here they are:
"Change" by Mavis Staples: Perhaps the most active "old school" R & B musician of the 2010's, Mavis has practically reinvented herself through the course of the 2010's while still keeping her old sound intact. Her latest, and perhaps last, song of the 2010's, "Change", has her close the decade the same way she started it, with a straight up blues-rock number! She kicked off the 2010's with a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Wrote A Song For Everyone". "Change", however, is an original Mavis number, urging people to improve their actions and their lives through a simple but catchy blues riff in E major. Here's hoping people will listen to the song's message and do what it says!
"Different Kind of Love" by Adia Victoria: Our only other song of the week also happens to be from a black female blues-rock musician. Unlike Mavis, though, Adia Victoria has only been in the music scene for a few years. Adia's breakthrough song, "Different Kind of Love", seamlessly mixes blues, pop, and rock into a single vernacular, in a similar manner to Elle King's "Ex's And Oh's" from a few years earlier. Adia playfully teases the listener throughout with her persistent "Who do you love?" The answer, of course, is Adia herself, but the answer is only hinted at and never revealed. Adia not only breaks down the walls between rock and soul on "Different Kind of Love", she also does so with a secret weapon known as temptation!
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
New songs for March 20th, 2019
here they are:
"I Was Wrong" by Bailen: Bailen isn't really doing anything new or different with their debut song, "I Was Wrong", but it's still a pleasant one to hear for those who enjoy contemporary folk-pop with electronic beats. The guy/girl harmony combinations are a nice touch for this song, and the girl has a solo singing part during the chorus. Not a whole lot of profound lyrics here to be found either, but not bad either. The most surprising part of this song is the brief electric guitar solo in the middle of it.
"Mettavolution" by Rodrigo y Gabriela: The best Hispanic instrumental flamenco-rock duo are back! They have had only one other release I've reviewed from them this decade, with 2014's "The Soundmaker". If it weren't for that song, it would have been a full decade that Rodrigo y Gabriela would have been on musical hiatus from adult alt radio stations. No other group combines flamenco and rock the way they do, and with their latest release, "Mettavolution", they keep their talent going! One way to distinguish R & G's songs from one another is to tell what key they're in. "Mettavolution" is in the key of F sharp minor, which hasn't been used for any other R & G song that's gotten significant adult alt radio airplay. The echoic distortion in the middle of the song also sets it apart.
"Missed Connection" by The Head and The Heart: The Head and The Heart were a wonderful group when they started out, but their third album went in more of a pop direction than I wanted them to. "Missed Connection" continues in that direction. The gooey yet catchy alt-pop sound is apparent right from the "la-la-la-la"s of the opening. This is probably the closest to mainstream pop that The Head and The Heart have gotten so far. The one entertaining thing about this song is how the pre-chorus sounds a bit like the irresistibly cheesy '80s pop song, "Rock Me Amadeus". Why they based "Missed Connection" on that song is anyone's guess, as it strays pretty far from the band's folk-rock roots, but perhaps that was intentional on their part.
"When Am I Gonna Lose You?" by Local Natives: While The Head and The Heart might be dumbing down their sound, Local Natives are actually improving theirs! Local Natives typically have hypnotic indie-pop and indie-folk songs, so they're already an alluring band to me. However, there seems to be something even more special about "When Am I Gonna Lose You?" Perhaps it's the way the pianos in the song flow so seamlessly into the vocal harmonies of the band. Perhaps it's just the bittersweet flavor the song gives off. Whatever it is, though, it's got me hooked! The lyrics are equally as poetic as the song itself, with such lines as, "I remember the trees summoned down by an archangel choir", and, "The ocean was all we could see and I knew that I wanted you." Pure beauty!
"I Was Wrong" by Bailen: Bailen isn't really doing anything new or different with their debut song, "I Was Wrong", but it's still a pleasant one to hear for those who enjoy contemporary folk-pop with electronic beats. The guy/girl harmony combinations are a nice touch for this song, and the girl has a solo singing part during the chorus. Not a whole lot of profound lyrics here to be found either, but not bad either. The most surprising part of this song is the brief electric guitar solo in the middle of it.
