here they are:
"Looking For A Sign" by Beck: Beck might as well be called the David Bowie of the '90s and 21st century. You never knew what kind of Beck you were gonna get next. The wacky hip-hop/funk influenced Beck, the sensitive folkie Beck, the surf-guitar Beck, the moody, trip-hop/jazzy Beck, and the list goes on and on from there! For his latest song, "Looking For A Sign", Beck has chosen to go for sensitive folkie mode, which makes sense, considering it is on the soundtrack to the (comedic) indie film, "Jeff, Who Lives At Home". The highlighting moments of "Looking For A Sign" are not in the mood or lyrics, though, as much as they are in the unique chord progression of the song! What can I say, Beck never ceases to amaze me!
"Never Go Back" by Grace Potter and The Nocturnals: And here is yet ANOTHER musician (with a backing band) who has trodden eclectic waters! Grace started out as a quiet country-pop/rock musician, but soon went into more hard rock territory with her cover of Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit", as well as the punchy, Lenny Kravitz-ish "Paris (Ooh La La)". "Never Go Back" is NEITHER of the subgenres I've mentioned so far, but rather an electronic alterna-pop sound. "Never Go Back" is catchy, and combines synthesizers and guitars kind of like the typical Killers song might, but Grace sounds more detached on this song than she did on "Paris", in which she had wild but passionate vocals. Perhaps not the best decision Grace and The Noc's have made, but I still like it, and personally, it holds my attention much better than the dry, country-ish sound she had on "Ah, Mary" and "Ain't No Time".
"No Light, No Light" by Florence and The Machine: This song is equal parts electronic, alternative, soul, and gospel, but it still sounds great!! I'm pretty convinced Flo can do no wrong with every new song I hear by her! "No Light, No Light", of course, is no exception, no exception! The lyrics of this song seem to indicate this is a breakup song, as many of her songs tend to be, but our red-haired beauty takes the angst of her situation and turns it into full-blown, four minute opera/sermon with this song. Flo, you're just too amazing for words, what can I say?!
"North Side Gal" by JD McPherson: Wow! Has Little Richard released his comeback album?! Or maybe that's Fats Domino, or perhaps Chuck Berry?! Nope, it's the latest '50s rock influenced sensation from the 21st century, JD McPherson! I swear, this song sounds like it came out back when rock 'n' roll was as young as a newborn baby!! With the increasing lack of zippiness and zest in today's music, though, I think that's a good thing! Sometimes I feel like the world might need a new Elvis Presley, and I can't think of anyone better than JD McPherson (well, maybe the sexy, snazzy Irish gal, Imelda May would be an exception, but still...)!! It even sounds like it's own song, despite having the chord progression almost every '50s rock song has (although the end part of the song, in which JD repeatedly sings, "Crazy 'bout a north side gal", sounds a bit too similar to when Elvis repeatedly sings "Dancin' to the jailhouse rock" at the end of "Jailhouse Rock"). This is a real swingin' song, though, and I highly recommend it!!
"Paddling Out" by Miike Snow: No, "Miike" is not a typo, that's how this band spells their name. And it's not pronounced like "Mike" or "Mikey" (or "Mi-yike", as I have jokingly pronounced their name based on how it has two "i"s), but it's actually pronounced like "MEE-kay". The piano hook in this song combined with its hip-hop beats remind me of people like Fatboy Slim, only Miike Snow seem like their music is more directed at a neo-hippie, NPR-ish audience than Slim's music was. It seems as though terms like "alternative" and "indie" aren't good enough to describe a song like "Paddling Out", though. Something about it sounds more eclectic than most songs/bands that are typically considered as such. The unique musical qualities of "Paddling Out" only make me want to know more about Miike Snow, though, and hopefully the same can be said of most (if not all) of the listeners of this song!!
"Stare Into the Sun" by Graffiti 6: Before their adult alt mega-hit, "Free", "Stare Into the Sun" was actually the FIRST song to get noticed by Graffiti 6, but I guess it didn't go anywhere initially. Now, however, "Stare Into the Sun" is slowly but surely attracting more listeners! Like "Free", "Stare Into the Sun" is basically a "psychedelic soul" type of song, but it has a bit more of a "retro" '70s-style sound than "Free" did. The organs and tambourines in "Stare Into the Sun", in addition to the relentlessly optimistic sound of this song overall, make me picture a rainbow with musical notes going around Graffiti 6 as they sing this song! Plenty of songs are trippy, and plenty more are soulful, but it's rare that they'd be combined into one sound. That being said, I think we've got another big hit on our hands with this song!
