Mexican Summer is the type of label that when it puts out an album, you give it your full attention. Unfortunately, I’ve been vacant of late. This is tragic, though the good news is that Mike Wexler has brought me back into the Mexican Summer light. A dreamy psychedelic pop sound, filled with chill ambient sounds, borderline haunting with Wexler’s vocal rasp. It makes songs like “Pariah” very cool.

Dispossession is his new album (sophomore release but first on Mexican Summer) and on it you can find “Pariah”. There is no doubt this is one worth hearing; it has all the elements of greatness. A catchy melody, mystical instrumentation, and unique vocals make “Pariah” an instant hit.

Look for Mike Wexler’s Dispossession, out March 6 on Mexican Summer.

Mike Wexler – Pariah by Mexican Summer

Get ready for your summer 2010 album. Best Coast returns after a successful 7″ release for “She Was High (So Was I)” and last year’s Something In The Way with Crazy For Your. Coming to us via the always astounding Mexican Summer label, Best Coast dishes out the lo-fi garage pop sound everyone’s been raving about two years now. Fitting well with bands like Real Estate and Woods, and meshing even better with Dum Dum Girls, Vivian Girls, and The Splinters, Crazy For You finds Best Coast continuing down the path of a light Riot Grrrl revival, a beach-worthy one.

Many tunes off Crazy For You have that laid-back swagger — you know, the one we often associate with summer. Backed by heavy drums and fronted by Bethany Cosentino’s hazy nonchalant vocals only heightens this effect. These elements make Best Coast great, but added to this greatness are the vocal harmonies they throw into virtually every song. And virtually every song is a winner; the guitar part in “I Want You” is striking, while “Crazy For You” and “When I’m With You” stand out in vocal presence. “When The Sun Don’t Shine” hints at a Woods-ish sound. These songs fit the moment. They don’t really look back or forward — they are for now.

In “Summer Mood” Best Coast coos, There’s something about the summer / There’s something about the summer. It’s true. There’s something about the summer, just like there was something about Mary, that stands out. It’s not necessarily the heat. I think they sum it up appropriately in closing track “When I’m With You”: The world is lazy / But you and me / We’re just crazy / So when I’m with you I have fun. Like I said before: Get ready for your summer 2010 album. This one will dominate your playlist.

Download: “Boyfriend” by Best Coast

Mexican Summer [CD, 2010]

1. Boyfriend
2. Crazy For You
3. The End
4. Goodbye
5. Summer Mood
6. Our Deal
7. I Want To
8. When The Sun Don’t Shine
9. Bratty B
10. Honey
11. Happy
12. Each & Everyday
13. When I’m With You

Campfires creates what I would dub as melodic noise pop. Harmony is created through peaceful chords and the chaotic, fuzzy percussion is organized nicely with synchronous guitar strums. Campfires will warm your soul on a mildly chilly evening. The woody smell of smoke permeates these songs, wafting circular with the wind and occasionally burning the eyes. The instrumental “Pancake City” blends almost too perfectly into “Burning Rivers, TV Flickers, Drifting Off to Bed”, the title track from the band’s cassette on Leftist Nautical Antiques. It’s not what you’d expect from a so-called jam session, but the seemingly erratic nature of Campfires’ music fits the description. And their moniker fits their music; a controlled mayhem, an audible version of the dancing flames that are so hypnotic and mesmerizing.

Campfires also has a 7″ single on Mexican Summer.

Download: “Pancake City” by Campfires

Download: “Burning Rivers, TV Flickers, Drifting Off To Bed” by Campfires

Washed Out channels an 80s-style synth pop and hones the influence into a soft, electro-atmospheric calm. There’s this airy quality about the songs, from the more electronic “You’ll See It” and “Hold Out” to the softer, laid-back “Feel It All Around”. Washed Out is on par with The Radio Dept. circa “Against The Tide”. It has that chill downbeat sound, what some dub as chillwave and others as bedroom synth-pop. Both are adequate, though I’d say it’s more fit for the living room.

Ernest Greene, the lone force behind Washed Out is newly married (or about to be) so rather than including the inevitable “expect great things to come” tag, it’s more a “let’s hope more great things will come” from Washed Out. After all, only a few month creating music as good as this under the moniker, it would be sad if this was the only mark left by an artist on the cusp of shining.

If you dig (like I most certainly do), you can pick up a copy of Life Of Leisure, Washed Out’s debut EP on Mexican Summer, from your normal retailers sometime in November.

Washed Out: Feel It All Around [mp3]

Insanity comes in many forms, most undesirable. However, there is one that is much more intriguing and inspirational than the others: audible insanity. Golden Triangle (MySpace) is the perfect example of outstanding audible insanity. It can be heard in their music, and seen in the photographs of their live performances. They don’t call it garage punk for nothing.

Yes, it’s loud. It’s rambunctious and raucous and extreme. The vocals are damn near indecipherable and the guitar distortion and excessive percussion overpowers all. But it’s really, really catchy and it’s really, really fun. Songs like “Red Coats” and “Prize Fighter” stand out with slightly more coherent vocals, but there just as amazing as others, like “Wichita” and “Night Brigade”.

This LP is brief with seven songs and three of them under two minutes. But it’s also lengthy in that it requires multiple consecutive listens. Even the punk genius that is “20 20″ at a mere 53 seconds and the 1 minute 19 closer “Annette’s Got The Hits” are worthy of continual play. At times you’ll think B-52s have come back as the anti-B-52s and after succumbing to several doses of electroshock therapy. And if that sounds strange, this shouldn’t: it’s fucking brilliant!

Golden Triangle: Red Coats [mp3]

Golden Triangle: Night Brigade [mp3]

Mexican Summer [12" LP, 2009]

1. Prize Fighter
2. Ghosts
3. Red Coats
4. Witchita
5. Night Brigade
6. 20 20
7. Annette’s Got The Hits