The summer can be an exceedingly busy time for college students, especially incoming freshmen, even though classes may not be in session. Just in case yours was consumed by a nine-to-five job, a lengthy tour of Europe or a TV in front of a comfy home couch, what follows is a brief recap of the best (and worst) of the summer here in the U.S. of A.
First and foremost, Rihanna reminded the nation of how crucial it is to be prepared for substandard weather with her hit "Umbrella," pronounced phonetically, 'Um-ber-el-a.' Aside from endorsing her own line of Totes umbrellas, Rihanna surprisingly crossed a few untouched lines with her hit single.
Although it may not seem so at first, "Umbrella" is two scoops of rock guitar with a coating of R&B sauce and sprinkles of rap on top, thanks to Roc-a-fella CEO Jay-Z. Besides being overplayed, it is difficult to find anyone who genuinely doesn't think the song is catchy and likable and even the most die-hard fans of rap or rock can't help themselves from joining in a chorus of "ella-ella-eh-eh." Let it be noted that Rihanna totally yanked her new hairstyle from Davey Havok of AFI.
Moving on: The White Stripes, who many believe are the future of rock as we know it, released their sixth studio album, entitled "Icky Thump." The title track and first single for the album is a return to vintage instruments being recorded on vintage recording technologies and, of course, nonsensical choruses and jumbled guitar breaks typical of the Stripes.
After a single listen to "Icky Thump," one can most definitely hear the influence of The Raconteurs, Jack White's brief side project, on the album's lyrics. The song is more melodic than their first hit, "Fell in Love with A Girl," and the album has a spectacularly threadbare-blues feel that sounds more like The Beatles than previous White Stripes efforts. Be on the lookout for the second single, "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told)," and pick this one up for beginning-to-end deliciousness.
This summer also brought thousands of scenesters, emo kids and suburban fans of pop-punk out to the Warped Tour to see all of their favorite screamo and punk-rawk acts perform. Yellowcard, Paramore, Sum 41 and The Starting Line were only a few of the bands on the tour this summer with new records out: For a few good listens, check out Paramore's "CrushCrushCrush," Yellowcard's "Light Up the Sky," and The Starting Line's "Island."
The biggest music wave of the summer most certainly came from the Brits, namely Lily Allen and ill-tempered, alcohol-loving, set-canceling Amy Winehouse. But whether or not they can get citizenship and flirt with addiction, both of the UK singers scored fantastic singles with "Smile" and "Rehab," respectively.
Beyond that, the somewhat underground buzz about both Amy Winehouse's album "Back to Black" and Lily Allen's "Alright, Still" goes beyond the success of the singles, as rising British producer Mark Ronson used both of the artists on his debut, "Version," another great British export that is simultaneously dance hall friendly and unexpectedly emotional. Check out Ronson's collaboration with Allen on "Oh My God."
And then there were the hits that shouldn't have been hits, namely, Plain White T's "Hey There Delilah." It's not that this song wasn't good; it's just that it wasn't good enough to get all the airtime it did. Every seven minutes this song was somewhere on MTV or playing in the background of "The Hills." Three-chord ballads can work for some bands, but the nasal-voiced T's just don't deserve a hit this big.
Sadly, the summer of 2007 is all but over, but we can always say "Thnks Fr Th Mmrs" and remember times past with these soon-to-be classic tunes. With the approach of fall, expect some new stuff from the titans of rap, especially Kanye West.
