Hi everyone. This will be the LAST blog of the YEAR, not counting my Top 20 of 2018, which will be announced on Monday. Here are this year's final songs:
"I Know What It's Like" by Jeff Tweedy (Wilco): Much like Jeff Tweedy's debut effort without Wilco, "Summer Noon", "I Know What It's Like" has the essential material of most Wilco songs without it being Wilco. A healthy does of Dylan/Harrison styled folk-rock and country-rock twang, and lyrics that are simplistic and deep at the same time. With a yearning sound and nature centered lyrics, "I Know What It's Like" could be the unofficial "sequel" to "Summer Noon". This song works just as well in winter, though, giving Wilco fans a warm, fuzzy feeling during an icy, cold season!
"Roses And Sacrifice" by The Avett Brothers: The use of the word "sacrifice" in the title of this song makes it sound like it will be long and depressing, but it's actually anything but. It's only 2 minutes and 53 seconds long, and the "sacrifice" part of the song's title actually refers to either Seth or Scott pouring out his aching heart into song to express how much he misses a certain girl in his life. In essence, this is basically an "I miss you so much" kind of song, but the lyrics make it seem worthy of (and probably inspired by) something that Bob Dylan himself might have done.
"Salvation" by The Strumbellas: A grand comeback from one of the biggest hitmakers of 2016 (mainly for "Spirits") that sounds like it took a cue or two from Imagine Dragons?! Yeah. This is probably gonna end up being one of the biggest hits of 2019! If that's so, then the 2010's will definitely go out with a bang, thanks in no small part to The Strumbellas! Without even a week's worth of existence on the airwaves, 10 adult alt stations, and counting, have already started airing this song. There's no telling whether the meaning of "salvation" in this song is religious or if it refers to the uninhibited freedom one feels around a good friend (or boyfriend/girlfriend), but it's a relentlessly happy song that will probably get us through the increasingly dark times we've been having during the second half of this decade. Worth listening to, I say!
"Superposition" by Young the Giant: If you knew Young the Giant for their 2011/2012 smash hit, "Cough Syrup", then this might not be something you'd expect out of YTG. Unlike the accessible, arena ready sound of "Cough Syrup", "Superposition" has a more "trippy" atmosphere to it. For one thing, it uses more exotic instrumentation. I can't even figure out what the one instrument is they're playing that sounds something like an electric sitar. "Superposition" feels like a modern day psychedelic pop song, and with its spacey, philosophical lyrics, it's not hard to see why! The term "superposition" itself is actually a term associated with quantum physics. Mind blown!
"You're the One" by Greta Van Fleet: It was a head scratcher as to why a song as hard rocking as "When the Curtain Falls" got so much airplay on adult alt radio stations, as that doesn't often happen. While Greta Van Fleet's latest song, "You're the One", still sounds a bit like Led Zeppelin, it reflects the softer, folk-rock side of the band's material, which is more fit for adult alt radio stations to be playing. A few YouTube commenters have even said that it's the first GVF song they've heard that sounds like it isn't ripping off of another artist! While it's a little obvious that "You're the One" cribs from Zeppelin songs like "Thank You", "Your Time Is Gonna Come", and pretty much every acoustic Zeppelin song in the key of D major, it still sounds refreshing in comparison to most of GVF's other material. Aside from the incredibly Plant-like vocals, this song sounds like it could have been a Black Crowes song, a first for Greta Van Fleet!
Showing posts with label Greta Van Fleet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greta Van Fleet. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
New songs for August 22nd, 2018
here they are:
"Loading Zones" by Kurt Vile: Yes, this is a song about the troubles of parking cars. Kurt Vile is truly a man of mystery sometimes. I mean, how can he take such mundane subject matter and turn it into such a cool song?! No one really knows the answer that question, but Kurt definitely has the magic touch when it comes to churning out songs that sound both roots-y enough to be Bob Dylan and quirky enough to be Frank Zappa (Come to think of it, that's kinda what Tom Waits did back in the day, isn't it?!) Trouble finding a spot for your vehicle? You now have a song that's right for you!
"Mansion Door" by Shakey Graves: Shakey Graves' debut album really only yielded one adult alt radio hit with the quaint but catchy country-rocker, "Dearly Departed". With their latest album, however, they now have two more hits on their hands. Earlier this year, we heard the energetic indie-pop tune, "Kids These Days", and now we have another song that takes the indie-pop sound in a more quirky direction with "Mansion Door", which sounds a bit like a cross between Wilco and Sufjan Stevens. Like Sufjan's music, "Mansion Door" is a bundle of contradictions: sweet but somewhat loud, ordinary lyrics mixed with more cryptic ones, etc. The sentimental recurring phrase, "my one and only lonely star", fits well with its yearning sound.
"Sky Full of Song" by Florence and The Machine: This song was originally poised to be the first single from FATM's latest album, but instead, that honor went to "Hunger", which has thus far become one of the most successful songs of 2018. Will "Sky Full of Song" do the same?! Well, to answer your question, it's Florence and The Machine, so I'm pretty sure it will! Florence's songs have a thing for being haunting and somewhat poetic. If you thought "Hunger" fit this description, "Sky Full of Song" seems to fit it even more! From the mysterious opening, defined by both thumping bass and lush orchestration, to its passionate vocals, and its profound lyrics ("I can't hide from the thunder in a sky full of song"), "Sky Full of Song" has the potential to be yet another gem in the Florence and The Machine catalog!
