- The Sundays (A)- original by The Rolling Stones (B)

A

B

8) 'Change of Time'- Josh Ritter

9) 'Landslide'- Smashing Pumpkins (A) original by Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac (B)
          

A

B

10) 'Dust in the Wind'- Daughter Darling (A)- original by Kansas (B)

A

Below is someone's home movie from 1977 set to 'Dust in the Wind' by Kansas.  I liked it way better than the actual Kansas video (which is super cheesy).  Sorry, Kansas!  Great song, lame video!

B

11) 'You Were Never There'- Diego Garcia

  

12) 'Call To Be'- Dana Buoy

 

13) 'Dull to Pause'- Junior Boys

14) 'Radio'- Lana Del Rey

15) 'Indian Summer'- Luna-original by Beat Happening (I personally prefer the Luna version)

 16) 'Push and Pull'- Nikki Costa                                    

                                   

 17) 'All the Tired Horses'-  Bob Dylan (The Narrator also has a great version)

                                                             

18) 'The Secret Life of Letters'- Scissor Sisters                                           

                                     

 19) 'Nothing'- Young Man

                                    

 20) 'Have you Forgotten'- Red House Painters

                                    

21) 'Sweet Memory'- The Tindersticks                                    

22) 'Clocks'- Coldplay

                                   

                                   

23) 'Winds of Change'- Alexa Whipple (A)- original by The Scorpions (B)                                  A

                                                                B

 24) 'Who Wants to Live Forever'- Queen (Breaking Benjamin has a pretty decent version too though it doesn't trump the original)

                                    A

  

                                    B

25) 'Last Summer Days'- Archer Prewitt

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I did not put the songs in any particular order as I usually do.  I leave it up to the reader.  You can download them in Itunes or make your own playlist CD mix built from mine.  It's up to you.  So go unpack your dorm room or set up your classroom.  Whatever it is you're getting ready for, now you have some tunes to ease you into that next transition.

Happy end of summer!

Cheers,

~R~

Sounds of Summer: Part 2

Did you  like Sounds of Summer: Part 1?  Did you read that post and think to yourself, I want more.  I WANT MORE!  Well wait no longer.  Here is the second part of my summer sounds series where I will recommend more great bands/musicians for your ear.

Luke Rathborne:

• Luke Rathborne Vogue interview

• Luke Rathborne Bandcamp 

Another contact through social media.  I had no idea what to expect and was gladly surprised.  His stuff is kind of 90's with a modern indie kick.  Fast paced/modern folk that is reminiscent of Matt Pond PA, Local Natives, Bedouin Soundclash or Caesars.  I like his sound.  What I like more is that there's an actual band rather than just a dude with a guitar.  The 'dude n' guitar' act is so overdone.  Luke Rathborne is from Maine originally but now lives in good ole' NYC.   He moved to New York when he was only 18.  He recorded his first album, After Dark, when he was only 17.  He got noticed by Joey Levine, a songwriter and musician who wrote the 60's classic 'YummyYummy Yummy'.  Levine produced many of Luke Rathborne's songs and then brought attention to The Stroke's manager, Ryan Gentles.  Back in 2007, he was named 'Discovery Artist' of the year in Interview Magazine.  He was also a featured artist on BBC 6, for a music show, as a discovery by DJ and host, Lauren Laverne.  He has opened for The Strokes at the South by Southwest music festival, in 2011.  He also toured with the band, Noah and the Whale, as their opening act. 

2011 became a prolific year, as Luke Rathborne was signed to an indpendent LA label, 'Dilettante' and also the Australian label,Speak and Spell Record.  In the same year, Rathborne released a double EP, Dog Years/I Can Be One E.P.  The song 'True Believer' is what gained Rathborne notoriety and got him noticed by Lauren Laverne on her BBC 6 show.  He went on a seven night tour in London, playing a different venue each night.  His stellarly positive reception in the UK shows what a talent he truly is.  We all know that the Brits have much better taste in music than the Yanks!  It's bloody right!  What's really impressive is that Rathborne's first album, After Dark, was engineered and produced by himself, without any help.  He actually had to sneak into a local college radio station (in Brunswick, Maine) at night and pretend to be a radio DJ.  He made the record without being busted.  Mad respect for this dude!  He has true dedication and grit, real chutzpah!  The record was done on Rathborne's own label,Coonbone Record and got noticed in NYC.

