Here they are:
“Empress” by Snow Patrol: You probably wouldn’t know this song is even called “Empress” if you heard it for the first time, since the word is not mentioned anywhere in the song, and it’s not exactly about royalty either. “Empress” continues in the direction of “Don’t Give In”, lyrically. It is another song where Gary Lightbody expresses a sense of grief about his own sense of depression and the struggle to survive. “Sound, pulse, and volume/Hands just reaching out for hands/This is almost overload” starts off the chorus of “Empress”, which conveys an urgency of sorts that ends up being too much for Lightbody to bear. The song has a bit more of a rock sound than “Don’t Give In” did, but lyrically it is just as poignant!
“Throwback” by Jim James: No, this is not a song about Throwback Thursday. Quite the opposite, really. In spite of its nostalgic sounding title, “Throwback” is actually about how much Jim James wants people to live in the present. It continues from where his last single, “Just A Fool”, left off. Jim continues to express how frustrated he is by the quick yet insidious spread of erroneous information in today’s media in “Throwback”. He expounds on that theme here by begging for people to use the media for justice and equal rights instead of merely for fun. Jim’s talking about a throwback, all right. The type of “throwback” that makes you want to throw something back in someone’s face!
“Unwanted Number” by Elvis Costello: Good news and bad news. The bad news is that Elvis Costello has now succumbed to cancer. The good news is that, in spite of that, he still knows how to make music as compelling and thrilling as ever! “Unwanted Number” is his first song with backing group, The Imposters, he has done in a decade! The song is a sublime, R & B styled number that combines the syncopation of The Supremes with the timeless beauty of Dionne Warwick. The lyrics of the song also hearken back to an earlier era, with the song’s theme about the difficulties of love, as opposed to some of the more politically charged songs Elvis Costello has done in recent years.
