Kiss It Goodbye....

Summer is officially over, although it hasn't felt like it. The last week or two we've had mid summer like weather, it's always nice when summer gives one last valiant effort before the cold sets in.

Over the summer i usually find myself listening to more upbeat, positive music. The summer season seems to have more of an impact on my musical tastes of the moment than even the winter when angry, dark sounding music accents the weather in this part of the world perfectly.

Anyway, here are the records that have been played most frequently this summer:

Face To Face - Big Choice










I really can't say enough about this record, in terms of punk music this has to be one of my favorite. It's incredibly catchy and still maintains a rawness and an authenticity that is rarely seen. My affection for skate punk coupled with my appreciation for good pop punk make this record essential for me.

The Swellers - My Everest










Here's another skate/pop punk record. It doesn't touch the Face To Face record. But, it's good in it's own right. This record sounds like a more pop sounding No Use For a Name when they were in their hay day. There are a couple of acoustic tracks on this record that I'm not very fond of but overall I'm glad stuff like this is still being released, even if it is a little smoother around the edges.

Dogwood - Building a Better Me










More Skate punk.....I listened to this way too often throughout high school. When i listen to it now it's mostly for nostalgic purposes, but every now and then I'm reminded why i loved this band so much. I would compare them to a rougher version of Alkaline Trio, at least on this record. The vocals are incredibly raw but manage to fit the music almost perfectly. Lyric wise, it's borderline cheesy at times but it's positive and uplifting more often than not, and the title song is really well written both musically and lyrically.

Youth Of Today - We're Not In This Alone











Do i really need to explain this? Cappo's vocals make me want to break things.... in a good way. Thats it.

Outlast - As Sure As I Live










This record is quickly becoming a classic in my library. I mentioned this band recently so i won't go into to much detail. The production on this record is really raw. It doesn't take anything away from the quality of the record though. Just awesome melodic hardcore punk with continuously eye watering bass riffs and squawking vocals.

Reserve 34 - Rain City Games










Outlast and Reserve 34 seem to go hand in hand with me, when I'm enjoying one band, a listening binge of the other is sure to follow. This record is just really upbeat melodic hardcore from Vancouver. It has a really distinctive sound, you can almost feel the impact of the city on this band. This is probably my favorite stuff Reserve 34 ever put out, if you've never listened to these guys, check it out.

Those records have been a staple for me this summer, I've listened to a lot of other stuff, I've enjoyed a lot of other stuff. Some of it I'm too lazy to put up and other stuff really didn't impact me than much.