Rathborne has been compared to Elliot Smith and Bob Dylan (before he got bad).  I personally think he's much more talented and versatile. I agree to the extent that he transforms the whole rebel, loaner, rogue singer-songwriter into something new.  He adds synth and a multitude of different instruments.  He is a hurricane force that is sure to catch on like wildfire soon enough.  His album Soft, is due to come out September 2nd.  Reserve your copy now!!  I'd be shocked if they don't sell like hotcakes!

                                          Video for 'Last Forgiven'- Luke Rathborne

'Peco's Bill' by Luke Rathborne

 

'Tomorrow' by Luke Rathborne

 

Junior Boys:

•  Junior Boys official site

This duet was formed by Jeremy Greenspan and Johnny Dark in Hamilton, Ontario (that's in Canada, eh) back in 1999.   A demo was made but nothing substantive happened until  Johnny Dark left to pursue other things.  In 2002, KIN Records heard their demo and asked for more.  Jeremy Greenspan then teamed up with Matt Didemus, his engineer.  In 2003, they came out with a four track EP called 'Birthday/Last Exit'.  One of the tracks on the EP was mixed by Fennesz, an Austrian guitarist and electronics artist.  The next Junior Boys' EP, High Come Down, came out in 2004.  One of the tracks on this EP was mixed by a Canadian musician called Manitoba (Daniel Victor Snaith), now known by the stage name of Caribou.  The first full album, Last Exit, was recorded in late 2003, and came out in 2004 with KIN Records.  'Birthday' was the most popular track on this album and prompted them to tour with Caribou.  The second album, So This is Goodbye came out in 2006 with the label, Domino Records.  Their third album, Begone Dull Care, was released in 2009.  After this album, they were able to go on tour in Australia.  The next album, It's All True came out in 2011.

The first track I heard from these guys was 'Dull to Pause', off of Begone Dull Care.  It has a nice electronic, pop sound.  Junior Boys stand out from other indie/electronic acts.  Though they are similar to acts like Among Savages or The Antlers.  The vocals are scratchy and soft.  The instrumentals remind me of a video game or a pinball machine.  The visuals of their videos are strange and colorful.  Junior Boys is wonderful and unique.  I'd love to see them live, as I'm sure they put on a killer show.  What I also notice is that fans have made their own videos which shows that their music inspires creativity and originality.  I definitely recommend downloading their stuff for your summer road trip or BBQ.  It will blow the hats off of everyone in the immediate listening vicinity. 
  

'Dull to Pause' (unoffical video) by Junior Boys

'Bits and Pieces' by Junior Boys

'Parallel Lines' (unofficial video)

 

'Banana Ripple' by Junior Boys

George Ellias:

• George Ellias official site

Another friend I found through social media.  I promised I'd do a write-up, but only because he's the real deal.  Talented and with a groovy sixties' sound!  George Ellias is another singer/songwriter who is from LA.  He left high school in 2004 and hit the open road in pursuit of music.  He spent time living and performing in places like Berkeley, San Francisco, and cities around the bay area.   He moved to New Orleans in 2006 and came into contact with many street musicians who influenced his style of music. While traveling, Ellias was able to meet many music legends like Ramblin' Jack Elliot,  Arlo Guthrie, T-Model Ford to name a few.  PS: I also met Arlo.  He's a cool dude!

