By Connor Munson / Staff Writer
Relive the summer through the music by listening to unique artists such as Beach House and DIIV. (Destiny Rivera / Interim Managing Editor)
By Connor Munson / Staff Writer
The summer is no more a season, than it is an idea.
The youth are freed to wreak havoc and run rampant through the suburban sprawl, or depending on your geolocation, wallow in pools of sweat from Mars-like heat.
The summer is a time for art to flourish. One must wade through the fecund swampland of popular media to find the fruits of the season.
Here are this summer’s possibly undiscovered gems: DIIV is a new band fronted by Beach Fossils guitarist, Zachary Cole Smith. In their first release, Oshins, fans of indie rock, dream pop, and spacey shoe gaze will find themselves enveloped by a superbly recorded album with all of the teenage disillusionment heard in similar projects like “Wild Nothing.”
Oshins is a 13 track album that draws influence from grunge acts like Nirvana or post-punk titans, Joy Division. With standouts such as, “How Long Have You Known”, Oshins will keep heads bobbing for months to come.
The perfect summer band, Beach House, has released “Bloom” this summer, the fourth studio album to be released by the Baltimore dream pop duo.
Following the commercial success of the bands previous LP, Teen Dream, the lush guitar and synth melodies continue on Bloom, yet seem to be further cultivated and emotionally enticing.
Blooming, just as the title suggests, Victoria Legrand, the lead singer/keyboardist and her guitarist Alex Scally, have arranged a stimulating piece that bolsters an inevitable catharsis.
One for the classics, Frank Ocean’s Channel Orange is his major label debut, and is an R&B opus, rife with dazzlingly heart-felt lyrics and well produced instrumentals that harken back to Motown and early funk.
Channel Orange is 17 tracks of Ocean’s raw emotion and show vs. tell approach to the portrayal of his dark world. Tracks like “Pink Matter” which feature Andre 3000 show his lyrical and compositional adeptness. The infectiously dancey electro-rock band, Hot Chip came out with “In Our Heads,” their fifth studio album.
Released this June, “In Our Heads” is entirely self-produced and features what listeners love most about the electropop/punk-funk group. Well produced drum beats, quirky bass synth lines and Alexis Taylor’s equally quirky vocals mesmerize the listener, pulling into each track to the wonderful world the band has so organically created.
The first track released, “Flutes”, is a contender for dance track of the year and is just as emotive as it is able to envelop the listener in a deep trance.
Twin Shadow is the moniker of Brooklynite, George Lewis Jr. In his second studio LP, he utilizes the romantic torment of a motorcycle accident to inspire the newest dissection of his heart, “Confess.” Similar to the last record, “Confess” draws from his ’80s influences.
Haunting synths, funky drum beats, and the crooning of a man whose bravado is seemingly disgusting to even himself.
Dance along, and get ready to feel something in your chest cavity, “Confess” is a classic.
As fall creeps in, let these albums be a sonic companion. Take a bike ride with Beach House or take a swim in Oshins. Whatever you do, let your youth run free.