The Record Summer - Race To The Bottom (2010)

One of my favorite feelings related to music occurs when a new(ish) album randomly happens to find you and it is exactly what the mood calls for at that particular moment in time. I happened upon The Record Summer when I needed something mellow and conducive to writing, and the tracks off of Race To The Bottom fit the bill. By way of Minneapolis and New York, Bret Rodysill's band, The Record Summer, weave radiant melodies and sanguine instrumentation with occasional electronics to create a summery record that can help brighten the day as we trickle into winter. The electronic pop moments reflect an approach similar to Sufjan Stevens and are never overbearing on the tight, lyric-centric songwriting. A few jams that stand out are the catchy "Television in America," the soothing "An Enormous Anger Grown in Brooklyn" and the poetic "Boys and Girls in the Modern Age."