Summer music

I realized the other day, with horror, that summer is almost over and I haven't listened to my favorite summer music!

For me, it's the stuff that I associate most strongly, remember most when I remember past summers.

I owe Jason for introducing me to both albums.

The first: summer of 1989. Graduation from high school. Getting ready to go to college. Eponymous: REM. On tape, Jason's car.

The second: summer of 1990. Hanging out with Jason a lot, including living in the same house for a little while. The Sundays: Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. CD, in the living room, on Jason's cd player.

One small problem: I never bought Eponymous since it was (mostly) a collection and I bought the rest of the catalog. Hard to get that mix just right without shuffling cds or being at the desktop PC (haven't moved my mp3s over yet).

But, I started listening to RW&A today on the way to work. Harriet Wheeler... Some of the songs start off like REM anyway: melodic bass line, jangly guitar, driving drums... But Harriett's beautiful voice sure changes the complexion... I think of her work on that album and Kristy MacColl as sort-of female Morrisseys: super-ironic lyrics, British, with pretty vocal style.

A few other pieces of music I associate with summer:

+ The Cars, Heartbeat City - 1984?
+ The Reflex (single) by Duran Duran - 1984?
+ Mike and the Mechanics - 1985?

And a great song I've just learned recently about summer is Summer Skin by Death Cab.

Summer just doesn't pack the same punch anymore, working year-round, not maturing as fast. It's not magical and bittersweet like Summer Skin.

How about you? What's your summer music? Have you listened to it yet this summer?