Summer 10

Summer has always been a time of change and opportunity for myself over the years. I spend lots of time at work, head down, getting into projects and trying to earn a living. For most of it, I've always liked to throw headphones on and spend time getting to know my music library. So over the years, me and my iPod have become great friends, to the point where I know people have noticed I barely post on Facebook or Twitter anything except music notes. But that's just me, I have a different song or style on my mind at all points of the day. And now, even though I'm no longer leaving work to join a school semester, I still find that the summer of 2010 deserves a healthy recap, exploring what I think is some of the best music of the past year (or at least what I've recently discovered).

The hard part is pin-pointing the 20 or so songs I'd like to share here, because all-in-all there were an estimated 50 songs that I could point directly towards when thinking of this summer. But I'm going to do my best!

20. The Fratelli's - Chelsea Dagger
I would be remiss if I didn't include this gem on my list somewhere. As the Chicago Blackhawks' theme song, I've heard it a lot this summer and have used it to re-live their 2010 Stanley Cup win with my friends and family.

19. Bad Veins - Afraid
This song was chosen mostly because of Bad Veins' live show, where they absolutely killed on this song. Their overall sound is a lot like The Bravery, but with a little more emo and electro thrown in. Not something I'm crazy about for the most part, but when they played "Afraid" live, the lead vocalist was flailing about and completely enthralled in the song. Was an intense, engaging performance that was sick enough to throw on this list.

18. Childish Gambino - Difference
Rap project of Community cast member (and former 30 Rock writer) Donald Glover, Childish Gambino is unlike any rap I've heard before (which isn't much, I know). It's vulgar, it's arrogant, and filled with lots of cultural references. "Difference" is the first track, but explains the album Culdesac pretty well in full.

17. The Antlers - Sylvia
I wanted to put "Bear" on this list, but "Sylvia" is by far the most powerful song by The Antlers. This song is so hauntingly beautiful, and positively destroys emotionally. The Antler's album Hospice itself is an exercise in reflection and sorrow, and I believe this song is the epitome of their sound. Also was pretty decently performed at Lolla this year.

16. Neon Trees - Sins of My Youth
This was one of my most favorite "energy" songs of the summer. I've heard so many people give their opinions of Neon Trees' song "Animal" that you'd be surprised that they came out with any other material. But most of the other stuff is much better than "Animal," especially with the build-ups in "Sins of My Youth" and the chorus of "1983". I dare you to listen a few times and not end up singing along.

15. My Dear Disco - Amsterdam
One of my more recent loves, My Dear Disco is just plain fun. And I've listened to "Amsterdam" like 10 times in the past week. It grabs a hold of my newly found dance tendency and just takes me for a ride until the very last moment. I've regularly been seen in my car, pretending I had room to move around to this song

14. Local Natives - Sun Hands
This could easily have been about the song "Airplane," but "Sun Hands" is just an amazing song. At the point where the instruments drop off, and they're yelling "And when I can't feel with my sun hands..." it's just such a fantastic, adrenaline-fueled moment. I've cranked my speakers to max, yelling along in preparation to just jump around when the music interlude slams afterward.

13. Wild Sweet Orange - Ten Dead Dogs
Pandora IS good for something. It kept recommending Wild Sweet Orange, so I finally gave them a legit try because I enjoyed them enough. "Ten Dead Dogs" is the first track, and although in my opinion it's sadly the best they offer, the song itself always gets me thinking. Lots of very potent imagery, and it ends on a note that always makes me so sad that it's over. Although most of me knows that I'm also so glad that it ends with unresolved wistfulness.

12. The National - Terrible Love
The National's new album, High Violet, took a long time to really grab me. But once I saw them live at Lollapalooza, and then returned to the album, I realized how much I really enjoyed most of the songs. "Terrible Love" is both the first single and the first song, and although songs like "Conversation 16" and "Afraid of Anyone" are killer examples of must-listen songs in this band's repertoire, "Terrible Love" can enter your head and never leave. It's somber, powerful, confusing, and the music is catchy as all get out.

11. Circa Survive - Get Out
"Get Out" will be the only song here that really throws me back to my old alternative loves. But it's just so. dang. good. The song begins and demands your attention, and by the end you barely know how you got through like 3 minutes of music. It's the musical equivalent of an energy drink, and it's one of the craziest summer songs I'll ever love.