At the moment, Ellias lives in LA and just finished getting a degree in English at California State University.  His EP, titled 'EP', was recently released and his album is also now available.  He loves literature, art, and poetry; he also draws (much of his art is inspired by books he reads).  I feel a kindred connection with Ellias.  He is the true traveling troubadour.  He leads the life that I would have wanted had I lived in the mid to late sixties.  Ellias is the love child of Bob Dylan and Arlo Guthrie.  He is living the life of 'Alice's Restaurant' in 2013!  He travels around getting inspiration for his music from everywhere.  He has stylings of folk, country, blues, and rock.  Not a Dylan copy!  A folk original in his own right!   His full length album is due to come out in the fall.  You can download some of his tunes on Spotify.  Give him a listen.  If you like the stylings of Nick Drake, Simon and Garfunkel, and Donovan, that 60's folk vibe with an undercurrent of psychedelic sounds akin to underground UK bands, then you'll love George Ellias.  Subsribe to his YouTube channel and you'll get enough music to satisfy your craving until the next album (and yes there will be many more I'm sure!) 

                                                  'On the Plains'- Experimental Guitar sounds

'You Should Have Said'

 'Little Sadie Spaceland California' (live)

 

 'Midnight Special' cover

 

I LOVE this song!  And George Ellias does it justice.  He adds some twang and makes it into a fresh take on an old classic!

Apples in Stereo:

• Apples in Stereo Website 

This band started, believe it or not, in 1992.  They are a psychedelic and indie rock based off of many underground bands from the late 60's and early 70's.  Their sound is not for everyone.  But I like a lot of bands like this.  I found them while on a hunt at Newbury Comics (based in Boston) in Amherst.  I used to discover bands there all the time while browsing their endless selection of music.  The bargain bin is an especially great place to find good stuff.  PS: George Ellias, you would dig this band! 

Apples in Stereo is currently made up of Robert Schneider (lead singer, lyricist, guitar) , John Hill (rhythm guitar), Eric Allen (bass), John Dufhilo (drums),  John Ferguson (keyboards), and Ben Phelan (keyboards/guitar).   The band is part of the Elephant Six Collective, which is a group of bands such as Neutral Milk Hotel and Olivia Tremor Control.  The band's sound has been compared to music of the 60's and 70's, with bands like ELO, Pavement, The Beatles, and The Beach Boys.  There music has been heard on shows like 'The Powerpuff Girl's and 'Yo, Gabba Gabba'.  Their music has been featured on the talk shows of Conan O'Brien, Carson Daly, and Stephen Colbert.  Why not Jimmy Fallon?  They definitely need to get booked on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.  And I better be in the band bench if it happens!  Their last two albums were released with the label, 'Simian Records', started by actor Elijah Wood (hence why he directs and stars in some of their videos).  I always had a feeling that me and Elijah Wood would be friends, and the fact that Apples in Stereo is his band, prooves it.   Apples in Stereo's latest album is described as having the sound of 70's R&B if it were being played by aliens and broadcasted by a spaceship.  Again, they aren't for everyone!  They are weird and wonderful, similar to the theatricality of acts like Of Montreal and MGMT!  Definitely my kind of band! 

The band has seven albums: Fun Trick Noisemaker (1995), Tone Soul Evolution (1997), Her Wallpaper Reverie (1999), The Discovery of a World, Inside the Moone (2000), Velocity of Sound (2002), New Magnetic Wonder (2007), and Travellers in Space and Time (2010). 

Video for 'Told you Once'- Apples in Stereo

'Dance Floor' (with actor Elijah Wood)

 

 'Energy' (directed by Elijah Wood)

 

Fun Trick Noisemaker (entire album)

Young Man:

• Young Man site
• 2010 Blog post on Young Man 

Another singer/songwriter who goes by Colin Caulfield (any relation to Salinger's Holden?)  Caulfield is from Chicago.  Aside from Caulfield, the band is made up of Emmett Conway, Joe Bailey, Jeff Graupner, and Darien Williams.  Caulfield seems to be one of those musicians who started out as a one man act but then merged into a multi-member band.   They have gained notoriety thanks to social media.  In the digital age, platforms like YouTube has helped propel Young Man's fame, as it has for others.  Though I'm sure they will turn out to be nothing like Justin Bieber. 

