New songs for June 8th, 2022

 here they are:


"Alpha Zulu" by Phoenix: Phoenix sure have interesting titles for their songs! The title for this one is literally the letters "A" and "Z" in military code! The significance of this phrase in this catchy and surprisingly dark electro-pop/rock song is fitting with its apocalyptic theme, and it's also the first Phoenix song I've heard written in minor key instead of major. According to Phoenix's lead singer, Thomas Mars, the phrase "Alpha Zulu" in the context of the song is basically another way of saying, "Mayday! We're going down!" The song seems to be about how difficult modern times are for many people, and how we are desperate to cling to visions of a more idealistic realm in order to feel safe. It's the end of the world as we know it, but unlike R.E.M., Phoenix do not appear to "feel fine." This song is urgent, and for a good reason!

"Dance Around It" by Lucius (featuring Brandi Carlile Sheryl Crow): Lucius may be duetting with two roots-y folk-rockers on their latest song, but "Dance Around It," in case you hadn't already guessed from the title, is not a folk or roots-rock song! Apt to its title, "Dance Around It" has a very vibrant, dance-pop sound to it! It is a relentlessly happy song whose intention is to bring about happiness (and dancing) to its listeners. Lucius' main members, Holly Laessig and Jess Wolfe, say that the point of "Dance Around It" is to "dance through the darkness." In other words, to take the bad times many of us have gone through recently, and to counteract those with fun, feel-good music. Sounds good to me!

"Expectations" by Lo Moon: Known for their soothing, atmospheric indie-pop sound, "Expectations" is a song that will defy your (pun intended) expectations of Lo Moon! The song is much more upbeat than the typically slow songs Lo Moon usually come up with. Setting the time machine to about 35 years ago for both its "Take on Me"-esque sound and its bittersweet lyrics reflecting on teen years (as many John Hughes films were known for doing back then), "Expectations" is a song that will probably appeal to fans of Stranger Things and other '80s-centric memorabilia that are actually present-day phenomena. "It's getting kinda hard not to blame myself," lead singer Matt Lowell mournfully sings towards the end of the song, perhaps to acknowledge how the song is not nostalgic in a sweet way, but more in a cynical manner. 

"Make a Picture" by Andrew Bird: Do you like indie-folk/pop musicians who use orchestral string instruments prominently in their songs? Great! Do you like kitties?! Even better! Perhaps it's the "running on the streets like feral cats" in the first verse that caused Andrew to make the decision for his latest video for his song, "Make a Picture," or perhaps it's just the quirkiness of Andrew Bird. Whatever the reason, though, this is the cutest music video I've seen in a long time! Fitting to the song's title, "Make a Picture"'s video also deals with taking photographs...but seriously. How can I not love a music video with KITTIES in it?! Here is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XdqCjtveTw

"Talk" by beabadoobee: None of beabadoobee's songs really sound like they belong in the midst of the 21st century as much as they would towards the end of the 20th. Her latest song, "Talk," is no exception to the rule, evoking heavy influence from such '90s alt-rock heavyweights as Garbage and Smashing Pumpkins. The subject matter of the song would not be out of place in a '90s alt song either. It is about Beatrice "beabadoobee" Laus being in a relationship with someone whom she knows is bad for her, but she wants to be in it anyway, and the overall tone of the song seems to be somewhere between apathetic and angst-ridden.

"Turn Up the Sunshine" by Diana Ross (featuring Tame Impala): The soul singer who reigned "Supreme" in the 1960's with two other women backing her up has returned for the first time in many, many years with indie-pop/rock sensations, Tame Impala, for a song from the Minions: The Rise of Gru soundtrack. Tame Impala provide the electro-pop backbeat of the song, but it's clear that this song is mainly Diana's from both her strong vocal presence and equally strong '70s funk inspired choice of music! The soundtrack of the latest movie featuring the quirky, gibberish-speaking...things...that look like Homer Simpson's head with one eye seems to take place in the 1970's, judging from the classic soul and classic rock hits being covered on the soundtrack, all by indie-pop artists from the 2010's. Seems like they're attempting to do for 1970's pop music what Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks did for its own music: taking music from the past and giving it a "modern rock" twist (the Schoolhouse Rock tribute album featured mainly '90s alt-rock artists since it was released in the middle of the decade). For "Turn Up the Sunshine," the people behind the Minions and Despicable Me movies took the extra liberty of bringing in an actual musician who was popular in the 1970's, and not just someone covering music from that era. "Turn Up the Sunshine" is also an entirely original tune, making it that much fresher. With Diana being only two years shy of 80, it's amazing that she's still able to sound as funky fresh as she was in her younger years!

