Summer Breeze Makes Me Feel Fine, Going To The Jasmine In My Mind

As I finally contemplate a summer road trip, last week I started searching around the blogs on hypem.com for some new things to listen to. It's a fun activity, if you haven't tried it, scavenging through the latest postings of the latest blogs that have posted music, and it gives you a quick, albeit likely skewed snapshot of the state of modern music.

Hypem.com is kind of like TJ Maxx; it's never the same "store" twice. As you look through the latest postings, it is completely dependent on the passing whims of amateurs and what they are listening to for whatever reason. Oh, you might stumble onto an upcoming release by someone that you like and maybe didn't know had something coming or, and you will definitely encounter more remixes than you could possibly want, but most of the stuff you will hear (and can add to your playlist) is relatively unknown, bands looking for yet another way to get heard. If they can reach the bloggers and if the bloggers will listen, all of the sudden, those bands will have "hypem credibility." Not sure what that means, but getting that degree of separation from "hey, I'm a musician and I'm posting my music myself" when you're a new artist has to count for something.

So here's some of my little playlist. I think it has a summery feel to it. I don't have much familiarity with these songs, just a sample hear or a background listen there, but I'll look forward to getting to know them a little bit better a little farther down the road.

The Head And The Heart--"Lost In My Mind" (mp3)

Middle Brother--"Me, Me, Me" (mp3)

James McMorrow--"If I Had A Boat" (mp3)

Noah And The Whale--"L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N." (mp3)

Army Navy--"The Long Goodbye" (mp3)

Jamaica--"Jericho" (mp3)

The War On Drugs--"Comin' Through" (mp3)

Bobby Long--"Who Have You Been Loving" (mp3)

The Belle Brigade--"Losers" (mp3)

Wye Oak--"Civilian" (mp3)

Rebekah Higgs--"Gosh Darn Damn" (mp3)

Devon William--"Your Sympathy" (mp3)

Bright Eyes--"Shell Game" (mp3)

Eleanor Friedberger--"My Mistakes" (mp3)

Other Lives--"For 12" (mp3)

Jon McKiel & Jay Crocker--"Daylight Katy" (mp3)

Mathieu Santos--"I Can Hear The Trains Coming" (mp3)

Vetiver--"Worse For Wear" (mp3)

Carter Tanton--"Murderous Joy" (mp3)