It’s been a gloomy summer in Vermont, where rain has become an almost daily occurrence. Fortunately, with our brutal winters, we’re all used to staving off seasonal malaise. Join us as we embrace the transcendent nature of music with our sunny songs for a rainy summer.
The Kinks - Love Me Til the Sun Shines
Dave Davies was not as prolific as his brother Ray, but he rarely disappointed. This lovely little love song is no exception.
Velvet Underground – Here Comes the Sun
Although this song dismisses the uplifting nature of the sun, its bright melody and upbeat rhythm make it the catchiest song about heart break out there.
Husker Du – Celebrated Summer
A nostalgic paean to summers past. Husker Du in top form, as they often were.
Pavement – Summer Babe (Winter Version)
“I saw your girlfriend and she was her eating fingers like they’re just another meal”. Yep. That captures the ideal summer experience.
The Beach Boys - Warmth of the Sun
Probably the most appropriate song on this list. Any collection of early Beach Boys songs would make for a great summer soundtrack.
Loving Spoonful - Summer in the City
I have a theory that every person who’s ever heard this song loves it. Infectious!
Fleet Foxes – Sun Giant/Sun it Rises
A serene counterpoint to the previous entry. Let it wash over you with thoughts of warmth and tranquility.
Pogues – Sunny Side of the Street
This song evokes the Church Street experience, where half the street is usually shaded. Perhaps it would be more optimistic to say half basks in the sun.
Katrina & The Waves – Walking on Sunshine
Philip J Fry’s favorite song, as evidenced by his numerous renditions. Need I say more?
George Gershwin – Summertime (Sam Cooke version)
An American standard, this song has been covered countless times. This is one of many great versions of this wonderfully languid classic.
Jimmy Cliff – Hello Sunshine
Reggae and summer go together like peanut butter and fluf.
The Beatles – Rain
This song may call attention to what this list is meant to help us forget, but it’s a perfect endcap to this set, embracing the cleansing beauty of the rain, reminding us that it always precedes sunshine.
I showed up to Club Metropolis twenty minutes before Dungen hit the stage, a heartfelt desire to not be disappointed and a bottle of cheap strawberry daiquiri mix burning a hole in my stomach. I had been here most recently to see The National, their Boxer LP and Virginia EP being two of my most listened to albums from the previous year or so and while their performance was spirited, I felt they had a hard time translating their brooding heavily produced between-you-and-me delivery to the broad strokes required for such a large venue and seemingly disinterested audience. That experience had left me seriously questioning my interest in live music, at least, in seeing live many of the bands I enjoy in headphones.
I was apprehensive as i stood in the crowd eyeballing suspiciously the various p-dork hipsters, students and service industry veterans that i was sure constituted the entirety of the audience – were they gonna shutup and pay attention when the bands came on or spend the entire show with their backs to the stage?
When the skinny Swedes from Dungen walked quietly onto the stage taking up their instruments the crowd didn’t do much more than turn slightly – some applause – but when they let loose with an incredible racket, the crowd turned around and that was the last time the entire night I thought about anything other than what was going on the stage.
Dungen proceeded to tear it up proper, creating an incredible psych assault, interspersed with deft & delicate melodic interludes, lead singer Gustav Ejstes taking turns stomping and banging a tambourine, trilling on a flute or pounding out on some kind of vintage keyboard, basically doing the world’s greatest Robert Plant impression in the process – their chops and energy combined with their use of entirely vintage gear brought us about as close as we’ll ever get to a live set by some of those old psych heavy weights, and for that i was thrilled and grateful.
At one point, about 10 minutes into their set the girl next to me turned to me with dawning astonishment, “I didn’t know Dungen was playing here tonight?!” “Yeah? That’s cool…” I said back… not sure the proper response. At least it wasn’t anything like the last time i was here, having to listen to two guys argue over whether Facebook friends should be limited only to real life friends (of course not) the entire set.
Dungen left the stage, crowd cheering enthusiastically, i went out for a smoke. Next up Fleet Foxes.
I wasn’t sure what to expect – anyone who’s listened to their album and EP know they can write an incredibly affecting Beach Boys meets My Morning Jacket tinged folk rocker, but I for some reason was skeptical they could pull it off (oh wait i know why, cause I’m a jaded, tight black pants clad, irony drenched, record store guy, Dur).
I was wrong, wonderfully wrong. Right out of the gate they engaged the audience with a room filling 3 (or 4) part acapella harmony that seemed to penitrate and wrap itself around everyone in the packed venue – from there things only got better, every song they launched into with increasing energy and the audience loved every minute of it. The band in turn was extremely appreciative and more than a few times between songs gave heartfelt thanks. As for their songs and how they translated to the stage, i can say that the stage only served to increase the fullness of sound and energy of already great compositions, as a band they struck me as belonging there, like watching The Band or some other classic touring act from the hey day of live music, polished and competent.