 The frontman for Deerhunter, Brandford Cox, first noticed Caulfield's cover of the Deerhunter song 'Rainwater Cassette Exchange' and felt it was even better than the original.  To have the lead singer of the band you're covering say that is a major feat, not something to take lightly.  Young Man's sound has been compared to bands like Animal Collective and Ariel Pink.  What's to be said about Young Man is that their music tells a story.  Caulfield has explained that though his music is definitely auto-biographical, that he wants it to also be universal.  He also wants his music to be the kind where people stop, listen and go 'what was that?'  Young Man currently has four albums: Boy (2010), Ideas of Distance (2011), Vol 1 (2012), and Beyond Was All Around Me (2013).   Their latest album was just released and is now available.

The first song I heard by them, 'Nothing' is trippy and dreamy in its vocals and instrumentals.  You feel like you're floating.  A similar feeling is evoked with bands like Spiritualized, The National, Dana Buoy, and Diego Garcia.  The vocals of Young Man's songs, at times, actually remind me of Jake Shears (from Scissor Sisters), Patrick Zimmer (of Finn.) or Brian Molko (of Placebo).  They would be a great opening band for The Flaming Lips or Arcade Fire.  You should check them out because like my other recommendations, Young Man brings something new to the world of indie rock. 

'Nothing'

 

video for 'Up So Fast'

 

 video for 'In a Sense'

  

video for 'Enough'

      

    'Five'

So now that you've read parts one and two, you can download to your heart's content.  Go to Itunes, Bandcamp, Soundcloud, what have you.  Check out my recs and let me know what you think.  I promise you will not be disappointed with my picks.  Have a great summer!  And remember to listen responsibly, folks!

keep on rocking in the free world,

~R~

Sounds of Summer: Part 1

Summer hit 2013 'I Don't Care' by Icona Pop

 

Icona Pop is made up of a couple of DJs from Sweden, Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo (say that five times fast) who formed in 2009.  They have two albums, Icona Pop and This is..Icona Pop (very original).  Their debut hit single was a song called 'Manners' but it was 'I Don't Care' that got them into every American household.  This annoying but catchy song was number 21 on the Itunes dance chart.  The song has been in seemingly every commercial and tv spot/show.  To name a few: Girls, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Glee, Good Morning America, Dancing witht he Stars, The Vampire Diaries.  It has also been in ads for shoes and phones.  It is everywhere this summer!  And the band is currently touring with Matt&Kim and Passion Pit (two of my faves) so that gives them a little more street cred' in my book.  I like the song; it's catchy and has a beat you can dance to.  It's a little more edgy and indie than typical summer hits.  But, I'm certain that 'Icona who?' will be the catch phrase of summer 2014.

Summer hit 2012 'Call me Maybe' by Carly Rae Jepsen

This song is definitely annoying as hell, so it must be a summer hit.  That is the number one rule for summer hits.  The first time you hear it, it's a smash but by the 130th, it's old hat.  Carly Rae Jepsen is Canadian; she's from British Columbia.  Damn, even America's summer hits are imported.  What happened to good ole' fashioned Americana like Nelly (with summer hit 'Hot in Herre' from 2002) , Sisqo (with 'Thong Song' in 2000), Hoobastank (with 'The Reason' from 2004), or even Kelly Osbourne (with 'Papa Don't Preach' in 2002).  I realize that Kelly Osbourne is British but she was on an American reality show, 'The Osbournes' which aired from 2002-2005.  The song is a direct result of that popular show.  Before it, she was nobody in the eyes of the American public.  By default, she's 'American'.   And like the other past hits mentioned, they're all popular choices at Saturday night karaoke! Jepsen, however, is a product of Canadian Idol; she came up third on season 5 of the show.  On Canadian Idol, Jepsen covered the greats like Bob Marley, Queen, Melissa Etheridge, and Janis Ian. She came out with a single, a cover of the John Denver song 'Sunshine on my Shoulders'.  I won't put a link to it because I actually like John Denver.

