New songs for April 7th, 2021

 here they are:


"Better" by Michigander: "Better" marks a few turning points for indie-pop/rock newcomers, Michigander. For one, at almost 5 minutes, it's Michigander's longest song to date to become an adult alt radio hit. For another, the instrumentation on "Better" has more of a swelling "arena alternative" sound a la The Killers, The War on Drugs, The National, etc. than the songs Michigander did beforehand. Perhaps most striking of all, though, is just how personal this song is! There is no doubt that the recent coronavirus pandemic has impacted musicians of all stripes, and "Better" is one of a growing number of songs to reflect on that subject. The title alone, "Better," is a statement of optimism from Michigander, albeit a cautious and bittersweet kind of optimism that acknowledges the pain we've all suffered as a result of drastic changes and sudden deaths. 

"Evergreen" by Bendigo Fletcher: Kentucky alt-country group, Bendigo Fletcher, have been around for a few years now, but they appear to have ditched the country and folk influences of their earlier material here in favor of a more crunchy yet still melodic psychedelic rock sound. Though their song's title is "Evergreen," a plant known for its willingness to adapt through hard times, the song itself reflects on just how hard it has been for the members to adapt to new ways of life. The song was written a little over 5 years ago, but the band members contend that because of how hard it's been to get used to our new decade-to-be's harsh and startling way of life that it's even more relevant now than it was then. The song is all about anxiety, and the grappling between hopes for the future and more grim yet realistic expectations of how life will probably turn out to be. 

"Heatwave" by Julien Baker: A rarity in this day and age, Julien Baker doesn't hide anything in her music! She tells it like it is! On her last adult alt radio hit, "Faith Healer," she candidly and poignantly discussed her struggles with drug addiction. "Heatwave" addresses the even more troubling subject of suicide, albeit not directly. Instead, hints are given within the lyrics, such as, "Nothing to lose 'till everything's really gone/It's worse than death, that life," as well as the recurring line, "On a long spiral down before I make it to the ground." She is not advocating suicide in this song, but nor is she saying that it's a bad choice for the individual who choose to do so. Instead, she has chosen to sympathize and empathize with people who have suicidal thoughts and offer herself as a shoulder to cry on.

"Spirit" by Judah and The Lion: Judah and The Lion have been a popular indie-pop act for quite some time now, yet it hasn't been until now that I've really delved into their material. Judah and The Lion, from what little I've heard of their material, seem to be to the later 2010's what Mumford and Sons were to the earlier part of the decade: an indie-folk/pop group known for their use of banjo. The song is yet another attempting to offer hope and strength during otherwise difficult times, though I find it to be a bit more gimmicky than some of the others on this list for its heavy use of promotion on Disney+'s reboot of "The Mighty Ducks," a show about a fictional sports team. Oh well, still a good song nonetheless, though I think it could do without the whole "emotional moment during a sports game" ploy. 

Holidays Rule Volume 2 songs!!

The sequel to 2012's indie holiday extravaganza, "Holidays Rule", has arrived! And I've got 6 songs to review from it, so here goes!


"Baby It's Cold Outside" by Barns Courtney: There's a certain roots-y, earthy, soulful quality to pretty much all the songs Barns Courtney has put out so far (especially his first and biggest hit, "Fire"). His rendition of the lyrically questionable but musically fun Christmas tune, "Baby It's Cold Outside", attempts to inject some soulfulness, but ends up sounding more like a 2010's alt-pop song with a hip-hop beat. It starts off sounding like an old jazz standard, but as soon as the percussion comes in, it becomes a whole different song. And yes, as with all versions of this oddly charming holiday song, there is a female vocalist in here as well, and her name is Lennon Stella, best known as one half of the country-pop internet sensations, Lennon and Maisy.


"I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas" by Lake Street Dive: Undoubtedly one of the goofiest Christmas songs of all time, soul/blues-rock combo, Lake Street Dive, add a Latin twist to this song, making it stand out even more among holiday songs than it already did! This is the first time Lake Street Dive have sounded more like rhumba than R & B, but they do a good job at it! With a "shaka-laka" percussion section and sultry horn section, I can guarantee that a song about hoping for hippos on the holidays has never sounded more unique than this one! Make no mistake. Rachael Price does NOT want crocodiles or rhinoceroses, she only wants hippopotamuses. Nothing wrong with that, right?!


"Jesus Christ" by The Decemberists: Unless you're a big fan of Big Star, who are probably the only "proto-alternative" band besides The Velvet Underground to gain a large cult following among alternative rock fans despite having zero chart success, you might not know the original version of this song, an unusually reverent song for a somewhat irreverent and quirky band. It only makes sense, then, that The Decemberists, who are quirky, irreverent, and have a huge cult following themselves, would cover Big Star's "Jesus Christ", the only Christmas song that Big Star ever did. Like Joni Mitchell's "River", "Jesus Christ" might not have been intended to be a Christmas song, but has been viewed as one anyway ever since its release. This version stays faithful (no pun intended) to the original until its solo, which uses guitars in place of the sax solo on the original. As a side note, "Jesus Christ" might have also been the only Big Star song to use a saxophone. Most of the others I've heard by them don't use that instrument.


"Pipes of Peace" by Muna: Yet another cover of a modern Christmas song, as opposed to a "traditional" one. Many people know (and are sometimes somewhat averse to) Paul McCartney's uber-happy "Wonderful Christmastime". They might not know that Sir Paul also released a quieter, more reflective Christmas song in 1983 called "Pipes of Peace". This is that song, performed by indie-pop group, Muna. Muna seem to have a thing for middle-of-the-road classic rock, as they have also covered Stevie Nicks' "Edge of Seventeen" and U2's "With Or Without You" in concert, which is interesting considering how Muna sound more influenced by electronica than they do rock. Muna maintain the quietness and reflectiveness of the original, molding a bittersweet holiday rock song into an equally bittersweet holiday indie song.


"The Christmas Song" by Judah and The Lion: Not since Mumford and Sons has there been an indie-pop band known for playing banjo. Judah and The Lion typically take it one step further than Mumford and Sons by using a pop music framework to showcase their mad banjo skills, as opposed to a more folky one. Here, Judah and The Lion use the same technique on "The Christmas Song", a song first made popular by Nat King Cole in 1945 and covered many times since. JATL's rendition of this Christmas classic is a fun one, to be sure, but the banjo solos might just be the best part of this whole song!


"What Are You Doing New Year's Eve" by Andrew McMahon: This song was already covered by The Head and The Heart on the original 2012 edition of "Holidays Rule". I think their version is much better. However, that doesn't mean I'm going to just ignore Andrew McMahon's version of a holiday song originally recorded by jazz musician Ella Fitzgerald in the mid 1940's. Andrew does a decent job, but his version comes off too...well...keyboard-y for my taste. The song is supposed to have piano, which this version does, but he layers it with a synth sound that doesn't exactly sound fitting for this song. Head and The Heart extend the length of this song and add in some guitar in the background. This version has no guitar and is relatively short in comparison. Stick with the original "Holidays Rule" rendition of this song (or the original Ella version) if you want a quality version of this post-Christmas tune. It's not a bad version, though, by any means.