Shari Roulin, the owner of the uber-cool Second Street boutique, Reward Project, shares the albums topping her store's essential summer music playlist. From the upbeat and pop-y to the space-y and spooky, these albums have Roulin (and her customers!) rockin' out any day of the week:
1. Sun Airway, Wild Palms/Symphony In White No. 2: "Local Philly guys making catchy ethereal pop that everyone can get into. Our favorite!"
2. Clams Casino, Instrumental Mixtape: "[From the] innovative producer for Li’l B & Soulja Boy; he samples the likes of Bjork and others to create the most amazingly space-y, spooky beats ever."
3. Washed Out, Within and Without: "We love Washed Out at Reward! His first full-length record has been on permanent play since it came out. Our summer soundtrack, hands down."
4. John Maus, We Must Become The Pitiless Censors of Ourselves: "Synth-y, throwback jams that sound like they could have been in a John Hughes movie. Or something artier. Loving his sound."
5. Widowspeak, Gun Shy: "[This] Brooklyn trio doesn’t even have a full-length record out but we’ve been jamming out to their EPs, one of which features a cover of Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game” on the b-side...oh yes we are into it."
6. Faux Slang, s/t: More local friends who have that straight-up, awesome garage-y rock sound. Foot-tap and dancin’ music, just try to hold back – we dare you! Their new record comes out next month; we’ve been streaming it A LOT from their bandcamp page."
7. Friendly Fires, Pala: "These Brits know how to get our butts moving. You can’t help but want to dance when this album comes on. "
8. Gang Gang Dance, Eye Contact: "'Glass Jar' is the psychedelic jam of the summer. I just saw them at the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago (in July), and they were one of the best performances of the event, HANDS DOWN. Upbeat and keeps you going at the store, and people are always asking 'Who’s playing?' when their songs come on."
9. Zola Jesus, Valusia EP: "Whoa, just really powerful stuff. Kind of dark, but really emotional. Like a modern day Kate Bush or Siouxsie Sioux.
10. James Black, s/t: "Classically-trained musician and dubstep producer, he covered Feist’s 'Limi t To Your Love,' and dare I say, it’s so much better than the original. Minimal yet powerful."
Related Stories on The Feast:
List: Boutiques to Shop With Your Guy in Tow
Video: Reward's Mannequin Stays Fashionable, Cool in USA-Made Labels
Reward Project is the First and Only Store in the United States to Stock These Swedish Sunnies
