Soft Swells - Soft Swells (2012)

March may be a little early for summer, but it is never to early for summer jammy jams. The summer sounds come early with the Soft Swells' self-titled release. The beachy-vibed indie rock is quite popular these days, and in some respects the Soft Swells could be considered California's response to Florida's Surfer Blood, with less reverb and more appealing vocals.  Overall the album amounts to a well-crafted collection of pop songs, with shimmering vocals and rhythmic drums. Such attributes shine through on "Every Little Thing" and "Shake it Off." While every song is quality, there isn't a dominent single (in my mind) that needs listening to over and over again. More likely, one can toss this on with a couple other breezy indie pop albums, such as the latest Tennis, Drums, or Young Friends and nod along, imaging bare feet in the sand, sun on the face, and an ass in a comfortable folding chair. The combination of Brooklyn and Los Angeles roots reeks of hipster, but the tunes transcend any niche, too-cool-for pop culture genre or stylization. The Soft Swells bring great music and good times.

Howler - America Give Up (2012)

This is rock and roll... This is Howler. Their debut album, America Give Up, is vigorous and catchy much like one of my favorite bands of 2011, The Vaccines. The Drums, Surfer Blood and The Soft Pack (plug in other surf-rock influenced band name here) also come to mind, because the surf-rock trend is so hot right now. The 11 track album comes in at just over 32 minutes, which leaves each riff-laden, power pop track to come and go at a '70s punk pace. It is truly structured as an album from a different era. I suppose we shouldn't be surprised anymore due to all the musical virtuosos currently on the prowl, but I am still amazed by the fact that Howler is made up of mere kids. They pull together an amazingly mature and musically-educated sound, while keeping the songs and song-titles playful and carefree. This album is packed with singles, so take a half-hour out of your day, especially while the sun is shining here in California, and have a listen to some youthful summer jammy-jams. 

The Vaccines - What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? (2011)

Sad-sack mopers beware, The Vaccines' new album, What Did You Expect From The Vaccines? is relentlessly upbeat and fun, so you might as well just slip on your shorts, grab a six pack, and head for the water. Released just in time for the warm weather, the album is packed with summer indie rock jammy jams. The surf rock vibe driven by the reverb-soaked guitar riffs and pounding toms recalls Surfer Blood's Astro Coast, which kicked off last year's summer, but with a touch more pop punk a la The Drums or The Soft Pack. Most of the songs are short, catchy and laden with enough surf and beach references to actually convince the listener that the band has spent a few summers away from London. The hook-filled "Westsuit" is the most obvious example. The album feels young and free-spirited, like on the opener "Wreckin' Bar," which mixes a propulsive beat with a bad ass high school fight song. Overall, they keep it simple and relatable on songs like "Post Break-Up Sex" and "If You Wanna," the later a playfully open offer to an ex-lover to reconsider her decision, creating a refreshingly laid-back and enjoyable album.

The Vaccines will be on tour with Artic Monkeys in May.

Wavves - "Post Acid" Video

I've been digging the Wavves new album, King Of The Beach, and the band's more accessible sound. The new lo-fi video for "Post Acid" features an alien skateboarding with Jay Reatard's old bandmates (and current Wavves) all supported by seriously catchy chorus.

Best Coast - "When I'm With You" [single] (2010)

Ear candy alert! I recently fell in love with L.A. duo Best Coast and when I calm myself down enough to properly process the entire album, I will review it for our lovely readership. In the meantime, feel free to enjoy my current favorite track... the plaintive, sun-soaked, reverb-heavy "When I'm With You." It's a personal reminder that it seems I'm not the only person out there who thinks life is all about biking along the coast, laying around on beaches, holding hands, and driving around with the top down, laughing and shamelessly flirting up a storm all over town. I seriously think I wrote this song (and directed/starred in this video) in a past life. Or at least my past life likes to dream the aforementioned on a similarly lazy, hazy, easy, breezy California day.

