Summer Tunes

Summer always has a been a time for fun and relaxation. There is a feel and vibe, but there is also a sound. It is not necessarily a genre or style of music, although some lend themselves more easily than others. The sound conjures that feel or vibe.

As a kid, I distinctly remember my dad playing his records more frequently in the summer and it was the one season when Christmas albums were cut from the rotation. The Beach Boys and Rolling Stones will ever conjure thoughts of the sun glistening off of the pool water, the smell of fresh cut grass, and the feeling of not having to do anything but relax.

Now that I am an adult with my own house and family, I am crafting that summer sound for my household. Hopefully my kids will carry the same summer feelings attached to our summer soundtrack as I have to the soundtrack from my youth. Here are some of the frequent summer tunes of our household...

Obviously the Beach Boys and Stones are worked in. I prefer Hot Rocks and Good Vibrations.
Red Hot Chili Peppers - any of the John Frusciante records (By The Way has a fantastic vibe with gorgeous melodies)
The Dandy Warhols - any
Toots and the Maytals - True Love
Chris Isaak - Baja Sessions
My Life With The Thrill Kill Kult - Hit and Run Holiday
Red House Painters - Ocean Beach
Josh Rouse - Nashville
Fleetwood Mac - Rumors
U2 - Achtung Baby
Rodrigo y Gabriela - Rodrigo y Gabriela
The Cure - Mixed Up / Standing On A Beach
Garden State and 50 First Dates soundtracks

Mark Kozelek Starter Kit

Mark Kozelek is an American song writer and singer that I have listened to on and off for years. His Red House Painters helped to create the slow core movement in the nineties. He has gone on to develop and refine his sound through a number of solo ventures and with his current band, Sun Kil Moon. Most of Kozelek's songs take some time to appreciate. At first they come of as simple and atmospheric, but upon repeated listens they reveal themselves. Brilliant lyrics, beautiful melodies, and sincere delivery. His career has many highlights including RHP's Ocean Beach, Sun Kil Moon's Ghosts of the Great Highway and April, and Mark Kozelek's Rock-n-Roll Singer. That's a lot of albums to venture into discovery so a made a list of some of my favorite songs that you could find on most music services.

Brad's Mark Kozelek Mix
1. Rock and Roll Singer *
2. Metrol 47 *
3. Around and Around *
4. Carry Me Ohio #
5. Salvador Sanches #
6. Gentle Moon #
7. Lily and Parrots #
8. Heron Blue $
9. Moorestown $
10. Unlit Hallway %
11. Tiny Cities %
12. Summer Dress @
13. Katy Song +

* KM - Rock and Roll Singer
# SKM - Ghosts of the Great Highway
$ SKM - April
% MK - Lost Verses
@ RHP - Ocean Beach
+ RHP - RHP (rollercoaster)