Flaming Lips Get Embryonic With Their Noisy Roots

by Jason Hicks

The Flaming Lips started out as a band of deranged punks in Oklahoma City in the mid 80s, the core of which was formed by lead singer Wayne Coyne, his brother Mark and bassist Michael Ivins.  After Mark left the band, brother Wayne assumed the reigns of the group and got to work making the band a full time gig, which was a decade long process.  Musically, the band slowly learned to play their instruments and tame some of their more wildly bizarre tendencies, to a degree, before emerging with 1990's excellent In a Priest Driven Ambulance.

From there the Lips went through numerous line up changes, survived one hit wonder status after the single "She Don't Use Jelly" made an impact at alternative radio, staged audio experiments with garages full of cars playing tapes and released the remarkably refined The Soft Bulletin in 1999.  The Soft Bulletin was indeed an apogee for the band, as it was hailed by many as one of the best albums of the decade.  After 2002's well received Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, the Lips released At War With the Mystics in 2006, which was seen by many as a letdown considering the heights of orchestral psychedelic pop they had scaled on their last two outings.  However, it was almost inevitable that the Lips would have to come to terms with the nearly constant upward trajectory that they had been on for over twenty years.  By the middle of the 2000s there literally was nowhere for them to go but down, having become the consummate trippy freak out band of the mainstream, with songs licensed to commercials and the band regularly playing massive music festivals like Coachella and Bonnaroo.

Which brings us to the recently released Embryonic and we find the band circling, in some ways, back to the rough and tumble acid rock that marked their earlier career.  Coyne recently remarked that the album began its life as free flowing jam sessions at member Steven Drozd's home studio, and that ebullient genesis is apparent.  This group of songs is the loosest and unstructured batch of tunes in quite some time, perhaps going all the way back to their 1992 major label debut, Hit to Death in the Future Head.  Suffice to say that it's highly unlikely that any of these songs will be popping up on salad dressing or computer commercials as other Lips tracks have in recent years, these are songs that must be heard in their entirety and numerous times in order to be fully grasped.

The album's seventy minute running time, the longest Lips album yet, provides quite a bit of material to digest as Coyne warbles under swaths of reverb while eerie synth sounds float in the mix and collide with pounding drums and distorted guitars.  In fact, this album is an audiophile's nightmare as many of the instruments have been recorded at levels much too high and the drums, basslines or guitar break up on nearly every track.  Do not be alarmed, there is nothing wrong with your speakers, it's just the Lips reveling in good old fashioned noise.  On one hand, I have to respect a mainstream album that completely disregards modern production standards, but I wonder if such a grungy sounding album has ever been recorded with such expensive equipment.  Although the cellphone interference present on "The Sparrow Looks Up at the Machine" makes me question if someone was indeed asleep at the wheel during the mastering process.  But I suppose that's just part of the Lips' prankster persona, we'll never know if they intended for Embryonic to sound as harsh as it does. 

What is clearly a purposeful decision is the complete lack of pop songs throughout the proceedings.  In fact nearly a quarter of the songs here are instrumental and on others like "Worm Mountain" and "The Impulse" the vocals are so heavily buried both in the mix and by effects that they are given no more weight than the other instruments that they jaggedly bump up against.  However, something resembling a hook does finally rear its head on the third to last song, "Sliver Trembling Hands", perhaps as a reward to those who have completed the journey thus far through the musical swamps of Coyne's imagination.  In fact the last three songs of the album compose a suite of songs that represent the strongest material on the album, which is indeed a rariety in an era of albums front loaded with singles and back loaded with filler.

Lyrically, some themes begin to emerge in the swirling sonic soup after a few listens, most conspicuously the nature of evil and how we should properly react to its presence in our lives.  Much of the press surrounding Embryonic has compared it to Miles Davis' exploratory 70s albums, but for me, at least in the abstract, it shares more of an aesthetic with the metaphysical space travels of Sun Ra.  A good chunk of the album deals with interstellar tropes, culminating with the album ending "Watching the Planets", which contains allusions to the galactic alignment of 2012.   While another motif of the album is about the search for a coherence to the underlying patterns and nature of the universe, in the end Embryonic is about acceptance as Coyne says "Oh, oh, oh/ Finding the answer/ Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh/ Finding that there ain't no answer to find." 