  Jepsen's debut album, Tug of War came out in 2008.  Then the album, Kiss, came out in 2012 which contained the hit of that summer.  There were parodies everywhere, all over the Internet like wallpaper, but mostly on YouTube.  And like any summer hit, I liked this song the first couple of times I heard it.  By the 200th time, I wanted to vomit.  And like most summer hit phenomenons, Jepsen is nowhere to be found in the summer of 2013. With that being said about summer hits, I will recommend some alternative downloads/bands to follow this summer.  And just because the 'back to school' adds are all over TV does not mean that summer is over.  Not even close!  Summer ain't over til the fat lady (guy) stuffs a corn dog, fried oreo, and funnel cake into her mouth during the Labor Day air show!

  Crystal Fighters:
Crystal Fighters official page    

This high energy British/Spanish indie/dance-electro-synth alt. pop band was formed in Navarra Spain in 2007.  There are six members in the band: Sebastian Pringle (on vocals and guitar), Gilbert Vierich (on guitar, percussion, electronics, and txalaparta), Graham Dickson (on guitar and txalaparta), Eleanor Fletcher (on vocals), Andrea Marongiu (on drums), and Nila Raja (on vocals).  PS: the txalaparta is a real instrument; it's a xylephone-like wooden percussion cider board from the Basque region.  The band also uses the txistu (a Basque pipe whistle) and a danbolin (rope tuned snare drum).  They combine the stylings of Spanish punk, electronica, Basque folk music, and indie dance-pop.  The band envisions their sound as something of the stylings of The Velvet Underground and The Gypsy Kinds going back in time to the 1980's in the Pyrenees and utilizing Skream or Luciano on the production.  The band's first album, Star of Love was released in 2012 and their second album, Cave Rave was released in 2013.  

  I first heard them through my Iphone app, Songza.  I then downloaded and immediately fell in love with 'Love Natural'.  It is bouncy and you cannot be in a bad mood after listening to it.  'Champion Sound' and 'LA Calling' are equally uplifting.  They have the same fresh, unique sound of bands like M83 and MGMT.  I'd love to see them live because I cannot imagine a more high energy concert (other than The Polyphonic Spree).  What I love most about the songs of Crystal Fighters is that the tempo and feel of the song changes just like the topography of a great road trip.  And speaking of road trips, this is a great band to bring with you.  Just download Cave Rave from Itunes, put it in the car CD player and drive down the highway exploring every corner of wherever you are.  This band is fantastic and I highly recommend giving them a listen.  Soon, I expect and hope them to be everywhere.  Just tell everyone you heard about them here, first!  

A great show would be if Crystal Fighters and Ginger and the Ghost got together with M83 and Arcade Fire.  That would be AMAZING!!!!

 Crystal Fighter's video for 'Follow' (from Star of Love)

 

'Champion Sound' (from Star of Love)

Live performance of 'Love Natural' in LA (from Cave Rave)

'You & I' (from Cave Rave)

  

Chloe Charles:

  Chloe Charles official page

I first heard of Chloe through the 'Twittersphere'.  Lately, many musicians/artists have been finding me through Twitter which makes me feel legit.  I don't know if they first find my blog or if they just see that I'm really into music.  Whatever the reason, I have found some amazing musicians/bands through social media.  And I promised Chloe that I'd do a write-up about her music because she is amazing!  Take my word for it!

