At long last, and just in time, I’ve completed something that I’ve wanted to do for quite some time: a summer-themed post. Sitting in my drafts since 2016 has been a post entitled “The Enduring Paradise of a Great Summer Album”, with a few ideas getting things started, a few albums listed that I return to each year when the temperatures go up, but nothing concrete. I’ve written/posted about seasons before, so this should have been no problem. In 2012 I made a downloadable summer mixtape (downloads still work, btw!) and in 2015 I posted 15 Essential Autumn Albums which people seemed to like (don’t ask about 15 more essential autumn albums… it is definitely NOT collecting dust in my drafts section!). But the motivation for a summer albums post never came, so it was repeatedly tabled.
I was confused with what I wanted to do, and also a bit self-conscious, since summer music is something that inspires more gung-ho feelings in people compared to those conjured by fall music. Tingly autumn feelings are primarily reserved for bookworm type-B introverts and that is pretty easy to match up music-wise (or at least that’s the stereotype in my head, with albums from Mazzy Star, The Microphones and Yo La Tengo being featured on my 2015 autumn albums list).
Summer, on the other hand, is all over the place. It’s all about music that makes people feel good in the freedom of having less clothing on, (usually) less responsibilities to deal with and energetic distraction from the heat. Music for relaxation, music for exercise, music for rooftop parties, music for laid back kickbacks, music for driving with the windows down, music for the beach, music for hikes, the list goes on. The styles to cover – indie rock, hip hop, pop, electronic, garage, folk, country, R&B, funk, ambient… the list, again, goes on. Everyone has their own summer jams. My sensitive resolve shied away from the thought of trying to conquer a summer playlist for others to enjoy… until now.
Read more to get the Spotify link and full track list –>
Warm Visions 