So Long, Summer

That's it. Summer is officially done now that Labor Day is behind us. This post will be used to look back on the songs that made up the soundtrack to both MY summer, which seems to include a lot of Kanye West. Oh well, I'm not complaining. There just seemed to be lacking something this summer when it came to the music. There was no "American Boy," (2008)"Hey Ya!," (2003) or "Umbrella" (2007). Nothing that you could hear blasting out of every car that had its windows rolled down or stoop party that went on for the whole night. The closest the summer got to that was when Michael Jackson died and you could literally scan the radio from end to end and hear a Jackson song on nearly every station. That little trick went on for two weeks or so.

I see this summer belonging to the underdog - not counting MJ or Kanye. The songs that made up my summer came from musicians that wanted to make their mark and managed to do so during the time of year that is traditionally the hardest. My number one isn't from a traditional band nor is the sound of the song. Japandroids turn its thrashing lo-fi/noise rock into sing-alongable pop, with childlike glee and superb hooks.

Many of these bands were able to break into the mainstream because the summer lacked that one hit, and I think this summer was better because of that.

1. Japandroids - Young Hearts Spark Fire

2. KiD CuDi - Make Her Say (Ft. Kanye West and Common)

3. Dirty Projectors - No Intention

4. Crocodiles - I Wanna Kill

5. The Dream - Walking On The Moon (Ft. Kanye West)

6. Grizzly Bear - While You Wait For The Others

7. Jarvis Cocker - Leftovers

8. Drake - Best I Ever Had

9. Camera Obscura - French Navy

10. Jay-Z - Run This Town (Ft. Kanye West and Rihanna)

Special Mention

Michael Jackson - Billie Jean