It’s June! Ya know what that means? It means it’s practically summer! I kinda hate summer though, because I hate being hot..buuut I’ll admit this time of year has it’s perks from time to time. Beaches and vacations are both good things, as are girls not wearing all that much (ohhhh yeaahhh!!)..but for a guy like me, the best part of this time of year is the music it lets me listen to. I’m a very seasonal music listener, and while that’s not to say that I only listen to certain things at certain times of the year, it does mean that I have things I prefer to hear from time to time. Every once in a while, an album comes along that I find myself really wanting to listen to in the summer..whether it be something that originally was released in the summer months that bring back good memories or just music that suits the summertime really well, and so I decided that I’d make a little list to share with you guys of that sorta music! I’d love to hear feedback from you about what you think of my list orrr even what records you love to listen to during the dog days of the year. So here ya go, not in any particular order but numbered anyway for your browsing pleasure, 10 of my favorite records to listen to when it gets way too freakin’ hot.

#1 Killswich Engage - ‘The End Of Heartache’
Arguably the most rockin’ of all KSE records, and without a doubt the one with the coolest, catchiest songs, TEOH is simply one of the best metal records to drive around and jam to in the summer. A metal record you can totally rock out to and still sing along with? you can’t beat that man.

#2 Limp Bizkit - ‘Three Dollar Bill, Y’all’
Hate away, haters. This cd was, and really still is, pretty damn rad. I remember so vividly buying this cd from an Ozzfest display at a store down in Florida while on vacation many years ago. My brother and I took turns with this record in our old school Discmans on the beach and really loved it and it’s been a summer staple for me ever since.

#3 Dredg - ‘Catch Without Arms’
If Dredg’s ‘El Cielo’ record is the perfect winter album, then this is the summer counterpart. Filled with warm riffs and melodies that just scream out summer to me, this cd has accompanied me on many a sweaty car ride. This is another record that I bought while on a Florida vacation, so maybe that has something to do with it, but it really is a stellar cd.

#4 The Beach Boys - ‘Sounds Of Summer’
I guess this one really goes without saying, the Beach Boys are without a doubt the quintessential summer group and probably will be until the end of time. Nobody has ever captured the feeling of summer like Brian Wilson & crew have soooo many times before, and nobody ever really will. Aruba, Jamaica, ooooOoO I wanna take ya!

#5 The Deftones - ‘White Pony’
This is a wonderful cd, but the inclusion of the cd on this list rests solely on the shoulders of two specific songs - ‘Digital Bath’ and ‘Passenger’ (featuring Maynard from Tool). They are two of the most perfect windows down night driving songs I’ve ever heard, and bring back memories of driving near the beach in south Florida at night every time i listen.

#6 Andrew W.K. - ‘I Get Wet’
Probably the most fun cd ever recorded (by the most fun man ever birthed), ‘I Get Wet’ is a summertime staple in my little world. It’s a mindless, good time cd that’s guaranteed to make people, drunk or not, start dancing around like fools. And that’s what summer’s really all about right? Having a good time and dancing around like a complete idiot.

#7 Trance All Stars - ‘Worldwide’
Yeah I know, this comes out of left field a bit. But I’ll tell ya, a few years back when I was going through my techno phase, there is nothing I loved more than driving around the mean streets of Gwinnett County, Georgia at night listening to this stuff. I remember I always used to hit up Taco Bell and get a taco or some nachos and then just cruise around and rave about.

#8 Nonpoint - ‘Statement’
In the days of nu-metal, these guys were a bit under the radar, but were the bomb. They were one of those bands that managed to open at like EVERY show I went to for a while there, and that was cool by me. Even though the days of nu/rap metal are long gone, this is still a great cd to bob your head to, and when spring/summer hits, you can bet it goes right into my car.

#9 Darkest Hour - ‘Undoing Ruin’
These chaps have been my favorite metal band around for years and years, and this disc has risen above all their others to be my favorite. This came out in the early part of the summer a few years back, and I can remember how much I loved the song ‘With A Thousand Words To Say But One’. I listened to it over and over and the cd became my soundtrack for the whole summer. Great stuff.

#10 GlassJaw- ‘Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Silence’
Truth be told, I hated this at first listen. But it was quite the grower. Has there ever been a better cd to be pissed off about a girl to? It’s full of such bitterness and anger about crappy relationships and women in general but it’s amazing because Daryl Palumbo obviously puts every last bit of emotion in his body into every single song. I don’t even really have a good reason why this is a summer cd for me…it just is.

So there you have it. I’m sure you don’t agree with any or many of my choices, and it’s cool. I know all of these are pretty much ‘newer’ cds, but that’s just how I roll. I would like to know what you guys listen to in the summer though, I can’t be the only one out there who is ridiculously seasonal with music. Let me know!

4 Comments »

1. 

   I’ll argue with your choice for the KSE cd, As Daylight Dies is a 10x better cd than that one. Annnnnyways..Undoing Ruin really was the soundtrack for that summer wasn’t it, I remember blaring it in the Loganville house. I too remember South Florida and Digital Bath, I think that nighttime drive was the highlight of that trip. I also remember your raving about trancing it up times, it was best when Bobbitt’s mom worked at The Bell. And if I recall correctly, it was summertime when Glassjaw first started impacting at our local car cd players. Anytime a Wilson or a Krutzky or a Bobbitt or a Warren or a Phillips got in a car, GJ was playing. Gooooooooooood good times dude.

   Comment by foolofgold — June 4, 2008 @ 2:29 am

2. 

   i NEEEEVER listen to as daylight dies, it still does nothing for me at all

   Comment by brandon — June 4, 2008 @ 3:31 pm

3. 

   Eye of the Storm and This is Absolution are bombs in musical format.

   Comment by foolofgold — June 4, 2008 @ 6:25 pm

4. 

   yea it has good songs, but i never got into it. heartache is the pinnacle of their awesomeness to me

   Comment by brandon — June 4, 2008 @ 9:15 pm

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