New songs for November 24th, 2021

 here they are:



"Dream Never Dies" by Lo Moon: The atmospheric, ethereal electro-pop of Lo Moon first permeated the adult alt radio airwaves in 2017 with the songs "This Is It" and "Real Love." However, they have not had a significant adult alt radio hit since those two songs. Until now, that is. "Dream Never Dies" maintains the billowy, ethereal feel of Lo Moon's first two hits, but perhaps more importantly, the lyrical content of this song is also important. It appears to be about a death that one of the members experienced. As the lead singer mourns the death through song, he holds on to hope, the only thing him driving him forward, that the "dream never dies." In other words, he is hoping that the memory of the person he has lost will continue to remain with him throughout his life. A bittersweet song for an overall bittersweet year!

"Elizabeth Taylor" by Pete Yorn: A bit less folk-y than most of his songs, yet still maintaining the "indie" aesthetic, Pete Yorn's "Elizabeth Taylor" isn't actually about the Hollywood movie actress from days of yore, but rather about a breakup. Her name is used only once in the song as Yorn asks the subject of his song why she went "all Elizabeth Taylor" on him. Interesting metaphor...I guess! But it's the "I don't care" vibe of this song that really makes it worth listening to. Pete's songs don't usually have this much attitude, and even this song has one that's more subdued than outrageous, but it still makes this song easily distinguishable from his other material.

"Rose Pink Cadillac" by Dope Lemon: Both the attitude and sound of this song seems like a too-cool-for-school one. Laconic vocals, electronic beats, and funky guitar riffs coalesce into the epitome of techno-fied indie-pop here. That being said, one might be surprised to learn that "Dope Lemon" is actually the alter-ego of indie-folk singer, Angus Stone, who doesn't seem like he'd project as much confidence as he does here. As for the Cadillac he's singing about? Not an actual Cadillac, but a girl (again with these strange romantic metaphors). 

New songs for November 28th, 2018

here they are:


"Baby Outlaw" by Elle King: If you can picture what it'd be like for a musician like Lorde to cover "Ghost Riders In the Sky", then you've pretty much got Elle King's "Baby Outlaw" in a nutshell! Just the opening of the song gives off imagery of a showdown in an old Western movie. This song has a similar premise to Elle's song, "Good Girls", which was her contribution to the 2016 version of "Ghostbusters". "Baby Outlaw" and "Good Girls" both revolve around how Elle has never been a "good girl", and how, as a result of this, she's no one to mess with. You'd better watch out, 'cause this song is the "Bad" and the "Ugly" to King's "Good Girls"!! (Cue Ennio Morricone theme here).


"Back On the Chain Gang" by Morrissey: The original "Back On the Chain Gang" by The Pretenders came out about a year before Morrissey's best known hit with The Smiths, "How Soon Is Now?", both in the mid 1980's. So how does this mopey alt-rock king interpret one of the best loved songs of a tough but tender rock and roll queen, you may ask?! Well, as you might have guessed, not as good as the original, but it's still worth hearing, and it's a pretty good attempt at covering the song, too! Moz retains the jangle-pop feel and heartfelt emotion of the original quite well. I never would have thought this cover was going to happen (I would have pictured a band like R.E.M. covering it first), but somehow, I'm glad it has!


"For Me It's You" by Lo Moon: With just a pair of singles ("This Is It" and "Real Love") under their belt so far, I'm a little surprised that Lo Moon are back with a second album after only a year, but "For Me It's You", their first single off of their sophomore record, retains the atmospheric electro-pop vibe of their first two breakthrough songs. "For Me It's You" could be viewed as a parallel to "This Is It", with its mostly melancholic but sweet atmosphere set off by a sudden burst of electric guitar after the chorus, though it does not disrupt the flow of the song overall. With lead singer Matt Lowell's technique of placing whispery, romantic vocals against an ersatz smooth jazz ensemble that briefly turns into a wall of noise, it's not hard to see why Lo Moon have recently toured with bands who use similar techniques, such as The War on Drugs, Phoenix, and Glass Animals, not to mention the band Ride, a legendary group of the "shoegazing" subgenre who have been around since the late '80s that inspired the other bands mentioned here (including Lo Moon themselves).


