New songs for July 28th 2021

 "Can You Handle My Love?" by Walk the Moon: In Walk the Moon's slow but steady progression from pop/rock to something that more closely resembles pure pop, one thing that has always remained consistent in their material is their ability to be insanely catchy! "Anna Sun" and "Shut Up and Dance" were both major earworms for WTM, and "Can You Handle My Love?" aims to continue in that direction! Though not as guitar-centric as either of the other two songs, "Can You Handle My Love?" seems like it's sure to be one of the central feel-good hit songs of summer 2021! It's a fun, get-up-and-dance song! The line "I've got a crush on you, and it's not just physical" will probably endear many who have already become attracted to Nicholas Petricca to develop an even deeper celebrity crush on him!

"Phoenix" by Big Red Machine (featuring Fleet Foxes and Anais Mitchell): Imagine The National, Bon Iver, and Fleet Foxes combining to record a single song. Well, that's exactly what's happening here! (Big Red Machine are comprised of members of The National and Bon Iver) This is pretty much any indie-folk fan's dream come true! Their song "Phoenix" is also a very dreamy sounding song. Far from being fiery like the song's titular mythological bird, "Phoenix" is instead a cool and soothing song! It was inspired at least in part by The Band's concert film, The Last Waltz, and the song's bittersweet flavor does seem to take significant influence from that film. The word "phoenix" is not mentioned anywhere in the song, but the line "you were making my heart change shape" is a recurring one that can be compared to the metamorphic nature of the phoenix.

"Run Run Run" by Kurt Vile: Who better to cover Lou Reed than the equally sardonic and apathetic Kurt Vile?! That's exactly what Kurt does here with the Velvets' song, "Run Run Run" on an album that was recently released in tribute to The Velvet Underground's debut album. "Run Run Run" was one of the more straightforwardly hard-rocking songs on The Velvet Underground and Nico, along with "I'm Waiting for the Man," both of which had a "chugging" rhythm in the key of D major, and both of which were seedy songs about scoring drugs from dealers. Though not the unforgettable combo of beautiful and scary songs like "Heroin" and "Venus in Furs" were, "Run Run Run" was not a bad song on the album, though it is probably one of my least favorites from the album simply because it didn't stand out in the way that most of the other songs did. Still, Kurt Vile does Lou Reed's grimy, unapologetically brash tale of urban poetry justice here. 

"Stay High" by Childish Gambino: Here is yet another cover song! Although this one is a cover of a song that came out just two years ago that was originally done by Brittany Howard from Alabama Shakes. Donald Glover, known in the music biz as "Childish Gambino," was someone I was first introduced to via the quirky NBC sitcom, Community. In it, Glover played Troy, the easygoing and slightly goofy best friend of pop culture nerd, Abed, and became one of my favorite characters on the show. Little did I know at the time, though, that acting was not Glover's only talent. He is also a stellar singer and performer who combines hip-hop, soul, rock, jazz, and a myriad of other genres into his own unique style, perhaps best known currently for his scathing yet compelling political indictment, "This Is America." His cover of Brittany Howard's "Stay High," which itself was a genre buster that mixed folk, soul, and rock, puts a bit more of a hip-hop and techno influence on Howard's composition, but otherwise matches the original perfectly! The key, the mellowness of the song, and even Glover's vocals all manage to emulate the original "Stay High" quite well, yet he still manages to make the song all his own here! 

New songs for February 17th, 2021

 here they are:


"Close to You" by Dayglow: Dayglow's fall/winter smash hit, "Can I Call You Tonight?" soared up the alt and adult charts and went on to be one of the most memorable, catchy, and recognizable songs of the past few months! Their second hit, "Close to You," seems like it might have a similar impact on the alt and adult alt radio charts. However, there are a few things that make "Close to You" noticeably different than "Can I Call You Tonight?" First, there's the fact that, where "Can I Call You Tonight?" used cleanly distorted echo-y guitars in the background, "Close to You" seems to use no guitars at all and instead relies entirely upon synth as its lead instrument. Those who are more observant might also notice that "Close to You" uses a mostly minor key melody, in contrast with the happy, upbeat major key that "Can I Call You Tonight?" used. "Close to You" is still plenty upbeat, though, and as perfect for the dance floor as it is for your bedroom!

