Digital Camel 5 1/2 (a)

It was 6:30 AM this morning and the window unit in the kitchen was (and still is) gurgling, drowning in it's own juices, spitting little water droplets out of the top vent, and leaking into the 5 gallon roaster sitting on the radiator below it (which I emptied again this morning).

There is an incredible amount of nostalgia going on over at Said the Gramophone lately. Or maybe the music they're featuring just makes me nostalgic. Either way, I know Summer doesn't officially begin for another couple of weeks or so, but for me it started yesterday. Here in Baltimore the temperature is reaching the upper 90's and the humidity is a warm wet blanket that you can't get out from underneath.

When the windows in the home are shut and the car doors close, and there is nothing but the whirring noise of the air conditioner to comfort you and your family, you need a little Digital Camel to carry you through. This, dear friends, is the reason why, courtesy of the internet, we find ourselves with half of the 5th installment of the downloadable audio experience today.

Nostalgia can come at you from any number of angles and these songs do too. Some have the feel of the summer at 1625 1/2. Others have the feel of riding down California highways. Most of these old-ish sounding songs are quite new, starting with Al Green's "Just For Me", an indulgence I encourage all of you to make. Sit back in your imagined chair, watch the imaginary beads well up on your absent freshly squeezed lemonade, and lazily watch the world go by. Or have a look out the car window at your neighbor passing you, windows down, bare feet on the dash, cheeks flushed from heat, content with where they're going.