Don’t be sad that summer’s over. If you truly believe in music, you know that the beat goes on forever. Same thing for the dream, the soul of a king, or (these days) a scroll. The stuff we’re listening to these days gives you tons to work with. Even if you only choose one of these albums to download, we feel confident anyone of these picks will give you the variety you crave.
The Ramones
Fans of live albums tend to agree that gritty audio and unrehearsed moments are features, not bugs, of the live album experience. Since we can’t actually time travel, diving into the board audio of the 1979 Civic Center concert is the closest to a real height-era Ramones concert you’re going to get. The audio sure is gritty, but no audience pranks, just pure rocking.
Bowling for Soup
Pop punk might sometimes run the risk of taking the worst from each of its parents, but Bowling Four Soup knows what they’re doing. For instance, who else would think to innovate on a pop classic like the Gin Bloossoms’ “Hey Jealousy”? But the whiny guitars, intermixed with the punky quarter-note rests and chord hits leading into the chorus, add a burst of youthful angst.
Hoodoo Gurus
“You can’t pull my strings for sympathy.” From Sydney, Australia, the Hoodoo Gurus give the appearance of roughneck machismo, but like their cover art aesthetic, their bricollage of styles reveals their softer side. A song like “Burnt Orange” sounds like Boston hardcore ska, while “I Hope You’re Happy” hops all over the place like a Sublime tune remixed in with the Stones.
Tennessee Stiffs
If you like your Americana straight from the source, here’s where the geyser starts. “Cocaine Lover” erupts with Southern soul undistilled. Haunting vocals invite associations to Southern Gothic fiction as well as more approachable pop culture. This album is a bar crawl through the danciest sections of the Bible Belt, with stops at crossroads between Folk and Blues.
Bodega
This band is awesome live (take it from personal experience) but if you can’t make it to Brooklyn, their debut album will give you a fine idea of what their about. In case you’re inclined to feel assaulted by lyrics like “I see you walk past a demonstration / Two chips on your shoulder,” don’t be afraid. The punky beat on such songs as “I Am Not A Cinephile” subverts the caustic sarcasm in the lyrics. These words aren’t meant to hurt you, they just want to make you jump around with verve.
Infinite Music
Too easily we associate Minimalism with the academic sheen of Philip Glass and Steve Reich, when the origins of the movement are with the bearded gurus Terry Riley and La Monte Young, who later directly influenced the rock and roll of Velvet Underground. The collective Infinite Music, via Fire Records, brings all of these influences to one spot. Over the course of 23 minutes on “Surge Machine” you can hear the tape influences of John Cale, the electronics of early minimalism, and the sum total of La Monte Young’s eternal soul bursting through to chorus.
Tom Zé, et al
American Songbook fans will thrill to hear translations of some of the greatest compositions of all time, as reinterpreted by some of Brazil’s top musicians. No surprise, the works of Gershwin and Porter sound fantastic folded into Rio rhythms, like “Quem Tome Conta de Mim” (a bossa take on “Someone to Watch Over Me”), which sounds like a song Tom Jobim could have written.
Various Artists
What separates Mississippi blues from all the other kinds? That’s like asking the difference between a hydrogen atom and a bottle of Dasani. If you’re a true music fan, this album gives you a strong foundation of all the greats: Mississippi John Hurt, Son House, Skip James and others. Album also includes the complete recordings of greats Robert Petway, Mississippi Matilda (one of the few female blues singers predating Bessie Smith and Ma Rainy) and Sonny Boy Nelson.
Superorganism
Some bands have a sound, other bands have a flavor. Superorganism is a whole Labor Day potluck: multifarious contributions of slaws, salads, sauces, sides, breads, meats, and deserts, and it somehow all goes together. Come to think of it, Superorganism would make great backing music for your next cookout. Try it and let us know how many people ask you, “Who is this?”
*Denotes yitle not available in all regions.