"Hey! Yeah!" by Deer Tick: Deer Tick have been all over the rock and roll map, primarily dabbling in either folk-rock or Southern rock. "Hey, Yeah!" marks what I believe is the first time that Deer Tick have taken on power pop, albeit with a somewhat Southern flavor to it. Think Big Star meets The Allman Brothers - a combination that sounds like it could just be crazy enough to work, and DOES, in this song! Here's what's even crazier, though. The music video for "Hey! Yeah!" features the band members as DANCING MAYONNAISE JARS!! Who on Earth thought THAT idea up?! I'm pretty sure the band members were ingesting far more than just mayonnaise when they made the music video for this song!! The video can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbdcr5_tcd8


"Movement" by Hozier: Hozier's "Nina Cried Power" seemed unbeatable almost throughout this fall! Like all songs, though, its star eventually faded out on the radio airwaves, so here to take place of the Irish soul-ster's thunderous anthem is a more subtle, quieter song called "Movement". No matter what Hozier does, it always seems to gel well with adult alt radio stations, and it's not hard to see why! Whether he's dramatic or romantic, quiet or loud, he always manages to give soul stirring performances in his songs! "Movement" is not revolutionary like his previous hit, but is instead more fluent and more intimate. Regardless of what kinds of songs he puts out, the "movement" of Hozier's music will last a long time!

New songs for February 28th, 2018

here they are:


"Happiness Jones" by The Wood Brothers: Before I heard this song, I wasn't sure if "Happiness Jones" was the name of a person or if it was a desire (a "jones") for happiness. As it turns out, it is the latter. True to its title, "Happiness Jones" will give you a happiness jones. It's just so darn catchy! In "Happiness Jones", The Wood Brothers take a break from their usual quaint folky sound and try a more upbeat, soul inflected one. Clearly, this worked for them, as it has scored them their first true adult alt radio hit (If you don't count their cover of the seasonal Jackson Browne song, "The Rebel Jesus", that is). If you're happy and you know it, sing this song, and listen to it!


"Kids These Days" by Shakey Graves: Crossing the threshold of country-rock and indie-pop, Shakey Graves have now scored their second big hit on adult alt radio with "Kids These Days", a song that's as roots-y as it is catchy. The added use of synthesizer on this song gives it a bit more of a pop sound than their previous Triple A radio hit, "Dearly Departed". Lyrically, the song seems to be built on cliches, including (but not limited to) the title phrase, "gonna live forever", and "mirror mirror on the wall". The title of the song made me think it was going to be a tongue in cheek complaint about millennials, but it actually just seems to be a random phrase thrown into what is basically a word salad song, as far as I can tell. Kids these days. They just don't make songs that make sense like they used to, do they?!


"Mr. Tillman" by Father John Misty: Just when you thought Father John Misty couldn't get more bizarre or hipster-y, he sings a song about (gasp!) HIMSELF!! That's right! "Mr. Tillman" IS Father John Misty, whose real name is Josh Tillman. He literally talks to himself during the opening verse of the song ("Mr. Tillman, good to see you again"). He even manages to name-drop fellow indie-folk-rocker, Jason Isbell, during the first verse. What is the occasion that causes him to speak to himself?! Perhaps it's some words he took from random bits of conversation somebody had with him, presumably a tour manager. We may never know the answer to this one. Such is the mystery, and therefore the appeal, of Mr. Tillman...er...I mean Father John Misty!


"Real Love" by Lo Moon: After proclaiming "This Is It" during autumn of last year, indie-pop trio Lo Moon return for late winter/early spring 2018 with "Real Love". "Real Love" and "This Is It" are similar songs, since they're both influenced by the more atmospheric side of '80s synth-pop and they both have choruses that are louder than their verses. The beat of "Real Love" sets it apart from Lo Moon's previous hit. It's an average pop/rock beat written in C minor, which kind of takes away from the mystique that "This Is It" it had. Fans of groups like The xx, Future Islands, and Rhye should find this well suited to their electro-pop taste, though.