I can honnestly think of no criticisms – the playing was incredibly tight, but more importantly earnest, and when the band finally left the stage I could tell everyone in the room felt well and entertained, myself included. I’ll be checking out more live music again soon, my faith in live music (and it’s often boorish, fickle audiences) while not completely restored, was at least bolstered, and that’s really all an anti-social music snob like myself can ask.
So here’s the final list. We tried to go with titles that we’re both amongst the best releases of the year and reflective of the discriminating Pure Pop clientele. Remember, next year the voting will be open to the public, and all Picks are currently on sale in the store!
1980. The Clash - London Calling While it came out in the UK in December of ’79, London Calling was released here the following year. A milestone album whose reputation only grows as the years go by, it’s a perfect album to kick off this list.
1981. Black Flag - Damaged Many albums from SST Records incomparable catalog were considered for this list (Husker Du’s Zen Arcade, Dinosaur Jr’s You’re Living All Over Me), but we ultimately had to go with this release from Black Flag. It’s a searing album whose principled tone would inspire legions of bands and individuals.
1982. Richard & Linda Thompson - Shoot Out the Lights Released at a time when the critically-adored Thompson’s were struggling to sell albums and find record deals, Shoot Out the lights would serve as both a commercial peak and a swan song for the pair. The couple’s tumultuous relationship finally caved, leaving a wake of brilliant albums.
1983. U2 – War It’s hard to remember the band U2 were 25 years ago given their current output, but they were great. War embodies all the qualities the Irish quartet used to earn their legendary status and emerge as one of the biggest bands of the world.
1984. Talking Heads - Stop Making Sense This is the only live album on this list. 1984 was a rich year for fantastic albums. We had to pick this one over the stiff competition because of its enduring popularity amongst our staff and customers and the fact that it’s uniquely amazing.
1985. The Pogues - Rum, Sodomy & the Lash This album is as great as Shane MacGowan’s teeth are revolting. Blending the immediacy and intensity of punk with traditional Celtic music, the Pogues made a number of great albums, creating a niche that would evolve into a genre.
1986. The Smiths - The Queen is Dead What do you get when you combine a musical visionary, a charismatic vocalist with a razor-sharp wit and insatiable addiction to morbid introspection and one of the greatest rhythm sections of all time?
1987. Guns N Roses - Appetite for Destruction Axel Rose is a big dick with delusions of grandeur, but it’s okay. Appetite for Destruction is the rock album of the 80′s. It’s a decadent, nihilistic and excessive tour de force. Lightning in a bottle.
1988. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation In stark contrast to this list’s previous entry, 1988 gives us Sonic Youth’s Daydream Nation. A stunning collection of songs with incredibly inventive guitar arrangements. Anyone with any ambition to experiment with melody and distortion would do well to study this album carefully.
1989. Beastie Boys – Paul’s Boutique After establishing themselves as a tongue-in-cheek party band with Licence to Ill, the Beastie Boys reinvented themselves on their follow-up. Paul’s Boutique brought hip-hop production forward and established the Beastie Boys as one of the great groups of their generation.
1990. Depeche Mode – Violator A band so emotionally overwrought they make The Smiths sound like AC/DC shouldn’t be anywhere on this list, but Depeche Mode’s greatness can’t be denied. (Well, it can, but we won’t listen.) Nine tracks of warm analog synth greatness.
1991. Nirvana – Nevermind All of the albums featured here have had an impact, but there is something unique about popular culture’s love affair with Nirvana in the early 90′s. The trio became the centerpiece of the “grunge” movement but their musical legacy transcends genre associations.
1992. Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted Whereas Nirvana had an immediate, broad impact on popular culture, Pavement’s influence would be gradual, helping to shape the aesthetic of the emerging “indie rock” genre. Today as then, listening to this album is an absolute revelation.
1993. Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream The Pumpkins were a quartet, but this album was essentially performed by Billy Corgan save for drum support from virtuoso Jimmy Chamberlain. Produced by Butch Vig and engineered by the legendary Alan Moulder, this album is the sonic equivalent of honey & melted butter on toast.
1994. Portishead – Dummy Members of Portishead may scoff at the concept of trip-hop, but the genre had a lot of fans in the mid 90′s. This is due in no small part to the band’s debut masterwork. Immaculately crafted and produced, it’s hard to believe a mere three musicians put this together.