10. The Graduate - Don't Die Digging
The Graduate's new album Only Every Time is a pop-punk wonder. In a genre dying little by little, The Graduate have proven themselves as a force to at least keep it alive a little while longer. "Don't Die Digging" is the first song on the album (I'm sensing a pattern here....) and is certainly the most memorable on first listen. The attacking guitars and sense of urgency in "Don't Die Digging" could make you come back for more over and over again.

9. Kevin Devine - She Stayed as Steam
KevDev is still one of my favorite singer/songwriters. I've met him twice and he's an extremely humble dude who just loves music. "She Stayed as Steam" is a surprisingly complex poem of a song, on an EP that showcases his wealth of talent as a songwriter. His talent at imagery and wordplay are unmatched in my opinion.

8. Phoenix - Lasso/Rome
I have to put these two songs together because I've listened to them together every time. "Rome" follows "Lasso" on Phoenix's Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix album, and they are a stunning pair. I already complimented "1901" as one of last year's favorite songs, and the entire album is just a prime example of great alternative music in our time.

7. Maps & Atlases - The Charm
The album Perch Patchwork by Maps & Atlases is one of the more confusing albums I own. Part indie alternative, part math rock, and hard to place in terms of style and genre. But the album is extremely accessible. "The Charm" is a practically acoustic track with mainly vocals and percussion. One of my favorite songs from the album, with chilling lyrics that fall into the "I want to sing this out loud but the lyrics are weird" category.

6. Mumford & Sons - Little Lion Man
A prime example of the best folk music out. Period. If you enjoy a good guitar, banjo, and upright bass playing top-tier songs, with a voice that just cannot be reproduced, try this out. You owe yourself a listen. And then another. Then buy the album. I'm seeing them TWICE this year live, for good reason.

5. Discovery - Swing Tree
Choosing "Swing Tree" was a cop out. I can't choose my favorite song from this album. Discovery's LP, as it may be my favorite 2009 album hands down. I am head-over-heels for this style of music, an homage to electronica of the past. It's a love letter to traveling the world, loving women, and most of all dance.

4. Ra Ra Riot - Can You Tell
Ra Ra Riot is the band from the last couple of years that I finally fell in love with this summer. From the dance-centric "Dying is Fine" to the worrisome "Can You Tell" to contemplative closer "Run My Mouth," their album The Rhumb Line is a masterpiece. Their new album, The Orchard, is also a fantastic triumph in violin-led deceptively-complex composition, but it's hard to beat their first LP.

3. Titus Andronicus - A More Perfect Union
I never thought I'd like these guys because of their name. I assumed some boring slow techno feel, but what I got was an alternative band that somehow mixed the best parts of Bright Eyes, Dropkick Murphy's, and....I don't know...New Jersey? Their album opener "A More Perfect Union" is a phenomenal journey through the band's resentment and yet acceptance of living in New Jersey. To top it all off, the entire album The Monitor takes the listener through modern-day references to the Civil War, freedom and liberty. It's offensive, it's self-deprecating, and it's one of the most honest albums of this year.

2. LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean
LCD Soundsystem was close to #1, because the entire album This is Happening will forever be one of 2010's best albums. The album that single-handedly brought me into the dance scene, it started off with "Dance Yrself Clean," an epic tale that mixed smart lyrics/vocals with a slam of electronic proficiency that provoked me to buy the album on vinyl. And now I'm in love with the whole thing, from the stupidity of "Drunk Girls" to my current favorite "Pow Pow". But "Dance Yrself Clean" is one of the greatest tracks I've heard in a long time. Listen to it now.

1. Vampire Weekend - California English
This is my favorite song off this album, but it's probably not the best. It's so hard to choose between "Holiday", the upbeat and strange song that actually references the font Futura, the reflective "Taxi Cab" or "Run", or the sentimental closer "I Think Ur A Contra". So I chose the best auto-tuned, sugary example of a pop song I may have ever personally known. "California English" is my song of this summer, and probably of this year so far. The entire Contra album is my most-played for 2010 and will most certainly be on my top ten list by the end. It's accessible, beautiful, and much deeper in reality than a first listen might reveal. Try it, please. For your own good.

FWEW. Okay, that's it for now. PLEASE ask me questions about any of these songs, or try them out online. If you want to know what's best for your taste, please ask!!! There's so much great music out there, and it's all in different genres. I've been recently enthralled by rap, indie, alternative, electro, dance, and everything else in between. I consider it my job to tell people what's worth their time, so all comments are welcome!

Thanks for reading.....seriously.