Surfer Blood - Astro Coast (2010)

America, this is "Your Radar" speaking: Surfer Blood sells out shows. They blog and Tweet. And they have already committed to South by Southwest in March. Now is the time, if you haven't done so already, to get acquainted with five young dudes from West Palm Beach. "Swim", the first single off of Astro Coast, grabbed my attention in early November, and although the rest of the tracks are quite different than the anthemic rock of "Swim," I have been spinning the catchy blend of mellow vibes and indie pop something heavy. Silky smooth surf guitar riffs coupled with Weezer-esque harmonies make tracks like "Catholic Pagans," "Twin Peaks" and "Take it Easy" stand out as familiar throwbacks. "Floating Vibes," my favorite track off the album, encapsulates all the elements that makes Surfer Blood so fresh and enjoyable — carefree lyrics and vocals, reverberating chords, and surf guitar fill. There are exactly zero reasons not to check this band out.

The Drums - Summertime! (2009)

I'm not sure how this got overlooked on our QuickCrit lists. The Drum's Summertime! EP is fantastically catchy and a perfect remedy to the gray winter blues. It's just six songs of casually melancholy retro pop with plenty of hand claps. What's not to like? The two standouts, "Saddest Summer" and "Let's Go Surfing" (mp3) set the tone somewhere between between foggy groggy Girls and the poppier Surfer Blood. They have a couple other great songs floating around, so I imagine we can expect an album in 2010. I can't wait.

Real Estate - Real Estate (2009)

I love, love, love stellar self-titled debuts.

Surf's up, Jersey. Apparently, it's always a sunny day for Real Estate. Now based in NY, these guys manage to put out psychedelic surf rock that laces in a little alt country, a little lo-fi, and a whole mess of fuzzy melodic haziness. It's relaxing, warm, lingering, nostalgic, just straight-up fantastic, and would definitely have made my Top 10 List of 2009 had I heard it sooner. Plus, the beachy feel to this album is one of those musical non-sequiturs that you can't seem to figure out. How is it that a bunch of guys in Brooklyn would even write such a record? Maybe they spent a lot of time avoiding fistpumpers at the Jersey shore every summer? Or maybe they were yearning for idyllic days spent gazing out at the ocean and feeling the waves gently kiss their feet. With all the recent snow, I often find myself longing for those last few weeks of August spent in the endless California sun when I biked around the beach for hours by myself, happily listening to music and taking in all the sights and sounds. All I have to do now is put on this album and it will instantly transport me back there, each and every shining time. (If anyone got this last sentence's reference, I fucking love you.)

Favorites: "Beach Comber," "Pool Swimmers," "Fake Blues," "Green River" and "Suburban Beverage"

Top 5 Artists That Got You Into a New Genre of Music

1. Aqua Velvets, Surf Rock– Never knew how intense a $5 poker game could be while listening to “Mysterious Mambo”.

2. Too $hort, Gangster Rap– Had “Blowjob Betty” memorized by the 7th grade.

3. Chuck Berry, Rock N' Roll – So this is where it all comes from.

4. Merle Haggard, Country – Found out that tough guys could love their Mamma and like to hold hands.

5. Cannonball Adderley, Jazz – Opened my mind as to what genius sounds like.

Surf City - Surf CIty EP (2008)

"Headin' Inside" kicks things off with ringing surf guitars, and boisterous party vocals. It's a short burst of melodic energy that announces this short 6 song EP is going to be awesome. The guitars sound like the Velvet Underground covering surf classics with a light haze distortion, which is another way to say it is indebted to shoegaze. However, the tone is really different – these guys have a lot more energy and don't ever come across as morose. This is music for a good time. On "Heading Inside" and "Dickshakers Union" the vocals have similar clipped phrasing to Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. The beat coupled with the vocal repetition in "Canned Food" reminds me of a bit of New Order. Throughout the EP lyrics are shouted over building chord progressions, chimes ring, and drum beats keep the pace poppy and fun. Seriously, I love every song.