New songs for January 19th 2022

 here they are:


"Brother the Cloud" by Eddie Vedder: Simultaneously a hard rocker and alt-folk-y emotional tearjerker, the Pearl Jam frontman's latest song, "Brother the Cloud," is a poignant and cathartic song in which the word "brother" is not used merely as a metaphor for someone he was close to. "Brother the Cloud" is about Eddie's actual brother (well, half-brother), Chris Mueller, who died 6 years ago in a climbing accident. Similarly, the word "cloud" in this song was also well-chosen, referring not merely to heaven or something of the like, but rather to how Eddie's half-brother reached the end of his life while literally rising up towards the clouds. Vedder is a special kind of poet among rock stars who chooses his words both carefully and cleverly!

"Next to Normal" by Lucius: A psychedelic disco fusion that sounds more like St. Vincent than it does Lucius, "Next to Normal" is ostensibly a love song, but not a typical one. In it, the lead singer describes how she feels "next to normal" with her lover, but the titular phrase is not just some cutesy throwaway term used merely for the sake of romance. Elsewhere in the song, she discusses how her paranoia gets the best of her sometimes and how she has lost friends and tends to laugh at inappropriate moments. This sounds strangely familiar somehow! Maybe because in my own life I've experienced similar things. It is not fun to live life this way, but with a loved one at your side (romantic or platonic), members of the neurodiverse community such as myself can manage to feel "next to normal" for the understanding they are given by the other person. Isn't that what everyone wants?!

"Pa Pa Power" by Cat Power: From time to time, indie-folk musician Chan Marshall, better known as Cat Power, releases cover songs (one of her best was a cover of Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" that she did back in 2008). A little over a decade has gone by since she released that cover, and she has embarked once again on a collection of cover songs, although this one is a much more obscure one that was originally done by Dead Man's Bones, a band that features actor Ryan Gosling on lead vocals. Having not heard the original version of "Pa Pa Power," I can't make a comparison between Cat Power's version and the original version, but CP gives the song a haunting, minor-key mystique, perhaps fitting for its minimalistic yet morbid lyrics. 

"Slide Tackle" by Japanese Breakfast: 2021 was a year of unexpected surprise for electro-indie-pop group, Japanese Breakfast. Their song "Be Sweet," a slinky, seductive slice of synth-pop, became one of the most played adult alt radio singles of the year (and the one that I played the most, apparently), and they have since gotten Grammy nominations, performance spots at Coachella, and a guest appearance on James Corden's late night talk show. So how do you follow up THAT level of success, you may ask?! Japanese Breakfast's latest single, "Slide Tackle," doesn't quite have the power or quirkiness of "Be Sweet," but it has a fun, unique sound all its own. Unlike "Be Sweet"s minor key, "Slide Tackle" is in a major key, and it also has a sleek sax solo to boot that kind of defines the song. 

"You Will Never Work in Television Again" by The Smile: "The Smile" is probably the last thing you'd expect a Radiohead side project to be named, but that is what Radiohead's lead singer Thom Yorke and guitarist Johnny Greenwood are calling their new band! It's also a rather deceptive name for the kind of music they have chosen to do, which is somewhat aggressive both lyrically and musically (although not to an uncomfortable or unlistenable extent), and a bit avant-garde and minimalistic even by Radiohead standards! The title of this song, on the other hand, does seem to encapsulate the song's snide spirit, which probably serve as a way for Thom Yorke to vehemently rail against the entertainment industry. 

New songs for August 22nd, 2018

here they are:


"Loading Zones" by Kurt Vile: Yes, this is a song about the troubles of parking cars. Kurt Vile is truly a man of mystery sometimes. I mean, how can he take such mundane subject matter and turn it into such a cool song?! No one really knows the answer that question, but Kurt definitely has the magic touch when it comes to churning out songs that sound both roots-y enough to be Bob Dylan and quirky enough to be Frank Zappa (Come to think of it, that's kinda what Tom Waits did back in the day, isn't it?!) Trouble finding a spot for your vehicle? You now have a song that's right for you!


