It's easy to get fed up with the everyday work grind, but a listen to these five unconventionally cheerful tunes will put you in your happy place.
Lightning
Nico Vega
Nico Vega usually produces songs more of the "anger" variety, but this track is an excellent sentiment about falling in love and ditching the past.
Lost Kitten
Metric
Though Metric's most recent album, Synthetica, hasn't been too well-received, this track is a jewel-encrusted example of lead singer Emily Haines' gorgeous falsetto. "Lost Kitten" wasn't even a featured single off the album, but it's one of the best songs of 2012. All hail Canadian indie rock.
The Way I Walk
The Cramps
It wouldn't be August without a little bit of grimy surf punk (aka "psychobilly"). With lyrics like "Touch me, baby, and I'll go hog wild," even those who don't love punk can get dirty and low with a classic like the Cramps. This particular single is off of their 1989 album Off the Bone, which featured hits like "Human Fly."
What's the Altitude
Cut Chemist
Here's a hip-hop DJ who deserves a little more credit. Cut Chemist jumped on the scene with underground legends like Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli. This track, in collaboration with Hymnal, takes advantage of cowbells in all the right ways and harks to a time when DJs were way, way better.
Holland, 1945
Neutral Milk Hotel
If you weren't listening to Neutral Milk Hotel in the '90s, then you probably heard the band's name thrown around in July when they sold out a show at Royal Oak Music Theatre. These guys are loved for good reason. It's music you either want to listen to racing down a dark highway in your convertible or while crying over an ex. Doesn't get much better than that. — Emma Ockerman
