Summer Mix 2007 :: All I want is an umbrella in my drink
This morning was the Colorado Springs annual street breakfast, which sounds dodgy but means eating good food ("too early for flapjacks?") while sitting on hay bales in the middle of the street downtown. No joke, I actually get up early for this. On this same day last year (always the day before summer officially begins) I posted up my Tanline summer mix, which kept me going all through the hot months. I've been working on this year's mix pretty much since the chills of winter set in (and hung around) as a bit of wishful thinking and longing for these warm days.
Today's high is supposed to be 89. I am so ready.
FUEL/FRIENDS SUMMER MIX 2007
"ALL I WANT IS AN UMBRELLA IN MY DRINK"
Ordinary - The Alternate Routes
A sublime opening note to start the summer: "I've been wasting my days good and reckless and true . . ."
Rock 'N Me - Steve Miller Band
I think their Greatest Hits (74-78) could be one of the finest summer albums ever.
Flight of The Conchords theme song
Addictive.
Kokomo - Adam Green & Ben Kweller
The ironic deadpan intonation, but still having fun, makes this a great cover of the Beach Boys classic. I will go to any of these places listed with Ben and Adam.
Hardcore Days & Softcore Nights - Aqueduct
What I wish for each of you. Plus, this beat makes me want to die of happiness.
Assholes - The Damnwells
Man alive, I love this song lately. Dezen's velvety rasp perfectly anchors the steel guitar and makes it all flow together in a wonderful, warm, defiant anthem of youth. Also dig the backing vocals: "Don't catch it! No, don't catch it!"
Ice Cream Man - Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers
Who doesn't love the ice cream man? I need a missile pop; preferably barefoot.
Wild Honey - U2
My favorite U2 song on a hot summer day, from those bright opening notes. I'll swing through the trees with you, Bono.
He's On The Beach (b-side) - Lemonheads
A fantastic b-side from the Big Gay Heart single, he's in Australia and he's on the beach, and there's sunshine everywhere. Or so they tell me.
(I Love The Sound Of) Breaking Glass - Nick Lowe
I first heard this sitting on a picnic blanket drinking PBR in Wash Park and I instantly liked this shimmery, dramatic '80s tune, which sounds so lighthearted even though it's about smashing out windows and submission.
If She Wants Me - Belle & Sebastian
This song feels like the way everything sloooows down on a really hot day, all billowy and hazy, with really, really fey harmonies
Beverly Hills - Weezer
Then stomp things back up with Weezer at their Queen-est. Driving around in a crappy car, fashion sense a little whack - sounds like every summer when I was a teenager.
99% - Mooney Suzuki
Kind of a grand '70s rock sound to these guys with "ooo ooo oo"s and "naaa na na naaa"s galore.
I Love The Summer Days - Marbles
The other Schneider from Austin, this is Robert Schneider from Apples in Stereo with a song that sounds like Herman's Hermits meets Cotton Mather. I was surprised to find out this was modern.
Seven Days In The Sun - Feeder
Worth it for that opening drum break which would be fantastic on the steering wheel; plus the song's about vacations in Mallorca and other summery affairs.
Firecracker (Music in High Places - Jamaica version) - Ryan Adams
Ryan spends a few days down in Jamaica jammin' with locals, Toots, and various Maytals and the result is a movie filled with these spontaneous street-jam sessions. Lyrics to epitomize summer ("everybody wants to go on forever, I just want to burn up hard and bright").
The Joker - Steve Miller Band
A quarter if you can tell me what a pompatus is. I LOVE everything about singing along with this song (including vocalizing that guitar catcall after the love your peaches/shake your tree/lovey dovey lyric).
Dance Tonight - Paul McCartney
Summery, stompy, simple and lovely.
Throw Your Arms Around Me (b-side version) - Neil Finn
Pearl Jam's covered this Hunters & Collectors song in concert and called it a "song that felt like summer." I agree wholeheartedly, especially this live version by Neil Finn.
In The Aeroplane Over The Sea - Neutral Milk Hotel
I missed this album until recently somehow, and now I absolutely want to lay on my back listening to this and watch the clouds go past. Perfect.
ZIP: ALL I WANT IS AN UMBRELLA IN MY DRINK MIX
Happy summering, y'all.
posted by heather @ 5:12 PM
34 comments
34 Comments:
Great choices! Especially Neil Finn/Ryan Adams/NMH.
89 degrees?!? I'm in Fort Collins where it is currently 97 and I would give my first born for the temperature to drop to 89 degrees.
(BTW are you seeing Ryan Adams at Red Rocks in August?)
