here they are:
"Rollercoaster" by Bleachers: Jack Antonoff from fun.'s side project, Bleachers, exploded onto the alternative and adult alt charts in spring 2014 with an irresistibly catchy, almost bubblegum-y slice of stadium worthy indie-pop with "I Wanna Get Better". Did you expect Bleachers' second big song to sound like an outtake from Bruce Springsteen's "Born In the U.S.A."?! Didn't think so! But that IS basically what you get in "Rollercoaster", which sounds a bit like "Dancing In the Dark" if it was covered by The Killers. As if influence wasn't enough for the classic rock quotient of "Rollercoaster", Jack also brings up a "killer queen" during the chorus, which may or may not be a reference to Queen's "Killer Queen" (there's a good chance it might be, since all of the members of fun. have been said to be huge Queen fans). The "rollercoaster" in this song is not one that is skyrocketing to the future, but plunging backwards into the past!
"Stay Gold" by First Aid Kit: Our only other song of the week is one that provides a relaxing low to contrast with the high energy '80s style rock and roll of the previous song. In fact, if the Swedish all female duo First Aid Kit ever did a song with a higher energy sound, that would be quite a shock! First Aid Kit are known for being soothing, melodious, and folks-y, and the pattern continues with their latest song, "Stay Gold". Johanna and Klara yearningly croon about what might happen if their "hard work ends in despair" and "the road won't take (them) there", and wonder why they can't just "stay gold", which probably means something roughly along the lines of "Why can't life always be fair?" The words "no gold can stay" are repeated twice before the first chorus comes into the song, which makes me think that First Aid Kit are probably S.E. Hinton fans, as "nothing gold can stay" is a famous quote from her book (and one of my personal faves), "The Outsiders".
