Guitars, Drums, Tones, and Saxophones

OK, so this is a bit different for the site, but with the nice weather approaching/already here, and trips to beaches and things imminent, I figured it would be a good time to talk about great albums for the summer. What are some of your favorites for laid back afternoons in the sun?

A short list of mine:

• American Steel – Dear Friends & Gentle Hearts
• Mos Def – Mos Dub
• Chris Wollard & the Ship Thieves – self-titled
• Jimmy Buffett – A1A
• Cheap Girls – My Roaring 20′s
• Harvey Danger – Little By Little
• Latterman – No Matter Where We Go!

That’s what I can think of off the top of my head. What about you?

Harvey Danger - Little By Little

So several months ago, I had the pleasure of catching a show on Harvey Danger’s farewell tour, (documented here) which I thoroughly enjoyed. On my way out of the venue, I stopped by the merch booth because, well, this would be my last chance, right? I picked up their last studio album, Little By Little, on vinyl because that’s how I roll.

This album is a solid argument that this band should have been way bigger than they were.

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Harvey Danger

OK, so I admit that before I showed up at Harper’s Ferry in Allston for the Boston show on Harvey Danger’s farewell tour, I was really only familiar with their 1997 album Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone? Since that album- and rising to fame with the single “Flagpole Sitta”- the band released two more proper full-lengths, and a couple of EPs. I had heard a handful of songs from these other releases in preparation for the show, as I didn’t want to be that guy who only knew the one single.

The opening bands were alright. The first group, the Organ Beats, played some fun, indie/punk-ish music that got the crowd going. They seemed to have a lot of friends there, but the rest of us were energized by their performance as well. The second band, Magic Magic, was less effective; I felt like I was falling asleep during several parts of their set. Perhaps great for the shoegazing crowd, but I don’t know that they were the best fit for this show.

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