Music: Best of the summer, most anticipated of the fall
Audio
- Music: Best of the summer, most anticipated of the fall (program audio)
Can just one song really be the song of summer? We listen and muse over the best songs of summer 2012 and talk about upcoming fall albums.
Gerrick Kennedy, music writer for The Los Angeles Times, will join The Daily Circuit Friday to talk about the hits of the summer. Annie Zaleski, contributing writer to Salon, Alternative Press, and AV Club, will also join the discussion.
THE LIST: Summer song picks from our listeners
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The Daily Circuit from August 17, 2012
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Songs of summer - and the best music coming this fall
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Can just one song really be the song of summer? We listen and muse over the best songs of summer 2012 and talk about upcoming fall albums.
Gerrick Kennedy, music writer for The Los Angeles Times, will join The Daily Circuit Friday to talk about the hits of the summer. Annie Zaleski, contributing writer to Salon and Alternative Press, will also join the discussion.
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NPR's list of the top summer songs since 1962
Excerpt:While this mix will not play in chronological order, some interesting patterns pop up when you consider the songs listed below. The sound of popular music has changed the most, as the top summer hits go from surf rock in the early 1960s through British then American rock 'n' roll, disco, power ballads, R&B, boy bands and hip-hop. Recently, anthemic dance pop has taken over, with songs that seem louder and more bombastic than ever (even if hits today tend to be slower in tempo). And there's something in the songs' messages — be it that breakups suck, or that summer is the best time to be carefree, or that dancing is our path to freedom — that tells us what cultural values seeped into (or out of) music in a given year.
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Best summer song of all time, according to The Daily Circuit's senior producer, Chris Dall?
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Tycho's "Dive" Album is the PERFECT summer driving soundtrack! He's a chillwave/dreampop artist and the music is lush with organic beats and synth melodies. He played recently at the Varsity Theater in front of projected slow-mo video of waves, sun, models in the desert, and trippy designs.
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The album I discovered, thanks to Scott Simon, was Kishi Bashi's "151a" - incredibily beautiful, ethereal, and infused with sunshine and water and air. For weeks I could not get "Atticus, In the Desert" out of my head.
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Moderator comment: Thanks, Renee. Kishi Bashi wasn't a name to me, so i looked him up. He's adept at the digital music enhancer and the three-olive martini.
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The song I would recommend for this summer is called Some Nights by Fun. It is a great, 'fun' song and lays down fun beats with a summer-y Simon and Garfunkle style sound.
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Daily Circuit web producer Emily Kaiser says The Lumineers' "Ho Hey" is the song of the summer.
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Southern California Public Radio asks, "Is this K-Pop's moment?"
This video by Korean pop star PSY has over 35 millions views: -
I have two memorable songs. The first is the Flaming Lips "Race For the Prize" which I heard some friends who had never seen them. The second is "Here Comes Sunshine," a Grateful Dead song, played by Furthur in Chicago, with a different group of friends.
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I took an office poll: summertime (sublime), summertime (DJ jazzy jeff & will smith); boys of summer (Don Henley)
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Summer song? I really like AM radio by Everclear.Or for something completely different...Pat Donohue's Hwy. 61 song about going up to the cabin.
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Annie Zaleski, contributing writer to Salon and Alternative Press joins the Daily Circuit today.
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Gerrick Kennedy, music writer for The Los Angeles Times, also joins us for the conversation.
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Gerrick Kennedy says that it's impossible not to love Frank Ocean's "Channel Orange."
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@KerriMPR @DailyCircuit Best summer song of 2012 - #GetFree by @majorlazer , or any @Santigold
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Annie Zaleski: Frank Ocean is putting a modern spin on timeless themes. Teenagers connect with him, too.
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Alt-J - "Fitzpleasure"
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Gerrick Kennedy: Nas' album was inspired by Marvin Gaye's "Here, My Dear," which was an album done to pay alimony and child support.
"Here, My Dear" is one of Daily Circuit host Kerri Miller's song of the summer. -
Annie Zelesky: Of Monsters and Men is one of the bands of the summer. From Iceland, they appeal to everyone.