Callie, come on down 25. It's much nicer here... :)
And yes, I do hope to be there for that show Aug 3, my first experience with Red Rocks.
excellent choices, heather.
interesting side note: "beverly hills" was a take on "pur some sugar on me"...or at least thats what a little bird told me anyway...
i agreed with the queen reference though. spot-on.
The following site gives an explanation for the word "pompatus":
http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_065.html
Anon, you get a quarter. And you rock.
I'm in Scotland. It's (as usual) cold and wet. Summer seems a long way off. I'll pop your mix on the iPod, sit in front of the gas fire and imagine myself on a beach somewhere. Love the site - consistently full of cracking tunes. Thanks muchly!
Wait a sec, a Heather Summer Mix and no Pearl Jam? MFC, Big Wave, Given To Fly? Wow, I'm shocked.
If I'm not mistaken, that Ryan Adams movie was played on Mtv. It was my introduction to Ryan and I was blown away. Ive been looking for recordings of those performances since I discovered the music blogosphere. Is this available in its entirety anywhere on the net or was it released as an album? Thanks.
I always love your mixes, thank you Heather.
Kev in St. Louis
Matt-
Ryan's entire Music in High Places: Live in Jamaica was released on DVD. I think I got my copy off Amazon.
Awesome, thanks for another mix. It's gonna be hard to beat last year's though . . .
And for you and my fellow readers, I just found a new Ryan Adams posting on youtube here. Overseas performance and confessional interview.
Ahhhh Neil Finn "Throw your arms around me. Thaks for the Great Summer Mix ;-)
Nice choices, though with weezer, i might go with surf wax america
like the list though!
Gonna have to make a sub on the Weezer song, but other than that, supremely excellent.
I've just broken out your last years and will add this to the mix. Great as always for those long drives during the summer. Thanks for the mix.
The self-titled album from G. Love & Special Sauce always keeps my headphones warm in the summer months, especially "Cold Beverage", "This Ain't Livin'", and "Shooting Hoops." Good times, noodle salad.
I love those Damnwells Heather. They woo me. "Ordinary" is still making me cry for honest reasons.
I must have my "Paranoia in Bb Major" by the Avett Brothers. You have to check out their myspace performance of this on Conan. It will be an "Emotionalism" summer.
Come to NY, I want to buy you a Brooklyn vanilla egg cream. We have paper umbrellas here.
(I posted this under Monday's round-up). I terribly behind here.
debs, you rock regardless. thanks!
And please, any and all comments I ever made about apostrophes are completely irrelevant when applied to comments left by my wonderful readers. I'm just so pleased to have you guys here that you can punctuate however you want.
I second what Debs said about the Avett Brothers. Paranoia in Bb Major is my song of the moment.
Many thanks for including the greatness that is Aqueduct.
Thanks for the mix, you're the best! But two Steve Miller Band songs? The judges will have to dock you a point for that. I may have to replace the Joker with somehting by T.Rex.
Slush, like I said, I love Steve Miller Band with a deep and abiding passion in the summertime. But you may switch away. Maybe I'll have to add another SMB tune onto my personal playlist to counter the swap on your part.
:)
Downloading now, thanks for the mix. I was the mix taped master in H.S. and college. It's nice to meet another one. There were a only handful of friends who ever did it back to me. I believe in the whole High Fidelity philosphy about mixed tapes. You can tell a lot of someone. Keep up the great posts. Lloyd Cole Love Story has a couple gems on it too for summer listening.
Finding this year's mix was the high point of a very rough week.
Did someone say "4 years"? I only have last year's. Are there others? Are they linked (I'm too exhausted to look.)
Enjoy Red Rocks. Dress warm.
this definitely made the long drive on friday easier... thanks heather.
Thank you, Heather! I always appreciate the work put into a good mix, and this one has it all. Happy summer!
Heather, where is that Neil Finn b-side from, which ep/ single??? Great mix.
Anon, my labeling says "Distant Sun" and it was an mp3 a kind reader sent me. Hope that helps.
great work heather and thanks for putting this together. Ioved last year's Tan Lines....looking forward to this one too!
I've been reading your music blog for a while now, but never commented. I really enjoy it and I like a lot of the same music that you do. I find your new Summer Mix 2007 very interesting, and full of great songs/bands that are new to me, and many that I would have not thought of for a Summer-themed mix. I especially like the songs "Ordinary", "Assholes", "I Love the Summer Days", and "Firecracker". Last week, I also put together my own Summer Music Mix on my blog (on which I usually just post random funny stuff). Check it out if you like. Thanks and here's to a summer full of fun!
Nice blog but "Throw you Arms around me" is actually a Hunters and Collectors song not Neil Finn. Neil covered it also.
Thanks for the notation, anon. I did actually know that and forgot to mention it. Changed!
any chance for a re-up of last year's mix?
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