here they are:
"Bullets And Rocks" by Calexico: Though they are a "folk-rock" band, Calexico's material never emphasized rock music as much as it did genres like bluegrass and mariachi music. "Bullets And Rocks" is the first Calexico song to use electric guitar as its primary instrument. The mariachi and folk elements present on most Calexico songs is still present here, but this song will probably expand their audience into including both rock and folk fans. Here's another bonus for you all. "Bullets And Rocks" even has a brief guitar solo!! Never expected that from Calexico, did ya?!
"Compound Fracture" by My Morning Jacket: Could this be Jim James and co's attempt to try to do a song in the style of Simple Minds' "Don't You Forget About Me"?! Sure sounds like it! At least the first minute or so does. A gritty electric guitar and sax enter about 30 seconds into "Compound Fracture", but those instruments are mainly present in the chorus of the song. Lyrically, the song seems more like an attempt to answer another beloved '80s new wave/alt-pop tune, XTC's controversial "Dear God". However, the attack on religious beliefs is not exactly direct in "Compound Fracture" until the lyrics "'God' and 'the devil' were made up anyway" show up. Instead of attacking religion throughout the song, though, MMJ prefer to repeatedly insist that "There is no evil, there is no good, only people doing as they should". Food for thought, eh?!
"Strangers" by Langhorne Slim: Langhorne Slim's songs are usually somewhat upbeat, but his songs usually aren't as upbeat as the Mumford and Sons gone bubblegum pop type sound of "Strangers"! The mysterious, spooky title of the song belies its irresistibly happy sound! Even the horns on this song sound more like "Walking On Sunshine" than they do your run of the mill Americana-rock tune!! And what's this?! A "doo-doot-doot-doo" punctuating each verse?! Why Langhorne, that just isn't like you!! This song is just so darn happy, though, I can't help but like it! Guaranteed to put a smile on the face of even the most hardened hipster!
Showing posts with label Langhorne Slim. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Langhorne Slim. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
New songs for June 13th, 2012
here they are:
"Dragging You Around" by Greg Laswell: This is the third time Greg Laswell has done a duet with a female singer/songwriter. However, the previous two songs, "Take Everything" (with Ingrid Michaelson) and "Come Back Down" (with Sara Bareilles) were both sincere love songs. "Dragging You Around", which features Sia from the chill electro-pop group Zero 7 on backing vocals, is NOT a love song. Well not a sincere one, anyway. It's more tongue-in-cheek than that. Greg points out in the first verse of the song that his current relationship is a "grand waste of time", but, once the chorus comes around, he says that he's sticking around with his significant other because he LIKES "dragging (her) around" and "dragging (her) down". The contrast between how biting the lyrics are and how mellow the song itself is only prove to me what a clever musician Greg Laswell really is! Who knew such a moody sounding guy had such a sharp sense of humor?! I didn't, but I'm glad he does!
"If I Wanted Someone" by Dawes: From the Wallflowers-ish sound of "Time Spent In Los Angeles", the Jackson Browne-ish vibe of "A Little Bit of Everything", and now a Neil Young/Tom Petty soundalike with their latest song, "If I Wanted Someone", it's becoming increasingly clear to me that Dawes are like a 21st century Black Crowes! They're classic rock junkies in a modern rock world, particularly when it comes to the more roots-y side of classic rock (could a Bruce Springsteen soundalike from Dawes be far behind?!) The guitar solo in this song practically apes Neil Young, yet somehow, the artists in question that Dawes lift from like them! Jackson Browne has played with them, and apparently Benmont Tench from Tom Petty's Heartbreakers has, too. Mostly, "If I Wanted Someone" is more worth talking about for its music than its lyrics, but the chorus is notable for its somewhat humorous lyrics ("If I wanted someone to clean my life, I'd find myself a maid").
"Old Mythologies" by The Barr Brothers: Simon and Garfunkel have been a major influence on quite a bit of the indie music scene for the past 5 or so years, but, with the possible exception of Norwegian indie-folk duo Kings of Convenience, none of them sound more like S & G to me than The Barr Brothers. This is not a bad thing, though. "Old Mythologies" has a bittersweetly nostalgic vibe about it, with its rippling acoustic guitar sound and hushed vocals. Poetry of a somewhat abstract nature flows throughout the lyrics of "Old Mythologies", be it haunting ("when I'm one half child and the other ghost"), spiritual ("Solomon's song sang Sheba's grace and he kissed her soft and sulking face"), or just plain enigmatic ("100 Degrees Fahrenheit and he's cool as an ermine", which could be compared to "I wish I was a Kellogg's Cornflake" from Simon and Garfunkel's "Punky's Dilemma"). This is my fave song of the week and I highly recommend it!!