"Hypotheticals" by Lake Street Dive: Taking a step back from the "retro-soul" sound that Lake Street Dive have become known for, their latest song, "Hypotheticals," sounds a bit closer to contemporary R & B, as if someone like Pharrell Williams or Beyonce could have recorded it (albeit with noticeably more guitar in the background). Even the solo of the song is synth based, as opposed to being based around guitar or sax. The "hypothetical" being discussed in the song, by the way, is that of long distance relationships. Rachael Price contemplates the age-old question of whether she should stay or she should go in the song's lyrics. Sigh...I can relate. 

"Low" by Chet Faker: Obviously, "Chet Faker" is not the real name of this song's performer. It is actually Nick Murphy, a name he used temporarily after his first big hit, "Gold," from 2014. Nick reverted to using his given name afterwards...until now, that is. I have no idea what Nick's recordings were like under his given name, but under the Chet Faker alias, they all seem to have an element of electro-pop. His latest song, "Low," is no different. "Low" was actually released back in October of last year, when hope for the pandemic to be eradicated wasn't as big as it has gotten today, so a lot of the lyrics relate to that. This is why, in the context of the song, he is feeling "low," but he still encourages his listeners to find peace among the chaos. Nick, it looks like your wish is slowly but surely coming true!

"Sunblind" by Fleet Foxes: Fitting to its title, "Sunblind" sounds like a very sunny, summery song. However, if you listen closely, its lyrics tell a sadder story. Many names are mentioned within the song, and all those names are the names of dead musicians. All the names listed are probably too numerous to mention here, but among those mentioned, in order of appearance in the song, are folk-rocker John Prine, soul musician Bill Withers, tragic indie-folk poet Elliott Smith, soul musician Curtis Mayfield (could also be Ian Curtis from post-punk group, Joy Division), classic rock legend Jimi Hendrix, fellow classic rock legend David Bowie, tragically short-lived folk-rocker Nick Drake, soul musician Otis Redding, alterna-folk hero Jeff Buckley, power pop-ster Chris Bell from Big Star, soul legend Marvin Gaye, and even innovative rap-rocker Adam Yauch from The Beastie Boys. This entire REVIEW for the song has been those musicians! But I did not mention them here merely as a list. They are also being mentioned for their contributions to rock and pop music, and for being meaningful enough to Robin Peckold's life for him to sing about them in sweet, poignant tribute like no other song before or since! (Well, except maybe Don McLean's "American Pie" - that was a pretty moving tribute too!)

"Two" by Flock of Dimes: Perhaps some might think that A Flock of Seagulls sounds more significant than a Flock of Dimes. After all, the former conjures up majestic imagery of birds flying gracefully over the sea, where the latter evokes more mundane imagery of someone dropping ten-cent coins on the floor of the laundry room. But make no mistake! Flock of Dimes, as a band, are more majestic and poetic than their name suggests they might be! They are actually the side project of Jenn Wasner from indie-pop group, Wye Oak. Like most of the entries on this week's list, Flock of Dimes' "Two" is a synthpop song. It is an ethereal, bittersweet song in which Jenn Wasner hopes to form a "union" of sorts with the object of her affections. Her vocals alone always seem to quaver with yearning, and with "Two," it's no exception. 

New songs for September 30th, 2020

 here they are:


"Can I Believe You?" by Fleet Foxes: Indie-folk sensations, Fleet Foxes, have switched gears from cynical to hopeful, at least for now. I'm skeptical as to how long their optimism will truly last during this troubled time, but part of the reason for this was because of the sour disposition that colored the outlook of their 2017 album, which was particularly noticeable on their song, "Fool's Errand." A title like "Can I Believe You?" also seems like it would promote skepticism, but during the final part of the song, lead singer Robin Pecknold makes it clear that he WANTS to believe the subject of the song, whoever or whatever that may be. Pecknold has jokingly referred to this song as the "headbanger" of his latest album. Unless you consider groups like The Shins to be heavy metal (which I highly doubt), there's nothing "headbanging" at all about this song. However, it is noticeably more lively and less sparse than most Fleet Foxes songs.

