1. “First World Problems” – Sam Levin. Levin infuses this song with more confidence and swagger than are probably legal for a low-key power-pop tune that includes a raccoon that was really just a dog. His voice may remind you of Jon Foreman’s (that’s a good thing), and the quirky, charming electric guitar/808 beats/plodding bass is one of my favorite forms of bedroom pop. Basically: indie-pop music, raw and undistilled. Mad props.
2. “How Did This Happen!?” – BODEGA. If LCD Soundsystem was more into art-punk than disco-electro, you’d have Bodega. The thick bass riffs, the speak/sing/holler lead vocals, the pokes at music-world and general social mores, the exuberant flair that everything is done with–it’s all here. Rad.
3. “Sight Inside” – Feverbones. Busy bass lines are like catnip to me, and so this zooming low-end caught my ear immediately. There’s a lot of angular guitar going on over the top of it, not in a mathy way, but in a sort of old-school indie-rock/post-punk sort of way. There’s some stomping drums and insistent vocals–it’s all very enigmatic and punchy. Very cool.
4. “Baby, I Know It” – Francis Moon. Maybe it’s just that I miss School of Seven Bells so much, but anytime someone throws a big wall of distortion against a simple percussion line and pop melodies (as opposed to shoegaze-y ghost melodies), I get all nostalgic for SoSB. And this track has me all misty–Moon’s track pulls out a lot of the bass from the distortion/mix, making the song an echoey, yelping, enthusiastic, untethered dream that rushes through your ears and then abruptly fades away.
5. “About You” – G Flip. Right here is a electro-indie-pop tune that doesn’t do basically any of the things you would expect from a contemporary song of that genre. This song has nuance, soul, avoids going for the big hit, includes some awesome live drums, and basically will flip (ha) all your expectations on their head.
6. “Ascendant Hog” – Andy Jenkins. After 15 years in the game, my bar for breakup songs has gone sky-high, while my bar for love songs has stayed pretty much the same. (It has become more clear over time that I love love songs.) Jenkins’ love song here is strong to pass the higher bar if it needed to. It’s a starry-eyed love song from someone who knows that they really shouldn’t be getting starry-eyed but just can’t help it. There’s pedal steel, piano, female group backup vocals, and just a whole lot of happiness. Pick your favorite era of enthusiastic, country-influenced pop and find your own RIYL for this one.
7. “Underwear Blues” – Matt Dorrien. Not actually blues–closer to ragtime mixed with lounge-y ’70s pop. Nuances aside, this jaunty piano tune is a fun, goofy track that even includes a clarinet. (Has anything other than a piano ever been described as jaunty? Discuss.)
8. “Cannonball!” – Buck Meek. Some people think that summer sounds like fast cars on Pacific Highway 1, and that’s cool. But to me, summer is a major key and the slowest possible speed that still feels happy. That’s this song in a nutshell: Meek’s drawl unspools over a bouncy bass line, a legit guitar solo (man, we could always use more well-fitting guitar solos), and a rock-solid percussion section. There’s some ghostly synth and wheezing background vocals too. It just all fits together right. Here’s to the slow-paced summer jam.