here they are:
"Bad Decisions" by The Strokes: This week's most anticipated new track comes to us from a band who have been around for about two decades now! Can you believe it?! Even during their debut, though, The Strokes always felt like a "throwback" band. Their debut single, "Last Nite", for instance, sounded like it came from a mid-1970's New York punk rock band, like Television, or maybe The New York Dolls. "Bad Decisions" goes forward one decade in the flashback machine to a time when goofy haircuts ruled the world and MTV was a brand new thing. The '80s influence is all over "Bad Decisions". Even the opening of the song sounds like "I Melt With You" by Modern English, and the chorus is clearly modeled after Billy Idol's "Dancing With Myself". Was it a "bad decision" to record this song, though?! Absolutely not!
"Here They Come" by Hamilton Leithauser: In his heart of hearts, The Walkmen's Hamilton Leithauser, much like myself, is a folkie. His latest solo effort, "Here They Come", feels like a stark, haunting acoustic rock song in the vein of masterfully dark singer/songwriters like Leonard Cohen and Johnny Cash, the latter of whom celebrates his birthday today. "Here They Come" has both figurative darkness and literal darkness, with its imagery of subway tunnels, shadows, and closed eyes all mentioned in Leithauser's deliciously spooky narration!
"Lilacs" by Waxahatchee: So far, this song stands as the only other song I know with the word "lilac" in its title aside from "Lilac Wine", originally by powerful jazz mistress Nina Simone and covered masterfully by Jeff Buckley. Unlike the late Mr. Buckley, Waxahatchee's "Lilacs" is not a song with stark instrumentation and a haunting sound. In fact, it's surprisingly happy for a Waxahatchee song! The title comes from the part where Katie Crutchfield sings, "and the lilacs drank the water", and in varying cadences by the time the end of the song comes. Some rather poetic imagery for a rather folks-y song seemingly inspired by some of the breezier, countrified Bob Dylan songs of the mid 1960's, such as "Girl From the North Country". I was expecting a roaring torrent of anger, as exemplified by Waxahatchee's minor adult alt radio hit, "Never Been Wrong". Somehow, I'm glad I got this breath of fresh spring country air instead.
"So Much Love" by Nada Surf: It's a little unfair for people to remember Nada Surf solely for the quirky, mid '90s faux-grunge song, "Popular". After that song's success, Nada Surf found plenty of success on adult alt radio stations with one song after another giving off a folk-rock-y hippie vibe that "Popular" did not possess. "So Much Love" might just be the most hippy-dippy song in Nada Surf's catalog so far. Between its idealistic title, super positive message, and billowy West Coast inspired indie-folk-rock (even though they're actually an East Coast band), "So Much Love" is enough to fill even the most jaded of hipsters with so much love, as its title implies. All we need is love, right?!
"Strangers" by Mt. Joy: After three guitar oriented songs that came out during the late 2010's, Mt. Joy has gone in a slightly different direction with the more piano based "Strangers" for the early 2020's. There is still guitar in this song, but it's not quite apparent until about a minute into the song. Piano guides this song so much that its solo sounds like it could have come from Bruce Hornsby (who is more popular than you might think among the hipster/indie community - Bon Iver, for instance, are huge fans of his). The song itself might be a reflection on the sudden unexpected attention that Mt. Joy got from songs like "Sheep", "Jenny Jenkins", and especially "Silver Lining", the last of which became one of the most enduring adult alt radio hits (and mainstream alt radio hits, to a lesser extent) of 2018. "I guess I'll have to fall in love with strangers/Go ride through New York City like I'm famous", sings Matt Quinn during the chorus. In spite of the song's bouncy, buoyant sound, Matt seems less than pleased with the prospect of his newfound success, with the words of the chorus dripping with sarcasm upon closer listen.
"Wherever You Are" by Kodaline: Reading the description of this song from Kodaline's official YouTube account summarizes its bittersweet mood and sound. It echoes the sentiments of Stephen Stills' "Love the One You're With", albeit with a sound that's more plaintive than it is happy. In other words, Kodaline's "Wherever You Are" is about thinking of your loved one even when he/she isn't near you. I'm sure the members must have been overcome with awe reading the comments section of the song, where many people have already commented about the song getting them through difficult times in their lives, such as the death of a loved one. It's great when a song conveys a universal, touching message like this one, isn't it?! I'd like to think so.