"Can I Call You Tonight?" by Dayglow: Yet another "Can I?" song. Is there a theme here somewhere?! Anyway, there is nothing that really distinguishes this song from other pop-influenced indie and alt tunes from the past 10-ish years, but it does manage to be catchy. Sloan Struble (who is, himself, "Dayglow") croons whisper-y messages over a guitar/drums/synth combo that bears a striking resemblance to groups like Tame Impala, whom Struble claims is one of his main influences in this song, along with Michael Jackson. Other than the fact that this is a danceable pop music tune, I don't quite see the resemblance to MJ, but if you're part of the TikTok generation, it is probably worth listening to, as that was the main source through which "Can I Call You Tonight?" gained popularity. 

"Hollow" by Belle Mt.: Ever since the advent of acts like Imagine Dragons and Avicii circa the mid-2010's, the combo of acoustic guitar and dance/pop influence seems to have gained popularity. In the 2020's, at least the early part of the decade, this combo shows no signs of slowing down. "Hollow" by Belle Mt. is exactly that - a song centered around acoustic guitar and synthetic rhythms. As one might be able to guess from the lyrics, or perhaps just the title by itself, "Hollow" is about Matt Belmont (a.k.a. "Belle Mt.")'s relationship with a girl that he later regretted getting into. The lyrics are somewhat creative regarding this rather typical topic, especially "Lonely is her favorite place to be" during the chorus, but otherwise there's something about "Hollow" that seems...well...hollow! Music these days seems rather melancholy without a lot of substance to it, and this song is evidence of that. Not a bad one, though.

"How Lucky" by Kurt Vile (featuring John Prine): The cynical yet clever indie-folk musician, Kurt Vile, reveals here how he probably got that whole persona in his music in the first place - from John Prine, the recently deceased folk-rock and country-rock musician whose attitude and lyrics often smacked of a clever sense of cynicism and sarcasm ("Illegal Smile" and "In Spite of Ourselves" are both great examples of this.) "How Lucky" was actually originally Prine's song, which Kurt is covering here. Lyrically, the song is sort of like The Beatles' "In My Life" if the lyrics were being questioned by a skeptic. It invokes a sense of both nostalgia and realism. How lucky can one man get? Very lucky, apparently, as Kurt Vile pays tribute to a musician who was both cool enough for punks and mellow enough for hippies (much as Kurt himself has become today)!

"The Great Divide" by The Shins: This song might be a bit more electronica influenced than Shins fans are used to, but lead singer James Mercer is no stranger to the genre, which he experimented with on his side project, Broken Bells. Lyrically, it is one of an ever expanding lineup of songs that attempt to provide its audience with comfort during hard times. The song has an almost New Age-y vibe with lines like, "Now an age has come out of the loneliness." "The Great Divide" might have a negative sounding title with its use of the word "divide", but it aims to invoke emotions that are anything but negative. 

New songs for June 21st, 2017

here they are:


"Fool's Errand" by Fleet Foxes: Look up the phrase "fool's errand" online or in a dictionary and your answer will be, "a task with no hope or success". The Fleet Foxes song, "Fool's Errand", is NOT a fool's errand! Like many of Fleet Foxes' songs, "Fool's Errand" contains plenty of effort and emotion. For those who were a little miffed by the prog-rock-ish direction that Fleet Foxes took earlier this year with "Third of May", "Fool's Errand" might be a little easier to stomach, since it's more of a straight folk-rock song with no out of place meanderings in the middle. The "fool's errand" mentioned in the song, thankfully, is not the song itself, but a failed relationship, which is common subject matter in Fleet Foxes' songs, along with mysterious but alluring allegorical themes. Perhaps if I listen to this song more, I'll catch a hidden allegorical meaning(s) within it, but my first impression of this song is that it's already a good one!


