New songs for July 21st, 2021

here they are:


"Ain't Lookin'" by Wild Feathers: After a brief detour into indie-folk and power pop with their last album, Wild Feathers have returned to their country-rock roots with "Ain't Lookin'." Well...kind of. In addition to the country and roots-rock influences, "Ain't Lookin'" appears to be influenced by blues-rock as well! Fans of other blues-country hybrids such as Sturgill Simpson and Chris Stapleton might enjoy this song. The imagery the song has of traveling out on the road also seems fitting for a blues/country-rock song.


"Amoeba" by Clairo: If the chord progression of this song sounds like a modern-day lounge-pop version of Todd Rundgren's "I Saw the Light," which itself was largely influenced by Carole King, that's probably intentional on Clairo's part here. Carole, along with other early 1970's female singer/songwriter icons such as Joni Mitchell and Karen Carpenter, all inspired Clairo's latest song, "Amoeba." Even Blossom Dearie, the woman who lent her voice to such Schoolhouse Rock classics from that same era, as "Figure Eight" and "Unpack Your Adjectives," apparently inspired Clairo's latest tune as well. Its buoyant sound combined with its jazz-pop chord progressions make for a breath of fresh air compared to the monotony of most of what comprises "alternative" music today. For someone who is only 22 years old, Clairo sure has a vast appreciation for the songwriting chanteuses of the early 1970's! Taking on a truly "indie" aesthetic, Clairo weds these delightful, wistful melodies to lyrics about an abusive relationship. She sure knows how to make lemons out of lemonade, doesn't she?!

"Galacticana" by Strand of Oaks: The intriguingly named "Galacticana" continues in the soothing folk-rock direction that Indiana group, Strand of Oaks, started really honing in on their 2019 ballad, "Ruby." I don't know what "Galacticana" even means, and since it's mentioned nowhere in the song's lyrics, it's not very likely I will know, but going by the song's nostalgic, bittersweet lyrics, perhaps it refers to...wait, I STILL don't know what it refers to! Anyway, in "Galacticana," Strand of Oaks' lead singer Timothy Showalter recounts experiences of his childhood (and perhaps his teenhood as well) that he shares with his listeners to offer an escape from the world today. When he says "I believe that ecstasy happens when we all get together" in the beginning of the song, I don't think he's referring to the drug ecstasy, but to actual ecstasy - that which happens when people share a moment together to create a more understanding bond with one another.

"Poor Boy a Long Way From Home" by The Black Keys: The Black Keys' latest album seems to have offered us their blues-iest sound yet! The scorching, fiery, slow-burning blues-rock of "Crawling Kingsnake" was a great way to kick off the year, and now, midway through it, we have the fast, shuffling blues-rock of "Poor Boy a Long Way From Home." A blues-y rhythm and riff present in songs ranging from John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom" to Muddy Waters' "Baby Please Don't Go" to ZZ Top's "La Grange" and George Thorogood's "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" can be heard here. Like "Crawling Kingsnake," "Poor Boy a Long Way From Home" is a cover of a blues tune, this time one from blues musician R.L. Burnside from 1978, though it sounds like it came from a much earlier era. 

"Wrecked" by Imagine Dragons: From the title, you might gather that this is one of Imagine Dragons' more angst-ridden songs. It's really more of a melancholy one that still manages to have a pleasant, pop-y sound like most of their material. In contrast to their spring '21 hit, "Follow You," "Wrecked" is in minor key and is not a love song so much as it is a breakup song, or perhaps just a song about emotional disorder in general. Not a breakup song of the "good riddance" variety either, but more of an "I can't live without you" sort of tune. Dan Reynolds conveys anguish throughout the song, but especially in the middle where he says, "These days, I'm becoming everything that I hate/Wishing you were around now, but it's too late/My mind is a place that I can't escape your ghost." Sometimes, the relationships we might have thought we had given up long ago continue to haunt us. This is a perfect song for those sorts of situations!

Final blog of the year part 1 - new songs for December 9th, 2020

 Can you believe it, folks?! We've reached the final blog of the year! But before we get started, please note that this is a two-part blog: one for new songs for this week, and another to count down the 20 most played songs that came out in (or around) 2020. Enjoy!

"Family Farm" by The Hold Steady: We start this week with the only song that is not currently a crossover hit between the alt and adult alt radio charts. The Hold Steady's latest is Triple-A exclusive, it seems, like most of their material, but that does not mean it's not worth listening to! As a matter of fact, it might be the most prolific and well-written song on today's list! The Hold Steady have been Bruce Springsteen fans ever since their debut in the late 2000's, but nowhere has this been more apparent so far than on their newest effort, "Family Farm." Filled to the brim with exciting Roy Bittan-styled piano riffs and Clarence Clemons influenced sax playing, "Family Farm" is the best song the Boss never wrote! Lyrically, the song serves as an unintentional predictor of the present day. Written before the pandemic hit, but not released until well into the thick of it, "Family Farm" deals with trying to survive in an increasingly difficult world, and it also mentions Van Halen's "Eruption" in the lyrics, which is yet another eerie coincidence since Eddie Van Halen made the ascent into guitar hero heaven two months ago. 

"Mariposa" by Peach Tree Rascals: Peach Tree Rascals might sound like a typical contemporary indie-pop band, but what you might not know just from listening is that their lead singer happens to be Filipino. In fact, many of the members are racially diverse. Perhaps, then, it might make sense to you that they hail from the racially diverse (and all around awesome) town of Los Angeles, California! The influences of Peach Tree Rascals are also very eclectic, mixing the sweet, buoyant '60s pop/rock of The Beatles and The Beach Boys with more modern-day urban pop influences like Kendrick Lamar and Frank Ocean in their breakthrough hit, "Mariposa" (which is Spanish for "butterfly"). And how did this sweet yet funky little song capture the hearts of millions towards the end of this year?! Through TikTok, that app that everyone keeps talking about that I still have yet to find out more about. Go figure, eh?!

"No Other Way" by Shaed: Electro-pop trio, Shaed, took the alt and adult charts by storm last year with the sweet, dreamy, "Trampoline." Come late into the next year, Shaed are at it again with "No Other Way." The song has a similarly breezy electro-pop flavor to "Trampoline," though it is also noticeably more upbeat than that song was. Like many indie-pop songs that have come out in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, "No Other Way" acknowledges what a wild and dangerous year it's been, but still manages to send a positive message. "We could have died a million ways," lead singer Chelsea Lee sings during the chorus, following up the line with, "but we're alive another day." So count your blessings, folks, and count Shaed among them!

"Sofia" by Clairo: Just a mere matter of weeks ago, I reviewed "Are You Bored Yet?" by Wallows, on which indie-pop singer Clairo is featured on backing vocals. On "Sofia," Clairo strikes out on her own and gives us a taste of what her music sounds like without another band taking over it. Like "Mariposa" earlier in this blog, "Sofia" is yet another song that has gained popularity through TikTok (I feel so old saying that without knowing fully what it is, haha). "Sofia" is also named after an actual Sofia...two of them, actually. Uber-attractive Latina actress, Sofia Vergara, was one of the Sofias Clairo had in mind when doing this song, and the other was Sofia Coppola, daughter of famed director Francis Ford Coppola. The song is about Clairo's recurrent crushes on older women, told through a mix of techno-pop synths and fuzzy yet rhythmic guitars.