Arts Devo

Jams for summer 2016 Arts DEVO received some great input from his summer-jam crew (shout out to Nystromo, Red Bluff Phil, Mrs. DEVO, Wreckless Aric, Charles MARKly and Kirty South), dipped his toe in the online ocean, and came away with a vibrant list of new tunes for your next barbecue, road trip or pool party. Enjoy.

“Sex and Drugs,” A Giant Dog: The rowdy kids from Austin, Texas, just arrived and things are about to go off.

“What’s It Gonna Be,” Shura: This upbeat single from the English electro-pop singer/songwriter/producer’s debut album might be the song (and the video) of the summer.

“You Bring the Summer,” The Monkees: You could do much worse than starting your barbecue with the warm harmonies of this sunny pop throwback written by an old dude (XTC’s Andy Partridge) for some really old dudes.

“I Hate the Weekend,” Tacocat: A very catchy anti-party-as-usual party anthem. (Bonus: the Seattle crew comes to Duffy’s July 14.)

“Tick” and “One More,” Weaves: Unh! Goddamn, Weaves! Where did this weird, wild, hyper-as-heck, dynamic, disjointed, poptastic noise come from? (Toronto.) After a few listens to these two songs, Weaves is my new favorite band.

“Endless Bummer,” Weezer: Weezer doin’ Weezer. Praise Weezus!

“Ultralight Beam,” Kanye West: Most of The Life of Pablo doesn’t do it for me, but the (typically engaging) guest spot here by Chance the Rapper does.

“Rinse & Repeat,” Riton (feat. Kah-Lo): The ideal loud and bouncy synth melody for kicking off your summer dance party.

“1985,” Kvelertak: Even though I’m growing weary of screaming metal dudes, this ’70s-rock/’80s-pop metal beer-chugger from Norway makes me want to take my shirt off.

“Can’t Stop the Feeling,” Justin Timberlake: Thankfully, this infectious dance number is coming out way before the film it was written for, (cough) Trolls.

“Masterpiece,” Big Thief: Fresh garage-y folk-rock from Brooklyn.

“Yeah, I’m Okay With My Shit Life,” Bethlehem Steel: More from Brooklyn, this time fuzzy uptempo shoegaze.

“Sally,” Bibi Bourelly: Kick-ass banger from German-born singer/songwriter’s DefJam EP.

“Fill in the Blank,” Car Seat Headrest: The indie rock is strong in this one.

“Wild Things,” Alessia Cara: Canadian singer uses her pop-star powers to sing about being wild and free.

“Classic,” The Knocks: New York EDM/disco kids cheat and rerelease a 3-year-old, and perfect, mid-tempo disco jam on their new album.

O Death I’m not a fan of most new bluegrass music—too much emphasis on musicality and improv (i.e., jamming)—but I do enjoy many of the first-generation players, and I love the “old-time music” in which the style of bluegrass and the great Ralph Stanley were rooted. Stanley died June 23, at the age of 89, and with his passing, the world has lost one of the last living connections to early American folk music. Stanley’s coarse, expressive voice evoked another time, and he’s most famous today for putting those otherworldly pipes to use on a Grammy-winning a capella vocal performance of the Appalachian standard, “O Death,” for the film O Brother, Where Art Thou. Stanley lived a long life, and his legacy is cemented thanks to his iconic renditions of American folk songs (“Man of Constant Sorrow,” “Will the Circle Be Unbroken,” etc.), his distinctive banjo playing, and as one of the handful of originators of the bluegrass style.