"Your Love (Deja Vu)" by Glass Animals: Glass Animals debut single, "Gooey", from the mid-2010's, was probably one of the dreamiest songs of the decade. "Your Love (Deja Vu)" isn't exactly dreamy, though. In fact, I'd say it's more dance-y. "Your Love..." has a very slinky, sensuous rhythm. The lyrics don't seem to mean very much in this song, but it sure makes you wanna move your body back and forth, doesn't it?!
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
New songs for February 19th 2020
here they are:
"Beautiful Faces" by Declan McKenna: Declan McKenna's surprisingly catchy debut song, "Brazil", from 2016, got a lot of attention from alt and adult alt radio stations when it was first released. It seemed as though all Declan had to do was make a Britpop influenced earworm with slight hints of techno-pop influence, and he had himself a winner of a song! "Beautiful Faces" uses the same formula, and once again, it really seems to work in his favor! Looking through the YouTube comments section of the song's video, "Beautiful Faces" doesn't seem to have a single bad comment! "Beautiful Faces" is a bit heavier on the techno-pop influence than "Brazil" was, but other than that, Declan uses the same basic musical ingredients for this song as he did for that one...and once again, I must say, it really works in his favor!
"Who's Gonna Love Me Now?" by Cold War Kids: This song marks the first time, to my knowledge, that Cold War Kids have tried out a more blues-y rock and roll style, although not without their trademark piano as a base for it. I guess Nathan Willett got tired after awhile of being "Mr. Sensitive" because this song shows a more gutsy, raw side to the CWK catalog that they haven't really tried before. CWK are not normally a band I'd call "spicy", but in this song, they are! Wanna know what the best part is? It actually works! And it just might win them a whole new audience in the 2020's!
"Wreckless Abandon" by The Dirty Knobs: Rock and roll experienced a major loss in 2017 with the sad, unexpected passing of Tom Petty. Thankfully, he's not the only Heartbreaker who recorded a song. Heartbreakers member Benmont Tench, for instance, had a minor adult alt radio hit in 2014 with "Blonde Girl, Blue Dress". Now, it's Heartbreaker Mike Campbell's turn up at bat. His side project, The Dirty Knobs, have the roots-iest, bluesiest, and longest song in today's blog with "Wreckless Abandon"! The song's purposely misspelled title fits perfectly with what it has to offer! There is plenty of (w)reckless abandon in this song, mixing Keith Richards styled guitar licks with the Heartland rock sound of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. Wreck on...I mean rock on!!
"Beautiful Faces" by Declan McKenna: Declan McKenna's surprisingly catchy debut song, "Brazil", from 2016, got a lot of attention from alt and adult alt radio stations when it was first released. It seemed as though all Declan had to do was make a Britpop influenced earworm with slight hints of techno-pop influence, and he had himself a winner of a song! "Beautiful Faces" uses the same formula, and once again, it really seems to work in his favor! Looking through the YouTube comments section of the song's video, "Beautiful Faces" doesn't seem to have a single bad comment! "Beautiful Faces" is a bit heavier on the techno-pop influence than "Brazil" was, but other than that, Declan uses the same basic musical ingredients for this song as he did for that one...and once again, I must say, it really works in his favor!
"Who's Gonna Love Me Now?" by Cold War Kids: This song marks the first time, to my knowledge, that Cold War Kids have tried out a more blues-y rock and roll style, although not without their trademark piano as a base for it. I guess Nathan Willett got tired after awhile of being "Mr. Sensitive" because this song shows a more gutsy, raw side to the CWK catalog that they haven't really tried before. CWK are not normally a band I'd call "spicy", but in this song, they are! Wanna know what the best part is? It actually works! And it just might win them a whole new audience in the 2020's!
