Babes of Summer '12

Sitting here waiting out the clouds and rain this week got me thinking about the tunes that got me through this mostly dreary summer. Sure, there was the hardcore heatwave of late June/July, but there was a little too much gloomy weather for my tastes this summer. Luckily, the last few months saw a steady output of solid music - a lot of which came from some exceptional babe talent.



Tennis


Tennis' Young and Old arrived with perfect timing in late Spring and has stayed in solid rotation here through the Summer. A tight band with wistful melodies that is listenable in the most effortless way - finding a home both on the beach and holed up in the rain.


Beach House



A longtime favorite at the Non-Factor, Beach House returned this year with Bloom which found Victoria Legrand and Co. further refining their sound and supplying us with a new batch of sleepy, ethereal tunes that reward repeated listening.


Grimes


Grimes stays on repeat at the Non-Factor, so it's no surprise she remained on our playlists this Summer, which saw her make her American TV debut above.

St. Vincent


Of all the great female acts putting out new material in 2012, St. Vincent reigns supreme as far as the Non-Factor is concerned. We are admittedly biased because we were lucky enough to catch her set at Bonnaroo in June, but really, the music speaks for itself. With a collaboration with David Byrne on the horizon, we're looking forward to even more great tracks this year.