Summer In The City: The season's best albums

Whoever decreed that summer was a good time for kicking back and taking it easy must have forgotten to send the memo to Austin's hard-working batch of musicians, because this summer has seen the release of more top-notch local albums than you can shake the proverbial stick at. After a relatively quiet spring, the floodgates opened sometime in May, meaning my listening pile now sits comfortably at a couple of feet high.

Of course, not everybody has time to comb through two dozen-something albums, so I'm doing you the public service of singling out what I think are five of the season's best albums. I'll be looking past the greats that everybody already knows about - we all love Alejandro Escovedo and the Black Angels, yes - to bring you the hidden gems. With that in mind, here's five discs, in no particular order, to help you cure the summertime blues.

5. Model United Nations
Tiger Physics EP

I hear more about these guys every day, and it's no surprise why - they play super-catch indie pop with all the enthusiasm of a group that seems to be discovering the joy of music as they go along. This is a brief but infectious listen.

4. Dan Grissom
What Was EP

Grissom seems to come from the Elliott Smith or Iron and Wine school of singer/songwriters. A soulful acoustic balladeer with nakedly honest lyrics and melodies that slowly work their way under your skin, he's one of Austin's most direct and compelling solo artist, and this EP is a concentrated blast of pure beauty.

3. Shearwater
Rook

Okay, so maybe calling Shearwater a "hidden gem" might be a stretch - after all, they're busy opening shows for Coldplay right now. But Rook, released on indie label stalwart Matador Records, lays to rest any doubts about Shearwater being a mere Okkervil River offshoot, establishing the band as one of Austin's most promising exports. Rook is an experimental, lyrical, operatic album, thematically intense and quietly devastating. Arcade Fire, eat your heart out.

2. My Education
Bad Vibrations

At times rocky and at times folky, Bad Vibrations is always deeply ambient, a kind of sonic tidal wave that sweeps you away. There's some definite Explosions in the Sky influence going on here, but My Education pull you into their world with a style that's still very much their own.

1. Pataphysics
Take A Look Out Your Window

Quirk is the name of the game here - both sonically and lyrically unusual, Pataphysics uses a New Wave pop sound to pull in performers from a whole spectrum of Austin's best underground bands. With a wide variety of sounds, the band indulges in every bit as much adventurous when it comes to wordplay - possibly the album's best song is titled "Jesus Grow A Handlebar Mustache." Limited to 350 copies, this imminently catchy and listenable one should be snapped up as soon as possible.