These are in no particular order, except for the order I thought of them in. Anyway, summer is pretty much finally here. Thank God. That means it's time for swimming, lake trips, going to the beach, chillin' out, maxin', relaxin' all cool, and other non-school-related things of that nature. Now, no summer drive or day of relaxation by the pool is complete without music...sure, you can listen to the wind and the people around you talking, but sometimes the new developments in the lives of soccer moms just aren't that compelling. So for that reason, I give you my list of the Top 8 Summer Bands. And albums.
Also, free download links!
Streetlight Manifesto - Streetlight is one of my favorite bands, and, in my opinion, the single best ska band on the scene today. They are one of the ultimate summer bands for sure. Ska is strategically designed to provide all the relaxation of reggae with all the fun of punk music, and all 3 of Streetlight Manifesto's original releases do just that: provide songs to be the background to a good day. They also just released a new album of covers entitled "99 Songs Of Revolution: Volume 1" which includes the single greatest cover of NoFX's hit "Linoleum" that has ever been recorded. Streetlight Manifesto is the perfect band for summer, whether you're relaxing, driving, partying or whatever.
Albums to get: "99 Songs of Revolution" "Everything Goes Numb"
Download "Everything Goes Numb": http://www.mediafire.com/?zjvyjgyxywh
Rebelution - A good friend of mine recently showed me Rebelution and I fell in love with them the first time I heard their song "Safe And Sound". Rebelution is a rock/reggae band...sort of like 311, except 311 sucks and Rebelution is great. They sing about typical topics in reggae music: God, Drugs, Love, etc. but they do it in a wonderfully poetic fashion. Overall, they're really just a very talented and extra catchy reggae band that perfectly accompanies a day at the beach or pool.
Albums to get: "Courage To Grow"
Rancid - Ahh, Rancid. Classic punk music taken from ska roots. Tim Armstrong still can't sing, but he mumbles like a champ. Rancid simply makes good music for a fun day, and many of their songs like "Journey To The End Of East Bay" are almost too fitting for a road trip soundtrack. Despite their lack of technical prowess, Rancid do what all great punk bands do: Have fun.
Albums to get: "And Out Come The Wolves"
Download "And Out Come The Wolves": http://www.mediafire.com/?zgwytnmm0ko
NOFX - Fat Mike is probably Top 100 for "Most Ridiculous People In The World" but that's what makes him so fun. NOFX have been around since 1983 and have been consistently releasing albums of fast, driven, humorous punk songs ever since. Their most recent release "Cokie The Clown" is one of the better punk ep's released in recent years, though Fat Mike's appearance as Cokie at SXSW didn't go over too well this past year. But that's because he's an idiot sometimes. Regardless of his intelligence, Fat Mike and the rest of NOFX have been releasing great albums which will fit in perfectly at your summer party/bbq.
Albums to get: "Coaster" "So Long and Thanks For All The Shoes"
All Time Low - All Time Low makes pop punk music about partying. I'm pretty sure that's enough of a description as to why they would be on this list.
Albums to get: "Nothing Personal"
Blink 182 - Blink 182 are the classic summer band. They were on some of the first Warped Tours and almost all of their music advocates some kind of partying or romance or something of the sort, all of which are topics frequently associated with summer. Also, as I'm sure you can tell by now, I really like pop/punk music in summer time. Deal with it.
Albums to get (though you probably already have them): "Cheshire Cat" "Dude Ranch" "The Mark, Tom, and Travis Show"
Download "Cheshire Cat": http://www.mediafire.com/?msxbeugt5dv
Shwayze - Hey, here's a change of pace. Shwayze is a hip-hop artist who frequently works with Cisco Adler to make some really smooth hip-hop over a caribbean/reggae influenced instrumental section. Honestly, if you can't listen to Shwayze's songs "Buzzin'" and "Corona and Lime" and be relaxed, you need to be in therapy right now.
Albums to get: "Shwayze"
Download "Shwayze": http://www.filestube.com/77a78c885022f4e103e9/go.html
Travie McCoy - Travie is the singer from Gym Class Heroes, and is actually set to release his first solo album "Lazarus" this June. Only one track has been released so far ("Billionaire" featuring Bruno Mars), but if it's any indication of how the rest of the album will sound, then I have a feeling that "Lazarus" will be on constant rotation for the next few months.
Albums to get: "Lazarus" (Or the "Billionaire" single)
Download Travie's single "Billionaire": http://www.mediafire.com/?m1lmwwjmmow
Well there you go. Enjoy, and have a good summer!
-John-
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