I'm done mulling: 2008's Summer Song

But first, a few songs I forgot to mention yesterday-- a few covers that I found early in the summer. First was Charlotte Martin's cover of "Obstacle 1," which stands as both my favorite Interpol cover of all time and simultaneously my favorite song by a female vocalist next to "Maps." The other mention goes to Franz Ferdinand's cover of "All My Friends," which takes James Murphy's version and makes it fun. And I'm all about fun.

Now for the moment you've all been waiting for: The song of summer, 2008, is...

MGMT's "Kids," but you guys already knew that. You know I can't help myself when it comes to kids.

I guess I should justify my pick among so many good songs to the five people who read my blog. "Kids" passes all of the initial qualifiers with flying colors: it's Pitchfork-approved indie rock, it features a synthesizer, and it is markedly darker than its title might suggest. And MGMT somehow manages to straddle both popularity and the 20something faux underground like every other band I listen to these days. It's obviously a song I would like.

But why is it THE song of the summer? Or rather, why is it MY song of the summer?

I first heard MGMT back in, oh, February or March on one of those music blogs I frequent. The buzz around that time was promoting Oracular Spectacular as the best thing to come out of New York since that whole Vampire Weekend thing (remember them?). But as with most music that passes between my ears, I listened to their heavily-promoted single once and forgot about it for three more months.

Then in late May, with the summer quickly shifting into full gear, I gave Oracular Spectacular another listen and immediately bonded with one particular song. It wasn't the song I heard back in February ("Time to Pretend") nor was it the other single they'd been spinning relentlessly since then ("Electric Feel"). Instead I became addicted to the droning, deep synth that traces the obtuse beat in "Kids."

While the tune of the song lured me in with its classic meld of keyboard on drums, it was the lyrics that really hooked me. I truly am a sucker for reminiscing about simpler, more innocent times-- call it a byproduct of my rock&roll lifestyle. MGMT calls us heathens out for it in the first stanza of the song, drawing parallels between the way we act as kids and the immature behavior that some people (me) never seem to shake.

But the real reason that "Kids" speaks to me-- hell, the reason it's so pertinent to the summer-- are those first two words of the chorus. "Control yourself." You might as well define the summer for Kyle as a big self-control problem on all fronts. The summer provides all the free time and money I need to be bad. It presents me with... situations that require me to chose a degree of self-respect, or respect for others, over my own selfish desires. And in "Kids," they ask me to control myself at least four times.

I think the story of my summer-- one of unique opportunity, exercises in patience and self-control, and a deep appreciation of my own past-- stuffs the ballot box in favor of "Kids." So if you haven't listened to it yet, well... here.