When a voice intones during "Virgo Self-Esteem Broadcast" repeatedly that "this is the beginning" it neatly sums up the Lips' glass-is-half-full philosophy.  While it could be argued that we are at an end point in many ways as a society and species, as long as there are those who remain on the quest for enlightened consciousness like the Flaming Lips, there is still hope that an unseen new chapter awaits us just beyond the horizon. 

Volcano Choir Unmap the Connection Between Ambient and Folk

by Jason Hicks

Volcano Choir is the new band that represents a collaboration between Justin Vernon (a.k.a. Bon Iver) and Collections of Colonies of Bees.  While I don't know much, or anything, about Collections of Colonies of Bees (other than opining that their name is quite unwieldy) the Bon Iver album, For Emma, Forever Ago is one of my favorites to come out of the neo-folk movement that has been gaining steam recently.  While that album was about as minimal as it gets, mainly consisting of one man with an acoustic guitar and some tasteful vocal overdubs, the debut album Volcano Choir album, Unmap, is a different animal entirely.

While it still does have a folky quality to it, this album is definitely one that will sit nicely with others in the "experimental" bin of your local record shop.  You know, that arbitrary section where you can find artists as disparate as John Zorn and Einsturzende Neubauten rubbing shoulders because the dudes behind the counter didn't know where else to file their albums.  There's no shortage of oddball noises here, with electronic beeps and loops eerily floating in an out of the mix.  Vocoder vocals, the analog precursor of the ubiquitous autotuned vocals, pop up on "Still" as they did on the Bon Iver album.  However, against an ambient backdrop, the effect is far more artful than the clumsy attempts at futurism that are currently dominating the airwaves.

Some tracks like "Mbira in the Morass" are a little too left field for their own good, consisting of nothing more than haphazard piano chords, thumb harp notes and random noises paired with unintelligible vocals.  At a scant 35 minutes the album can't really afford to accommodate throw aways such as this, but when it gets it right, like on the acoustic guitar and vocals with loops tone poem of "Husks and Shells", Unmap delivers impressionistic beauty like few other albums in recent memory.  Elsewhere, Vernon sings over vocal and guitar loops on "Seeplymouth" and "Dote" respectively.  Both seem fairly sparse on their surface, but upon closer listening reveal some subtle layers of vocals and sounds.

It's interesting that when the subgenre of "folktronica" first emerged in the late '90s/early '00s with artists like Four Tet and Manitoba, it was mainly electronic music with a few folky elements tossed in for color.  Now with records like this, and the work of artists like Animal Collective and Akron/Family, we are seeing the reverse come into vogue, music that is rooted in the folk genre thematically, but employs electronic flourishes to fill things out. 

Despite its experimental leanings, at its heart Unmap is about the beauty of the human voice, and to that end Vernon's soaring vocals serve it quite well.   While overall the album does feel a bit slight, it is long on ambition and serves as a uniquely engaging listen.  Seeing as how the two full length albums from Vernon so far have differed greatly, it will be interesting to see what direction his next project will take. 

All Things Vinyl, October 5, 2009: Classic Records Royal Ballet and Beethoven Symphonies on Clarity Vinyl.

by Oliver Amnuayphol

Not a lot of vinyl news this week, but still some golden nuggets to report on: Classic Records just announced two fabulous new vinyl releases, the first of which being the highly sought after The Royal Ballet Gala Performances. Recorded in 1957 at Kingsway Hall, Royal Ballet features Ernest Ansermet conducting the Royal Opera House Orchestra in one their finest performances ever recorded. Many classical-luvin' audiophiles consider this to be one of Decca's finest recordings, and now Classic Records has reissued Ballet on their wondrous 200 gram, QUIEX-SVP Clarity vinyl formulation--and on 9 45-rpm discs no less. Sure, there's a non-45 rpm version of this album available as well, but if you love this music and treasure superb-sounding classical music from the golden age of LP recordings, you'll delight at all the musical and sonic riches this 9-disc set has to offer. Look for this set to be available October 16th at around $120.

