On The Beat
A.C. Hawley
Searching for the
SUMMER JAM
Quick Hits
Put these shows on your calendar for the month of August.
Photo by Gustaf Waesterberg
Eleni Mandell The Mill| Aug 3 | 9 p.m. | $8/10 | 19+
Sofia talvik w/ Milk & Eggs | CSPS | Aug. 4 8 p.m. | $12/15 | All Ages
A
lthough it is my least favorite season for any variety of reasons such as boredom, I do look forward to the summer. It's the traveling season as well as a time to enjoy all the city has to offer. Unfortunately, this summer brought no relaxation at all. Instead, this season has bred a seeming insanity in me. For weeks, all I saw was no escape from an all-encompassing, all-engrossing heat. The fans only circulated misery while fabrics attached themselves to my skin with a vise-like grip. My eyeballs sweated as my hand ran across any surface that could possibly bring me a momentary respite from Mother Nature's fury. Often, these efforts were in vain. I tried to listen to music to alleviate some of those feelings from my days, but on a lot of days, that only made it worse. This is when one desperately needs to find a summer jam, something that will take your mind off the summer heat. I found some eventually, but mine were mostly about death and sadness. I don't know what that says about my lifestyle,
30 August 2012 | Little Village
but they are all top-notch tracks: The first is Wild Nothing's “Live in Dreams.” With the lovely chorus “because our lips won't last forever / and that's exactly why / I'd rather live in dreams / and I'd rather die,” this song is pretty perfect for the summer. It might be a sad song, but the slow tempo— replete with plenty of the sounds that were popular when it originally came out two years ago, like lo-fi guitar sounds, hazy production, slightly mumbled vocals and a verse/chorus/ verse structure—will get your head slowly nodding, helping your body forgets that it's 100+ degrees out, and your steering wheel is burning your hands. The second song is “The Fountain” from Veronica Falls' self-titled 2011 album. Although it is about a break-up, “The Fountain” really gets at what is magical about this band. They are able to mix these very dark lyrics with fast, post-punk style guitars and lovely boy-girls vocal harmonies to create something magical, a piece of music that—like a clear, blue sky full of UV rays— both haunts and soothes simultaneously. As well, it's a really good singalong, which is helpful on
DAWES w. Nathaniel Rateliff | Englert Aug 12 | 8 p.m. | $16/18 | All ages
THEESatisfaction w. Cuticle, DJ Rich Rok | The Mill Aug 27| 9 p.m. | $10/12 | 19+