The Lolita Hazed Seasonal Playlist: Summer 2009, Vol. 1: Mosquitos

Photo credits: Nic O'Donnell

It's July, I know, and my summer playlist has been a long time coming-- but only because I've had to think over exactly what could really work for me as summer songs. To me, it's one of the most sonically diverse times of the year, with an atmosphere that sounds just as well with the hook-tinged bangers that litter the season's radio as it does with its integral lazy poolside tracks. Summer has so much more than one sound, and I've decided to take time to cover as many as possible. This playlist centers itself around the slower, latter category of music for the end of a hot afternoon, and it thrives in suburbia.

1. Nightmares on Wax "70s 80s"
What with its dub influences, this song was practically made for summer, while its more socially conscious lyrics may make it seem otherwise. Actually, I wrote a term paper about this song's first verse (indirectly, of course)!
2. Pat Kelly "Somebody's Baby"
Pat Kelly is one of the best dub artists ever. His songs are always so sweet and his voice is enough to lull a beachgoer to sleep. This song is one of his best, a sublime track with a hint of sunshiney melancholy that ends up being far too upbeat to actually bring a listener down.
3. Althea & Donna "Uptown Top Ranking"
Who can't take some reggae in the summer time? I just want to kick back by my nonexistent pool with my existent sunglasses when I hear this one, and it really shines when played without a cloud in the sky.
4. Chapterhouse "Mesmerize"
This is my shoegaze summer jam. It is at once soothing and exhilarating and, like most Chapterhouse songs, can send chills through your spine with so few notes.
5. Le Tigre "Eau d' Bedroom Dancing"
This is a great song to listen to on a bike through the suburbs when the day is coming to a close, but the sun is still shining, its rays flickering through the vibrant canopy of trees above you.
6. Beth Orton "Daybreaker (Four Tet Remix)"
My mom's boyfriend has The Other Side of Daybreak on repeat in the summer, but without that clear bias aside, Daybreaker and its remixed equivalent seem to have been made for summer. This, Four Tet's take on her phenomenal ode to nature, is my favorite example. Throughout the song, its soothing, oceanic clicks practically beckon you into the water.
7. The XX "Blood Red Moon"
This is a strangely romantic song that I've recently enjoyed as a soundtrack for evening cigarette breaks. The imagery provided is wonderfully dark, and while this may have a more autumnal feel for some, this song plus a nightly summer breeze seem hard to separate from one another.
8. Otis Redding "Sittin' on (The Dock of a Bay)"
Otis Redding has a real knack for painting a picture with his songs, and this, one of his most famous tracks, is no exception. I have really fond memories of this song.
9. Badly Drawn Boy "Once Around the Block"
This brings back memories from one of my favorite summer days ever. It was after a day very well-spent with friends at a water park, who I was supposed to meet again later that night for dinner (and some unprecedented playground fun). As I waited impatiently, I listened to this, taking its melody with me outside as I danced in a short sunshower.
10. Nelly Furtado "Turn Off the Light"
Whenever I listen to this song, I'm immediately taken to a night eight years ago, standing in the pool house during a party at the home of my neighbor's "Nana". This song was right at home in the swampy twilight in a shockingly wealthy neighborhood that seemed to be filled with huge haunted houses.

Enjoy, and there's more to come(?).
(Happy fourth, y'all!)