Also coming soon from Classic Records is the complete cycle of Beethoven Symphonies with Josef Krips conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. That's right--all nine glorious Beethoven symphonies in one set! Originally issued in 1959 by Everest Records, the Krips Beethoven cycle is one in a series of Everest gems originally recorded onto 35mm master tape; Bert Whyte was at the helm of the original sessions and did a fine job of capturing all of Walthamstow Assembly Hall's rich reverberant decay, sense of scale and natural tonal balance. Rest assured Classic is coaxing as much sonic goodness as possible from this one: the set will comprise 10 200-gram Quiex-SVP Clarity vinyl LPs with mastering at Bernie Grundman. Look for the set to be available around Oct. 20th, $249 MSRP. 

Thom Yorke Date Added Tonight!

by Jason Hicks
Earlier this week I blogged about Radiohead's Thom Yorke putting together a new band featuring among others Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea.  The band was scheduled to debut at the Orpheum Theatre this Sunday and Monday in Los Angeles.

But today just to further my theory that Yorke is aiming for complete interweb domination, he dropped the bomb on his blog this morning that he will be playing yet another show, which will be taking place tonight at the Echoplex, also in L.A.

Quoth Mr. Yorke, "so yes that band thats doesnt really have a name that im working with at the moment?????? have decided to do a warm-up show on Friday Oct 2nd around 9pm at the Echoplex in Los Angeles  Its not that big, it'll be total chaos and its kind of a rehearsal but .. if you are near by.. below is a link to get tickets. hope you get lucky with it."

Of course tickets sold out instantly online, but there may be a few available at the door.  So if you are in the area it may indeed be worth dropping by to see if you can get in to what promises to be quite a unique affair and an opportunity to see Yorke in the smallest room he has played in the U.S. since the Pablo Honey tour in 1993. 

In a crazy twist to the story Pitchfork practically plagiarized my blog for their coverage of the event. 

Check it out here where they say:  "Last week, if you told me Thom Yorke was going to debut his still-nameless new band with Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers the same day Kid A was named Best Album of the Decade by some website, I probably would have directed you to WeeklyWorldNews.com."

Hmmm, sounds an awful lot like this, doesn't it?  "But if you had told me last week that Thom Yorke would be forming a band with Flea on bass I would've gone ahead and told you that you might want to check your tin foil hat for holes because clearly the CIA still has control of your mind."  Although their quote clearly isn't as witty as mine.

So Pitchfork, let me just say that this aggression will not stand and you'll be promptly hearing from my lawyer. . .         as soon as I get one.  Maybe after I finish cleaning my house this weekend. 

Thom Yorke Unveils New Band and L.A. Shows

by Jason Hicks

After setting the internet on fire last month with a new Radiohead single and a rumored EP that never materialized, frontman Thom Yorke revealed today that he has formed an impromptu band of sorts.  On his blog this morning, Yorke said that he put the band together to perform songs from his excellent solo album, The Eraser, as well as some new tunes.  Not only that, but the group will be performing a pair of dates at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles this coming Sunday and Monday on Oct. 4th and 5th.  As for what to expect, Yorke kept it fairly vauge, saying "we don't really have a name and the set will not be very long cuz ..well ...we haven't got that much material yet!"  If you want tickets, paying exorbitant prices on Ebay is your only option since the shows sold out within minutes of going on sale this morning.

