Another handful of songs for summer listening

By Cole Parkinson
Westwind Weekly News

It’s that time again to highlight another few tracks that you should be listening to during the summer months. So without further delaying it, here we go again!
1. Boston Manor – Drowned in Gold
UK alternative rock band Boston Manor has been one of my favourite new bands to come out in the past few years. While their first few releases were pop-punk oriented, they’ve shifted to a more alternative/punk approach over their last two full-length releases — and it was for the best. Pop-punk bands seem to all follow the same formula, and Boston Manor is doing their own thing and that’s for the better.
“Drowned in Gold” is a single released in 2017 just before their second album Welcome to the Neighbourhood was released. It was the perfect introduction to their shift in sound before that album came out, and it’s still one of my favourite songs by the band.
2. Jets to Brazil – Chinatown
After the breakup of Jawbreaker, Blake Schwarzenbach formed Jets to Brazil and released the top-tier record Orange Rhyming Dictionary. To this day, this may be his magnum opus that features some of his best songwriting. It’s easily in my top 15 records of all-time, and Chinatown is one of the standout songs from it. It’s a fairly simple song but it’s one of those songs that’s perfect for blasting when the sun goes down. When the guitars kick in after the verse is absolutely perfect.
3. The Dirty Nil – Bury Me at the Rodeo
Speaking of favourite bands of the past years, The Dirty Nil would rank number one on that list. So much so, I would rank them in my top five of all-time — they’re seriously that good. I know I’ve talked about them a bunch to anyone who will listen, but these guys deserve all the praise. I’ll go on record saying “Bury Me at the Rodeo” is one of my favourite songs and I still listen to it a few times a week. From top to bottom, this song is perfect to me.
4. Lorde – Perfect Places
Shifting gears from straight rock n’ roll for a bit, Lorde’s “Perfect Places” is a summer anthem. Lorde’s first two albums are spectacular, and while I feel her third was a misstep, the good news is the first two exist. And “Perfect Places” off her sophomore album “Melodrama” is the perfect song to sing along to during summer nights. When the chorus hits, it’s hard not to sing along — which is exactly what I imagine Lorde was going for.
5. My Chemical Romance – Save Yourself, I’ll Hold Them Back
The return of My Chemical Romance was a shock to say the least and while they have yet to announce any tour dates near southern Alberta, I’ve been celebrating by blasting MCR songs. I went with “Save Yourself, I’ll Hold Them Back” from MCR’s last released record Danger Days here. It’s arguably my favourite song off the record and I love the guitar work in this one, especially the solo which absolutely rips. While many MCR fans have Danger Days ranked as their least favourite record, I think this one sounds like it could fit on any one of their previous records.
6. Streetheart – Tin Soldier
The last column featured a Canadian classic with the Tragically Hip, but this time we’re going with Streetheart. Like the Hip, Streetheart have a catalogue filled with great songs and it was hard to pick just one, but after listening to the band for a few hours, I went with “Tin Soldier” off of 1980’s Drugstore Dancer. It’s another one of those songs that most now because it’s been played countlessly on radios across Canada and I was introduced fairly early to Streetheart by my parents. Between parents, friends, family, radios, playlists, and now streaming services, I’m sure Streetheart has been played over summers for the past 30-plus years.