here they are:
"All Across This Land" by Blitzen Trapper: This song, as well as quite a few of the songs from Blitzen Trapper's previous album, "VII", are all songs that could dethrone Drive-by Truckers' status as being the indie-rock answer to Lynyrd Skynyrd. Who knew?! Back when all I knew of Blitzen Trapper was the more folk-rock-y "Black River Killer", I sure wouldn't have! "All Across This Land" does have plenty of chunky, meaty Skynyrd-esque riffs, though. In fact here, they sound like a cross between that and Led Zeppelin. The "road song" vibe of "All Across This Land" also makes it seem a bit like a Lynyrd Skynyrd song. Don't go shouting "Freebird!" at a Blitzen Trapper concert, though, they'll probably hate you for it!
"Made to Break Your Heart" by Los Lobos: They've blended folk, rock, country, and world music ever since the 1980's! With a group like Los Lobos, you never know what you're gonna get! Their latest song, "Made to Break Your Heart", is a breezy, summery song. Well, up until that hazy guitar solo in the middle of the song, that is. Like the last song I mentioned in this week's review, "Made to Break Your Heart" could also be considered a "road song", albeit in a different manner. Instead of being a fast, rockin' road song, "Made to Break Your Heart" is more like the sort of song you'd listen to with a light breeze, the top down, and the windows rolled up at dusk. The song has similar chords and rhythm to Dire Straits' "Water of Love", while its riffs are more Santana than they are Mark Knopfler.
"Make You Mine" by Family of the Year: FOTY have done it again! Their fall 2012 folk-rock smash hit, "Hero", won the hearts of millions back when it came out. The more upbeat, alt-pop-y "Make You Mine" is in the process of making just as many waves, and the reason for that is...Turner Classic Movies?! Well, apparently, a lot of the YouTube comments I've seen for this are about how the song was used in a TCM promo. Who'da thunk?! I sure wouldn't have! Whatever works, though! Probably would have used it to advertise an NBC or CBS sitcom, myself, as it seems to be bubbly and cheery enough to work in such a situation.
Showing posts with label Family of the Year. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Family of the Year. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 9, 2015
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
New songs for September 11th, 2013
here they are:
"Further Away (Romance Police)" by Lissie: With "Further Away (Romance Police)", Lissie continues to make her mark as the 2010's answer to Alanis Morissette (with less nasal vocals). She rocks with reckless abandon on this song (though not as much as she did on "Shameless" from earlier this year). "Further Away" starts out as being this sort of dark but catchy pop song, and by the time the chorus kicks in, it starts sounding like the lovechild of the songs from Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" and the songs from Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill". The song centers around a love affair gone awry that only starts sounding more desperate as it goes on, with its peak in the middle of the song, when Lissie cynically wonders if "anyone loves anyone anymore".
"Gang of Rhythm" by Walk Off the Earth: Whether they're covering Gotye or harmonizing on their own tunes, Walk Off the Earth seem like a group of people who like to have fun with what they do, and so far, no song in their career illustrates that better than their latest song, "Gang of Rhythm". The song is simply about playing music and having a good time, which WOTE urge their audience to do with lyrics like, "Come on now everybody, come on now everyone!" In the second verse, WOTE claim that they "bring in the harmonies like CSNY" (Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young), which makes me wonder how the folk-rock legends feel about being mentioned in a song by a group of newbie folk-rockers. After all, they sound more like The Mamas and The Papas than CSN & Y to me, for both their equal part guy/girl harmonies, and their upbeat, pop-y sound.
"Reflektor" by Arcade Fire: Arcade Fire have tried their hand at prog-rock many times, but as far as I know, this is the first time a radio single by AF has attempted to incorporate a "Floyd-ian" slip, if you will. "Reflektor" clocks in at over 7 and a half minutes, and its sprawling length and meandering melody make it seem more like an album track than a hit, but perhaps its Bowie-esque rhythm and instrumentation were enough to make the members of Arcade Fire want to release it as the first single from their new album. "Reflektor" is also the kind of song that seems like it could be performed in outer space, and AF have had more than their fair share of songs like that so far, but none as much as this song. I feel like "Reflektor" will be the song that either expands Arcade Fire's fanbase, or the song that turns their fanbase away from them (or perhaps both).