"The Way We Move" by Langhorne Slim: Langhorne Slim's only other "hit" so far, "Say Yes", was a bittersweet but hopeful sounding love song. Not exactly what you might expect from someone with a blues/country-ish moniker like "Langhorne Slim", is it?! Langhorne's latest song, "The Way We Move" has a more roots-y, country-rock type sound that is closer to what the sound of his (stage)name might evoke. The saxophones and old-time-y sounding piano almost make this a honky-tonk song, but there is something about "The Way We Move" that gives it a rock 'n' roll flavor as well, probably the beat of it. The title of the song can be taken in one of two ways, either in a poetic vein (in which "move" would mean something closer to "flow" or "come together"), or a literal one. Langhorne Slim opts for the latter here, though, as the jaunty rhythm of "The Way We Move" is central to its delivery.
"Dragging You Around" by Greg Laswell: This is the third time Greg Laswell has done a duet with a female singer/songwriter. However, the previous two songs, "Take Everything" (with Ingrid Michaelson) and "Come Back Down" (with Sara Bareilles) were both sincere love songs. "Dragging You Around", which features Sia from the chill electro-pop group Zero 7 on backing vocals, is NOT a love song. Well not a sincere one, anyway. It's more tongue-in-cheek than that. Greg points out in the first verse of the song that his current relationship is a "grand waste of time", but, once the chorus comes around, he says that he's sticking around with his significant other because he LIKES "dragging (her) around" and "dragging (her) down". The contrast between how biting the lyrics are and how mellow the song itself is only prove to me what a clever musician Greg Laswell really is! Who knew such a moody sounding guy had such a sharp sense of humor?! I didn't, but I'm glad he does!
"If I Wanted Someone" by Dawes: From the Wallflowers-ish sound of "Time Spent In Los Angeles", the Jackson Browne-ish vibe of "A Little Bit of Everything", and now a Neil Young/Tom Petty soundalike with their latest song, "If I Wanted Someone", it's becoming increasingly clear to me that Dawes are like a 21st century Black Crowes! They're classic rock junkies in a modern rock world, particularly when it comes to the more roots-y side of classic rock (could a Bruce Springsteen soundalike from Dawes be far behind?!) The guitar solo in this song practically apes Neil Young, yet somehow, the artists in question that Dawes lift from like them! Jackson Browne has played with them, and apparently Benmont Tench from Tom Petty's Heartbreakers has, too. Mostly, "If I Wanted Someone" is more worth talking about for its music than its lyrics, but the chorus is notable for its somewhat humorous lyrics ("If I wanted someone to clean my life, I'd find myself a maid").
"Old Mythologies" by The Barr Brothers: Simon and Garfunkel have been a major influence on quite a bit of the indie music scene for the past 5 or so years, but, with the possible exception of Norwegian indie-folk duo Kings of Convenience, none of them sound more like S & G to me than The Barr Brothers. This is not a bad thing, though. "Old Mythologies" has a bittersweetly nostalgic vibe about it, with its rippling acoustic guitar sound and hushed vocals. Poetry of a somewhat abstract nature flows throughout the lyrics of "Old Mythologies", be it haunting ("when I'm one half child and the other ghost"), spiritual ("Solomon's song sang Sheba's grace and he kissed her soft and sulking face"), or just plain enigmatic ("100 Degrees Fahrenheit and he's cool as an ermine", which could be compared to "I wish I was a Kellogg's Cornflake" from Simon and Garfunkel's "Punky's Dilemma"). This is my fave song of the week and I highly recommend it!!
"The Way We Move" by Langhorne Slim: Langhorne Slim's only other "hit" so far, "Say Yes", was a bittersweet but hopeful sounding love song. Not exactly what you might expect from someone with a blues/country-ish moniker like "Langhorne Slim", is it?! Langhorne's latest song, "The Way We Move" has a more roots-y, country-rock type sound that is closer to what the sound of his (stage)name might evoke. The saxophones and old-time-y sounding piano almost make this a honky-tonk song, but there is something about "The Way We Move" that gives it a rock 'n' roll flavor as well, probably the beat of it. The title of the song can be taken in one of two ways, either in a poetic vein (in which "move" would mean something closer to "flow" or "come together"), or a literal one. Langhorne Slim opts for the latter here, though, as the jaunty rhythm of "The Way We Move" is central to its delivery.
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