Let the jams begin! At the start of every summer, catchy pop songs jockey for position in a race to Labor Day weekend. The prize? The unofficial, hotly debated designation “song of the summer.”

Eric Whitacre has become one of the most popular contemporary choral composers. Earlier this year he made headlines by creating Lux Aurumque, a virtual choir assembled from 185 individual YouTube video clips from 12 countries. 

Think organist and you’ll probably envision an elderly woman lurking about a church loft. You obviously haven’t encountered Cameron Carpenter. One critic described him as “the bastard child of Wendy Carlos and David Bowie,” thanks to his taste for wearing glam-rock make-up and performing in all-white, rhinestone-studded outfits he designs himself.

It's outdoor music festival time, so get out there and send us pics to add to our slideshow. Last week, Living Colour took on Summerstage in Central Park, Yeasayer and KeepAway set up kits on Governors Island and The Futureheads beat the heat and played the Music Hall of Williamsburg.

We’ve done this annually on Soundcheck – offering a list of likely pop hits that seem to have been issued for the sole purpose of vying for the unofficial title of Song Of The Summer.

As beach season kicks off, Soundcheck asks which pop singles will be blasting out of boomboxes for the next three months. New York Magazine's culture blog has narrowed it down to six juggernauts of pop -- check them out below, then vote for the one you think will be this year's song of the summer.

Pat Grossi, the lone wolf behind the synthy electro-pop of Active Child, performs tonight at Mercury Lounge. Download his soaring track "When Your Love Is Safe."

The virtuosic jazz pianist and his ensemble team up with guitarist Andreas Öberg for two shows at Dizzy's tonight. Download his deft interpretation of the Oscar Peterson tune "Cakewalk."

The Glasgow-based folk noir trio Sparrow and the Workshop make their New York debut tonight at Union Hall. Download their ominous track "Devil Song."