"Golden Dandelions" by Barns Courtney: Barns Courtney blazed the alt and adult charts last spring and summer with his steamy, blues-y mega-hit, "Fire". This summer, he's already back with a new song, "Golden Dandelions". The hollow but catchy drumbeats that made "Fire" (and its followup hit, "Glitter And Gold") such a big hit are also present on "Golden Dandelions". A big difference between "Golden Dandelions" and Barns Courtney's previous songs is that it seems to want to sound more like a bright, energetic pop song, but even with that, "Golden Dandelions" still manages to win me over because it just sounds so unique! Plus, who wouldn't think of lyrics like "lay me down in golden dandelions" as being so full of vivid, poetic imagery?!


"The Man" by The Killers: The Killers release their first album in 4 years and we get...ummm...something that sounds like a cross between Daft Punk's "Da Funk" and The Who's "Eminence Front"?! Huh?!? How'd THIS happen?! Well, as weird as this description might sound, Brandon Flowers and co actually manage to make this song work in a way that only they can! So who is "the man", you might be wondering?! The answer is Brandon Flowers himself! However, no one is really sure if he's saying this because he has such a big ego (which I don't think he does, really) or because he's making fun of himself. The Killers' debut album from 2004 was actually filled with disco-meets-rock songs, so "The Man" actually sounds like an old Killers song instead of a new one! For those expecting the grandiose Springsteen/U2 type sound that The Killers had after their debut, you may be disappointed. For everyone else, Brandon Flowers really IS "the man"!

New songs for March 15th 2017

here they are:


"Don't Leave Me Here" by Taj Mahal and Keb' Mo': Two bluesmen, and one epic performance! Taj Mahal has been performing blues music since the 1960's and Keb' has done the same since the '90s. As has long been tradition in the blues, various locations of the U.S. are mentioned throughout the song. Taj and Keb' warn the listeners of the song that "if (they're) going to Mississippi, where the Delta sky is sweet and clear", that they should at least consider not leaving the singers in Chicago, since they are currently stuck there. This song boasts the trick up the blues musicians' sleeves in which they are able to turn sad subject matter into a soulful, toe tappin' tune!


"Face Like Thunder" by The Japanese House: Don't be fooled by the name of this band. There is absolutely nothing Japanese about them, though they probably have at least a few fans who actually are Japanese. Actually, The Japanese House is not even a "they", but one person, 21-year-old Amber Bain from London, England. Her sound is a dreamy, ethereal one which manages to combine "Hejira" era Joni Mitchell with the first few solo records of Annie Lennox. The lyrics, about someone who has a "face like thunder", are almost as alluring and exotic as the music itself. Amber sounds wise far beyond her years in this song. Hard to believe she's only 21!


"Third of May" by Fleet Foxes: It has actually been about 6 years since Fleet Foxes last released a new album. Between 2008 and 2011, they were on a pretty steady roll, but all of the members except for Josh "Father John Misty" Tillman seemed to disappear from the music world after that. This song is pretty much packed with everything Fleet Foxes fans tend to love about the band, so "Third of May" will definitely be hailed as a great "comeback" song within the coming weeks, if not sooner. Instrumentally, it is a beautiful song with folk-rock instrumentation and feedback that sounds more like echoes in a canyon than it does electronic static. It also wins in the lyrical department, at least as far as Fleet Foxes songs are concerned, with its nature related imagery serving as the surface words of a song about some sort of internal struggle between the sacred and the profane. Well, truth be told, this is really more like the first three and a half minutes of the song. After that it turns into a song that sounds like one The Moody Blues might have done had they still been together today. Yes, that's right, a prog-rock Fleet Foxes song! That's a first, specifically of the songs that the band has marketed to adult alt radio stations. It is soft prog-rock, but prog-rock nonetheless, as it meanders into more experimental territory after the first few minutes. This section of the song even has another name, "Odaigahara" (don't ask me to pronounce that, 'cause I haven't a clue). Well at least the the first couple minutes are fun to listen to!


