The Livin' Is Easy

In honor of the fact that the past two days have had an average temperature of about 63, and with the acknowledgement that such a thing is altogether premature, I have compiled a summer mixtape to lift your hopes and remind of of the sticky goodness that comprises 1/4 of our year in these temperate climes. Each of these songs represents summer for me either through nostalgia, or the use of horns or some other reason I'd be happy to explain upon request. And now, without further ado, what I'd be listening to if I were driving to Columbus with the windows down:
June---
01. "Please" - Apples in Stereo, Velocity of Sound
02. "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" - Steve Goodman, Anthology: No Big Surprise
03. "Ein Sommer nur für mich" - Die Ärzte, Runter mit den Spendierhosen, Unsichtbarer!
04. "The Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side" - The Magnetic Fields, 69 Love Songs
05. "Gene Autry" - Beulah, The Coast is Never Clear
06. "Horizon" - Ashby, Power Ballads
07. "Soft Serve" - Soul Coughing, Irresistible Bliss
08. "Birdland" - Weather Report, Heavy Weather
July---
09. "Race for the Prize" - The Flaming Lips The Soft Bulletin
10. "Rock Lobster" - The B-52's, Time Capsule
11. "Got to Get You into My Life" - The Beatles, Revolver
12. "Take the Skinheads Bowling" - Camper van Beethoven, Telephone Free Landslide Victory
13. "Am Strand" - Farin Urlaub, Endlich Urlaub
14. "And She Was" - Talking Heads, Little Creatures
15. "Kitchen" - The Lemonheads, It's a Shame about Ray
16. "Piano Fire" - Sparklehorse, It's A Wonderful Life
August---
17. "I'm a Cuckoo" - Belle & Sebastian, Dear Catastrophe Waitress
18. "Sunny Skies" - James Taylor, Sweet Baby James
19. "Picture Book" - The Kinks, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
20. "Sister Nebraska" - Tarkio, Omnibus
21. "Summerteeth" - Wilco, Summerteeth
22./ 23. "Summer's Cauldron"/ "Grass" - XTC, Skylarking
25. "Good Vibrations" - Brian Wilson, SMiLE
25. "Synchronicity II" - The Police, Synchronicity


Due to my unwillingness to separate "Summer's Cauldron" from "Grass", this mix tape overshoots 80 min. and thus will not actually fit on a CD, but if you've got a 90 minute tape and an old car, you're in business. Furthermore, if you think I've excluded or misordered anything leave something in the comments and I'll be glad to tell you why you're wrong explain myself. I hope this inspires you to make your own Obscenely Premature Summer Mix, which will seem really silly when there's a foot of snow on your house next week.