"We Are the Selfish Ones" by Cowboy Junkies: To wrap up this week's review, we end with a somber song, and we started with a somber song, but the other songs in between were energetic! Odd, but I guess that's what I get for reviewing songs in alphabetical order, haha!! Anyway, this song is pretty much an entirely acoustic song from Cowboy Junkies. Not anything too out of the ordinary, I guess, but usually their songs have a bit more backbone than this one does. I was expecting a little more than this from Margo Timmins and co. It's also just a little under 3 minutes, so I feel like it could have been longer, too. This isn't a bad song, as I pretty much like everything I've heard so far from Cowboy Junkies, I just feel like "We Are the Selfish Ones" COULD use just a LITTLE more tweaking wouldn't ya say?!
Showing posts with label Cowboy Junkies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cowboy Junkies. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
new songs for Feb. 2nd, 2011
here they are:
"Architects And Engineers" by Guster: As if this song wasn't cool enough (which it is), the music video for this song seems to indicate that this song will become this year's "Tighten Up"!! Much like the (initial) video for that song (which eventually became my number one song of 2010), it features a singing puppet that has a name - Sing-Along-Paul. He looks somewhat like a cross between the later "Star Wars" movies' Jar-Jar Binks and the smart-mouthed goat puppet Rufus Leaking from the indie music showcase and quasi-children's show "Pancake Mountain". Musically, all the trademark folk-rock instrumentation and sunny Beach Boys-esque harmonies of the typical Guster song are present, but seriously, the music video for this song just takes the cake!! Someone needs to convince Guster to make a guest appearance on "Sesame Street" - between their quirky sense of humor and their charmingly child-like melodies, they'd be perfect for it!! You can find it on this link:
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svugXFeZQnA)
"Booty City" by Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears: 2009's best James Brown imitation is back!! Two songs made the adult alt airwaves from these funky retro-soul men back then, "Sugarfoot" and "I'm Broke", but I much preferred the former for its boogie vibe and James Brown-ish vocals and instrumentation. "I'm Broke" just wasn't as catchy, so I didn't know what to anticipate for "Booty City" (though the title alone seemed to indicate it'd be a pretty catchy song)! "Booty City" not only brings back the danceable, funky rhythm of "Sugarfoot", but it's also a bit more heavy on the guitar parts, which makes me happy! "Booty City" is a great song to get yer groove on if you ever feel like doing so!!
"Everybody Needs Love" by Drive-By Truckers: Just the name of this band automatically evokes images of a country influenced group, doesn't it? Well, more accurately, Drive-By Truckers are more of a country-rock group than just plain old country. They're a bit like The Black Crowes with their influences mixing hard rock with country and Southern rock, though "Everybody Needs Love", which is so far their breakthrough song, is a bit more like a "softer" Eagles song (think "Peaceful Easy Feeling", "Lyin' Eyes", etc.). That is, until it gets to the guitar solo midway through (and towards the end, for a second time around) the song, where it takes on more of an Allman Brothers-ish quality, a la "Blue Sky", "Midnight Rider", and "Melissa". "Everybody Needs Love" is a real tearjerker, and it manages to capture the feel of your typical '70s Southern rock/country-rock ballad pretty well, so I would highly recommend it for the fans of the more countrified side of The Allmans, Skynyrd, The Eagles, etc.
"Flirted With You All My Life" by Cowboy Junkies: What a neat concept, an indie-folk band covering indie-folk artist Vic Chestnutt (who, unfortunately, passed away last year). Having not heard Vic's version, I get the idea it's probably a pretty good song given the bittersweet vibe Cowboy Junkies have given it (plus I have a couple indie music loving friends who really seem to like both Vic and Cowboy Junkies). Cowboy Junkies' version almost seems to come off like Rilo Kiley covering The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" (it has practically the same chord sequence - A, E, B minor, D, with an F sharp minor occasionally replacing the D in "Flirted With You All My Life"). "Flirted With You All My Life" seems like one of those "drinking coffee on a Sunday morning" type of songs if you know what I mean (despite the fact I don't actually drink coffee).
