Albums to look forward to in the summer
By: Kyle Spencer
Jr. Creative Editor
Summer beats begin to sizzle with hot tracks from Vampire Weekend, Logic and SAFE.
I’ve culminated a list of the perfect summer albums of all genres to vibe to.
Starting the list with Logic’s new album, “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.” It was filled with star-studded features like G-Eazy, YBN Cordae, Gucci Mane, Wiz Khalifa and Will Smith. In this official follow-up to 2018’s “YSIV,” Logic cycles through perspectives so frequently that it can be difficult to discern whether he is telling his own truth or one of his characters.
He talks frequently of the lifestyle of a successful rapper with songs like “Pardon My Ego,” “Icy” and “Still Ballin,” but also takes time to criticize those lusting after fame in his songs “Wannabe” and “clickbait,” alongside the facets of popular hip-hop culture he’s subverted “Cocaine,” “Don’t Be Afraid to Be Different.”
For those who enjoy electronic music, “NOVA Pure” by RL Grime is the perfect album. It has an amazing feeling, easily pumping up listeners. Most of the songs that are in this album are instrumentals to his previous album “NOVA,” each having a happy feeling to them including countless bright sounding beat drops. These instrumentals allowed audiences to see into Grime’s mind.
Moving to the R&B and soul side of things we have Toronto native SAFE and his summer album “STAY.” This album collects the thoughts of the alt-R&B singer and friend of OVO Sound. He examines changing relationships in “Control” and “Wasteland,” and reasserts his independence in “On My Own.” In “Damaged” and “Nobody Cares” he shares stories born from rare times he’s let his guard down. “Summer’s End 2” is nostalgic, enhanced by a scuffed guitar riff that recalls Frank Ocean’s “Ivy.” The mixtape is filled with ambient touches, pianos, lush synths, trap hi-hats and 808 boom, creating an ambient Thunderdome for SAFE’s melody-driven voice to thrive.
In the indie rock genre—Vampire Weekend released their new album “Father of the Bride.” With tracks like “This Life” and “We Belong Together,” one of three pleasantly surprising duets with Danielle Haim, the band expertly balances between sincerity and tackiness. It’s impossible not to be at least a bit moved when Koenig sings, “Baby, I know pain is as natural as the rain / I just thought it didn’t rain in California.” On the other hand, “We Belong Together,” with its laundry list of fill-in-the-blank similes traded between Koenig and Haim, is cloying in its sweetness and more than a little corny. This, along with peppy horns that punctuate the track “Stranger.”
Lastly is Tennessee singer’s Rodney Atkins with his first album in more than seven years, “Caught Up In The Country.” The album, with some piano and steel guitar are tossed randomly into the background of the album with more drums in the choruses. This is one of the more energetic country albums I’ve heard with “All My Friends Are Drunk” also with good slow songs like “Figure Out You” and “So Good.”
With these releases, along with music yet to be released from artists Mozzy, Bastille and The Jonas Brothers, this summer is looking like it’s going to be a good one.