"3WW" by alt-J: How nerdy is alt-J?! Well, they not only named themselves after the computer command for the "delta" symbol, but just take a look at how they came up with the title to this song! To start with, March 3rd (3-3) was when the band first had a tiny section of the song available online, they released the full song 3 days after that, and in 3 months and 3 days from now, the whole album will be released! Perhaps these guys have listened to the old "Schoolhouse Rock" tune, "3 Is A Magic Number", one too many times (three too many times)?! Yet, in spite of all these quirky qualities (or perhaps because of them), alt-J have still managed to score some of the biggest alt/indie hits of the 2010's, like "Breezeblocks" (which is about famed children's book, "Where the Wild Things Are"), and "Left Hand Free". "3WW" itself is actually the calmest song I have heard so far in alt-J's catalog. It is largely acoustic guitar, piano, vocals, and a string section in the background, and not much more. It's not often alt-J release acoustic guitar songs, but I must say that they're pretty good at it! Hope to hear more like this from them in the near future!

New songs for May 23rd, 2012

here they are:


"Everybody's Talkin'" by The Tedeschi-Trucks Band: Didn't think Miss Tedeschi was gonna cover Harry Nilsson, but apparently she has now!! This being The Tedeschi-Trucks Band, though, it doesn't have the winsome, folk-y sound of the Nilsson version, but rather, a raw, blues-y, earthy one that suggests a cross between Creedence Clearwater Revival and Wilson Pickett. Personally, I'm a sucker for the bittersweet vibe of the Nilsson version, but Tedeschi and Trucks do it justice nonetheless. For their first attempt (that I know of) for a cover song, The TTB deliver a performance that gives a shiny new direction for a beloved old favorite!


"Heartbeat" by Jjamz: Ummmm...how do you PRONOUNCE the name of this band?! The first two letters are two "J"s, of which there is no such word in the English language. A website I went on said the pronunciation was "Juh-JAMZ", as though the pronunciation requires intentional "stuttering" on the first letter. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, on with the song! According to the comments I've read about this song so far, it is apparently a favorite of pop sensation Katy Perry. Though I could ordinarily care less about what Katy Perry thinks, I can see why she likes this song. It has that sort of new-wave-y 1980's groove she likes to put in her songs from time to time. From the detached vibe of "Heartbeats", though, as well as the electric guitar solo in the middle of the song, I would say the song is more alt-pop than just plain old pop, which typically earns a song extra bonus points for me. The name of this band fits it well considering how danceable this song is.


"I'm Writing A Novel" by Father John Misty: No, despite how a moniker like "Father John Misty" might sound, you're not hearing a song from some old blues or country musician who suddenly decided to make a comeback. As a matter of fact, Father John Misty is actually the alias of Fleet Foxes' ex-drummer Josh Tillman. "I'm Writing A Novel" is one of the more interesting songs for this week, as far as I'm concerned. The lyrics seem rather stream-of-consciousness ("I'm not no doctor, but that monkey might be right", and "That Canadian shaman gave a little too much to me" provide a couple examples of how random the lyrics get for this song!), and the way Father John combines acoustic guitar with a catchy beat and organ sound that wouldn't sound too out of place in a Monkees song results in quite a memorable sound for this song! Fleet Foxes were known for having a sound that paid homage to the more somber sounding folk-rock bands of the '60s and early '70s, so it only makes sense that their drummer would do a song with a similar sound. As much as I love Fleet Foxes, though, I have to admit that "I'm Writing A Novel" is a far catchier song than anything Father John did with the band!


"Rosalee" by The Chris Robinson Brotherhood: In yet another example of a rock 'n' roll time warp, the lead singer of The Black Crowes sets the dials back to the mid-1970's, with a jam band anthem that heavily recalls "Franklin's Tower" by The Grateful Dead. Even the lyrics to the song (i.e. "Is the air getting thinner, are we getting high?") would seem rather fitting for a Grateful Dead song and/or concert. Like the typical Dead song, "Rosalee" is a mellow song with complex guitar work. Even as I pictured a "music video" to this song in my head, it was of Chris Robinson and his band performing in front of a crowd at Woodstock! Woodstock was a one-time-only event, though. Perhaps Coachella isn't too far off in The Chris Robinson Brotherhood's future, though. If blues-rocker Gary Clark, Jr. got to perform there earlier this year, I don't see why Chris Robinson couldn't be next in line!