"Mansion Door" by Shakey Graves: Shakey Graves' debut album really only yielded one adult alt radio hit with the quaint but catchy country-rocker, "Dearly Departed". With their latest album, however, they now have two more hits on their hands. Earlier this year, we heard the energetic indie-pop tune, "Kids These Days", and now we have another song that takes the indie-pop sound in a more quirky direction with "Mansion Door", which sounds a bit like a cross between Wilco and Sufjan Stevens. Like Sufjan's music, "Mansion Door" is a bundle of contradictions: sweet but somewhat loud, ordinary lyrics mixed with more cryptic ones, etc. The sentimental recurring phrase, "my one and only lonely star", fits well with its yearning sound.


"Sky Full of Song" by Florence and The Machine: This song was originally poised to be the first single from FATM's latest album, but instead, that honor went to "Hunger", which has thus far become one of the most successful songs of 2018. Will "Sky Full of Song" do the same?! Well, to answer your question, it's Florence and The Machine, so I'm pretty sure it will! Florence's songs have a thing for being haunting and somewhat poetic. If you thought "Hunger" fit this description, "Sky Full of Song" seems to fit it even more! From the mysterious opening, defined by both thumping bass and lush orchestration, to its passionate vocals, and its profound lyrics ("I can't hide from the thunder in a sky full of song"), "Sky Full of Song" has the potential to be yet another gem in the Florence and The Machine catalog!


"When the Curtain Falls" by Greta Van Fleet: No, this is not a long lost Led Zeppelin song, in spite of how it might sound both instrumentally AND vocally. Greta Van Fleet have become known for pretty much CHANNELING Led Zeppelin in the few years they've been around so far, and they continue to prove this with "When the Curtain Falls". I'm a bit surprised that so many adult alt radio stations have now latched onto this song, given how they could have easily gone for the more folk-y "Flower Power" when they had the chance (but didn't), but the fact is, they have. In particular, "When the Curtain Falls" seems to draw heavily from one of Led Zeppelin's hardest rocking songs, "The Wanton Song", as both are in G major, and both just sneak up on you from behind when you first listen to them. In case you think GVF are a Zeppelin ripoff, you might wanna take note that they have, in fact, received the Robert Plant stamp of approval. Apparently, the Zeppelin frontman thinks they are one of the best new bands out there!


"Woman" by Cat Power and Lana Del Rey: Two women doing a song CALLED "Woman". What to think of that?! Well, given how the women in question are Cat Power and Lana Del Rey, count me in! Cat Power is no stranger to acoustic guitar, which dominates this song, but it's probably the first time that Lana Del Rey has dabbled in folk-rock, and I must say it suits her well! Lyrically, the song is a bit like Courtney Barnett's "Charity" from earlier this year, only more melancholy than angry. Both songs are about women who are mistreated and have suffered far too long from verbal abuse in their relationships. While I am not female, I would consider myself feminist, and I consider this song to be a gentle but still very convincing feminist anthem for the late 2010's.

New songs for June 27th, 2012

here they are:


"Cherokee" by Cat Power: Chan Marshall, better known by her stage name "Cat Power", is a musician whose range of musical experimentation is both as unusual and as memorable as her moniker. Having dabbled in a unique blend of jazz, folk, and rock for her last two albums, Cat Power has now taken on a new musical direction, somewhat reminiscent of Patti Smith's material from the late '70s and '80s. "Cherokee" is a haunting, stark song that also manages to be catchy with a steady drumbeat pulsating in a lively manner through otherwise sad, gloomy instrumentation and yearning, passionate vocals.