"Wreckless Abandon" by The Dirty Knobs: Rock and roll experienced a major loss in 2017 with the sad, unexpected passing of Tom Petty. Thankfully, he's not the only Heartbreaker who recorded a song. Heartbreakers member Benmont Tench, for instance, had a minor adult alt radio hit in 2014 with "Blonde Girl, Blue Dress". Now, it's Heartbreaker Mike Campbell's turn up at bat. His side project, The Dirty Knobs, have the roots-iest, bluesiest, and longest song in today's blog with "Wreckless Abandon"! The song's purposely misspelled title fits perfectly with what it has to offer! There is plenty of (w)reckless abandon in this song, mixing Keith Richards styled guitar licks with the Heartland rock sound of Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. Wreck on...I mean rock on!!
Wednesday, February 12, 2020
A very special day: 10th Blog-i-versary AND my mom's 64th birthday!!
Can you believe it?! I've been doing this blog for 10 years now!! And it's my mom's birthday!! So what are we gonna do to celebrate?! Review 9 brand new songs, that's what! The first three, coincidentally, begin with the letter B...as in "birthday" (and "blog-i-versary"). So here goes:
"Back to Me" by Grace Potter (featuring Lucius): This song combines the humble country-rock sound Grace Potter started with with the more slinky, sexy sound she cultivated later on. As soon as indie-pop/rockers, Lucius, drop in during the chorus, the song turns a bit more soulful. Grace really flaunts the temptation factor on this song! She fools the listener into thinking she's in love with someone, only for them to find out that Grace is actually trying to break up with that same person. If you're looking for love, don't look to this song for answers. But if you're looking for a sensual auditory experience with deceptive lyrics, you've come to the right place!
"Be Afraid" by Jason Isbell: A sense of urgency has probably come over you just reading the title of this song. If so, you'd be right to feel that way! That desperate feeling churns out right from the beginning of this song, which has a sort of "R.E.M. goes Southern rock" kind of sound. Isbell has fought against politics with his music for quite awhile now, and he shows no signs of letting up just yet with his latest song, "Be Afraid". The fear in this song seems to come from all sorts of topics, ranging from political to sexual, and even in fears surrounding the state of being a musician in and of itself! "Be afraid, be very afraid", Isbell urges his listeners, before adding in, "but do it anyway". It's time for us to face our fears. In spite of the title of this song, Jason Isbell is clearly anything BUT afraid here!
"By And By" by Caamp: Caamp's surprise summer smash, "Peach Fuzz", which was popular enough to make my Top 20 of 2019, was a pleasantly quirky song that was a rock song on the surface, but a bluegrass song underneath. "By And By" has more of a pure bluegrass sound than its predecessor, enough to be mistaken for a band like Trampled by Turtles. No electric guitars to be found here, just sweet, mellow, banjo driven bluegrass. The opening lyrics, "driving through West Virginia", even give it a "lonesome traveler on the highway" kind of feel. During the chorus of the song, Caamp's lead singer muses about his girlfriend and wonders if she's a "life force". Not exactly sure what that entails, but "By And By" is still an easy, breezy song to listen to.
"Dissolve" by Absofacto: Every once in awhile, we come across songs that immediately get associated with commercial products. Absofacto's "Dissolve" is one such case. It has actually been in existence for two years now, but it has received massive attention within the past two weeks for being used on advertisement for video sharing platform, Tik Tok. Apps like Tik Tok are a bit sketchy to me, but it's not that surprising that a song like "Dissolve" has been used to promote Tik Tok. The song is sleek and trendy, combining elements of hip-hop and electronica into a smooth yet fashionable flavor.
"Forever Nevermore" by Sea Wolf: Probably one of the few bands I've blogged about and met members of in person, Sea Wolf are an L.A. band who deftly mixes folk guitars with a post-punk atmosphere. Their latest song, "Forever Nevermore", seems to be about not knowing what to want in a relationship. The title, "Forever Nevermore", is a clever way of expressing this, juxtaposing the idealism of "forever" and the pessimism of "never". The opening lyrics, "Stepped out, cool dirt under feet/And the fog in the air and the crack of the snare bittersweet", give the song a hazy, wintry aura to set the mood for the rest of the song. An icy song on the outside, but with a warm heart underneath it all.