Chloe is a Canadian (from Ontario) singer-songwriter and classically trained guitarist (self-taught to boot).  I am always impressed with musicians who teach themselves instruments and write their own lyrics.  Chloe's debut EP was 'Little Green Bud' which came out in 2011.  Since then, she has performed around 300 shows in eight different countries.  Chloe is definitely a rising star!  Soon, she will be releasing her first full album, Break the Balance.  She has been compared to Adele, Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys, Billie Holiday, Bjork.  What got her feet wet into musical genius was when her father married Cynthia Lennon and then Chole became Julian Lennon's step-sister.  However, this does not mean that only because of this marriage that her luck changed.  Sure, it helped.  But Chloe would have been a talent and star on her own merit, and believe me, she is.  Her vocals mix with classical sounds of the violin and cello, and I'm always a sucker for strings.  Her voice stands on its own but with the added strings, she is a powerhouse of emotional charisma.  Her voice is liquidy and soft, melodic and complex.  To me, her vocals are similar to the 90's greats Natalie Merchant, Mazzy Starr, and Tracy Bonham.  She is a name that you will not soon forget!

 

 'Water' (2011) by Chloe Charles

 

 'Soon on a Snowflake'

'Business' (from the upcoming album Breaking the Silence)

Jazzahead (in Bremen, Germany) Chloe Charles cover of 'So Far Away' (by Carol King)

 Note: I didn't like this song until I heard this version.  Sorry, Carol King, but this version is better!  And those who know me well know that I RARELY say a cover is better than the original.  

The Loom:

The Loom website 

The Loom is a Brooklyn band.  YEA BROOKLYN!  I always have to plug at least one Brooklyn band.  C'mon!  And The Loom is sensational.  They formed in 2006 and include instruments such as French horn, mandolin, banjo, trumpet, ukelele and of course the classic guitar, keyboard, and percussion.  You know how I love bands that use various instruments that aren't the 'usual suspects' of rock (guitar, keyboard, drums, vocals).  The Loom's debut album (EP) At Last Light came out in 2008.  Their second album (first full length album), Teeth came out in the fall of 2011.  They went on a tour across the US in 2011 and 2012.  They are now working on their third album (second full length album) with producer Kevin McMahon (who manages: Swans, Real Estate, and Titus Andronicus).  They have been gaining a foothold after playing at SXSW music festival in Austin, TX in 2010 and Paste has hailed them as the 'best of what's next'.  If Paste gives your band that title, then it's significant, believe me.  I've discovered a lot of great bands because of Paste. 

I would say they're similar to Mumford & Sons or Badly Drawn Boy.  Maybe a newer Nick Drake.  The vocals remind me of the bass vocal stylings of Bill Callahan.  They are up and coming for sure.  I first downloaded, 'For the Hooves that Gallop, and the Heels that March' which I put onto a 'NYC badass mix' that I made for friends.  I also have the songs 'For All My Friends In Spring, For All My Friends In Fall' and 'The First Freeze' (which I guarantee will make it on my winter/holiday mix for 2013).  What I like most, aside from the many instruments they use, is the fact that some songs are high energy, and some low.  Most of their songs have a winter/fall feel and I imagine walking through the snowy, leaf barren NYC streets.  Check them out.  If you like folk and slower indie like Iron and Wine or Red House Painters, then you'll  love this band!

 The Loom at SXSW in 2011

  
Lindsay Katt: 

Lindsay Katt website 

Lindsay Katt is another musician who found me via Twitter.  She grew up in Montana, near the mountains, 'with music in her head'.  The 'voices in her head' prompted her to share music with the world and came with her on the journey to the nitty gritty city of New York's jungle.  Like Stevie Nick's inspiration for 'Landslide', the mountains inspired her music.  Later, the sounds of NYC inspired her sound.  I like that she finds art/music everywhere.  She has been compared to Joni Mitchell and Fiona Apple, and I would agree with this comparison.  Heartfelt and honest, she is the real deal.  Her music has been featured on shows like MTV's The Real World and Teen Moms but also ABC's show Castle and the LOGO film 'Sneakers & Soul'. One of her songs is featured in a Macy's advertisement (the best way for budding musicians to get their music out to the American public).  Her song' Heart Place' is the theme song for a Texas public radio show, called 'The Appetizer' that features new music. 