"Shine On" by Blitzen Trapper: How is it that Blitzen Trapper have the ability to sound like both a Southern rock group AND a progressive rock group within the same song?! Honestly, I have no idea, but they manage to make both (unlikely) ends meet in their most recent tune, "Shine On". It seems as though Blitzen Trapper want to challenge those who think of them as a "folk-rock" group, although two of their finest songs ("Black River Killer" and "Love the Way You Walk Away") fall under this category. Unless Lynyrd Skynyrd and Pink Floyd are your idea of "folk-rock" (which they're probably not), "Shine On" is definitely a song that deviates significantly from the material Blitzen Trapper have become known for. With its blazing electric guitars, anthemic chorus, and backing vocalists who sound like they might have been the same ones for "Sweet Home Alabama", I can't help but feel like this song belongs on a classic rock station somewhere.
"St. Croix" by Family of the Year: Steven Tyler from Aerosmith's comparison of Family of the Year to "The Mamas and The Papas on acid" seemed somewhat appropriate for Family of the Year's first big song, "Hero", which could be said to be FOTY's "California Dreamin'", since both songs are bittersweet, acoustic guitar based compositions about the yearning for something better to come along. FOTY's second big song, "St. Croix" is no "Monday Monday", though. Far from it! "St. Croix" is actually a very optimistic sounding song, both musically and lyrically. I mean, how much more friendly sounding can you get than "You bring the ocean, I'll bring the motion, together we'll make a love potion"?! Such lyrics make FOTY sound like hippies who stuck around long after the 1960's, which, as far as I'm concerned, they are. This is certainly not a bad thing, though, and it's probably the perfect song to listen to at a beach party! Too bad it came out towards the end of summer instead of the beginning.
"The Perfect Life" by Moby and Wayne Coyne: The bald headed animal rights activist, Moby, and Flaming Lips frontman, Wayne Coyne, are, undoubtedly, two of the most eccentric musicians of '90s alt-rock, so it only seems fitting that they would perform something together (I'm surprised it took them this long to think of doing a musical collaboration, personally!) What's even more bizarre than two musical bizarr-o's doing a song together, though, is the music video they made of the song!! The two musicians walk down the streets of Los Angeles in Mariachi outfits, and encounter some guy who looks like the Burger King, roller skating ghosts, and a choir of goth musicians along the way. "The Perfect Life"?! Sounds perfect to me!! The video can be viewed at http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/moby-leads-wayne-coyne-to-the-perfect-life-premiere-20130903
"Further Away (Romance Police)" by Lissie: With "Further Away (Romance Police)", Lissie continues to make her mark as the 2010's answer to Alanis Morissette (with less nasal vocals). She rocks with reckless abandon on this song (though not as much as she did on "Shameless" from earlier this year). "Further Away" starts out as being this sort of dark but catchy pop song, and by the time the chorus kicks in, it starts sounding like the lovechild of the songs from Fleetwood Mac's "Rumours" and the songs from Alanis Morissette's "Jagged Little Pill". The song centers around a love affair gone awry that only starts sounding more desperate as it goes on, with its peak in the middle of the song, when Lissie cynically wonders if "anyone loves anyone anymore".
"Gang of Rhythm" by Walk Off the Earth: Whether they're covering Gotye or harmonizing on their own tunes, Walk Off the Earth seem like a group of people who like to have fun with what they do, and so far, no song in their career illustrates that better than their latest song, "Gang of Rhythm". The song is simply about playing music and having a good time, which WOTE urge their audience to do with lyrics like, "Come on now everybody, come on now everyone!" In the second verse, WOTE claim that they "bring in the harmonies like CSNY" (Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young), which makes me wonder how the folk-rock legends feel about being mentioned in a song by a group of newbie folk-rockers. After all, they sound more like The Mamas and The Papas than CSN & Y to me, for both their equal part guy/girl harmonies, and their upbeat, pop-y sound.