"History's Door" by Husky: Contemporary folk-rock quartet Husky manage to stand out among the increasingly large amount of similar sounding bands to themselves in their breakthrough song, "History's Door", though this is primarily through the rhythmic patterns of this song. The first minute or so of "History's Door" is fingerpicked, almost like a pre-rock folk song, but after that minute, the drums and various other background instruments kick in, altering the rhythm slightly and giving the song a bit more of a "rock" flavor (though, again, this is through rhythm, and not through amplification). Another distinguishing factor about Husky (whose lead singer, Husky Gawenda, just happens to be the namesake of the band), is their country of origin. You might think they come from either Britain, Canada, or else some mountainous or forest-y area of the U.S., but they are actually Australian! "History's Door" has become Husky's first big hit for a couple reasons. First off, it was produced by Noah Georgeson (who has also produced music for indie darlings such as Joanna Newsom and Devendra Banhart) in Los Angeles, and not long afterwards, the track was entered into a contest for Aussie radio station station, Triple-J Radio, and it WON!! Talk about your unlikely success stories!


"Jericho" by Rufus Wainwright: Perhaps the song "Out of the Game" was a fluke (albeit a successful one) in the Rufus Wainwright catalog. The George Harrison-esque folk-rock sound of that song provided a contrast between just about every other song Rufus had ever done, and that includes his latest song to get noticed, "Jericho", which marks a return to the folk-meets-cabaret sound he's become known for. Guitar is still present on "Jericho", but it serves as merely a backing instrument here for the most part, in comparison to the pianos, brass instruments, and classical string instruments that dominate the song. Like most of Rufus's songs, "Jericho" has major key verses and a minor key chorus (which resolves back into major shortly afterwards). Not terribly different from most of his material, but the structure of his songs is memorable and lively enough to be charming, and that's what Rufus's fans (including myself) like the most about his music!


"Lay Down" by Alberta Cross: Their name might bring to mind the country of Canada, yet Alberta Cross's best-known song so far is the roots-y, American sounding "Old Man Chicago" (with their second best known one being the defiant, British rock sounding "Money For the Weekend"). So what now for the New York band with a Canadian sounding name?! Well, more British sounding rock, in this case! But more like the sweeping, epic grandeur of songs like Oasis' "Champagne Supernova" this time around than their previous attempt at British influenced rock (the Stones-y "Money For the Weekend"). The similarity between this song and "Champagne Supernova" doesn't end with how dynamic the guitars sound, since even the distortion of the lead guitar here sounds like it was stolen from Noel Gallagher! Thankfully, though, "Lay Down" isn't a "word salad" song like "Champagne Supernova" was. Instead, the lyrics actually mean something here (i.e. "And I'm trying to live my life in a better way").


"One More" by Jimmy Cliff: When American audiences mention the words "reggae" and "legend" in the same sentence, they are probably referring to Bob Marley. They tend to forget there was another reggae musician recording around the same time Marley was that also became successful in the U.S., and that musician was Jimmy Cliff. Save for a cover of The Clash's "The Guns of Brixton" that Cliff did with Rancid's Tim Armstrong last year, Cliff hasn't had a hit song since the 1970's, so I was surprised (but pleasantly so) to hear he was going to come out with a new song! The upbeat, almost party-like nature of "One More" is closer to ska than it is to reggae, but Cliff still manages to deliver a memorable performance on the song, with a sizzling, simmery sound that has come out just in time for all the latest beach parties and pool parties!


"What Makes A Good Man" by The Heavy: "The Heavy" fits the name of this band well, since they have such a dynamic, unforgettable presence in their music! With a sound that combines the blues-y garage rock of The Black Keys with '70s funk music a la Sly and The Family Stone, The Heavy are pretty much MADE of hit-making material for the 2010's!! The song is mostly defined by its simple but catchy chorus ("Tell me now, and show me how, please understand, what makes a good man"!) Not a lot of depth to the lyrics here, but there doesn't have to be, in this case, because the appeal of "What Makes A Good Man" is in the groove and the spirit of the song! So sit back, relax, and stay groovy! Also, to me, the answer to "what makes a good man?" is talent, which The Heavy have plenty of!!