Sweltering summer days call for three things: cold beverages, engaging books, and inspiring music. (Sure, A/C tops the list, but that goes without saying...)
All summer I've been spinning the Vampire Weekend album. Those guys are "the whitest band around" according to the blogger/author of Stuff White People Like in a recent Salon.com article. Nevertheless, their tunes are perfect for summer gatherings with friends who sip overpriced beer while wearing madras shorts and overpriced designer shirts.
Newton Faulkner (he of the long, cinnamon dreads whose performance on NPR's WorldCafe with David Dye will be re-broadcast 7.12 and 7.14) has also been in heavy rotation. Although I missed his show at Bonnaroo, I'm still lovin' the album, esp. this song, "Gone in the Morning":
But my audio A.D.D. requires variety, so I added more season-specific tunes to the mix with another band of Bonnaroo veterans: Toubab Krewe. Their "Hang Tan" instrumental has one of the most infectious melodies you'll hear. Listening to this Asheville, N.C.-based quintet, it's obvious why their hometown is praised in Eric Weiner's The Geography of Bliss. This music elevates the spirits of even the sourest sap:
Continuing with the afro-pop/world music vibe, I'm still hooked on Peter Gabriel's recent project called Big Blue Ball. This collaboration (which features other favorites such as Tim Finn and Joseph Arthur) finally released last month after 17 years in the making. It may take as many years for me to get the song "Whole Thing" out of my head:
No comments:
Post a Comment