"Reflektor" by Arcade Fire: Arcade Fire have tried their hand at prog-rock many times, but as far as I know, this is the first time a radio single by AF has attempted to incorporate a "Floyd-ian" slip, if you will. "Reflektor" clocks in at over 7 and a half minutes, and its sprawling length and meandering melody make it seem more like an album track than a hit, but perhaps its Bowie-esque rhythm and instrumentation were enough to make the members of Arcade Fire want to release it as the first single from their new album. "Reflektor" is also the kind of song that seems like it could be performed in outer space, and AF have had more than their fair share of songs like that so far, but none as much as this song. I feel like "Reflektor" will be the song that either expands Arcade Fire's fanbase, or the song that turns their fanbase away from them (or perhaps both).
"Shine On" by Blitzen Trapper: How is it that Blitzen Trapper have the ability to sound like both a Southern rock group AND a progressive rock group within the same song?! Honestly, I have no idea, but they manage to make both (unlikely) ends meet in their most recent tune, "Shine On". It seems as though Blitzen Trapper want to challenge those who think of them as a "folk-rock" group, although two of their finest songs ("Black River Killer" and "Love the Way You Walk Away") fall under this category. Unless Lynyrd Skynyrd and Pink Floyd are your idea of "folk-rock" (which they're probably not), "Shine On" is definitely a song that deviates significantly from the material Blitzen Trapper have become known for. With its blazing electric guitars, anthemic chorus, and backing vocalists who sound like they might have been the same ones for "Sweet Home Alabama", I can't help but feel like this song belongs on a classic rock station somewhere.
"St. Croix" by Family of the Year: Steven Tyler from Aerosmith's comparison of Family of the Year to "The Mamas and The Papas on acid" seemed somewhat appropriate for Family of the Year's first big song, "Hero", which could be said to be FOTY's "California Dreamin'", since both songs are bittersweet, acoustic guitar based compositions about the yearning for something better to come along. FOTY's second big song, "St. Croix" is no "Monday Monday", though. Far from it! "St. Croix" is actually a very optimistic sounding song, both musically and lyrically. I mean, how much more friendly sounding can you get than "You bring the ocean, I'll bring the motion, together we'll make a love potion"?! Such lyrics make FOTY sound like hippies who stuck around long after the 1960's, which, as far as I'm concerned, they are. This is certainly not a bad thing, though, and it's probably the perfect song to listen to at a beach party! Too bad it came out towards the end of summer instead of the beginning.
"The Perfect Life" by Moby and Wayne Coyne: The bald headed animal rights activist, Moby, and Flaming Lips frontman, Wayne Coyne, are, undoubtedly, two of the most eccentric musicians of '90s alt-rock, so it only seems fitting that they would perform something together (I'm surprised it took them this long to think of doing a musical collaboration, personally!) What's even more bizarre than two musical bizarr-o's doing a song together, though, is the music video they made of the song!! The two musicians walk down the streets of Los Angeles in Mariachi outfits, and encounter some guy who looks like the Burger King, roller skating ghosts, and a choir of goth musicians along the way. "The Perfect Life"?! Sounds perfect to me!! The video can be viewed at http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/moby-leads-wayne-coyne-to-the-perfect-life-premiere-20130903
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
New songs for October 17th, 2012
here they are:
"Doom And Gloom" by The Rolling Stones: "A rolling stone gathers no moss", or so the saying says. Mick Jagger, on the other hand, has gathered his fair share of "moss", as even the title of his latest song, "Doom And Gloom" indicates. Mick doesn't go down without a fight on this song, though, as an army of electric guitars and passionate vocals go up against current events, and how "All (he) hear(s) is doom and gloom!" It's clear here that Mick is sick of politics (trying saying THAT ten times fast!), so he diverts from the topic in the chorus of the song, urging his listeners to "take a chance" and "dance" with him. The Stones just keep on rolling in "Doom And Gloom", and just in time for Election Day, too!
