Backyard party season is upon us. Between graduations, Memorial Day barbecues and Saturday afternoons by the pool, it's high time to line up some new music for the festivities. With so many new releases and the annual deluge of summer tour announcements, taking it all in feels like drinking water from a fire hose. You can't depend on mainstream radio and your dogs are still hung up on Pearl Jam.

Need a lifeline?

Look no further. Here are some of this month's most exciting new releases.

The Official Warped Tour Compilation CD

Various Artists

[Side One Dummy, 2011]

Traveling alternative festival teases planet with massive 2-disc compilation party.

The Vans Warped Tour continues to offer music fans one of the most formidable summer lineups with its rotating roster of young-ish, up-and-coming-ish new bands. The Warped Tour offers the most potent showcase of new music worth your time and Side One Dummy's 14th annual Official Warped Tour Compilation is prodigious in both the range of artists and the quality of songs offered. There is a masterful mix of mainstream anthems, unreleased gems, and obscure b-sides to ensure that even the fanboys and girls will find new grooves to dig. With 50 songs on two discs clocking in at 140 minutes, listeners will be enjoying this album straight through Labor Day. Check out "Anatomy," by The Devil Wears Prada, "Too Little Too Late," by A Skylit Drive, and "Because of the Shame," by Against Me!.

For people who like: Against Me!, The Devil Wears Prada, A Skylit Drive, D.R.U.G.S.

Gatto Fritto

Gatto Fritto

Gatto Fritto

[International Feel, 2011]

Electronic chill out disc makes the comedown feel just as good as the rave.

It's 3 a.m. (or is it 5?) and you've just arrived home from painting the town Day-Glo orange. Problem is, you're still amped and not quite ready to call it a night. What's a night clubber to do? He or she would be well-advised to uncork Gatto Fritto's self-titled debut, a swirling, blissed-out epic with enough seratonin-releasing jams to keep your shoulders swaying and your smile wide. The album is perfectly sequenced, guiding the listener through cosmic disco textures that feel like your brain is floating on clouds. Full of smooth synths, Balearic beats and spacey vocals, Gatto Fritto has taken "catchy" to a new level with this addictive handful of head treats. "The Curse," "Lucifer Morning Star" and "Invisible College" are the highlights of this journey.

For people who like: Mylo, Mogwai, Young Galaxy, Black Moth Super Rainbow

The Bronx Casket Company

Antihero

[eOne Music, 2011]

Hard charging thrash salvos from Overkill founder raise question--which band is the real side project?

Co-founder of thrash legends Overkill, bassist DD Verni founded the BCC in 1998 as a side project, but the number and quality of releases since then have established that the BCC are as legitimate as any player on the hard rock scene. "Antihero," a fearsome rocker, opens the album with all the restraint of a two by four through a plate glass window, and the boys don't ease up until the final note. The speedy rhythms are all thrash but the tuned-down guitars are heavy enough to create their own gravity. Some horror elements, such as Type-O keyboards and Zombie-esque vocals, enhance the gothic overtones, but they don't distract from the fiery leads and detonation-sized choruses. "Antihero," "I Am No One" and "Selling My Soul" are standouts.

For people who like: Testament, Rob Zombie, Overkill, Lazarus A.D.

Atom Orr

This Was Tomorrow

[Populuxe, 2011]


San Diego's journeyman singer/songwriter says hello to the big time with ravishing acoustic postcards

 Christopher Hoffee, AKA Atom Orr, has made a name for himself as the go-to multi-instrumentalist for San Diego's rock and folk legends. When he's not burning London down with Dead Rock West or traipsing the USA with guys like Steve Poltz, he indulges his own considerable songwriting chops, crafting richly-layered ballads for his Atom Orr project. This Was Tomorrow is a lavish and imaginative collection of acoustic-based love songs that shine with disarmingly sincere lyrics and beguiling hooks. Hoffee's deep voice lends an intimacy that evokes Nick Cave at his most melancholic. Beautifully understated melodies serve his less-is-more approach, highlighting some gorgeous rainy day lyrics. "Just A Dream," "You Held Me" and "Hey Now" are the best of an impressive bunch.

For people who like: Harry Nilsson, Nick Cave, Bruce Cockburn, Tom Waits

Images courtesy of: Side One Dummy, eOne Music,  Gatto Fritto, Populuxe Records