"Honeybee" by The Head and The Heart: The third song to become a single from The Head and The Heart's latest album, "Honeybee" is a song that continues on the more-pop-than-rock indie slant that The Head and The Heart have taken on roughly since the mid 2010's. However, what makes this song special is what band member Charity Rose Thielen, who sings harmony on this track, thinks of it. Her comment is the first one on the "visualizer" video for "Honeybee" on YouTube, and it states that the song is about taking those you trust the most for granted, and therefore holding back on telling them how you really feel until it's too late. The title of the song, "Honeybee", as you could probably imagine, is not much more than a cutesy nickname in the context of the song, but the song itself has a very delicate, fragile meaning that urges you to look beyond the surface of it.
"I Wanna Be the One" by Pete Yorn: Pete's 2019 adult alt radio hit, "Calm Down", hearkened back so much to the "old" Pete Yorn sound that I instantly fell in love with. His second single from his 2019 album, the song "I Wanna Be the One", doesn't quite have the same vibe. In some parts, it sounds like it wants to be atmospheric like a Smiths or Cure song, yet in other parts it sounds more like a folk-rock-y Pete Yorn song. The song is obviously a love song if its title is anything to go by. It's a sweet song, but it's missing that Pete Yorn magic that I crave every time I hear one of his songs.
"Need Your Love" by Tennis: Known for blending Brill Building "girl group" influenced sounds with post-psychedelic pop topped with the honey-sweet harmonic vocals of Alaina Moore, Tennis are an indie-pop band who pretty much always sound "retro". Their latest song, "Need Your Love", is no exception to this. What distinguishes "Need Your Love" from their other songs, however, is how the rhythm of the song becomes slower during the chorus than it is during the verses. Just when you get caught up in the catchy beat of the verses, the song slows down enough to make you feel less elevated than when you started listening to it, which begs the question: Do Tennis really "Need Our Love", or are they just playing with our hearts?!
"Shangri-La" by EOB (Ed O'Brien from Radiohead): Radiohead's Thom Yorke has gone solo a few times, and we got pretty much what we expected out of him: jaded yet pretty slices of music that melded post-punk with post-psychedelia. So what does Radiohead's guitarist, Ed O'Brien, have to offer us? The result is in his debut solo song, "Shangri-La", a song that manages to be even weirder than Thom Yorke's music, albeit in an intriguing manner. Where Thom highlights what make Radiohead such a great "alternative" band, Ed highlights the more prog-rock influenced side of the band that really shone during songs like "Paranoid Android". Pink Floyd, U2, Beck, and Nine Inch Nails are all accurate comparisons for this truly unique, hypnotic song!
"Back to Me" by Grace Potter (featuring Lucius): This song combines the humble country-rock sound Grace Potter started with with the more slinky, sexy sound she cultivated later on. As soon as indie-pop/rockers, Lucius, drop in during the chorus, the song turns a bit more soulful. Grace really flaunts the temptation factor on this song! She fools the listener into thinking she's in love with someone, only for them to find out that Grace is actually trying to break up with that same person. If you're looking for love, don't look to this song for answers. But if you're looking for a sensual auditory experience with deceptive lyrics, you've come to the right place!
"Be Afraid" by Jason Isbell: A sense of urgency has probably come over you just reading the title of this song. If so, you'd be right to feel that way! That desperate feeling churns out right from the beginning of this song, which has a sort of "R.E.M. goes Southern rock" kind of sound. Isbell has fought against politics with his music for quite awhile now, and he shows no signs of letting up just yet with his latest song, "Be Afraid". The fear in this song seems to come from all sorts of topics, ranging from political to sexual, and even in fears surrounding the state of being a musician in and of itself! "Be afraid, be very afraid", Isbell urges his listeners, before adding in, "but do it anyway". It's time for us to face our fears. In spite of the title of this song, Jason Isbell is clearly anything BUT afraid here!