"Hero" by Family of the Year: While on the subject of classic rock musicians, Steven Tyler from Aerosmith (of all people) apparently really likes Family of the Year, so much so, that he referred to them as "The Mamas and Papas on acid"! This description is probably quite fitting for a band like Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, but does it do justice to describing Family of the Year?! Perhaps, but "Hero" sounds more like a Fleetwood Mac song to me (albeit with male vocals), nothing "acid"-like about it, just a gentle, bittersweet folk-rock song about how FOTY's lead singer doesn't want to be anyone's "hero", and how he, instead just wants to be like an everyday person. So basically, "Hero" is a song with "Landslide" style acoustic guitar picking about trying to fit in. Sounds like my kinda song!
"Now Is the Start" by A Fine Frenzy: So far, the 2010's seem to be a decade of change for Allison Sudol from the one-woman band A Fine Frenzy. She's dyed her hair blond, as opposed to the darkish shade of red it once was, and she seems to be channeling Florence more than she is Fiona (the latter of whom is a more typical influence for her) on her latest AFF song, "Now Is the Start", which also seems to have a dash of Killers influence in there. Allison's experimentation with electronic sound is definitely a departure from the average AFF song, but she seems to ease into "Now Is the Start" quite naturally, without trying too hard at any point in the song. In fact, she actually seems to be having fun with what she's doing in this song!
"Tore Down" by Wanda Jackson: Back when rock 'n' roll was young, Elvis Presley was proof that a white man could sing the blues! But what about a white WOMAN singing the blues?! Well, that would be Wanda Jackson, who was around during Elvis' era, but isn't nearly as well known! Wanda is quite convincing as a blues musician here, nailing not only the typical blues structure, but also the smoky, world weary vocals, lovelorn lyrics, and flawless transitioning from chords to guitar riffs! Even the two and a half minute length recalls blues music from the days of old. What can I say, it's always great to hear a new take on an old style!
"Doom And Gloom" by The Rolling Stones: "A rolling stone gathers no moss", or so the saying says. Mick Jagger, on the other hand, has gathered his fair share of "moss", as even the title of his latest song, "Doom And Gloom" indicates. Mick doesn't go down without a fight on this song, though, as an army of electric guitars and passionate vocals go up against current events, and how "All (he) hear(s) is doom and gloom!" It's clear here that Mick is sick of politics (trying saying THAT ten times fast!), so he diverts from the topic in the chorus of the song, urging his listeners to "take a chance" and "dance" with him. The Stones just keep on rolling in "Doom And Gloom", and just in time for Election Day, too!
"Hero" by Family of the Year: While on the subject of classic rock musicians, Steven Tyler from Aerosmith (of all people) apparently really likes Family of the Year, so much so, that he referred to them as "The Mamas and Papas on acid"! This description is probably quite fitting for a band like Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, but does it do justice to describing Family of the Year?! Perhaps, but "Hero" sounds more like a Fleetwood Mac song to me (albeit with male vocals), nothing "acid"-like about it, just a gentle, bittersweet folk-rock song about how FOTY's lead singer doesn't want to be anyone's "hero", and how he, instead just wants to be like an everyday person. So basically, "Hero" is a song with "Landslide" style acoustic guitar picking about trying to fit in. Sounds like my kinda song!
"Now Is the Start" by A Fine Frenzy: So far, the 2010's seem to be a decade of change for Allison Sudol from the one-woman band A Fine Frenzy. She's dyed her hair blond, as opposed to the darkish shade of red it once was, and she seems to be channeling Florence more than she is Fiona (the latter of whom is a more typical influence for her) on her latest AFF song, "Now Is the Start", which also seems to have a dash of Killers influence in there. Allison's experimentation with electronic sound is definitely a departure from the average AFF song, but she seems to ease into "Now Is the Start" quite naturally, without trying too hard at any point in the song. In fact, she actually seems to be having fun with what she's doing in this song!
"Tore Down" by Wanda Jackson: Back when rock 'n' roll was young, Elvis Presley was proof that a white man could sing the blues! But what about a white WOMAN singing the blues?! Well, that would be Wanda Jackson, who was around during Elvis' era, but isn't nearly as well known! Wanda is quite convincing as a blues musician here, nailing not only the typical blues structure, but also the smoky, world weary vocals, lovelorn lyrics, and flawless transitioning from chords to guitar riffs! Even the two and a half minute length recalls blues music from the days of old. What can I say, it's always great to hear a new take on an old style!
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