"Some Nights" by fun.: Fans of fun. who are also followers of my blog might have noticed that I skipped out on their biggest hit so far, "We Are Young", when it came out. To me, "We Are Young" had too much pop and not enough alt! It sounded like the sort of song that might be featured in a cheesy '80s teen flick. Thankfully, fun.'s latest song, "Some Nights" has sought to correct this! One of fun.'s biggest influences is Queen, and the influence of Queen is illustrated quite well in "Some Nights". The opening vocal section sounds a little like the opening vocal sections of "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Fat Bottomed Girls", among others, and the contrast between "Some Nights"' overall pop music sound and its crunchy hard-rock electric guitars also seem like typical Queen. "Some Nights" comes off like Queen trying to cover Simon and Garfunkel's "Cecilia" (especially during the chorus). The marching band drums of "Some Nights" also manage to make this song fun (just like the name of the band!)


"The Boxer" by Mumford and Sons (featuring Paul Simon and Jerry Douglas): Was waiting for quite awhile for Mumford and Sons to come out with a newbie, and I finally got my wish! Well, MORE than that, actually!! I also got the Celtic influenced folk-rock sensations covering a Simon and Garfunkel song, WITH Paul Simon backing them up! I always thought Mumford and Sons were a little like a modern-day Simon and Garfunkel, and I guess from this version of the folk-rock classic, my comparison wasn't too far off. This version has a bit more orchestration behind it than the original, and its played at one fret above that version, but other than that, it stays quite faithful to S & G's version. I'm quite impressed. Never thought a cover song would be my fave new release of any week, but for the first time, this appears to be so, and I couldn't be happier!!

It's my first Blog-i-versary!!! (kind of)

I first started this blog on February 11th of last year (but that's not a Wednesday), so today I'm celebrating my first blog-i-versary!!! With 8 cool new tracks to review, too! So here they are:

"Helplessness Blues" by Fleet Foxes: I love how nostalgic and simply beautiful Fleet Foxes' music sounds. "White Winter Hymnal" has a very dreamy sound, and "Mykonos" has remarkably similar chord structure to The Mamas and Papas' "California Dreamin'", another personal fave of mine. That being said, I was pretty excited to hear Fleet Foxes released a new track this year!! "Helplessness Blues", once again, evokes the same dreamy, nostalgic qualities that most of their songs tend to. It almost sounds like it uses the same tuning as Joni Mitchell's "You Turn Me On I'm A Radio", and the mood of the song even seems somewhat Joni-like (and Dylanesque). Fleet Foxes have once again managed to win my heart over, and I hope they continue to do so!!

"Let the Light In" by Bob Schneider: Bob Schneider has been around for longer on the music scene than most people probably think he has been (since around 2003). It wasn't until 2009, though, that he started getting attention with songs like the marvelous, enchanting indie-pop/adult alt fave "40 Dogs (Like Romeo and Juliet)" and the more subdued, somewhat Dave Matthews-ish "The Bringdown". I guess adult alt radio liked Schneider enough that they've decided to give him another chance. "Let the Light In", amazingly, lives up to its title. It's not bittersweet like "40 Dogs" or melancholy like "The Bringdown", but instead is a rather happy song, with sunny synths and exciting xylophones to set the mood! I wasn't sure whether to expect indie-pop or folk-pop with "Let the Light In", as Schneider has been known to do both, but this song meets somewhere in between, and I think I like that!