"By And By" by Caamp: Caamp's surprise summer smash, "Peach Fuzz", which was popular enough to make my Top 20 of 2019, was a pleasantly quirky song that was a rock song on the surface, but a bluegrass song underneath. "By And By" has more of a pure bluegrass sound than its predecessor, enough to be mistaken for a band like Trampled by Turtles. No electric guitars to be found here, just sweet, mellow, banjo driven bluegrass. The opening lyrics, "driving through West Virginia", even give it a "lonesome traveler on the highway" kind of feel. During the chorus of the song, Caamp's lead singer muses about his girlfriend and wonders if she's a "life force". Not exactly sure what that entails, but "By And By" is still an easy, breezy song to listen to.
"Dissolve" by Absofacto: Every once in awhile, we come across songs that immediately get associated with commercial products. Absofacto's "Dissolve" is one such case. It has actually been in existence for two years now, but it has received massive attention within the past two weeks for being used on advertisement for video sharing platform, Tik Tok. Apps like Tik Tok are a bit sketchy to me, but it's not that surprising that a song like "Dissolve" has been used to promote Tik Tok. The song is sleek and trendy, combining elements of hip-hop and electronica into a smooth yet fashionable flavor.
"Forever Nevermore" by Sea Wolf: Probably one of the few bands I've blogged about and met members of in person, Sea Wolf are an L.A. band who deftly mixes folk guitars with a post-punk atmosphere. Their latest song, "Forever Nevermore", seems to be about not knowing what to want in a relationship. The title, "Forever Nevermore", is a clever way of expressing this, juxtaposing the idealism of "forever" and the pessimism of "never". The opening lyrics, "Stepped out, cool dirt under feet/And the fog in the air and the crack of the snare bittersweet", give the song a hazy, wintry aura to set the mood for the rest of the song. An icy song on the outside, but with a warm heart underneath it all.
"Honeybee" by The Head and The Heart: The third song to become a single from The Head and The Heart's latest album, "Honeybee" is a song that continues on the more-pop-than-rock indie slant that The Head and The Heart have taken on roughly since the mid 2010's. However, what makes this song special is what band member Charity Rose Thielen, who sings harmony on this track, thinks of it. Her comment is the first one on the "visualizer" video for "Honeybee" on YouTube, and it states that the song is about taking those you trust the most for granted, and therefore holding back on telling them how you really feel until it's too late. The title of the song, "Honeybee", as you could probably imagine, is not much more than a cutesy nickname in the context of the song, but the song itself has a very delicate, fragile meaning that urges you to look beyond the surface of it.
"I Wanna Be the One" by Pete Yorn: Pete's 2019 adult alt radio hit, "Calm Down", hearkened back so much to the "old" Pete Yorn sound that I instantly fell in love with. His second single from his 2019 album, the song "I Wanna Be the One", doesn't quite have the same vibe. In some parts, it sounds like it wants to be atmospheric like a Smiths or Cure song, yet in other parts it sounds more like a folk-rock-y Pete Yorn song. The song is obviously a love song if its title is anything to go by. It's a sweet song, but it's missing that Pete Yorn magic that I crave every time I hear one of his songs.
"Need Your Love" by Tennis: Known for blending Brill Building "girl group" influenced sounds with post-psychedelic pop topped with the honey-sweet harmonic vocals of Alaina Moore, Tennis are an indie-pop band who pretty much always sound "retro". Their latest song, "Need Your Love", is no exception to this. What distinguishes "Need Your Love" from their other songs, however, is how the rhythm of the song becomes slower during the chorus than it is during the verses. Just when you get caught up in the catchy beat of the verses, the song slows down enough to make you feel less elevated than when you started listening to it, which begs the question: Do Tennis really "Need Our Love", or are they just playing with our hearts?!
"Shangri-La" by EOB (Ed O'Brien from Radiohead): Radiohead's Thom Yorke has gone solo a few times, and we got pretty much what we expected out of him: jaded yet pretty slices of music that melded post-punk with post-psychedelia. So what does Radiohead's guitarist, Ed O'Brien, have to offer us? The result is in his debut solo song, "Shangri-La", a song that manages to be even weirder than Thom Yorke's music, albeit in an intriguing manner. Where Thom highlights what make Radiohead such a great "alternative" band, Ed highlights the more prog-rock influenced side of the band that really shone during songs like "Paranoid Android". Pink Floyd, U2, Beck, and Nine Inch Nails are all accurate comparisons for this truly unique, hypnotic song!
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