She plays guitar and piano, sometimes singing a cappella (without any instruments).  What's more is that she writes music to evoke social change.  I love this!  Her song 'My Home' was written for a same sex couple she knows and holds dear.  The funds raised from the song went toward Freedom to Marry (www.freedomtomarry.org).  The fact that she uses her music as a platform for activism aligns her with greats like Joan Baez or Bob Dylan.  She is the real deal!  I have many of her songs in my Itunes library which include 'Shout!', 'Diamond Dogs', 'Stick By Me', 'Not a Mistake', and 'Two Part Game'.  Some of her stylings are somber and borderline industrial rock of bands like Garbage and Poe.  Some of her songs have the pop, upbeat stylings of Sara Bareilles and laid back sophistication of Nora Jones.  Yet what I like is that her music is raw and soulfully honest like Joan Osborne and emotional like Elizaveta or Marina and the Diamonds.  Her vocals are airy like Priscilla Ahn.  The most noble, however, is that Katt isn't in it for the money or the fame.  Katt wants to use her music as a platform for activism and for spreading a message that transcends teeny bopper crap.  I will be keeping my eye on Lindsay Katt, and so should you!

 Lindsay Katt performing 'My Happy'

 Lindsay Katt performing 'Stick by Me' at The Bitter End

Watermelon:

Watermelon (the band) site

I first heard this band live last summer at The Bitter End in NYC.  One of the lead singers, Jules Barringer, is the sister of a very good college buddy of mine.  However, I'd be doing this write-up regardless of this fact.  I know how to distance myself from any personal relationship I have with a band.  This band is amazing, hands down.  There is nothing like them out there today.  They are based in NYC and play a lot along the East Coast (in Philadelphia, NYC, DC).  The band is made up of four individuals: Alex Stewart and Jules Barringer (on vocals), Thomas Griffith (on guitar), Danny Dahan (on bass), and David Karr (on drums).  Their look and sound merges the psychedelic late sixties with the early to mid soulful seventies.  They fuse blues with funk, jazz, and boogie.  Their concerts are a hootenanny, and if you go, you will be dancing and gyrating as if an electric current is running through your body.  Their stylings have been compared to the likes of Sly and the Family Stone.  They definitely would have played at Woodstock.  Even better would be to send them back in a time machine to the late 60's/early 70's to open for the Grateful Dead in Haight/Ashbury.  They are right out of a bygone era of funky afros and groovy bell bottoms.  Dig it!  

Barringer and Stewart combine vocals in a harmony unlike most duets.  They use scat and free form growls and screams to create a lyrical conversation like a ping pong match on LSD.  Blues and jazz scales make up a lot of the vocals and the two singers high energy and synergy compliment one another.  Dahan on drums reminds me of Flea from The Red Hot Chili Peppers.  He flails around and never sits still.  He dances and writes with his bass.  His feet hit the floor and bounce to the music creating a new dance move called 'funk the junk'.  I'm sure it will catch on soon.  Karr on drums keeps the band together like the engine of a machine/car.  Griffith's guitar riffs are highly technical and skilled yet they play with the fast and loose style of funk/blues.  He is fast and loose but not sloppy joe.  Watermelon came out with their first full length album, Sleepover, at the beginning of 2013.  I have a feeling that Watermelon will make it big (as if they haven't already).  I can see them playing all the late night talk shows (Jay Leno, David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, and Conan O'Brien.  I do not have their songs downloaded but it's only because I'm waiting to see them again live and get an autographed copy of Sleepover.  But know that I would buy this album ten times over and give it out to friends for gifts.  

'YOWWYCH' from Sleepover

'Shrug It Off' (live) at Dark Star Jubilee 

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So that's pretty much it for my recommendations at this time.  But know that this is only part 1 of 'summer sounds'.  I have too many band suggestions for one post.  So look for part 2 on the heels of this post, and open yourself up to some new summer sounds.  

Rock on,

~R~