Midsummer's Night Mixes

Summer is now fully upon us and there is an abundance of sunshine, as well as an abundance of great new summer tracks and mixes.  With alluring thoughts of intoxicatingly long days of warm breezes and outdoor fun, I thought there no better time to highlight some wonderfully summery music.  Here are some sunny tracks and mixes to get you going.


There is simply no better way to kick off summer than with any song by The Beach Boys, and just in time for the season, The Beach Boys are back with a brand new album, brand new tunes, and brand new Brian Wilson-influenced tracks.  I don't care who you are, or what your musical leanings, you owe it to your summer to give the below tracks a listen.  From the "Kokomo"-esque "Daybreak Over the Ocean" to the old school vibe on "Strange World", and the pure Brian Wilson-ness of "Pacific Coast Highway", this is the perfect start for summer.  There's also a stellar standout in "Summer's Gone", but we'll save that for our list of songs for Fall...






John Mayer's latest album, Born and Raised, is full of wistful introspective songs, but "Queen of California" stands out as a track with a sunny disposition.



California indie pop band Best Coast's video for their song "The Only Place" is just about as close to an advertisement for the awesomeness of California as you can get.  The song says it all:

"Leave the cold behind
we're gonna make it to the beach on time
Why would you live anywhere else?"

Exactly. (video via Pitchfork)



There is something about "Man on Fire" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros that just fits in perfectly here. Upbeat tunage.  A simple beat and melody.  And a guy who just wants the whole damn world to dance with him.  (Video via Rolling Stone)




The Smashing Pumpkins have released the long awaited new album, Oceania, and while I'm still letting the album settle before making any hasty decisions on what I think about it, I do love these tracks.  The chord progressions seem uncharacteristically upbeat (especially on "Pinwheels") for Billy Corgan, making for a good add to any beach soundtrack.  





Summer Mixes
Want more summery songs?  Here are a few summer mixes from the music blogosphere.

Music for Ants
Music For Ants just released their annual summer mix.  You can download it at that link (and also get the playlist on Spotify).  They do a mix for each season, and never disappoint in introducing some great new tunes.

Songs for the Day
I've linked to this before, but its so good it bears repeating.  Songs for the Day's summer mix is fantastic, which you can listen to via 8tracks here:

summer(days)2012 from songsfortheday on 8tracks.

New Music Collective
For an especially cooling summer mix during the hot days of summer, I also suggest checking out the summer mix over at New Music Collective. 

Fuel/Friends
The always amazing Heather over at Fuel/Friends has put together an outstanding summer mix.  I don't know how she does it, but every track is perfect.  Simply perfect.
Listen here at Fuel/Friends Blog