The band consists of Yorke, longtime producer Nigel Godrich, session drummer Joey Waronker best known for his work with Beck, multi-instrumentalist Mauro Refosco and. . .  wait for it. . . wait for it. . . Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea!  Godrich of course is a no brainer as he's been working with Yorke and Radiohead for most of their careers and Waronker seems a logical choice as Godrich has also produced several albums for Beck.  But if you had told me last week that Thom Yorke would be forming a band with Flea on bass I would've gone ahead and told you that you might want to check your tin foil hat for holes because clearly the CIA still has control of your mind.  I mean Yorke isn't exactly known for his well developed sense of humor and on the other hand you've got Flea who has a history of performing wearing only a sock. . .    somewhere other than his foot.   Not only that, but musically they're pretty divergent as well.  I can't say I've ever listened to a Yorke or Radiohead track and thought to myself, "you know what this could use is some slap bass!"

While I'm sure that the formation of this band is no reason for Radiohead fans to panic, as I don't see it being anything other than a diversionary lark, it will indeed be interesting to see how it pans out.  Who knows, perhaps this will end up being a foil to Radiohead's seriousness for an extended period a la R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and the Minus 5. 

I myself hope that the show is taped and that I'll be downloading it by next week after which I can share my impressions with you, my beloved readers.  It makes one wonder what stunt Yorke will pull off next, a track dissing Kanye West featuring Taylor Swift?  I have to say, at this point anything seems possible.

Phish Find Their Joy

by Jason Hicks

Anyone familiar with the band Phish knows that they are primarily known for their improv heavy marathon live shows and their studio albums are somewhat of an afterthought in terms of their overall legacy.  So for the dedicated Phish fan a new album isn't necessarily cause for celebration, but instead an opportunity to critique the shortcomings of yet another failed opportunity to fully capitalize on compositions that are destined to shine in the live format.  Which isn't to say that all of their albums are bad, as some of them are quite good, but the band certainly has not produced an album that is an unqualified classic in the eyes of the music cognoscenti at large.

While their latest effort, titled simply Joy, may not be the career defining work that has thus far alluded them, it is their strongest entry in over a decade.  To find an album that challenges it in terms of presenting the essence of the songs represented we have to go back at least to 1998's Story of the Ghost and perhaps even 1996's Billy Breathes, the latter of which is regarded by many to be one of their best.  Granted the band has gone through not one but two hiatuses during that interval, so it may not be as impressive as it sounds, but guitarist and chief songwriter Trey Anastasio has always been prolific.  So despite the breaks, Phish still managed to put out three proper albums between Ghost and Joy.

The time apart from one another looms large here, as Anastasio spent a good amount of that period in rehab following a DUI arrest in 2006.  It's not hard to imagine what he's referring to when he sings "Got a blank space where my mind should be" in the bluesy rocker "Stealing Time From the Faulty Plan".  Furthermore, when he says "Got a Clif Bar and some cold green tea" you can tell those words don't represent mere sustenance but instead are a metaphor for a man literally fighting for his life.  Elsewhere when he intones "I didn't sleep once for four days and three nights/ I once didn't stop for seven red lights" on "Twenty Years Later" it's even more clear that the second chance that Joy represents, both for Phish and Anastasio's general well being, has not come easily.   While lyrically Phish has for quite some time been moving away from the goofiness of early work like "David Bowie", whose only words are the titular British rocker's name along with "UB40", these songs represent the most personal and revealing Phish songs to date.  Considering that the members are all well into their 40s at this point, a bit of maturity and gravitas in their music is not only welcome, but suits the band quite well. 

Not that it's all doom and gloom, the album opener "Backwards Down the Number Line" is a bubbly tribute to the enduring friendship between Anastasio and longtime lyricist Tom Marshall that may be the catchiest pop song in the band's catalog.  Bassist Mike Gordon contributes the typically quirky "Sugar Shack" that features an upbeat calypso/island feel fused to his country-ish vocal stylings.  It also features a tastily in the pocket beat courtesy of drummer and band namesake Jon Fishman.  Elsewhere keyboardist Page McConnell gives his own cheeky take on the reunion with "I've Been Around", and alludes to a few troubles of his own "And the town threw down on me".  Darker themes reemerge on the album's other blues rocker "Kill Devil Falls", which takes bit more of a boogie woogie tack than the straight ahead blues of "Stealing Time".   The production throughout is fairly glossy, but not so much that it detracts from the overall aesthetic of the tunes, and some sheen is to be expected when employing producer Steve Lillywhite who made a name for himself working with the likes of U2 and Peter Gabriel in the '80s. 