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Is more music being shaped by music on reality shows like The Voice and American Idol?
Gerrick Kennedy: I can't say that it's being shaped because it's been a while since a superstar has come out of these shows even though it seems like they're on 24-7. Downloads of singles don't translate to album sales.
Annie Zaleski: It does really seem like a single-driven thing and a lot of the songs done on the shows are covers. Carly Rae Jepsen was a contestant on Canadian Idol and her album hasn't even come out yet, but she does have the song of the summer ("Call Me Maybe"). -
Gold on the Ceiling by The Black Keys! A modern and awesome classic rock style song:
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Minnesota artist Owl City and Carly Rae Jepsen:
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I love "This Head I Hold" by Electric Guest. Retro and fun.
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Steve in Robbinsdale: "Rockaway" by local group Rogue Valley sounds like summer to me. It's about everything that I associate with summer.
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i can't believe i had never heard of morphine until this summer. great band.
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@DailyCircuit Adam Lambert's whole Trespassing album is my summer love. Naked Love, especially, sounds like summer in song form.
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@KerriMPR @DailyCircuit Also great local music by @SeanAnonymous @TTxBC @I_Colossus & @Metasota
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I'm not a fan of Maroon 5, but I've been hearing "Payphone" on the radio so much and liked it for so many of its hooks, and I was surprised it was a Maroon 5 song!
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Zaleski: Alabama Shakes is a force of nature. They're a four piece band from small town Athens, Alabama. The lead singer has an amazing voice and their live shows are incredible and life-affirming.
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Still don't know who Alabama Shakes is? Check out this Sound Opinion podcast. www.soundopinions.org
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Someone called in on the @dailycircuit and talking about our song Rockaway as their fave summer music! t.co #summersongs
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My all time summer favorite.....Billy Preston's version of "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess...no one sings it better!
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Scott on the phone: Jack White is a ray of sunshine in a sea of mediocrity. He has a dedication to expanding and putting out new and interesting things every time he releases an album.
Zaleski: He has an all-girl band and an all-male band he tours with, so his live shows are different every night. -
Going back to my high school days in the mid 60's the song that I still hear today is the Patula Clark's " Down Town" ....I still hum it to myself as I drive around town. Great songs last forever. Dave
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Jon on the phone: Graffiti6's "Stare into the Sun" is the song of the summer. We saw them at the Basillica Block Party and they were great.
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Hands down: "Nightswimming" by R.E.M.
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Rudimental - Feel The Love ... an amazing song ...
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The first posthumous single by Aaliyah since her death in 2001 came out this summer and features Canadian hip hop artist Drake:
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Gerrick Kennedy: Aaliyah along with other artists like Missy Elliott changed the landscape of hip hop and urban pop. There is a lot of turmoil around this single because it's not produced by original collaborator Timbaland. This single is bittersweet.
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Brandi Carlile at the Zoo concert, on my iPod, in my car, on my CD player. She speaks to me and gets me moving!
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Matt on the phone: A great song for the summer is "California Stars" recorded by Billy Bragg and Wilco. They released an album called "Mermaid Avenue" of songs written by Woody Guthrie, but never recorded.
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Zaleski: Music is very emotional, specific and personal. Music is very good at evoking specific memories.
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Caller from Ely: "Tonight We Are Young" by Fun. is the song of the summer for me. Also, "Easy Like Sunday Morning" by the Commodores. I can still see myself on the dock at Isle Royale.
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Brian in Plymouth: I'm listening to a band called Lake Street Dive out of Boston. They have a throwback style with an acoustic bass and an amazing singer. They released a cover of "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5:
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Zaleski: "Ho Hey" by The Lumineers is a great song of the summer:
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My summer has led me to Reggae. It is upbeat, laid back, makes me feel happy, and reminds me of the Islands. I just ordered the album Reggae Legends by Johnny Osbourne.
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Got goose bumps when I heard Ho Hey! Heard it in Chicago LAST summer and fell in love... For those who also fall in love, be sure to follow it up with some These United States! Tons of good summer time tunes :)
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