"He Don't Live Here No More" by Robbie Robertson: Is it just me, or has Robbie Robertson wanted to stray farther and farther away from The Band's roots-rock sound ever since he left them? His two '80s solo hits, "Showdown At Big Sky" and "Somewhere Down the Crazy River" both sounded more like Peter Gabriel and the material from Paul Simon's "Graceland" album than they did like The Band. Though the "world music rock" trend that Gabriel, Simon, Joni Mitchell, Sting, and occasionally David Byrne from Talking Heads made possible in the '80s has pretty much faded by now, Robbie Robertson keeps the "world music rock" torch flaming in his latest, "He Don't Live Here No More". Robbie adds even more world music influence in "He Don't Live Here No More" with its flamenco guitar solo in the middle. But don't assume Robbie's forgotten how to rock, the beat of the song is still rock 'n' roll underneath it all!
"On Main Street" by Los Lobos: It seems odd to me that the rather somber, autumnal "Burn It Down" from Los Lobos' latest album ("Tin Can Trust") got noticed in the summer, yet it's taken until winter for the more summery, somewhat '60s rock influenced "On Main Street" to receive airplay on stations besides LA's KCSN. Perhaps I shouldn't let the "seasonal moods" of the two songs get in the way, though, as "On Main Street" is an easygoing feel-good kinda song. The fuzzy electric guitar riffs on "On Main Street" also provide interesting contrast with the mostly acoustic (until the end) "Burn It Down". The summery vibe of "On Main Street" evokes images of laying down underneath the sun on the beach just relaxing the day away. Could Los Lobos' next song be a stormy, ice-cold, wintry one?! I guess we'll find out!
"Second Chance" by Peter Bjorn and John: What do you get if you take the fuzz guitars of '60s psych-pop band Love's "7 And 7 Is", cowbells to keep the rhythm, and add just a dash of the new wave-y indie rock of Phoenix?! You get Peter Bjorn and John's latest song, "Second Chance"!! This is a pretty cool song coming from a band whose only other hit (so far) was the more subdued, quiet (except for the drum intro) indie-pop tune from '06, "Young Folks". Somehow I get the impression that the three Swedish indie-popsters were listening to The Black Keys' latest album, "Brothers" when they made "Second Chance", as it has practically the same sort of "fuzz guitars" as many of the songs on that CD! "Young Folks" was a mostly keyboard oriented song, so I was pretty surprised to hear not only that "Second Chance" even had a guitar to begin with, but that the solos seemed to be taken straight out of one of Led Zeppelin's songs!! Way to go, Peter Bjorn and John! Between this song and the video for "Architects and Engineers", I can't decide which one is my fave song of the week!!
"Architects And Engineers" by Guster: As if this song wasn't cool enough (which it is), the music video for this song seems to indicate that this song will become this year's "Tighten Up"!! Much like the (initial) video for that song (which eventually became my number one song of 2010), it features a singing puppet that has a name - Sing-Along-Paul. He looks somewhat like a cross between the later "Star Wars" movies' Jar-Jar Binks and the smart-mouthed goat puppet Rufus Leaking from the indie music showcase and quasi-children's show "Pancake Mountain". Musically, all the trademark folk-rock instrumentation and sunny Beach Boys-esque harmonies of the typical Guster song are present, but seriously, the music video for this song just takes the cake!! Someone needs to convince Guster to make a guest appearance on "Sesame Street" - between their quirky sense of humor and their charmingly child-like melodies, they'd be perfect for it!! You can find it on this link:
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svugXFeZQnA)
"Booty City" by Black Joe Lewis and The Honeybears: 2009's best James Brown imitation is back!! Two songs made the adult alt airwaves from these funky retro-soul men back then, "Sugarfoot" and "I'm Broke", but I much preferred the former for its boogie vibe and James Brown-ish vocals and instrumentation. "I'm Broke" just wasn't as catchy, so I didn't know what to anticipate for "Booty City" (though the title alone seemed to indicate it'd be a pretty catchy song)! "Booty City" not only brings back the danceable, funky rhythm of "Sugarfoot", but it's also a bit more heavy on the guitar parts, which makes me happy! "Booty City" is a great song to get yer groove on if you ever feel like doing so!!
