New songs for September 22nd, 2021

 Here they are:

"Brightside" by The Lumineers: This is probably the first Lumineers song to make significant use of the electric guitar, as opposed to the acoustic sound they usually go for. However, the sound is roots-y enough that it still fits their sound, using instrumentation that wouldn't sound out of place on a Bruce Springsteen or Tom Petty record. The lyrics seem rather Springsteen-esque as well, weaving a tale of two people, probably either teenagers or college-aged adults, trying to break out of a monotonous desert lifestyle and go into a more adventurous one involving sex, drugs, and rock & roll (Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon is even mentioned by name in the first verse). Wesley Schultz, perhaps in character, assures the subject of his song that he'll be their "brightside" during the chorus. He never says exactly what he means by this, but it probably means he'll serve as the steady anchor to the person's wild lifestyle in case it gets too out of hand. 

"Can't Hide It" by Curtis Harding: In 2017, Curtis Harding's retro-soul music burst onto the adult alt airwaves with a blast of energy that simultaneously recalled Motown and early '70s funk. His latest song, "Can't Hide It," aims for the same kind of sound. The song is a simple declaration of love, like his other two adult alt radio hits ("On and On" and "Need Your Love") have been so far. This one is slightly slower than those songs were, and it also contains a guitar solo towards the end.

"I Don't Live Here Anymore" by The War on Drugs: This song might just encapsulate all the musical nostalgia that The War on Drugs have! The lyrics reference Bob Dylan twice: Once in the lyric "a creature void of form" from the first verse (which borrows a phrase from Dylan's "Shleter from the Storm"), and another time in the second verse where they namedrop Dylan and his song, "Desolation Row." The song itself sounds like Bruce Springsteen, circa 1984, jamming with Tears for Fears. However, The War on Drugs are actually aiming to turn away from nostalgia in the lyrics, as the title seems to imply. Lead singer Adam Granduciel claims he "doesn't live (there) anymore" after the lyric that references "Desolation Row." In other words, he doesn't want to live in the past. Well, from the way the song sounds, it sure doesn't SEEM like he doesn't wanna live in the past!

"Love Love Love" by My Morning Jacket: The latest song from My Morning Jacket, a band that is equal parts jam band, neo-psychedelic, prog-rock, and folk-rock, with just a splash of neo-soul, is "Love Love Love," a song that aims to spread a simple yet universal message amidst an electric guitar that starts out pulsating like a musical heartbeat before blasting out into a psychedelic wail that sounds like it would fit somewhere between Jerry Garcia and Jimmy Page. The song has an optimistic message that can be enjoyed by pretty much anyone, but its sound seems to be one meant to appeal more specifically to blissed out, post-hippie stoners, especially towards the end of it. 

New songs for February 7th, 2018

here they are:


"Need Your Love" by Curtis Harding: Smooth soul singer Curtis Harding returns to the adult alt charts just in time for Valentine's Day with "Need Your Love". Like his previous hit, "On And On", "Need Your Love" is defined by its fast rhythm and funky riffs, in a similar vein to most Motown songs. The backing synthesizer on this song separates it from "On And On". The relentless energy and passionate pleas in this song make it a winner for the same reason Curtis' previous hit song won me over. Hopefully it'll do the same to whoever listens to it!


"Saturday Sun" by Vance Joy: The use of ukulele and upbeat vibes on Vance Joy's latest song, "Saturday Sun", hearken back to Vance's first (and so far, biggest) hit, "Riptide". Most of his songs that have come out since that one evoke a bittersweet sense of melancholia, but "Saturday Sun" does not, at least not musically. Lyrically, it maintains a positive theme as well, about falling in love with someone for the first time. This might just be the first Vance song that's more sweet than bittersweet, since even "Riptide" had some anguished lyrics. Not bad, I say!


"Silver Lining" by Mt. Joy: Copping a similar acoustic guitar riff to Bon Iver's "Skinny Love", Mt. Joy's breakthrough song, "Silver Lining" is an interesting song. Like Bon Iver's material, "Silver Lining" is about the downside to college life and how easy it can be to get burned out as a 20-something. The title of the song is mentioned as a way for the lead singer to find some good among the pressure and turmoil one can experience during their young adult years. Watch out. This song will be coming soon to a university near you!


