This spring, I've had to eat my words. For the past few years, I've been advising bands to skip the physical CDs and just send download links to journalists—the hard copies, I've said, get tossed in a pile that may or may not ever get excavated. Then last month I bought a car that has a working CD player, and lo and behold! Suddenly making it into that pile is the best way to get my attention. Some of the discs I've had to resist tossing straight out the window (Dwight Hobbes said it all when it comes to Paul Spring: I should've had a V8), but three have made for very chill soundtracks for warm-weather cruising.

No, not that kind of cruising—but they'd probably work for that too, especially Chica Libre's Canibalismo. It would be perfect for a BBBQ* with the too-fancy-for-Katy-Perry crowd: it's contemporary lounge music with a Patagonian twist and a splash of electronica. Canibalismo is also a good album to play when you bring a hot prospect back to your place, but be aware that doing so will make your intentions as clear as if you dropped a lime-flavored condom on the coffee table.