Billy’s Recs: Summer Listening

1. "Rain" - Ryuichi Sakamoto



Ryuichi Sakamoto is one of my favorite modern composers, and with all my mid-terms in the past week, I’ve been listening to a lot of classical music to relax. "Rain" is off his album 1996, which contains many of his most famous compositions.

2. "Circus" - STS9



Summer is approaching, and that means music festivals. STS9's "Circus" always sticks out among my festival memories from my being at the front of their crowd at Rothbury. This opening is definitely one of my favorite memories from it.

Fun fact: You can see me around the fifteen second mark hoisting a large inflatable dolphin into the air.

3. "Bridges and Balloons"- Joanna Newsom



Joanna Newsom has one of the most unique voices I’ve ever heard. Her lyrics are whimsical and childish but fit perfectly with her style.

4. "Engwish Bwudd" - Man Man



Man Man is hard to fit into a single category of music. Their website describes them as “viking-vaudeville, manic gypsy jazz”. However you want to describe them, it’s hard to deny that they are a lot of fun to listen to.

5. "I Lived on the Moon" - Kwoon



Kwoon is an experimental French group that my neighbor recommended to me a few years ago when I told him that I was a huge Sigur Rós fan. This song is the beginning of their first album Tales and Dreams, which I highly recommend to any fans of ethereal music like Cocteau Twins and Sigur Rós.

6. "Hazey Jane II" - Nick Drake



One of my favorite albums is Bryter Layter by Nick Drake. It’s perfect for relaxing during the lazy days of summer.

7. "M.E.T.H.O.D Man" - Wu-Tang Clan



Torture. Straight torture.

--Billy Bracken, Sales Director