Pick Your Poison: Monday 10-13-14

If you ask me, and by virtue of reading this website you telepathically did, there are certain types and styles of music that are suited to each of the four seasons each year. Spring is a time for beauty, as the weather starts to warm and the flowers begin to bloom. That’s best evoked with acoustic guitars and sweeping post-rock. Summer is hot and filled with fun in the sun, so you want high energy songs from the pop genre, be it indie, mainstream, synth or other. EDM and hip hop are pretty much summer genres too. Winter is great for just about anything minimalist in sound, that speaks to the gentle but harsh conditions outside. As for fall, that’s a season of quiet reflection as that which was once blooming is now dying, and the year is quickly coming to an end. You’re going to want some great folk and psychedelic tunes to help soundtrack that. While I’m unable to completely steer every edition of Pick Your Poison in any particular seasonal direction, especially since individual tastes often override any seasonal influences, I try to do what I can to help sway things from time to time. Often that means recommending shows I think you’ll like. This upcoming Thursday the 16th, psych-pop upstarts Temples will be playing a show at the Park West in Chicago. They made waves earlier this year with the release of their debut album Sun Structures, which is fun and trippy and sounds like a glorious car crash between Tame Impala and MGMT. There’s a lot to love about these guys, and they’ve certainly worked their way up to headliner status. Just a couple of months ago, their early afternoon set was the first thing I saw at Lollapalooza 2014, and it made for a solid start to the weekend. I can vouch for their live chops, even if they seemed a little overheated due to the weather outside. It was also my assessment that they’d be far more comfortable and effective indoors, where climate control and suitable darkness could allow their psychedelic influences would have a far greater presence. In other words, Park West is a great spot for them. Take a listen to tracks like “Shelter Song” and “Mesmerise” to get a better idea of who these guys are and what they’re all about, in case you didn’t know already. If you’re in Chicago without any plans on Thursday night, by all means come out to the show as well. It starts at 8pm. Tickets are only $20 and can be purchased here. Hope to see you there for another great fall show that’s truly appropriate for the season. Now how about that Pick Your Poison for your Columbus Day? There’s some great tracks in this set from Ancient Babes, Dam Gila, Germany Germany, Petter Carlsen and Weyes Blood. In the Soundcloud section after the jump, stream songs from Dilly Dally, Holly Waxwing, Kate Boy, Nothing, Party Supplies (ft. Action Bronson and Black Atlass), Run the Jewels (ft. Zach de la Rocha) and Springtime Carnivore.