Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Listening Too Long to One Song: The Pastels/Tenniscoats "Vivid Youth"

I like the summer. I like long days, a seemingly endless supply of outdoor activities to engage in, and those rare occasions when it is warm enough in Southern California to swim in the ocean. And those are just to name a few of the things that I enjoy so much about the season. However there isn't much that I enjoy more than feeling the summer end, those precious weeks where the heat seems to silently retreat usually in a far more subtle manner than the one in which it appeared. When the days are noticeably shorter, but not so short as to become depressing.

The song "Vivid Youth" from the Pastels/Tenniscoats collaboration record Two Sunsets is, to my mind, a perfect sonic representation of that end of summer feeling. I'm not sure if this was their intent, but the video certainly helps to enhance that image. The song itself though, with it's relaxed jazz informed chords, and minimal accents do everything to create the feeling of a warm late summer afternoon, probably just around dusk. This song also has even further cemented Katrina Mitchell's place as one of my favorite female vocalists.

Two Sunsets will be released here in the States via the Domino record label on September 22.

I've posted the video below, and I challenge anyone to watch it without letting a nice, lazy grin completely overtake your face.

And then tell me about some of your favorite songs that bring a certain season to mind.