"Wait By the River" by Lord Huron: Lord Huron fans, the wait is over! The Los Angeles indie-folk band now has a new album to follow in the footsteps of their surprisingly successful "Strange Trails" album, which yielded the band four adult alt radio hits. "Wait By the River", the first single from Lord Huron's latest album, deftly weaves together psychedelic rock, folk-rock, and doo-wop into a deliciously hypnotic indie-pop swirl! Though the song provides nostalgic, misty eyed vibes akin to doo-wop classics like "I Only Have Eyes For You", "Wait By the River" is not a love song, at least not in the positive sense. It is actually about a man who has lost his partner, perhaps out of his life or perhaps out of life itself. Knowing Lord Huron's preoccupation with morbid subject matter, it could easily be either one!

New songs for October 18th 2017

here they are:


"End of the World With You" by Calexico: And here we have yet another indie-folk-rock group with a song that spews political commentary in 2017 (you could probably guess by the title). However, like most of Calexico's songs, "End of the World With You" is still a very mellow song. Interestingly, the "-exico" suffix that makes up Calexico's name doesn't seem to carry as much significance on this song as they did on their previous albums. The jaunty horn sections of mariachi bands are almost always present on Calexico's songs, but not on this one. A stray electric guitar seems to take its place. Lead singer Joey Burns sings about love and time "in the age of the extremes" in this song. It's tough to survive in this day and age. That's why music is here to save the day!


"Live In the Moment" by Portugal. The Man: Who would have guessed that Portugal. The Man would have one of THE biggest hits of the year with "Feel It Still"?! I sure wouldn't have! The song was big enough for Miley Cyrus to lip sync on Jimmy Fallon's show, though. Who can blame 'em?! The song was pretty catchy! "Live In the Moment" continues PTM's newfound knack for catchiness, which has never come on quite as strongly as it has this year. With an electro-pop sound and a beat that recalls Gary Glitter's "Rock And Roll Part 2", "Live In the Moment" will probably be another mega-hit for PTM. Of course, this will probably lead some people to believe that they're "selling out", but I see it as just another step of artistic growth for the band!


"Matter of Time" by Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings: It was only a matter of time before Sharon Jones exited the world in November of last year in her early 60's after a battle with pancreatic cancer. The energetic, feisty soul singer injected new life into the R & B genre in the mid 2000's and early 2010's that sounded far more like Aretha Franklin than it did like Beyonce. Thankfully, Sharon's record company decided to release another song of hers that was unreleased during her lifetime. "Matter of Time" is probably one of the bluesiest songs in her catalog, built almost entirely around E7 and A7 chords, and even a brief bluesy guitar solo in between some of the verses. "Matter of Time" is a song of hope, and it's a good song to listen to. The only thing I'm wondering is this. Why couldn't this song have been released right before she died?! I'm sure it would have helped a lot of people if that was the case!


"No Roots" by Alice Merton: Take the bass riff of The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" and make it into a pop song. What have you got?! You've got "No Roots" by Alice Merton, a song that's as daring as it is fun! Lyrically, the song is like Blind Faith's "Can't Find My Way Home" if it was a more optimistic and happy song. "No Roots" is basically about how Alice is the type of person who doesn't stay in the same place for too long of a time. She can't find her way home. However, instead of despairing, she seems to take this as an opportunity to explore who she is and how she fits into society.


"Pain" by The War on Drugs: "Pain" is probably the first word that comes to mind for people who grow weary of the prog-rock and jam band influenced meanderings that The War on Drugs often take in their songs! There's a beauty in this pain, though. In this 5 and a half minute swirl of hypnotic, smooth, neo-psychedelic pop, Kurt Vile spills deep thoughts and turns them into lyrical poetry. "He had a fear in his eyes that I could not understand", "Am I movin' back in time? Just standin' still?", and "Like a demon in a doorway waiting to be born", are just some of the weighty, existential lyrics in this song, in which light acoustic guitars and keyboards are offset by fuzz drenched screeching electric guitars during the instrumental parts.


"This Is It" by Lo Moon: The chill yet mysterious aura of this song reminds me of something that new wave pioneers, Roxy Music, might have done on their "Avalon" album from 1982 (perhaps, more accurately, if it was crossed with the progressively atmospheric to anthemic vibe of Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" from only a year earlier than the Roxy Music album). This is the kind of song that leaves the listener in suspense. "This is it". WHAT is it?! The lead singer of Lo Moon never specifies this. Yet listeners of this song can't help but be drawn into it as well. The song starts off billowy and cloudy, only to wake up your ears as soon as the lead singer shouts the title of the song during its chorus.