"When the Curtain Falls" by Greta Van Fleet: No, this is not a long lost Led Zeppelin song, in spite of how it might sound both instrumentally AND vocally. Greta Van Fleet have become known for pretty much CHANNELING Led Zeppelin in the few years they've been around so far, and they continue to prove this with "When the Curtain Falls". I'm a bit surprised that so many adult alt radio stations have now latched onto this song, given how they could have easily gone for the more folk-y "Flower Power" when they had the chance (but didn't), but the fact is, they have. In particular, "When the Curtain Falls" seems to draw heavily from one of Led Zeppelin's hardest rocking songs, "The Wanton Song", as both are in G major, and both just sneak up on you from behind when you first listen to them. In case you think GVF are a Zeppelin ripoff, you might wanna take note that they have, in fact, received the Robert Plant stamp of approval. Apparently, the Zeppelin frontman thinks they are one of the best new bands out there!
"Woman" by Cat Power and Lana Del Rey: Two women doing a song CALLED "Woman". What to think of that?! Well, given how the women in question are Cat Power and Lana Del Rey, count me in! Cat Power is no stranger to acoustic guitar, which dominates this song, but it's probably the first time that Lana Del Rey has dabbled in folk-rock, and I must say it suits her well! Lyrically, the song is a bit like Courtney Barnett's "Charity" from earlier this year, only more melancholy than angry. Both songs are about women who are mistreated and have suffered far too long from verbal abuse in their relationships. While I am not female, I would consider myself feminist, and I consider this song to be a gentle but still very convincing feminist anthem for the late 2010's.
"Loading Zones" by Kurt Vile: Yes, this is a song about the troubles of parking cars. Kurt Vile is truly a man of mystery sometimes. I mean, how can he take such mundane subject matter and turn it into such a cool song?! No one really knows the answer that question, but Kurt definitely has the magic touch when it comes to churning out songs that sound both roots-y enough to be Bob Dylan and quirky enough to be Frank Zappa (Come to think of it, that's kinda what Tom Waits did back in the day, isn't it?!) Trouble finding a spot for your vehicle? You now have a song that's right for you!
"Mansion Door" by Shakey Graves: Shakey Graves' debut album really only yielded one adult alt radio hit with the quaint but catchy country-rocker, "Dearly Departed". With their latest album, however, they now have two more hits on their hands. Earlier this year, we heard the energetic indie-pop tune, "Kids These Days", and now we have another song that takes the indie-pop sound in a more quirky direction with "Mansion Door", which sounds a bit like a cross between Wilco and Sufjan Stevens. Like Sufjan's music, "Mansion Door" is a bundle of contradictions: sweet but somewhat loud, ordinary lyrics mixed with more cryptic ones, etc. The sentimental recurring phrase, "my one and only lonely star", fits well with its yearning sound.
"Sky Full of Song" by Florence and The Machine: This song was originally poised to be the first single from FATM's latest album, but instead, that honor went to "Hunger", which has thus far become one of the most successful songs of 2018. Will "Sky Full of Song" do the same?! Well, to answer your question, it's Florence and The Machine, so I'm pretty sure it will! Florence's songs have a thing for being haunting and somewhat poetic. If you thought "Hunger" fit this description, "Sky Full of Song" seems to fit it even more! From the mysterious opening, defined by both thumping bass and lush orchestration, to its passionate vocals, and its profound lyrics ("I can't hide from the thunder in a sky full of song"), "Sky Full of Song" has the potential to be yet another gem in the Florence and The Machine catalog!
"When the Curtain Falls" by Greta Van Fleet: No, this is not a long lost Led Zeppelin song, in spite of how it might sound both instrumentally AND vocally. Greta Van Fleet have become known for pretty much CHANNELING Led Zeppelin in the few years they've been around so far, and they continue to prove this with "When the Curtain Falls". I'm a bit surprised that so many adult alt radio stations have now latched onto this song, given how they could have easily gone for the more folk-y "Flower Power" when they had the chance (but didn't), but the fact is, they have. In particular, "When the Curtain Falls" seems to draw heavily from one of Led Zeppelin's hardest rocking songs, "The Wanton Song", as both are in G major, and both just sneak up on you from behind when you first listen to them. In case you think GVF are a Zeppelin ripoff, you might wanna take note that they have, in fact, received the Robert Plant stamp of approval. Apparently, the Zeppelin frontman thinks they are one of the best new bands out there!
"Woman" by Cat Power and Lana Del Rey: Two women doing a song CALLED "Woman". What to think of that?! Well, given how the women in question are Cat Power and Lana Del Rey, count me in! Cat Power is no stranger to acoustic guitar, which dominates this song, but it's probably the first time that Lana Del Rey has dabbled in folk-rock, and I must say it suits her well! Lyrically, the song is a bit like Courtney Barnett's "Charity" from earlier this year, only more melancholy than angry. Both songs are about women who are mistreated and have suffered far too long from verbal abuse in their relationships. While I am not female, I would consider myself feminist, and I consider this song to be a gentle but still very convincing feminist anthem for the late 2010's.
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