Summer Jams!!!!

Hey guys! How've you been liking this weather? It's incredible right?! Personally, the carefree spirit of this summertime atmosphere has been making it crazy difficult for me to get any work done, so today I'm going to write about something that I'm been loving lately.

When I think of summertime, I usually think of spending time with my friends, relaxing, goofing around, and just generally not having a care in the world. But another thing I think of is the soundtrack to these summer activities. Music is very powerful for me when it comes to bringing back memories. Some songs just sound like summer to me, for instance, Weezer's "Island in the Sun" and "Summer Girls" by LFO. Back in the day I would've just flipped on the radio for my summer soundtrack, but since I don't have a car here in Madison and don't know anyone who still owns a portable radio, I've gotten a little creative.

Today, I'm going to share with you my latest internet obsession. Its name is 8tracks.com, and it is a "handcrafted internet radio" website. It's similar to Pandora in some ways, but in my opinion, it's a much better way to find great music. You can still search for your favorite songs and artists and listen to similar stuff, but 8tracks takes a different approach to finding new, awesome music while listening to old favorites. As the company states on its "About" page:

"8tracks believes handcrafted music programming trumps algorithms. Think radio in the 1970s, mixtapes in the 1980s, and DJ culture of the 1990s through today. DJs share their talent in taste making, providing exposure for artists. Listeners get a unique blend of word-of-mouth sharing and radio programming — long the trusted means for music discovery — on a global scale."

What this means is that you get the best of both worlds, soon-to-be hits and underground gems alike. It's easy to find an incredible playlist for almost any situation, and they have an iPhone app that lets you take it on the go. Oh, and did I mention the best part? No audio ads to interrupt your music. Awesome.

I have been obsessed with 8tracks for a while now, listening to it while I get ready in the morning, while studying, while working out, and before/during my friends and my weekend shenanigans. ;) And with this awesome weather, tons of incoming summer playlists have been cropping up, setting the perfect mood for an awesome time.

Well, that's all I can really say on the subject, the rest you'll have to find out on your own. :) I hope you guys check out 8tracks and end up loving it as much as me! And if you find any extra awesome playlists be sure to let me know in the comments.

~Morgen~

Some of my favorite summer 8tracks playlists:

Songs To Be Young To

summertime, and the living is easy

Incoming Summer 2012

Hollister Playlist 2012

Beach Bod Swag

it's fucking nice out.