Mike Damante
Take Off Your Pants and Jacket (2001) – Blink-182
To say this is a sentimental favorite of mine is an understatement.
Blink-182 was the band that got me interested in punk music around 1996 and my devotion to the group has even gone as far as getting various Blink-themed tattoos on my arm.
Take Off Your Pants and Jacket was not the band’s best album, but at the same time is grossly underrated as one of the best new-school pop-punk records post-Green Day and is just a fun summer record.
Take Off Your Pants and Jacket also shows the band dealing with different sides of teenage angst on tracks such as "Stay Together for the Kids" (divorce), "Story of a Lonely Guy" (isolation), "Give Me One Good Reason" (being yourself) and the record’s best achievement, "Anthem Pt.2" (a political song about feeling helpless toward the way our government operates).
The album sounds perfectly made for summer, as is evident on catchier tracks such as "First Date," "Online Songs," "Every Time I Look For You" and the official summer kick-off song of 2001,"The Rock Show."
"The Rock Show" was written to pay homage to influential bands such as The Ramones and Screeching Weasel, while at the same time giving a nice "shout-out" to another summer staple, the Warped Tour.
Roshan Bhatt
Stay What You Are (2001) – Saves the Day
Everything about this band screams "summer." Although many fans would argue (and rightfully so) that 1999’s Through Being Cool is a better summer album, Stay What You Are is Saves the Day’s crowning achievement as a band.
The album is full of nostalgic and memorable sing-alongs. From the hit single "At Your Funeral," to "As Your Ghost Takes Flight," this album spans the group’s wide range of influences.
The group will also be playing an entertaining live set spanning their 11-year career thus far, April 13 at the Meridian as a part of the Bamboozle Road Show.
Say It Like You Mean It (2002) – The Starting Line
Everything about The Starting Line reminds me of my adolescence. Going to the band’s shows in the summer was the cool thing to do because this was the one of the underground’s many, many Blink-182 clones.
In all honesty, this album is immature. Chances are, you’ve heard its biggest song, "Best of Me," a pinnacle of live shows and a staple in the hearts and diaries of pre-pubescent teens everywhere.
The group has since matured and released two great records, but after eight years, the quartet will be going on an indefinite hiatus (Hey, Blink-182 did that, too!). The group will play their last Houston show for a while Friday at the Meridian.
