My Summer Music

For the past couple of summers I have gotten pretty ambitious about bolstering my musical library. With the aid of shadowy Russian P to P networks, emusic, Itunes, and the old venerable music store I have compiled my summer 2007 collection. And they are....

1. Arcade Fire, Neon Bible- I was first introduced to them during a recent U2 tour. Their unique and textured sound has grown on me. While their music might be a little dour for my tastes I cannot argue with the way they arrange their music to give it a full body. ( I hope that description isn't only reserved for wine) This disk, while not quite as good as their first, is still worthy of a download.
2. Bright Eyes, Cassaga- First things first, hats off to the people who created the disk. Their encoded messages and spectral decoder should inspire people to actually go to the store and purchase the disk. I don't believe that the music of Bright Eyes is exceptional, but that's not the main attraction. It's most definately Conor Oberst. His strange command of the english language really brings these songs to light. I've only listened to this album a couple of times but I feel that it will grow on me.
3. Beatles- I recently viewed the anthology DVD's and my love for this band was renewed. Since I had only previously owned these albums as cassettes I went out about everything post Rubber Soul. I don't need to say anthing that hasn't already been said. The White Album is still my favorite because it just covers so much ground. Love also provides a fresh take on many of the beloved classics.
4. Paul McCartney, Memory Almost Full- Speaking of the fab four....Paul was always good at writing pop music and this is no exception. I've only given it a couple of listens but so far so good. "Dance Tonight" has a care free happiness that seems paramount to most McCartney songs.
5. The National, Boxer- Like Arcade Fire they do a great job of creating a textured sound, and I do like their lyrics better. While not quite up to par with Alligator it is still nonetheless superb.
6. The Shout Out Louds, Very Loud- Another great Indie band. Their songs are catchy but a few songs blend together. They have some incredible percussion that really add a unique element to their sound. I also like their straightforward song titles.
7. Voxtrot, Voxtrot- I found about these guys on emusic. They are out of Austin and have been garnering alot of praise lately. I am still getting into their music but they do remind me of the Strokes. I will have to listen to some more stuff before I feel comfortable offering an opinion.
8. Ryan Jensen, Making Sense of Somethings- Here's to hoping. Maybe next summer I will make the list. Until then it is back to the studio.

I am still missing a few albums. I have quite a few friends who love the new Wilco. Hopefully I will get that shortly. I am looking forward to the upcoming Austin City Limits so that I can find a few canidates for 2008. Happy listening.