here they are:
"Crazy For You" by Scars on 45: Named for a quote from Emmylou Harris' father, but sounding more like a guitar-centric version of Coldplay, Scars on 45 managed to win me over three times in a row with songs from their debut a couple years ago. Normally I'm not thrilled with a lot of the faux-Coldplay bands, but there's something about Scars on 45 that continually draws me to their music! The chorus of their latest song, "Crazy For You", tends to pour a bit more musical syrup than the verses do, with its slowed down, piano-centric sound, as well as its gooey guy/girl harmonies, but I can deal with the faster, more guitar oriented verses pretty well. Besides, the fast verse/slow chorus focus of this song makes it distinguished from Scars' other material.
"Do You?" by Spoon: Perhaps Spoon thought their fans weren't QUITE ready for the Stones-y, soulful "Rent I Pay" (though the comments I've read about the song would indicate otherwise), so they've already released a new single, "Do You?", that sounds a bit more...well...Spoon-y. And what is "Spoon-y", you ask?! Basically it's fun, bouncy, quirky music that combines piano-pop with folk-rock. "Do You?" adds a soft jazz element to their music, with its use of major 7th chords to comprise the majority of the song. The fact that this song was released in summer is quite apt, considering how its lyrics center around activities like getting popsicles, and asking "someone (to) do something 'bout this heat". The sound of the song doesn't sound quite right for summer, though. It has more of a breezy, autumnal flavor to me.
"Summer Noon" by Tweedy (Jeff Tweedy from Wilco): Now THIS song feels like summer! The title alone says so! However, it's not a summer party song, but more of a "lazy, hazy days of summer" sorta song. This being a song by Jeff Tweedy from Wilco, I wouldn't exactly expect this to be a party song. Another thing Tweedy is known for is having a "retro" flavor to a lot of his songs, though it seems hard to top how retro "Summer Noon" sounds. It doesn't seem to sound a year older than 1969, even though it was (obviously) released years later. "Summer Noon" is meant to evoke exactly what its title would indicate it's supposed to - a summer noon, of course! A restful, peaceful summer noon!