Then there's "Time Turns Elastic" which has been maligned by many of the band's hardcore fans, and with lines like "I'm a submarine" and "Melody, shelter in the darkness/ Take hold of me now!" it's hard not to cringe while enduring its 13 minutes of prog-rock excess.  The outro verses and jam pack a punch, but unfortunately it's a case of too little too late as it takes over 10 minutes to get there.  The song had its genesis as a piece for a full orchestra accompanied by Anastasio on guitar that was first performed before the band got back together.  Apparently Lillywhite felt the album wouldn't have been complete without one of Anastasio's "epics" and so that led to it's inclusion, but it seems that it may have been better suited to have remained a part of his solo oeuvre. 

That one misstep aside though, Joy is indeed evidence that not only Phish is back, but that they remain creatively vital.  With a little luck Phish 3.0, as they have been dubbed by their tech savvy following, may just produce that masterwork album yet.  You can stream the album from the band's myspace page here.

Grizzly Bear and Michael McDonald a Match Made in Heaven

by Jason Hicks

I have a confession to make, I've been obsessed with yacht rock for quite some time now.  By yacht rock, I mean the soft rock stylings of '70s powerhouses like Steely Dan, The Doobie Brothers and Loggins and Messina.  The genre gets its name from the excellent web mockumentary series of the same name that brilliantly fabricates back stories for all of your favorite silky smooth 70s jams.  If you haven't seen it, check out the first episode here and prepare to have your life changed forever!  Be warned that they do feature some NSFW language, but it's all in good fun.   As a former member of both the Doobie Brothers and a frequently back up singer for Steely Dan, blued soul extraordinaire Michael McDonald is arguably the master and grand poo-bah of the style. 

On the other end of the musical spectrum we have Grizzly Bear who are one of the hottest indie rock bands in the country at the moment and whose most recent album, Veckatimest, is a shoo-in to make just about everyone's top albums of the year lists in a couple months. 

So it came as somewhat of a shock this morning when it was announced that the b-side of Grizzly Bear's new single "While You Wait for the Others" features non-other than the aforementioned legendary Mr. McDonald.  As this collaboration represents a once in a lifetime confluence of my interests I knew that I had to get my hands, or ears I should say, on it right away. 

Under normal circumstances I go the caveman route and save my hard earned dollars for the physical media (and superior sound quality) of CDs and LPs.  However, in this case I couldn't be expected to wait days or even weeks to get the 7" single shipped out to me, so I proceeded directly to the iTunes store to plunk my 99 cents down to get four minutes and twenty nine seconds of blissful musical instant gratification.

The track is an alternate version of "While You Wait for the Others", and actually sounds like the same backing instrumental from the album version with McDonald's patented golden voice in the lead vocal slot instead of Grizzly Bear singer Daniel Rossen.  That's right, this is no tastefully tucked in the background guest spot, but instead sounds like McDonald delivering the world's best karaoke version of the Grizzly Bear tune.  McDonald brings his unique soulful, yet bordering on histrionic, style and holds nothing back as we would expect from the man who made a career out of singing in registers that would make most folks require a tracheotomy.  In a word it's the most genius track I've heard in quite some time, and may have been specifically designed for my enjoyment.  It makes me wonder how exactly such a musical marriage occurred in the first place, but instead of over-analyzing it, I'll just offer my heartfelt gratitude to both Grizzly Bear and Mr. McDonald for making my Monday a bit brighter today.   Get the 7" or the iTunes download here.