"Me Me Me" by Middle Brother: Imagine what it would be like if alumni from three somewhat roots-y indie rock groups (Delta Spirit, Deer Tick, and Dawes) formed into one supergroup and somehow landed a guest spot on "Happy Days". What would that be like?!? Well, wonder no more, for Middle Brother is a supergroup comprised of members of all three of the bands I just mentioned, and their first big hit (among the indie/adult alt crowds), "Me Me Me", sounds more like a song you'd expect to hear from Elvis Presley or Jerry Lee Lewis (albeit with a "fuzz" guitar solo in the middle) than you would from three bands who typically bear more similarity to acts like Bright Eyes, Wilco, and My Morning Jacket. It's a darn catchy tune that I would definitely like to hear more of for at least the late winter/Spring season!! Between the rockin' boogie vibe of this song and the Joni Mitchell-esque folk-rock of "Helplessness Blues" I can't decide which is my fave pick of the week!!

"Poison And Wine" by The Civil Wars: A bit of a late review here, but please bear with me. This song could easily be called "Falling Slowly - redux". It's a melancholy folk-rock tune that features a duet between a guy and a girl (though unlike Glen and Marketa, of "Falling Slowly" fame, I don't think The Civil Wars are Irish). "Poison and Wine" definitely seems like it was intended to be a tearjerker, yet I only get that emotion from the song about halfway. I guess "Falling Slowly" had such an authentically emotional grip on me that I didn't expect any song or band to try and copy it, yet lo and behold, The Civil Wars' "Poison and Wine" shows up about four years later! Perhaps I shouldn't care too much if one song is copying (intentionally or not) another, as I do typically love songs like "Poison and Wine"!

"The Roller" by Beady Eye: Hmmmm....who's "Beady Eye"?!? This sounds more like an Oasis tune. That's because, technically, this IS an Oasis tune. Beady Eye is the side project of one of the Gallagher brothers (though I forget which one at the moment), and "The Roller" really doesn't sound too different at all from the typical Oasis song. Oasis are one of my fave bands, though, so no problem here! The jaunty, toe-tapping feel of "The Roller" also helps to give it a little bit of flavor and distinction from most Oasis tunes (besides "Lyla" which had practically the same rhythm).

"Too Dramatic" by Ra Ra Riot: Ra Ra Riot's follow-up to "Boy" sounds like...well..."Boy". But it's still worth reviewing because it's a tune that's been catchy enough to get stuck in my head! And plus you gotta love a band who combines the reggae-tinged new wave sound of The Police with the "orchestral rock" vibes of groups like Arcade Fire! Perhaps one advantage "Too Dramatic" has over "Boy" is that the guitar seems to be used throughout the song (though "Boy" had a much more distinct guitar solo), and, since I play guitar, this does make a difference for me.

"When I'm Alone" by Lissie: Between this song and Lissie's previous hit, "In Sleep", I'm pretty convinced that Lissie is on her way to becoming the indie world's answer to Alanis Morissette! Both songs manage to combine a pop-y melody with minor key chords and world-weary, frustrated lyrics. "When I'm Alone" is a bit more of an intense tune than "In Sleep", though, I think, not only because of its more frenzied rhythm, but also because of the rushed way she delivers the lyrics in the verses, almost as though out of desperation. "When I'm Alone" uses a rhythmic technique that isn't really that common in pop/rock music these days, and the way Lissie manages to keep steady vocal patterns in the chorus over its frenetic instrumentation makes it all the more worth listening to!

"World Gone Crazy" by The Doobie Brothers: Back in the summer of last year, an updated version of The Doobies' 1972 song "Nobody" started (surprisingly) hitting the adult alt airwaves and (even MORE surprisingly) hit the Top 20 of the adult alt charts somewhere around mid-fall of last year. What made "Nobody" such a cool song was that it sounded like a vintage Doobie Brothers tune (the kind you'd be likely to hear on a classic rock station, not the Michael McDonald era Doobies). "World Gone Crazy" doesn't quite have the same vibe. It sounds a bit more like an updated version of an Eagles song (only more sax heavy). It does have two saving graces, though. First off, it's a catchy tune (I can't say that about too many of the Michael McDonald songs, save for possibly "Takin' It to the Streets"), but the best part is that the lead vocalist was the one who sang on all the pre-McDonald tracks (I forget his name, but I like him MUCH better than McDonald).