1995. Bjork - Post Oh Bjork Guðmundsdóttir. your world-class vocals and aggressively avant-garde sensibilities. Any one of your first three albums could have been on this list. Post currently sells at Pure Pop for just under $7. There is no excuse not to own this one.
1996. DJ Shadow – Entroducing The only instrumental album on this list. With Entroducing, DJ Shadow showed us something we’d never heard before. Often imitated, never matched, Entroudcing hits most of the touchstones of the emotional palate over its all too brief 64 minutes.
1997. Radiohead - OK Computer Radiohead is one of the world’s most commercially successful and critically popular bands. OK Computer blew us all away when it came out, and it still does. Bold, broad and buoying, this album was an absolute shoe-in.
1998. Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea ITAOTS didn’t make huge waves upon it’s initial release. In the decade since, it’s visibility has grown and its influence has become apparent. Warm, eccentric arrangements, superb deliveries of surreal lyrics. Unconventional, evocative, and highly moving.
1999. Beck - Midnite Vultures Mellow Gold and Odelay were the critical darlings, but Midnite Vultures was the party album of its time. Sounding like a coked-up Prince produced by James Brown, Midnite Vultures offers nonsensical anthem after nonsensical anthem before concluding with the falsetto masterpiece, “Debra”.
2000. Outkast - Stankonia Describing the pairing of Andre 3000 and Big Boi as formidable would be an understatement. After improving leaps and bounds with each of their first three albums, they found more room for growth with this dirty south opus.
2001. Daft Punk - Discovery An album with such longevity it would be nominated for a grammy in 2008, seven years after its release. Assembled from a vast array of samples, ingeniously rearranged and supplemented, Discovery brought the French House movement into the 21st century and further into the global spotlight.
2002. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot Amid inner turmoil and trouble with their label, Wilco recorded Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, considered by many to be their finest album as well as one of the best albums. The documentary I am Trying to Break Your Heart offers a fascinating portrait of the circumstances of this album’s creation.
2003. My Morning Jacket It Still Moves The major-label debut from this Kentucky outfit propelled them to well-deserved greater heights. My Morning Jacket blend seemingly disparate influences, country and psychedelic for example, and create a unique and compelling style that still moves (har-har) people to this day.
2004. Arcade Fire Funeral The face of indie rock has changed since the 90′s. It is no longer a fringe genre but a mainstream phenomenon as represented by album’s like this superb release from Canada’s Arcade Fire. Fans of rich arrangements and charged emotion shant be disappointed.
2005. Gorillaz – Demon Days Fronted by Damon Alburn, who was making contenders for this list in the 90′s with his band Blur, Gorrillaz are a uniquely great band. Ostensibly made-up of cartoon characters (created by comic legend Jamie Hewlett), Gorrilaz expose most bands who’d claim to blend hip-hop with modern rock to shame.
2006. TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain Hailing from Brooklyn, TV on the Radio all but monopolized critical acclaim in 2006 with Return to Cookie Mountain. It’s a testimony to this album’s appeal that Pure Pop was selling out of import copies in the weeks leading up to its release.
2007. Andrew Bird - Armchair Apocrypha Former Squirrel Nut Zipper Andrew Bird has been consistently great in his solo career as exemplified in this wonderful release. Baroque with a gritty edge, Armchair Apocrypha has a broader appeal than one might expect from something so eccentric.
2008. Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes Fleet Foxes took the world by storm in 2008 with this breezy, lush and listful album. The perfect compliment to everything from a cold winter drive to a warm summer afternoon, this is an album that measures up to anything on this list.
Welcome to the newly painted fiery pit of Pure Pop! I have some personal recommendations to share… Currently I’ve been on a Tom Waits and Clash kick, but as for new music, The Fleet Foxes are blowing my mind. Check out one of their videos (I am just posting a link for now because I can’t figure out computer language):
Another new release to look out for is The Lines “Flood Bank”. This is a combination of the two LP’s from a late 70′s post-punk band out of London. It is filled with eerie, deep and distant layers of beautiful noise, I can’t get enough of it! Come check it out on the listening station this month!
As far as local music goes, last night I went to the Radiator benefit and unfortunately missed the Fatal Flaws, but I was able to catch the Cave Bees, In Memory of Pluto, and Nose Bleed Island. I must say, all stellar performances! The Cave Bees were rawkin, lots of dancing, lots of fun. In Memory of Pluto is one of my favorite local bands to see (we have their brand new CD “Cutting Open The Fiction” in stock here!). Last night their performance was tight, energetic, and exciting with a couple of thrilling, dark, and dank new tunes! Nose Bleed Island was a grand sight to see as usual. If you are into performance art, this is the local performance for you to see! So come on down and pick up their albums here at Pure Pop!
