book review: That Summertime Sound

It’s rare that you come across a novel so honest, so amplified, so relatable as That Summertime Sound. The story follows a nineteen year old college student during his summer adventures through the music culture of Ohio in the 80’s, as he experiences things that all music lovers can relate to.

Obsessed with a local band called Lords of Oblivion, the narrator desperately clings to their measly two 45s as divine inspiration. He is determined to meet the deliverer of truth—the band’s lead singer Nic Devine. What ensues is a rollercoaster of fresh perspective through a genuinely original story.

In short, this is a book that Chuck Klosterman should have written. I am a HUGE fan of Mr. K, and adore all of his non-fiction, but when I finished reading his first novel (Downtown Owl), I wanted to send him an angry letter telling him never to write fiction ever again, because he is damn awful at it. I was expecting a story grounded in music, with love et al. as a secondary thing, what I got was the opposite.

With That Summertime Sound, Matthew Specktor has achieved what I wanted Klosterman to fulfill. The book is riddled with abundant musical references—sometimes obscure, sometimes mainstream, and sometimes esoteric. Chapters are titled with song lyrics or titles, reminding me of how I used to title my own journal entries in high school. The narrator does not hide his disdain for his girlfriend’s favourite artist—Elvis Costello, whom he deems a phony, unworthy of the name he “stole” from the King. He talks about Grand Funk Railroad incessantly. He speaks of mix tapes and drugs, of girls and backlash from people who do not understand the sanctity of music. And with him, the reader discovers many shocking things, such as the mortality of our musical heroes. The story is as timeless as David Bowie.

Specktor’s first novel delivers a very powerful kind of musical description, only capable of being uttered by a person who worships a certain band. For example, the narrator describes a Lord of Oblivion song as one that “drew blood it was so urgent.” It'll make you stop and reminisce about your own favourite bands, and how powerfully their art affects you.

My favourite thing about the book was how the narrator’s perspective changed as he looked into the stories behind the music that he so desperately loved. He began to realize that while singles are the perfect form of delivering a powerful shot of musical glory, they might just be a way to hide behind the fear of creating a full length album.

My only criticism is that the author tries a little too hard to create memorable themes, such as “summertime adventures” or the namelessness of the narrator. In my opinion, he could have done it a bit more subtly. But that’s it. The book is great, and you won’t be able to put it down.

That Summertime Sound is prose of the highest form—irresistibly delectable and close to your heart. It’s the kind of novel that I wish I could have written, and that is a critic’s highest praise.

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