thePULSEMellow mood has got me, so let the music rock me. Music for summertime moods
July 2004 – When the weather is hot, what do you put on the stereo? Music spawned from beach culture or warm climates? There are the classic “surf rock” albums by Dick Dale, The Ventures, and The Surfaris. The Beach Boys have an album or two that are perfect soundtracks for driving to the beach, picking up girls and having a good time. Some people link Bob Marley to summertime, although his albums are glaringly underappreciated for their social and political implications.
Whether it’s something to chill to or to sweat to, not all summer music is for the beach and not all beach music is party music. Here are just a few suggestions for music to savor when whiling away those lazy days of summer. As Bob Marley sang: “Mellow mood has got me, so let the music rock me.”
Stan Getz: Stan Getz/João Gilberto 1963 & Astrud Gilberto: Beach Samba 1967
Akin to many great jazz records, this classic was made in a couple days. Accompanied by Antonio Carlos Jobim, a composer and pianist of the highest caliber, and João’s wife Astrud, Getz and Gilberto deliver one of the finest concoctions of jazz and bossa nova. Take another listen to “The Girl From Ipanema” and “Corcovado (Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars)” and let your heart sink into the bittersweet taste of love and longing. This album is a testament to the power of subtlety in music. An ideal album for your next beachside bungalow cocktail party or a beach towel and a remote part of the shore. Beach Samba is for the sun kissed days of summer. Gorgeous, simple songs that celebrate love, sung with Astrud’s soft and syrupy voice that is like none other’s. A few songs of the era (“You Didn’t Have to Be So Nice”) mixed with standards (“My Foolish Heart”) make this a great album to listen to enjoy while basking in the beachside comfort of friends. It’s also a perfect score to a summer’s crush.
James Taylor: Sweet Baby James 1970
James Taylor is as New England as clam chowder. Although this record was recorded in Los Angeles during the era of 1970s singer/songwriters, much of it harks back to his days in Massachusetts. The album begins with “Sweet Baby James”, a gorgeous evocation of his love for his newborn son, and rolls down a “Country Road” with turns of introspection (“Sunny Skies”), magic and loss (“Fire and Rain”), and even seduction (“Steamroller”). Not necessarily ideal for a day at the beach, but a great record to sing along with on that long road back from the Cape. Who knows, you may even run into him when you’re out there.
Beat Happening: Beat Happening 1985
Ingredients: three friends, do it yourself aesthetics, and a sound like no one else. Avid music collecter, K records founder, and youthful warbler Calvin Johnson brought twee pop to his neck of the Olympia, Washington woods. This seminal album is brash, innocent, edgy and fun from a time when being a part of indie rock wasn’t a means to get you laid or to make you cool. Beat Happening rarely if ever rehearsed and made a career’s worth of enjoyable and influential anthems and albums. This album is infectious, and songs such as “Down at the Sea” can be played for beachside frolicking or late night bonfires. As Michael Azerrad pointed out, this is one of the bands that in fact “could be your life”.
Dirty 3: Ocean Songs 1998
Not everyone goes to the beach for fun in the sun. There are those who choose to take their thoughts, and, trousers rolled, walk upon the beach, contemplating and awaiting the songs of mermaids. If you’re ever feeling this way, take a pair of headphones and a copy of Ocean Songs, and listen to the hypnotic album on repeat. Let violinist Warren Ellis, guitarist Mick Turner and drummer Jim White accompany the tumultuous multitudes of thoughts and reveries in your mind. The swelling waves of dynamic, brooding melodies will ultimately crash out your thoughts and leave you speechless.
