Songs and the City

Songs of summer: Jesus kicks the Beach Boys' butt, Joni Mitchell cooks the lawn & Brigitte Bardot ... sizzles

Joni Mitchell's "The Hissing of Summer Lawns"

Summer is in full swing, at least according to the mercury if not the calendar. As the days continue to heat up, here are some tunes to keep you free and easy.

What are some your favorite summertime songs?

"Surfin' USA (Summer Mix)" by The Jesus and Mary Chain

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The mere thought of the Scottish distortion kings tackling the sunny California pop of the Beach Boys is enough to perk up your ears. But once you hear it blasting from your speakers it makes perfect sense. The Reid brothers always knew their way around a sugary melody and they give this surf classic a kick in the ass, infusing it with a Pentecostal fervor and ladling on layer after layer of guitar fuzz and feedback. It's a thrilling update to a timeless pop nugget.

"Camino del Sol" by Antena

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"The best French-Belgian electro-samba record you've never heard." And so reads the tag-line for Antena's "El Camino Del Sol," the trio's criminally overlooked record from 1982 that was heavy on charm and way ahead of its time. In case your french is rusty, the lyrics reel off a litany of words associated with a tropical summer vacation to Palm Beach: Seaside resort, tropical climate, jet lag, friendly atmosphere, sauna, steam bath, tennis, Air Florida, the way of the sun.

"Here Comes the Summer" by The Fiery Furnaces

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Brother and sister duo Matthew and Eleanor Friedberger turn in a winner with this bouncy pop song about the approaching summer season. "I’ve been waiting since I don’t know when and now it finally seems about to start," Eleanor sings, the excitement in her voice palpable. This song is for anyone's who's ever spent long, cold winters counting down the days to June.

"The Hissing of Summer Lawns" by Joni Mitchell

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A brilliant title, it not only rolls off the tongue, but it perfectly captures the sound of a scorching summer afternoon in Houston when you can literally hear the heat. Seriously, when July rolls around step outside and listen to the lawn. The hissing is even more pronounced after the grass is watered. But before you step out, revel in this jazzy track from one of Joni Mithcell's best mid-period albums.

"Cool Ice Cream" by Eddy Current Suppression Ring

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"Chocolate, vanilla, forever! I just wanna eat you for dinner. Cool ice cream. Cool ice cream." Need I say more?

"Sincerely Hot" by Domenico + 2

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This trio includes the offspring of some of Brazil's musical royalty, including Moreno Veloso (son of Caetano) and Domênico Lancellotti (son of Ivor). An infectious stew of samba, bossa nova, tropicalia, rock and electronica, "Sincerely Hot" is just that — a scorching groove that burns like the Houston summer sun. The song, and the album from which it comes, makes the perfect soundtrack for an afternoon by the pool.

"Swimming Pools" by Thao with the Get Down Stay Down

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Speaking of pools, this rollicking track by Thao Nguyen heralds the age-old activity of doing the cannonball into and splashing around in an aqua blue swimming pool. The lyrics reference chlorine-laden water and nothing screams summer more than the chemical's comforting odor and the burning eyes that comes with a day in the pool.

"It's Summer" by the Tempations

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Oooh yeah! The Temptations turn up the heat with this laid back celebration of summer. Taken from the vocal group's 1970 "Psychedelic Shack" LP, it features basso Melvin Franklin cooly reciting the song's lyrics in spoken verse.

Throw in some syrupy strings and the quartet's trademark harmonies in all their stereo-shifting glory and you've got the ideal accompaniment for some sweet summer romance.

"Le Soleil" by Brigitte Bardot

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There was once a claim that Bardot did more for the French international trade balance than the entire French car industry. Based on her sensual whispered coo on this ye-ye exultation of the sun, I'd have to agree. Besides, if in 1963 you offered me a choice between an afternoon with Bardot or a brand new Citroën DS, I'd unquestionably select the former.

"Jogging Gorgeous Summer" by Islands

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Steel drums and tin whistle fuel this indie rock rave-up by Canadian upstarts, Islands. It's a perfect summer love song with sweet lyrics and a calypso backbeat that's sure to get you spontaneously dancing along. "Millions of sunsets, but the one I remember is the one where you told me you'd love me forever."

