Hot Disc: The Beach Boys, The Intelligence and Vivian Girls

Summer’s at last on our shores, so bring in the rock-and-rolling tide of hot afternoon singalongs. The brighter, the better—this is no time to be cool about what’s on your iPod, no matter how much you really do like Patrick Watson.

First up? Surf’s up! The Beach Boys (thebeachboys.com) wanna get back in your head with Summer Love Songs (EMI Music), a 20-track mix of their best-loved slow jams—all your (mom’s) favourites, from “California Girls” to “God Only Knows.” Then there’s “Fallin’ in Love,” an erstwhile rarity recorded in the Boys’ 1970 Sunflower album sessions.

Digging in the sands of The Intelligence. Their fourth album, Fake Surfers (In The Red Records, May 26), reverberates with thrashing waves (not unlike It band Wavves) of post-pop noise. They’re like a Northwestern suburban garage band with a serious crush on South Bay—and dude, they’re awesome. Listen here: myspace.com/theworldisadrag.

Finally, anything boys can do, Vivian Girls can do…better? Watch the rad video for their latest single, “Moped Girls,” and decide (viviangirlsnyc.blogspot.com). The two-year-old trio burst out of Brooklyn last year, coming at crowds like the all-female incarnation of Sonic Youth. Big fans of the Shangri-Las and Nirvana, they’ve labeled themselves punk, shoegaze, and yes, surf pop—but it’s definitely a crowd they’re surfing, not the ocean. Listen here: myspace.com/viviangirlsnyc.