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Saturday, 3 July 2010

Summer Camp and Tennis

The year may be 2010, but for me the most exciting music being released at the moment is distinctly 1960s-influenced and experimental in its production values. Bands seem to surface on blogs weekly who are embracing lo-fi recording technology, or at least digital filters, which enable them to sound like they recorded their music on an old reel-to-reel tape in a garage just for fun. Two such acts who have taken this approach and made it their own are Summer Camp and Tennis, and I have had their releases on repeat for at least a month now. I am a nostalgia addict, and I have a Jones for less dangerous DIY Phil Spectors.

Summer Camp are Jeremy Warmsley and Elizabeth Sankey. Their first release, "Ghost Train" is a beautiful track which captures the feeling of an all-too-brief holiday romance, and is complimented excellently by the video below which re-edits clips of the 1969 film Last Summer. The film itself isn't as idealistic as the video below might make out, however, but if you can track it down on an NTSC VHS tape or online somewhere it is worth seeing. Their forthcoming EP, "Round The Moon" will hopefully see the band receive more glowing critiques, its title-track being a superb driving piece which remenisces on a particularly memorable night out for the protagonists.


Summer Camp - Ghost Train (viral) on Vimeo.

If I had the freedom to leave my job, buy a boat and sail around the Eastern Seaboard then write songs about my travels I would hope they would sound as good as those by Tennis. Husband and wife duo Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore did just that, and we are now lucky enough to hear their stories in such a delightful way.


Tennis - South Carolina on Vimeo.

"South Carolina" is their first single, to be released late July on 7". Get your copy now before they sell out. "Marathon" is also a great track which is on the hype-train at the moment, deservedly so.

Also worth mentioning are Kisses, whose album "Heart Of The Nightlife" is perfect for summer garden/balcony/car park evenings. Scheduled for release in August, there should hopfully still be some opportunities to enjoy it outside before autumn arrives.