Summer Music

Summer's coming, and with it a new style of music to listen to. I associate listening to indie rock bands like Interpol and Wilco with cold weather; my warm weather alternatives come from a band and an artist- Hot Hot Heat and Jack Johnson.

Watch the videos on Hot Hot Heat's site. Especially "Goodnight, Goodnight." Disregard the trippiness of the video- just listen to the music. It's easy to imagine being down at the shore.....a volleyball net is set up on the beach, people are doing cannonballs into the waves, and HHH is playing. Yeah, they're from Canada. Yes, the lead singer's voice is either love it or hate it material. But if you do love it, the catchy beats and lyrics from HHH will quickly become your friends. I too was skeptical at first listen, but quickly found myself playing nothing else. Oh, the beach awaits.

And then we have Jack Johson. One minute, a professional surfer....the next, some guy jamming out to a song about banana pancakes. Using only his guitar and excellent voice, he quickly rocketed into the forefront of musical attention; for once, a good thing, as not only is he not bad, but he has three albums under his belt now- with the latest, On and On, he has proven himself to be consistent. And the songs, from "Banana Pancakes" to "Sitting, Waiting, Wishing" all evoke images of an island, hammocks, and fun time on the beach. School will be out soon- and with these trusty picks in hand, I'll always be ready for summer.