"Everybody Needs Love" by Drive-By Truckers: Just the name of this band automatically evokes images of a country influenced group, doesn't it? Well, more accurately, Drive-By Truckers are more of a country-rock group than just plain old country. They're a bit like The Black Crowes with their influences mixing hard rock with country and Southern rock, though "Everybody Needs Love", which is so far their breakthrough song, is a bit more like a "softer" Eagles song (think "Peaceful Easy Feeling", "Lyin' Eyes", etc.). That is, until it gets to the guitar solo midway through (and towards the end, for a second time around) the song, where it takes on more of an Allman Brothers-ish quality, a la "Blue Sky", "Midnight Rider", and "Melissa". "Everybody Needs Love" is a real tearjerker, and it manages to capture the feel of your typical '70s Southern rock/country-rock ballad pretty well, so I would highly recommend it for the fans of the more countrified side of The Allmans, Skynyrd, The Eagles, etc.
"Flirted With You All My Life" by Cowboy Junkies: What a neat concept, an indie-folk band covering indie-folk artist Vic Chestnutt (who, unfortunately, passed away last year). Having not heard Vic's version, I get the idea it's probably a pretty good song given the bittersweet vibe Cowboy Junkies have given it (plus I have a couple indie music loving friends who really seem to like both Vic and Cowboy Junkies). Cowboy Junkies' version almost seems to come off like Rilo Kiley covering The Cure's "Just Like Heaven" (it has practically the same chord sequence - A, E, B minor, D, with an F sharp minor occasionally replacing the D in "Flirted With You All My Life"). "Flirted With You All My Life" seems like one of those "drinking coffee on a Sunday morning" type of songs if you know what I mean (despite the fact I don't actually drink coffee).
"He Don't Live Here No More" by Robbie Robertson: Is it just me, or has Robbie Robertson wanted to stray farther and farther away from The Band's roots-rock sound ever since he left them? His two '80s solo hits, "Showdown At Big Sky" and "Somewhere Down the Crazy River" both sounded more like Peter Gabriel and the material from Paul Simon's "Graceland" album than they did like The Band. Though the "world music rock" trend that Gabriel, Simon, Joni Mitchell, Sting, and occasionally David Byrne from Talking Heads made possible in the '80s has pretty much faded by now, Robbie Robertson keeps the "world music rock" torch flaming in his latest, "He Don't Live Here No More". Robbie adds even more world music influence in "He Don't Live Here No More" with its flamenco guitar solo in the middle. But don't assume Robbie's forgotten how to rock, the beat of the song is still rock 'n' roll underneath it all!
"On Main Street" by Los Lobos: It seems odd to me that the rather somber, autumnal "Burn It Down" from Los Lobos' latest album ("Tin Can Trust") got noticed in the summer, yet it's taken until winter for the more summery, somewhat '60s rock influenced "On Main Street" to receive airplay on stations besides LA's KCSN. Perhaps I shouldn't let the "seasonal moods" of the two songs get in the way, though, as "On Main Street" is an easygoing feel-good kinda song. The fuzzy electric guitar riffs on "On Main Street" also provide interesting contrast with the mostly acoustic (until the end) "Burn It Down". The summery vibe of "On Main Street" evokes images of laying down underneath the sun on the beach just relaxing the day away. Could Los Lobos' next song be a stormy, ice-cold, wintry one?! I guess we'll find out!
"Second Chance" by Peter Bjorn and John: What do you get if you take the fuzz guitars of '60s psych-pop band Love's "7 And 7 Is", cowbells to keep the rhythm, and add just a dash of the new wave-y indie rock of Phoenix?! You get Peter Bjorn and John's latest song, "Second Chance"!! This is a pretty cool song coming from a band whose only other hit (so far) was the more subdued, quiet (except for the drum intro) indie-pop tune from '06, "Young Folks". Somehow I get the impression that the three Swedish indie-popsters were listening to The Black Keys' latest album, "Brothers" when they made "Second Chance", as it has practically the same sort of "fuzz guitars" as many of the songs on that CD! "Young Folks" was a mostly keyboard oriented song, so I was pretty surprised to hear not only that "Second Chance" even had a guitar to begin with, but that the solos seemed to be taken straight out of one of Led Zeppelin's songs!! Way to go, Peter Bjorn and John! Between this song and the video for "Architects and Engineers", I can't decide which one is my fave song of the week!!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
new songs for June 23rd, 2010
four of 'em - Enjoy!
