avatarJessica Lee McMillan

Summary

The article is a reflective mixtape review that encapsulates the essence of summer's end through a curated list of songs, intertwined with personal anecdotes and the history of the Bumbershoot festival.

Abstract

The piece serves as a musical guide to the end of summer, featuring a selection of atmospheric tracks that evoke the season's bittersweet farewell. The author shares a deep connection with the Bumbershoot festival in Seattle, reminiscing about past performances and the impact of the festival on their life. The mixtape includes a diverse range of artists and genres, from the surf guitar of The Pixies to the soulful tunes of Janelle Monáe, all chosen for their ability to capture the feeling of summer afternoons. The article is not just a list of songs but a narrative of memories, emotions, and the transformative power of music during a summer marked by the unusual circumstances of 2020.

Opinions

  • The author has a profound emotional attachment to the Bumbershoot festival, as evidenced by a tattoo commemorating it.
  • "Chill-wave" music, particularly by Toro Y Moi, is seen as embodying a moody yet serene summer vibe.
  • Little Dragon's music, especially the track "Feather," is highly regarded by the author for its subtle build and cool space for feeling.
  • The Knife's "Heartbeats" is considered a top track that resonates with the author's summer experiences.
  • Janelle Monáe is praised for her rich, mellow music and her unique contribution to the music scene with her Metropolis series.
  • Beck's "Walls," co-written with Danger Mouse, is noted for its haunting yet up-tempo quality

MIXTAPE

The Summer Wasting

A guide to the end of the season in music

Little Dragon by Stuart Sevastos on Wikimedia Commons

It only makes sense to cap the season of solstice ennui and July reverie with an adieu to the summer of 2020.

By now, I would have accumulated stories about live shows over the year, many outside. The fate of 2020 seemed to parallel the possible demise of my beloved Bumbershoot festival in Seattle, where many personal music stories were born watching at least a hundred acts. Long before Lollapalooza and Coachella, the hippies started something good in 1971 with a festival that was truly arts-forward, multi-generational and safe for families, beer-swillers and pot-smoking bongo drummers alike. Hang in there, Bumbershoot!

Seattle Municipal Archives, Bumbershoot sticker, 1980 on Wikimedia Commons

I saw at least five of the following musicians at Bumbershoot and I always equate heading down to Seattle Labour Day weekend to attend with the best of summer. I have a tattoo on my ring finger to memorialize it.

I wish you well this summer and this fall, my American brethren. This summer, our memories of music keep us buoyant. We always have music.

Most of these songs are arranged for the feeling of summer: highly atmospheric with synth, violin or rusty guitar flourishes to capture that gorgeous afternoon light of a fading day. Take a lounge chair with me, and perhaps, a black parasol.

Havalina — The Pixies

A beautiful instrumental of surf guitar, rolling like the tide, to stroll you down to the beach. This song also happens to be my morning alarm.

Rose Quartz — Toro Y Moi

Summer has been reshaped for me by “chill-wave” to create a sense of pulsing, slightly melancholic, summer serenity. The problem is, I cannot live there too long. Toro Y Moi plays with genre much more dynamically than Washed Out or Neon Indian and his music has the soul and psychedelia to transcend the moody genre with substance and a lingering feeling you can chew.

Feather — Little Dragon

This track has such a subtle build with lots of clean, cool space for feeling. I have to play it every summer. Yukimi Nagano and her collaborations were always interesting for me and she brings an equally distinct electronic sound to a group of musical chameleons. I was finally able to check her out for a sunset show at Bumbershoot almost a decade ago.

Heartbeats — The Knife

The sunlit synth from these Swedish siblings skateboards across my summer swelling heart. This band makes into the top 5. I thank an old next-door neighbour for handing me this CD when I was living on a stretch of suburb in the middle of downtown Vancouver where a bunch of 20 somethings would mingle on our shitty rented patios.

That I have at least seen Fever Ray is an accomplishment to me.

Neon Valley Street — Janelle Monae

Rich, smooth, mellow gold with lullaby vocals and flourishing orchestra. May it reach your heart. Monae is a hero of eccentric beauty and she filled a gap that we didn't know we had. I am still discovering her Metropolis series.

Walls — Beck

Picking up the sweeping violins from the previous track, this song has a haunting, but up-tempo, sunny afternoon quality that had me unsurprised when I discovered it was co-written by Danger Mouse, Paul Guiot and Paul Piot.

Take Me Back — Aloe Black

More violins, more dense summer air with foreboding, badass bass. This song belongs on the soundtrack to a Luke Cage scene on a hot, sweaty night. (Still really pissed that the series was cancelled). Roll down the window and crank.

Apocalypse Dreams — Tame Impala

Switching from soul to psychedelia, this song has a turgid wall of water soaking you in splashing drums, driving piano and gooey guitar, with some dirty Beatles bridges. I could listen to this by the water on a loop.

Black Buzz — Lotus Plaza

Taking it down a notch to reverb guitar, Deerhunter’s Lockett Pundt shines in this sweet, open-aired strumming melody from Spooky Action at a Distance. There is a spark to the melancholy of his voice that soothes you as you stretch out into the song. It’s the quality that Deerhunter bandmate Bradford Cox fell in love with when they started collaborating in high school.

Revival — Deerhunter

My absolute favourite band that is still together. I’ve seen Deerhunter or Bradford Cox as Atlas Sound a handful of times. My first was Bumbershoot, where Cox was incredibly off-standish and sarcastically yelled at the audience to calm down when they seemed too sedate. He had a shiny bowl cut and was dressed like a modster punk and it was my turn to be in love. He has proven himself much more humble in other performances.

The best memory of the Bumbershoot show, however, was when a tough rocker with a leather jacket and magnificent, long hair came up next to me and whispered “transcendent, isn’t it?”

Maggie Says I Love You — No Joy

Some gorgeous, female-led shoegaze/noise rock some of you may have missed from the fantastic release Ghost Blonde. The ethereal busyness of guitar and reverb never gets too heavy and floats you like a warm ocean. The song somehow speaks to my Pacific West Coast sensibilities, which is hard to pin down, given the members are from as far as Montreal to L.A.

Halfway Home — Broken Social Scene

From 2017’s Hug of Thunder, the album and this anthemic song proving indie rock can still be really amazing with a mighty collaborative of 18 musicians.

You will be uplifted.

BSS share’s musicians with Arcade Fire and include Emily Haines (Metric) and Feist. When they announced their hiatus in 2011, I was in the old Key Arena at Bumbershoot and I saw them twice back in BC when they thankfully reunited for this tour. Two years ago to this day I was at their outdoor show on a lush lawn with my husband and toddler.

A Summer Wasting — Belle & Sebastian

The ultimate ode to summer languishing. I’m drawn back to summer of 1998 and the first road trip I took to Bumbershoot and all the free time I had back then to daydream. The frolicking guitar and piano will leave you light and nostalgic.

Hope you had some lovely daydreams to this. Of course, moody mixes of sweet fall nightmares will follow for Halloween. Stay tuned.

Thanks to Noah Levy at The Riff and to Terry Barr for lighting the proverbial fire for this one.

Jessica Lee McMillan © 2020 Sign up for my newsletter

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