Limelight’s Summer Albums
May 5, 2017
Despite the weather being no indication of it, Summer is just around the corner. This is Limelight’s curated list of the albums as the backdrop for whatever partying, swimming, driving, or hanging out you plan to do over the Summer.
Weezer – Weezer (White Album)
Weezer’s most recent studio album, and fourth self titled album, is the best “day at the ocean” album since the Beach Boys. All the way through, from the opener, “California Kids,” to the closer, “Endless Bummer,” White has the perfect Summer vibe, and makes it easy listening to put on repeat all day. Not only was it a perfect Summer album, but it was also a triumphant return to form on Weezer’s part, creating an album that I would say can go toe to toe with their very first, affectionately known as Blue. If you aren’t in California already, this album will certainly make you wish you were.
Queens of the Stone Age – Songs for the Deaf
The scorching hot sun beating down overhead, you crawl into your oven for a car, roll down the windows, and crank up the radio. “Hey alright, it’s Kip Casper, Klon radio, L.A.’s infinite repeat. How we feeling out there? How’s your drive time commute? I need a saga, what’s the saga? It’s songs for the deaf, you can’t even hear it!”
Queens of the Stone Age’s Songs for the Deaf instantly transports you to the Southwest, home of desert rock, dust whipping around your car as you speed down the highway. Between Josh Homme’s vocals, and catchy guitar riffs, and Dave Grohl’s thunderous drumming, SftD kicks your teeth in, and doesn’t let up until the very end.
Hippo Campus – Landmark
“There’s sunlight dripping off the apricot tree/ Lost to the night tide growing in me/ Singing to the drunks like they’re mom and dad/ All we ever knew is what we didn’t have.”
Landmark is the debut full length album from Minnesota band Hippo Campus and is perfect for a summer road trip, trip to the beach or just relaxing around the neighborhood with your friends. It has a pensive theme but with a lighthearted soft rock sound. Turning any mundane moment into something that can feel like a music video, Landmark takes you on the scenic route through your summer days.
Jack’s Mannequin – Everything in Transit
It’s no secret that pop-punk wields an almost magical quality during the summer months. Records from the likes of Saves the Day and The Wonder Years channel a special energy when we trade our sweatshirts for T-shirts, and Everything in Transit sits among the most under-appreciated works of the genre.
While is usually leans more towards pop-rock, a lot of its attitude is similar to those previously mentioned. Imagery of islands and palm trees flood the senses, while the crisp production and monstrous melodies relentlessly delight the listener. And it only sounds better with the windows rolled all the way down.
Modest Mouse – Good News for People Who Love Bad News
Let’s not kid ourselves, Modest Mouse just sounds like summer. A good portion of the Portland residents’ acclaimed catalog is the musical equivalency of the haze of heat rising up off of the concrete. Tracks like “The View” and “Bury Me With It” seem all the more addicting when the sweat is sticking your shirt to your back. And when the sun sets, the breeze blowing through your car window perfectly accents the somber tones of “The World at Large.” Oh, and barking along with Isaac Brock about fake Jamaicans and life’s unfortunate turns is all the more euphoric when a thin veil of clouds line the deep blue sky.
