Even though we’re moving into the dog days of summer, when things get slow release-wise, there are still plenty of exciting tunes to laze beside the pool with thanks to what’s turning out to be an absolutely stellar year for music. So give your fingers a little warm-up stretch and get ready to “Right Click, Save Link As…,” because after the jump we present 10 essential late-summer jams from our latest Viva Radio show that you should consider required listening at your next barbecue.
1. Rainbow Bridge – “Big Wave Rider” Who knows if this song will retain its appeal come late September (when this song is scheduled to be released as a 7”), but for now this lazy paean to a smiling surfer sounds just about perfect. [Download Now] via Pitchfork
2. The Clientele – “I Wonder Who We Are” This sprightly new track from one of the more slept-on bands of recent years finds these UK indie-rockers emulating the bouncy guitar work of Johnny Marr, faithfully recreating the jangle of classic early Smiths singles. [Download Now] via Rollo & Grady
3. Mount Eerie – “Wind’s Dark Poem” It’s not exactly kvlt, but on this new track, supposedly influenced by ambient black-metal acts like Xasthur, Phil Elverum manages to incorporate the stylistic conceits of extreme metal without totally betraying that established blend of melody and noise that makes Mount Eerie/The Microphones such an accessible act. [Download Now] via Brooklyn Vegan
4. The Dodos – “Fables” The Dodos won’t knock your socks off the first time you hear them, but their effortlessly layered folk-rock sneaks up on you over time, and if “Fables” is any indication, their second album looks to be just as strong as their under-appreciated debut. [Download Now] via I Guess I’m Floating
5. Why? – “This Blackest Purse” “This Blackest Purse” is Why?’s least hip-hop influenced track to date, opening with a repeating piano figure that is gradually layered with babbling, echoing vocals and chanting before Yoni Wolf eventually comes in, relying more on the sound of his own voice than any decipherable lyrics. [Download Now] via Melophobe
6. Mission Of Burma – “1, 2, 3, Partyy!” One of the greatest independent bands of the ’80s returns, tearing through this blistering new track from their forthcoming album The Sound The Speed The Light with a Signals, Calls and Marches-like intensity. [Download Now] via The Days Of Lore
7. Thom Yorke – “All For The Best” Strange and sad but true: Mark Mulcahy, with three members of ’80s alt-rockers Miracle Legion, formed Polaris in the mid-1990s to be the “house band” for Nickelodeon’s The Adventures of Pete & Pete. After his wife unexpectedly died, Mulcahy was left to take care of his two daughters on his own and unable to keep making music. To raise money for his family, his songs are being covered by artists like Dinosaur Jr., Michael Stipe and Thom Yorke for an upcoming tribute album. [Download Now] via The Music Slut
8. Kurt Vile – “Overnite Religion” Kurt Vile sounds like the adopted moniker for a member of an early English punk band, even though it’s his actual given name. And despite of what the name might suggest he sounds like, the Philly native’s music channels the vibe of blue-collar classic rockers like Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen, albeit filtered through a lo-fi indie aesthetic. [Download Now] via TSURURADIO
9. Fergus & Geronimo – “Harder Than It’s Ever Been” Woodsist has been releasing some of the best records of the year and this brisk pop gem from Denton’s Fergus & Geronimo continues the label’s streak of releasing rough-hewn but endearing pop gems. [Download Now] via The Catbirdseat
10. Warpaint – “Billie Holliday” It’s hard to ignore the similarities in sound between Warpaint and Chan Marshall of Cat Power, but the dreamy “Billie Holliday” is better than anything Marshall has done in forever. It’s clever incorporation of Mary Wells’ “My Guy” — a much more interesting appropriation than Cat Power managed on the lackluster covers album Jukebox. [Download Now] via Letters Have No Arms!