"Compliments" by Band of Horses: Though "Laredo" is still a hot item on the Adult Alt. charts, "Compliments", the second single off of BOH's "Infinite Arms" is rapidly getting attention on adult alt. stations as well. Longtime fans of BOH will probably take more of a liking to this song than "Laredo" since it goes more for a '60s pop/rock sound (a la The Beatles' "Getting Better" and Three Dog Night's "One", at least rhythmically) than "Laredo"'s John Fogerty/Neil Young-ish vibe. Lyrically, I can't tell whether it is supposed to be sincere or tongue-in-cheek, especially during the somewhat ambiguously worded lyrics in the chorus ("If there's a God up there/Someone looking over everyone, at least you've got someone to fall back on"). Apparently, many of BOH's most loyal fans seem to have taken both the lyrics and the song itself to be a vain attempt for the band to garner more radio airplay than they've previously had, though personally, I think "Laredo" already took care of that. I still wouldn't call BOH "sellouts", though. They still have good music, it's just going in a slightly different direction at the moment.
"Crossfire" by Brandon Flowers: Of all the "indie" bands out there, Brandon Flowers' band, The Killers (who aren't always viewed as "indie" due to their popularity among listeners of more "mainstream" modern rock stations), is probably the one that is most influenced by that crop of bands who tend to overlap the boundaries of musical time by being played on both classic rock and alternative rock stations (i.e. The Police, U2, The Pretenders, etc.) Flowers seems to have only gotten MORE intent on displaying these influences with each new record he makes. It's not as though this is a bad thing, necessarily (as I much prefer the U2-ish "Read My Mind" to the more Depeche Mode-ish sounds of "Somebody Told Me"), but in "Crossfire", it seems like he's trying a bit TOO hard to emulate the U2 sound. He also seems to employ the use of pseudo-philosophical lyrics whenever possible (like the chorus's "lay your body down"), in what seems like a desperate, almost fanboy-ish effort to please Bono and maybe Bruce Springsteen as well. In spite of how harsh this review might sound, though, I must admit that I LIKE this song! Flowers might not rank so high on originality in "Crossfire", but he gets an A for effort, catchiness, and accessibility.
"If You Let Me" by JP, Chrissie, and The Fairground Boys: During The Pretenders' reign of popularity, Chrissie Hynde was almost like a female Neil Young in her ways of alternating between heartfelt, bittersweet songs like "Kid", "Talk of the Town", and "2000 Miles" and tough, unapologetic rockers like "Tattooed Love Boys", "Mystery Achievement", and "Middle of the Road". These days, Chrissie seems to want to go more in between the two moods. In her latest effort, "If You Let Me", she pulls off a distinctly classic rock vibe a la The Rolling Stones and Tom Petty, just as she pulled off a decent Chuck Berry/Bo Diddley in her 2008 songs, "Boots of Chinese Plastic" and "Break Up the Concrete" with The Pretenders. While "If You Let Me" lacks the in-your-face vibe of her nearly punk-ish early days in The Pretenders, it is certainly no "Kid", "Talk of the Town", or "2000 Miles" either! It is clearly a rock and roll song, from beginning to end, complete with a catchy, memorable guitar riff. Welcome aboard the S.S. Classic Rock Renaissance of 2010, Chrissie!
"Stranger Here" by Cowboy Junkies: In spite of their name, Cowboy Junkies are not called "Cowboy Junkies" because of their love for country music. It was basically just a random name they came up with, supposedly (see also The Grateful Dead, R.E.M., and Indigo Girls, each of whom got their names by flipping through a dictionary). However, Cowboy Junkies are basically a country-rock band masquerading as an alt/indie band. Even on their debut album, they covered a Hank Williams tune, as well as a Patsy Cline song. Their latest song, "Stranger Here", is also pretty country-rock influenced, but with the past 5 or so years of adult alt. radio being dominated by indie groups, it seems as though the sound of this song is probably more commonplace than it would've been during their debut in 1988. Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley, in particular (and perhaps the whole band) would probably appreciate a song like this, since she knows from the blatantly country-rock sound of "Carpetbaggers" (which she did with Elvis Costello) what it's like to be an indie/alt act with country influences. Personally, I would have preferred Cowboy Junkies to release something more along the lines of their bittersweet, lushly orchestrated 2007 song "Brand New World", but "Stranger Here" is still a good song nonetheless.
