Staff Pix 4/25: School's Out!

One more year down and the wonderful wheel of music journalism keeps spinning… Thanks for keeping up with the Milk Crate staff every Friday and letting us gush on about what we’re loving as of late. Milk Crate will publish over the summer, and be BACK in full action come fall. We love you and happy summer!

“crushcrushcrush” by paramore

The rediscovery of this song had me one tap away from buying a fifty-dollar Paramore shirt. Some sort of Hayley Williams sorcery, I swear. It’s nasty these kids had the immense amounts of sauce it took to create the brilliantly pop-punky Riot!, the alleged misogyny and all. By the way, I’m glad we’re collectively over the half-assed cancellations of “Misery Business” – it rocks too hard. “crushcrushcrush” is the third single from that LP, and it’s just a jolly, jumpin’ time. Williams not only sits, but loiters in her pocket as roaring riffs bleed into each other, whisking us seamlessly into three-minutes of head-bangin’ bliss. It’s a track that basks and yearns, yet manages not harp. Last summer, it was indie sleaze, electroclash, or what have you. Naturally progressing, as history repeats itself, pop-punk has got to be back. I need it to be back. I alert you to comb over your hair. Stick a feather extension in it. Then clip it down. It’s go-time. —Sofia Giarrusso

“Half a boy and half a man” by nick lowe

Jolting along with the gleeful giddy-up of a possessed ice cream truck, Nick Lowe and his Cowboy Outfit crash headfirst into my house, your house, and your neighbor’s house—and they still have enough gas to make it to the gig. “Half a Boy and Half a Man” is a high-octane exercise in controlled silliness, mining a cotton-candy carnival of delights from Paul Carrack’s revved-up baseball organ and Bobby Irwin’s bombastic skin-smashing. Another observation: Mr. Lowe is having the greatest sugar high of his life on this thing, unleashing yips and yelps and an Elvis-esque croon and a sick bassline to boot. Last year was Brat Summer—this year it’s I’m a Silly Brit Summer! Let’s all eat Digestives and listen to more Nick Lowe! He was BY FAR the most versatile of his contemporaries (a group that included Elvis freakin’ Costello, Dave Edmunds, and Squeeze), and his songwriting wit was always balanced by a penchant for spontaneity and a willingness to cut loose (see: literally every song he recorded in the ‘70s and ‘80s). “Half a Boy and Half a Man” is the musical definition of “going for it,” and I can’t wait to blast this thing on my newly-lacquered, sun-drenched yacht (which I, in fact, definitely own). Drinks, anyone? My butler makes an excellent virgin banana daiquiri! —Charlie Desjardins

“All my friends” by LCD Soundsystem

The anthem of all of my summers, night walks, and house parties: LCD Soundsystem’s “All My Friends” soundtracks my life this time of year. With summer's imminence, everything seems to be shining a little bit brighter. “And so it starts,” with one of my favorite lengthy intros to any song ever, LCD Soundsystem’s jumpy piano turns something inside me and suddenly I’m dancing around as if I’m the one performing the song. The build into the chorus is so special to me and it’s still not even their best (I’m looking at you “Dance Yrself Clean”). James Murphy knew what he was doing when he wrote this utterly restless anthem with lyrics like “I wouldn’t trade one stupid decision / For another five years of life.” The first time I reached that sickeningly contemplative ending was unforgettable, I mean seriously, where ARE your friends tonight?! It’s a perfect song in my book that holds adolescence and adulthood lovingly in its loosening grip. What better of a track for the onset of summer than one all about the nostalgia of needing your friends. —Sophie Parrish

“lust for life” by girls

 Ah, “Lust For Life.” This song cradles summer in its addictive guitar up until the last second, squeezing out every last second until there’s none left. Offering a uniquely satisfying taste of nostalgia rooted in what-could’ve-beens, the song indulges every daydreamed fantasy: “Oh, I wish I had a boyfriend / I wish I had a loving man in my life / I wish I had a father / And maybe then I would've turned out right.” The guitar is playful as it considers the past, unraveling summer days and soaking in simple contentment in the everyday—pizza, wine, and a beach house. Satisfaction is found by the end of the song’s unraveling of adolescence: “And maybe if I really tried with all of my heart / Then I can make a brand new start in love with you.” “Lust For Life” cements itself as the number one spot on my summer playlist thanks to its splurge on wishing and angst-ridden pining. —Heather Thorn

“free treasure” by Adrianne Lenker

To me this song signifies the turn of spring into summer. Adrianne sings with the type of emotional clarity and freshness that only comes after a long, cold winter. “I haven't smelled food so good / Since I don't know where and I don't know when,” she croons with a wide-eyed sense of wonder. There’s also a sense of adventure that you only have on those long, unemployed summer days: “Do you wanna go to the river / I know this spot so deep and green.” And of course, the most tender and simple line in all of music: “Just when I thought I couldn’t feel more, I feel a little more.” —Christian Jones

“Shake It like a - jane remover remix” by Frost children, danny brown, Jane remover

Let's go into summer shaking ass and leaving the played-out winter blues behind us. I’m sick of misery. School's out, the sun's out, and it's time to shake that residual finals stress away. Jane Remover’s remix is the dance anthem I want to start summer with—an ode to letting that shit go. So in the words of Frost Children: “Shake the pain out your face,” get turnt, and don’t waste the sunshine reminiscing on seasons that passed. —Rachel Charles

“What You Know” by Two Door Cinema Club

School’s out! Hags! As papers fly down the staircase and fresh ice cream cones haven’t even had the chance to drip, “What You Know” bounces and rocks on with a special kind of optimism only accessible to older millennials. “What You Know” has been by my side this semester. From glorious rides in Miss Bus down Sunset Boulevard to jolting a little pep in my step between classes, this masterclass from those Irish rockers really gets to a sense of fun that’s just beginning. And of course, because it’s my last staff pix, I must lament that I never would’ve rediscovered this classic if not for Sofia. Milk Crate FOREVER! —Nathan Hilyard