"Funkier than a Mosquito's Tweeter" by Nina Simone

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One of the drawbacks to the summer season is the mosquito plague that comes with it, especially in the swamp we call home. No worries, Nina Simone will distract you from the itchy swollen red bumps with a thoroughly groovy tribal rendition of "Funkier than a Mosquito's Tweeter."

"The Beach Party" by Hot Chip

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One of electronic pop's most sophisticated practitioners, Hot Chip, don't mince words when it comes to getting down at the shore: "Don't want all this cold cold shit/Throw off your shirt and let's get
hot hot hot ... I've been to all the beaches on the strip and you better believe this shit/I like to dip, dip, dip."

"Summer Babe (Winter Version)" by Pavement

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An off-kilter ode to the summer romance served up in classic Gen-X deadpan. This song never gets old.

TDT (TOKEN DYLAN TRACK)

"In the Summertime" by Bob Dylan

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Dylan's last album from his evangelical Christian phase, 1981's much-maligned Shot of Love has matured remarkably well. Along with "Every Grain of Sand," "In the Summertime" is one of the record's strongest songs.

It features an introspective Dylan looking back on a particularly memorable romance, one that seems to reference both a woman and God. His vocal and harmonica performances are sublime and rank among his best of the decade. If you're a non-believer, give Dylan and his "Shot of Love" another shot.

Let Brigitte Bardot take you back to summer.

Movie Review

Over-the-top thriller The Housemaid revels in camp, chaos, and excess

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney in The Housemaid

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney in The Housemaid.

Both Amanda Seyfried (the upcoming The Testament of Ann Lee) and Sydney Sweeney (Christy) are starring in movies with Oscar ambitions this year. By sheer coincidence, the two actors are also co-starring in The Housemaid, a thriller coming out within weeks of their more ambitious works, one that is likely to be seen by many more people than those prestige plays.

Sweeney is given top billing as Millie, a down-on-her-luck ex-convict looking to land any type of job so as not to break her parole. She finds a too-good-to-be-true lifeboat with Nina (Seyfried), who hires her to be a housemaid for her large house on Long Island, where she lives with her husband, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar), and daughter, Cecilia (Indiana Elle).

After a warm interview, Nina almost immediately becomes highly erratic, whipping back-and-forth between happy-go-lucky and rageful. It seems clear that Nina is suffering from mental health issues, as she’ll often accuse Millie of misplacing or stealing items that she didn’t take. Andrew, apparently used to Nina’s tirades, tries to protect Millie from the worst, something that grows increasingly difficult as Nina ups the ante.

Directed by Paul Feig (A Simple Favor) and adapted by Rebecca Sonnenshine from the bestselling book by Freida McFadden, the film is likely the trashiest mainstream movie to come out in 2025. The first half of the movie relies not on story but on moments as Nina embodies the word “hysterical” to an unbelievable extent. The resigned acceptance of the abuse by Millie, as well as the saintly patience of Andrew, make almost every scene laughable, as nobody seems to be acting anywhere close to how a person would normally react to such extreme situations.

The scenes and the performance of Seyfried are so over-the-top, in fact, that it’s clear that the filmmakers are in on the joke. It’s next to impossible not to have a little bit of fun while watching the actors react to outrageous incidents as if nothing is out of the ordinary. The worse Nina acts, the more Millie and Andrew retreat into their chosen roles, and the funnier the film becomes.

Fans of the book will know that the story changes course, eventually turning into a more stereotypical thriller that also has some relatively gnarly visuals to offer. But the trashiness continues, with Sweeney’s, um, assets repeatedly on display in both clothed and unclothed ways. The sex appeal of the R-rated movie makes it an outlier, as recent studio films have shied away from asking their big stars to disrobe completely.

Both Seyfried and Sweeney are far from their Oscar hopeful roles here. Seyfried is given free rein to act as brazenly as she pleases, and she takes full advantage of that ability. Sweeney seems to have been told to be much more reserved, and unfortunately that results in too many wooden line readings. Sklenar continues his breakout streak (It Ends with Us, Drop) with a role that allows him to show more range than either Seyfried or Sweeney.

The Housemaid is an unusual type of movie to be released at a time of year when most films are either those aiming for awards or more family-friendly fare. Despite its many flaws, it’s still an enjoyable watch that features a variety of crazy scenarios not typically seen in movies nowadays.

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The Housemaid is now playing in theaters.

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