New Radiohead EP on Monday 8/17?

by Jason Hicks

Radiohead have been making lots of waves on the internet recently.  First they released a song paying tribute to the recently deceased last British WWI veteran Harry Patch.  If you purchase a download of the song here, proceeds go the Royal British Legion, a veteran's organization.  You can also stream it from the BBC.

Then singer Thom Yorke declared that Radiohead would not be releasing any more full length albums, saying that the process for creating their last album, In Rainbows, had been so exhausting that attempting another would "kill us."  Upon hearing this, several thousand hipsters drowned their sorrows in a sea of foul smelling Pabst Blue Ribbon.

Then a couple of days ago a new track that sure sounds like a new Radiohead tune, believed to be titled "These Are My Twisted Words", surfaced mysteriously on a Radiohead message board.  It's your typically awesome moody and layered Radiohead tune, check it out:

Apparently when the track appeared on torrent sites, it was accompanied by cryptic allusions to the date of August 17th along with the phrase "Wall of Ice."  A few hours ago it came to light that entering www.wallofice.com into your browser links directly to the band's digital download page, so at this point it's seemingly locked in that a release of some sort is eminent.  The general scuttlebutt is that it will be a 4 track EP, and it's likely it will be a digital only release as the band has been moving toward the non-physical release route for quite some time. 

Hopefully the other three tracks will be of the same quality as "These Are My Twisted Words", but until the actual release we can only continue wring our hands in nerdy anticipation.  But hey, even if it's a hoax or an underwhelming release, at least it will give us a reason to get out of bed come Monday morning, other than the entirely overrated concept of "responsibility."

RIP Les Paul 1915-2009

by Jason Hicks

Legendary guitar player and monumental music figure Les Paul passed away today and it's pretty much impossible to overstate his importance in the development of modern music.  Not only did he build one of the first solid body guitars in 1941, but he also was an innovator in multi-track recording and developed effects for the guitar that were the foundation of the rock n' roll sound, such as tape delay.

Perhaps even more amazingly, he continued playing regularly right up until the end and could be found playing at New York clubs even at the age of 94.  His dedication to guitar playing was further evidenced by an incident 1948 when in broke his arm.  In order to be able to continue to play the guitar his right arm was set at a permanent right angle suitable for cradling and strumming.

In the early '50s Gibson introduced the signature Les Paul model based off his suggestions and designs.  Notable players of various Les Paul Gibsons are a veritable who's-who of prominent guitar players and include:  Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Jeff Beck, Slash, Eddie Van Halen, John Lennon, Pete Townsend, Frank Zappa, Neil Young and many more.

The course of music history would have undoubtedly been different without him and the profound effects of his direct and indirect contributions to our culture are truly staggering.

Below is a video of Paul and then wife Mary Ford performing the jazz standard "How High the Moon" over a 24 track recording for a total of 26 tracks, which was likely unprecedented at the time.

The Top Ten Definitive Summer Songs

by Jason Hicks

With the warm days of summer upon us it's time to go to your favorite swimming hole, fire up the grill and enjoy a cold beverage.  Of course no summer relaxation session is complete without the accompaniment of some mood fitting tunes as well.  For some reason summer is without a doubt the season that has the strongest attachments to certain songs and genres.  Sure there's some music that has decidedly wintery associations, Radiohead's Kid A immediately springs to mind, but for hot weather there's huge swaths of genres from reggae to surf music to hip hop that immediately conjure images of beaches and block parties.  So here's my guide to summertime classics:

10. The Roots- You Got Me

Really the entirety of The Roots breakthrough 1999 album Things Fall Apart makes for great summer listening with its abundant keyboard driven grooves and thoughtful lyrics.  But the album culminates with this slowburning single that features the always excellent Erykah Badu on vocals and when drummer Questlove drops some drumnbass breaks at the end things really heat up.

9. The Doobie Brothers- Black Water

I'm more of a Michael McDonald era Doobie Brothers fan, but this song has to stand as the peak of the Tom Johnston era.  With it's acoustic guitars, sweet harmonies and country style fiddle it's pretty much the auditory equivalent of floating down a river on an inner tube and what says summer more than that?  Now if Warner Bros. would only let me embed a decent version of the video . . . 