"Think It Over" by Wild Child: 7 is a lucky number for Austin, Texas indie-pop group, Wild Child! The group have 7 members, and it's taken 7 years for them to score a hit on adult alt radio stations. Well, now that I've gotten that out of the way, "Think It Over" is a rather soulful, upbeat song. You probably would have never suspected that it was produced by someone like Death Cab for Cutie's Chris Walla, but it was. Vocally, it sounds like Feist trying to do a disco song (which she DID once, covering the Bee Gees' song, "Inside And Out").


"Under the Wheels" by Calexico: Calexico's latest album is certainly their most adventurous yet! First, we had the horn-less "End of the World With You", and now we have the upbeat and slightly psychedelic sounding, "Under the Wheels". Calexico's trademark mariachi sound is back in this song, but make no mistake. The song marks yet another first for the band, in that its sound is fast enough to be danceable! Normally, Calexico are like other indie-folk and alt-country groups as far as their ability to be booty shakin' is concerned, but "Under the Wheels" is different than that! Lyrically, the song continues along the lines of being apocalyptic, like "End of the World With You" was, but unlike that song, it sounds happy enough to mask its moroseness!

New songs for November 8th 2017

here they are:


"Glow" by Big Head Todd and The Monsters: Colorado jam band quartet, Big Head Todd and The Monsters, have been around for almost 3 decades. 2017 looks like it's gonna be their biggest year since 1997, during which they had a few alternative and adult alternative radio hits with songs like "Boom Boom", "Please Don't Tell Her", and "Resignation Superman". They've been in and out ever since then, but usually only one song from each subsequent album has become successful. During summer of this year, the rocking, joyous, "Damaged One" was already a big adult alt radio hit, and with "Glow", it looks like they'll be dominating fall of this year on adult alt radio as well. "Glow" is a rocker, like most of their material, but it has a bit more of an anthemic, somewhat U2-ish flavor, giving it a marked contrast to the rest of BHTATM's material. "Why don't you glow?" urges lead singer "Big Head" Todd Park Mohr. He certainly glows in this song, along with the rest of the band!


"On And On" by Curtis Harding: The last few years have not been good for post-millennial soul musicians who sound like they're from the '60s and early '70s. We lost Sharon Jones last November, and we lost Charles Bradley this summer. Thankfully, people like Curtis Harding have been working to keep the spirit of neo-soul alive and well! Harding is one of the most eclectic neo-soul musicians of the 2010's, having also dabbled in neo-psychedelia, punk, blues, and even spoken word on occasion. "On And On" is not Harding's first song, but it does appear to be his breakthrough, and what a breakthrough it is! It's a catchy, relentless song about never giving up. Groove on, bro!


"Rorschach" by Typhoon: You know from the title alone this is gonna be kind of a weird one! (Rorschach was the name of the guy who had those inkblot paintings that were supposed to look like different things to different people). It kind of is. It's a song that manages to be both sad and adventurous, and it comes off sounding like an unlikely cross between Death Cab for Cutie and The Pixies, with some odd, distorted vocals in between parts of the song. The song appears to be about uncertainty, and it gets its title from the lead singer mentioning how what he was looking at was really "blood spilled on the canvas (he) admired just like some Rorschach painting".


"Sea of Clouds" by Deer Tick: Roots-y indie-rockers, Deer Tick, seem to take a lot of inspiration from Neil Young, ranging from their veering between raging electric songs and sweet acoustic songs to the rather depressing subject matter of most of their songs. The booziness of Deer Tick might also bring to mind groups like The Replacements, who were also known for veering between the hard and the soft. Deer Tick already had a scorching rocker for this summer with "Jumpstarting". As we head into the mellow cool of autumn, Deer Tick now have the softer and more bittersweet, "Sea of Clouds", sounding a great deal like something from Neil Young's "Harvest" album, and a bit like The Replacements' somber but soothing folk-rock song, "Skyway", as well. Clocking in at a total of 5 and a half minutes, there appear to be two distinct halves to "Sea of Clouds". The first half has no percussion, and percussion gets added in during the second half.