By DYLAN BROWN INLAND 360 INTERN
Summer’s nearly a month old, but these five sun-ready sounds came like a 90-degree day in May — a bit early but a sign of good things to come. Here are five tracks from pre-June 21 albums that should still be on your summer radar:
“Wakin On A Pretty Day” by Kurt Vile (“Walkin’ On A Pretty Daze,” April 9, 2013, Matador Records) Born to a name — his real name — ready-made to tell the tales of America’s disenfranchised youth, Vile embodies a simple man and his guitar in a big country. But his West Coast lo-fi has the rough-cut wisdom of Jack Kerouac and although he takes his time — more than half the album’s tracks including this one are longer than six minutes — that doesn’t mean you have to listen with bated breath. Just relax, its well worth it.
“Home Recording” by Mount Kimbie (“Cold Spring Fault Less Youth,” May 28, 2013, Warp Records) The album starts with this track found deep in a moody, ghostly jungle. Soulful vocals echo through the trees of electronica. But then sunshine — danceable bass lines and drums — split the canopy.
Help Me Lose My Mind by Disclosure featuring London Grammar (“Settle,” May 31, 2013, Island Records) There is so much to look forward to as this track closes out Settle like Mariano Rivera finishes Game 7. The brothers behind Settle are 18 and 21 years old and already have the UK's #1 album. The trio London Grammar provides the powerfully sparse, haunting vocals on songs likened to the group The xx.
“I Spy” by Mikhael Paskalev (“Jive Baby EP,” June 4, 2013, Pretty Boy Floyd Records) A Bulgarian Norwegian who approaches vocals with the simple whimsy of Paul Simon and plays guitar like Elvis. His flare for 1950s country-rock/pop thrive is ready for modern FM.
“Unbelievers” by Vampire Weekend (“Modern Vampires of the City,” May 14, 2013, XL Recordings) Antisemitism is on the rise in Eastern Europe again, but the cheeky urban pop of Vampire Weekend is the perfect rebuke. It’s tough to tell if they’re mocking pop, pushing its boundaries or just getting their white-boy groove on, but tracks like “Unbelievers” are undeniably them and part of their most nuanced album to date.
-Dylan Brown, Inland360.com