8.   Broken Social Scene- Pacific Theme

You won't hear this song on the radio anytime soon, but Broken Social Scene aptly titled this one when they decided to call it "Pacific Theme" as it's the perfect soundtrack for cruising the 101 highway and enjoying the scenery.  It manages to be both propulsive and relaxing at the same time and contains quite a few layers of sonic goodness.  Needless to say this isn't the official video, but who doesn't love hedgehogs?

7. Santana- Oye Como Va

Sure Tito Puente originally wrote this tune, but this list wouldn't be complete without an entry from Santana and this organ heavy classic has always been one of my favorites.  Plus this is the version that is lodged in our collective unconsciousness, sorry Tito.  If Carlos' snaky guitar lines paired with the hot conga playing here don't make you move, then you may want to check your pulse.

6. The Pharcyde- Passin' Me By

I'm not sure, but I think this is the first track to ever sample Quincy Jones' "Summer in the City" in the form of a perfect bassline and organ part.  Everyone from LL Cool J to electronic producers like Nightmares on Wax have followed in their footsteps in utilizing this sublime groove.  Toss in the ubiquitous Skull Snaps beat, some Jimi Hendrix guitar scratches, some saxophone from Eddie Russ and of course the Pharcyde's nimble rhymes and you've got a summer cut for the ages.  The video is slightly racy, so if that sort of thing doesn't bother you, check it out here.

5.   Wilco- Impossible Germany

Wilco's 2007 album Sky Blue Sky is filled with pastoral beauty, as Jeff Tweedy remarked on a summer evening a couple years back when I saw them: "This is lovely, it's bubonic. . .  I mean bucolic!"  Sure, whatever you say Jeff.  Seriously though, the intertwining guitars and outro jam make for laid back listening par excellence.  I'm told that this song was playing as I canoed across a lake toward my wedding ceremony a couple summers back, you can't plan that type of serendipity!

4.   Sublime- Santeria

I think I just heard a collective groan from any music snobs that may be reading this, and yes it's true Sublime have degenerated into a frat boy cliche at this point.  But does that make Bradley Nowell's channeling of the ultimate summertime vibe with equal parts ska and surf rock in this guitar solo any less potent?  I think not. 

3.  Led Zeppelin- Over the Hills and Far Away

Something about Led Zeppelin screams summertime to me and this tune off of Houses of the Holy is a perfect example of essential dog days listening.  From the acoustic intro to the harpsichord coda, it's basically impossible to not be in a good mood while enjoying this song.  This video isn't the best quality but it was the best that I could find, amidst a sea of amateur covers, which I suppose is a testament to the song's staying power.

2.   Bob Marley- Three Little Birds

This list would be a complete travesty without the inclusion of a reggae number.  While I toyed with going with another artist like Burning Spear or Lee Scratch Perry, no other artist embodies the genre like Marley.  In fact he's probably one of the more important musical figures of the 20th Century, having been the first bona fide third world superstar.  There are tons of Marley songs that could fit here, but this one is quintessential with it's positive message and undeniable keyboard hook. 

1.   The Beach Boys- Good Vibrations

An obvious choice?  Sure.  Deservedly so?  Absolutely.  "Good Vibrations" had its genesis during the sessions for the acclaimed Pet Sounds album, but creative mastermind Brian Wilson felt it wasn't complete so he continued to work on it after Pet Sounds was released and reportedly spent six months and $50,000 (an insane amount of money to spend on a track in 1966) to perfect it.  While that process couldn't have been the best for Wilson's increasingly tenuous grasp on reality, the result is indeed a masterpiece of summer themed pop heaven.  During the organ backed verses and vocally complicated middle section the Beach Boys' famous golden harmonies have never sounded sweeter.  The fact that one of the biggest hooks from the track makes its appearance in the last twenty seconds of the tune is an indication of the epic level of greatness on display.