You know that really shiny bit of the year, the bit where stuff looks better, that bit that rarely happens in England? Summer? Yeah, well it just officially started for me. It took me a whole year, but I finally found an American seller who shipped to the UK and wasn’t going to charge me $50 for This Is Ivy League. A side project by two members of the frankly abysmal Cobra Starship, this is an album absolutely chock-full of summery, Simon & Garfunkel-esque pop tunes that make you smile, make you dance and make you appreciate every bit of sunshine you’re getting that little bit more (appropriate, as today is uncharacteristically boiling).

From my favourite summer song of last year, “The Richest Kids In Town”‘s super upbeat guitar strums, to the more melancholy echo-heavy vocals of “Viola”, here’s an album that pleases with every song, and whilst it doesn’t vary a whole lot, I never found myself caring, because I just wanted more of each song, and if there wasn’t any more, then the next song would duly oblige. This is perfect summer fare, and I’m sure I’ll be playing it well into the winter too, just to keep my spirits up.

This Is Ivy League – A Summer Chill (YSI)

And just to keep the vibe going, here’s another posting for my favourite summer song of this year:

The Drums – Let’s Go Surfing (YSI)