"Mettavolution" by Rodrigo y Gabriela: The best Hispanic instrumental flamenco-rock duo are back! They have had only one other release I've reviewed from them this decade, with 2014's "The Soundmaker". If it weren't for that song, it would have been a full decade that Rodrigo y Gabriela would have been on musical hiatus from adult alt radio stations. No other group combines flamenco and rock the way they do, and with their latest release, "Mettavolution", they keep their talent going! One way to distinguish R & G's songs from one another is to tell what key they're in. "Mettavolution" is in the key of F sharp minor, which hasn't been used for any other R & G song that's gotten significant adult alt radio airplay. The echoic distortion in the middle of the song also sets it apart.
"Missed Connection" by The Head and The Heart: The Head and The Heart were a wonderful group when they started out, but their third album went in more of a pop direction than I wanted them to. "Missed Connection" continues in that direction. The gooey yet catchy alt-pop sound is apparent right from the "la-la-la-la"s of the opening. This is probably the closest to mainstream pop that The Head and The Heart have gotten so far. The one entertaining thing about this song is how the pre-chorus sounds a bit like the irresistibly cheesy '80s pop song, "Rock Me Amadeus". Why they based "Missed Connection" on that song is anyone's guess, as it strays pretty far from the band's folk-rock roots, but perhaps that was intentional on their part.
"When Am I Gonna Lose You?" by Local Natives: While The Head and The Heart might be dumbing down their sound, Local Natives are actually improving theirs! Local Natives typically have hypnotic indie-pop and indie-folk songs, so they're already an alluring band to me. However, there seems to be something even more special about "When Am I Gonna Lose You?" Perhaps it's the way the pianos in the song flow so seamlessly into the vocal harmonies of the band. Perhaps it's just the bittersweet flavor the song gives off. Whatever it is, though, it's got me hooked! The lyrics are equally as poetic as the song itself, with such lines as, "I remember the trees summoned down by an archangel choir", and, "The ocean was all we could see and I knew that I wanted you." Pure beauty!
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
New songs for March 13th 2019
here they are:
"Lo/Hi" by The Black Keys: It's been 5 years since The Black Keys released something together! Can you believe it?! Has it been worth the wait? You bet it has! The psychedelic blues-rock boogie the band has become known for shines brightly on their latest song, "Lo/Hi". The song doesn't have much to go by lyrically, but what it lacks in spoken content it makes up for in terms of what people hear from it. The song's fuzzed out A major guitar riff recalls Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit In the Sky", but with words that are more free flowing than they are religious or spiritual.
"You Had Your Soul With You" by The National: Our only other song of the week comes from Ohio quintet, The National. Their latest song, "You Had Your Soul With You", starts out frantic, but quickly settles down...kind of. There is a lingering sense of paranoia throughout the song, though. The song could be considered to be vaguely creepy by some, but in a riveting way that doesn't let you go, and in a way that makes you strangely compelled to listen to the rest of it. The National have always been one of the darker indie rock groups, and it just seems to get more and more obvious every time they release a new song. One more thing about this song: if the female voice in the middle of the song sounds unfamiliar to you, it's Gail Ann Dorsey, a former bandmate of none other than David Bowie!
"Lo/Hi" by The Black Keys: It's been 5 years since The Black Keys released something together! Can you believe it?! Has it been worth the wait? You bet it has! The psychedelic blues-rock boogie the band has become known for shines brightly on their latest song, "Lo/Hi". The song doesn't have much to go by lyrically, but what it lacks in spoken content it makes up for in terms of what people hear from it. The song's fuzzed out A major guitar riff recalls Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit In the Sky", but with words that are more free flowing than they are religious or spiritual.
"You Had Your Soul With You" by The National: Our only other song of the week comes from Ohio quintet, The National. Their latest song, "You Had Your Soul With You", starts out frantic, but quickly settles down...kind of. There is a lingering sense of paranoia throughout the song, though. The song could be considered to be vaguely creepy by some, but in a riveting way that doesn't let you go, and in a way that makes you strangely compelled to listen to the rest of it. The National have always been one of the darker indie rock groups, and it just seems to get more and more obvious every time they release a new song. One more thing about this song: if the female voice in the middle of the song sounds unfamiliar to you, it's Gail Ann Dorsey, a former bandmate of none other than David Bowie!
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