There are few things better than driving around in the dead of summer with the windows down and some good tunes blasting over your speakers. These albums always remind me of the hottest months of the year, and are essential to have on any summertime road trip.
Phoenix Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix
The poppy brilliance that is Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix is perfect for a mid-afternoon amp up. It’s ten songs that absolutely fly by, and has you tapping your toes for miles and miles. Just make sure your aren’t tapping your toes with your foot on the pedal.
Kanye West Graduation
Kanye West has released four albums, with a fifth forthcoming this year. Each of the first four acually all remind me of a different season in themselves, and Graduation is a rousing summer set of songs. There are so many songs that embody everything the perfect summer day is about, from “Champion” to “Good Life” to “Flashing Lights”, you can let this thing repeat for a day before you realize it. The finales of “Homecoming” and “Big Brother” are a fitting conclusion to a bombastic collection of tunes.
No matter you’re opinion of hip-hop dynamo Kanye West, chances are you can at least recognize the musical talent of the man. This week a new song leaked from his next album Good Ass Job, and it sounds as if Kanye has not only gone back to his bread and butter sound, but it sounds as if his motivation is sky high. The song is called “Power,” and it’s old school Kanye (old school? The guy has been around less than a decade!). But nonetheless, Kanye seems to be back in top form.
For those who are inclined to listen to music that is brilliant, Arcade Fire announced this week the release date for their immensely anticipated third album, The Suburbs. The date in the U.S. is August 3rd, and I know that as much as I enjoy my summer, now I’m already ready for the first week of August.
Infinite Arms is the third studio album from Band of Horses, and it immediately jumps out compared to their last effort as infinitely more mainstream. Whereas Cease to Begin is an incredibly moody record, even paralyzingly so at times, Infinite Arms decides to switch canoes midstream and head into a new, more accessible direction.
It’s often helpful to compare similarly styled bands in order for the reader of a review or opinion piece to understand the genre, type, or style of music the writer is talking about. Allow me to describe Owl City’s album Ocean Eyes in three words.