"Compliments" by Band of Horses: Though "Laredo" is still a hot item on the Adult Alt. charts, "Compliments", the second single off of BOH's "Infinite Arms" is rapidly getting attention on adult alt. stations as well. Longtime fans of BOH will probably take more of a liking to this song than "Laredo" since it goes more for a '60s pop/rock sound (a la The Beatles' "Getting Better" and Three Dog Night's "One", at least rhythmically) than "Laredo"'s John Fogerty/Neil Young-ish vibe. Lyrically, I can't tell whether it is supposed to be sincere or tongue-in-cheek, especially during the somewhat ambiguously worded lyrics in the chorus ("If there's a God up there/Someone looking over everyone, at least you've got someone to fall back on"). Apparently, many of BOH's most loyal fans seem to have taken both the lyrics and the song itself to be a vain attempt for the band to garner more radio airplay than they've previously had, though personally, I think "Laredo" already took care of that. I still wouldn't call BOH "sellouts", though. They still have good music, it's just going in a slightly different direction at the moment.
"Crossfire" by Brandon Flowers: Of all the "indie" bands out there, Brandon Flowers' band, The Killers (who aren't always viewed as "indie" due to their popularity among listeners of more "mainstream" modern rock stations), is probably the one that is most influenced by that crop of bands who tend to overlap the boundaries of musical time by being played on both classic rock and alternative rock stations (i.e. The Police, U2, The Pretenders, etc.) Flowers seems to have only gotten MORE intent on displaying these influences with each new record he makes. It's not as though this is a bad thing, necessarily (as I much prefer the U2-ish "Read My Mind" to the more Depeche Mode-ish sounds of "Somebody Told Me"), but in "Crossfire", it seems like he's trying a bit TOO hard to emulate the U2 sound. He also seems to employ the use of pseudo-philosophical lyrics whenever possible (like the chorus's "lay your body down"), in what seems like a desperate, almost fanboy-ish effort to please Bono and maybe Bruce Springsteen as well. In spite of how harsh this review might sound, though, I must admit that I LIKE this song! Flowers might not rank so high on originality in "Crossfire", but he gets an A for effort, catchiness, and accessibility.
"If You Let Me" by JP, Chrissie, and The Fairground Boys: During The Pretenders' reign of popularity, Chrissie Hynde was almost like a female Neil Young in her ways of alternating between heartfelt, bittersweet songs like "Kid", "Talk of the Town", and "2000 Miles" and tough, unapologetic rockers like "Tattooed Love Boys", "Mystery Achievement", and "Middle of the Road". These days, Chrissie seems to want to go more in between the two moods. In her latest effort, "If You Let Me", she pulls off a distinctly classic rock vibe a la The Rolling Stones and Tom Petty, just as she pulled off a decent Chuck Berry/Bo Diddley in her 2008 songs, "Boots of Chinese Plastic" and "Break Up the Concrete" with The Pretenders. While "If You Let Me" lacks the in-your-face vibe of her nearly punk-ish early days in The Pretenders, it is certainly no "Kid", "Talk of the Town", or "2000 Miles" either! It is clearly a rock and roll song, from beginning to end, complete with a catchy, memorable guitar riff. Welcome aboard the S.S. Classic Rock Renaissance of 2010, Chrissie!
"Stranger Here" by Cowboy Junkies: In spite of their name, Cowboy Junkies are not called "Cowboy Junkies" because of their love for country music. It was basically just a random name they came up with, supposedly (see also The Grateful Dead, R.E.M., and Indigo Girls, each of whom got their names by flipping through a dictionary). However, Cowboy Junkies are basically a country-rock band masquerading as an alt/indie band. Even on their debut album, they covered a Hank Williams tune, as well as a Patsy Cline song. Their latest song, "Stranger Here", is also pretty country-rock influenced, but with the past 5 or so years of adult alt. radio being dominated by indie groups, it seems as though the sound of this song is probably more commonplace than it would've been during their debut in 1988. Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley, in particular (and perhaps the whole band) would probably appreciate a song like this, since she knows from the blatantly country-rock sound of "Carpetbaggers" (which she did with Elvis Costello) what it's like to be an indie/alt act with country influences. Personally, I would have preferred Cowboy Junkies to release something more along the lines of their bittersweet, lushly orchestrated 2007 song "Brand New World", but "Stranger Here" is still a good song nonetheless.
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