here they are:
"How Dare You Want More" by Bleachers: Combining Springsteen-ian guitars with horns that sound more fit for a ska player than they do for Clarence Clemons, Bleachers' "How Dare You Want More" seems at least in part to be inspired by lead singer Jack Antonoff's dream-come-true of actually getting to duet with his hero and fellow New Jerseyan, Bruce Springsteen, about two years ago. Even some of the lyrics here seem a bit Springsteen-ian (such as "lonely wants to stay forever"). The title begs the question, "How Dare You Want More"? More what, exactly? Through the verses of the song, we find out that Jack could be referring to more than one thing in the title of the song. A lot of the verses seem to refer to hardships Jack has been through, and he is telling the subjects of his song that he does not want to be put through more grief than he has already been through. The beauty of anguish, however, is that it results in great songs. This one such example!
"Where We Are" by The Lumineers: Stylistically speaking, "Where We Are" is nothing new for The Lumineers, but the chord progression, which sneaks in a capoed, blues-y B7 once or twice, does make it a memorable song for them. Like our previous entry for this week, "Where We Are" centers around the many hardships the band has had to suffer through together. The song, fittingly, is in both major and minor key during the chorus, perhaps signifying that although the band faces an uncertain future, there is still a light at the end of the tunnel that brings them hope.
"Wild" by Spoon: The blues-rock fury of Spoon's previous single, "The Hardest Cut," was an unexpected yet welcome smash hit on adult alt radio stations late last year and early this one. "Wild" goes more for the experimental yet catchy funk-rock the band are known for. In other words, "Wild" is NOT actually wild. It is fun, though! The lyrics of the song seem to be world-weary, tired of being demanded to do everything for everyone all the time. In the chorus, Britt Daniels sings, "But the world, still so wild, called to me," from which the song gets its title, serving as a "comeback" point in the song to show how reason ("the world") pulls him away from the madness of the crowd.
