here they are:
"Beloved" by Mumford and Sons: If you thought Mumford and Sons' Fall 2018 hit, "Guiding Light", harkened back to their original sound, then you're in for a real treat with "Beloved", which sounds even more like a "Babel" outtake than "Guiding Light" did! The song hovers closer to folk-rock than it does alt-pop, like the early M & S songs, and the poetic and nearly Shakespearean content of "Beloved"'s lyrics is a nice way to welcome fans back into the M & S circle. A few lyrics of the song are what some might call "ambiguously Christian" ("She says the Lord has a plan/but admits it's pretty hard to understand"), but it's not that different than most of the other Mumford and Sons lyrics that straddle the line between religious sincerity and the doubt that gives such songs "indie cred." The only real disappointing part is when they add more synthetic instrumentation in the middle, but on the whole, that does not ruin what is otherwise a fantastic song!
"Boom" by X Ambassadors: "Boom" is a song that last for just 2 and a half minutes and whose title is just 4 letters, but that does not stop it from being an aptly explosive song! This might just be the first X Ambassadors song to rely more on bass than it does on guitar (though you can hear some funky guitar licks during the chorus). "Renegades", "Unsteady" and "Ahead of Myself" all focused on acoustic guitar, and "Low Life" was an unusually blues-y electric guitar song, which gives "Boom" distinction among the other songs in X Ambassadors' catalog. The lyrics are pretty simplistic ("my feet go boom boom boom/my heart beats boom boom boom", etc.), but that doesn't stop "Boom" from being a catchy song!
"Clap Your Hands" by Galactic: Blues and jazz influence are defining features of Galactic's music. They are still present on their latest song, "Clap Your Hands", but they seem to be heading in more of a pop music direction than their previous efforts have suggested here. Thankfully they haven't completely shifted gears. There is still plenty for old school R & B fans and fans of New Orleans jazz to get out of "Clap Your Hands". Fitting for the title of the song, "Clap Your Hands" does contain a lot of clapping, which is probably what gives it more of a pop flavor than most Galactic songs have, but the band are still as jammin' as ever in this one!
"For Real" by Tom Petty: Legends never die! Last summer, a posthumous Petty song was released called "Keep A Little Soul", which sounded like a rock song from the early '80s because that's essentially what it was: an outtake of a previously unreleased Tom Petty song from the '80s. "For Real" sounds like it was done a bit later, and has a bit less of a rock and roll factor than "Keep A Little Soul" did, but it has nevertheless been soaring up the adult alt radio charts within a little over a week. "For Real" is a song that seems to reflect on Tom Petty's life and career in a very poignant manner. The fact that it sounds like a more recent song might be because that's what it probably is. Petty died 2 years ago, and this is more than likely one of the last songs he ever recorded. There seems to be a painfully sad self awareness that Petty has about the last moments of his life in "For Real", which can be compared to other recent post-mortem rock songs like David Bowie's "Lazarus" and The Cranberries' "All Over Now".
"Jingle And Go" by Ryan Bingham: Ryan Bingham is known for his country/folk sounding songs, like "The Weary Kind", but the songs of his that make the biggest impression on me contain a bit more of a rock and roll sound, like the frantic "Heart of Rhythm" and the Tom Petty-esque "Radio". On "Jingle And Go", Ryan seems to take a cue or two from The Rolling Stones circa the late '60s/early '70s. Imagine Mick Jagger's famous rock group with more of a country-rock sound, and you've pretty much got "Jingle And Go" in a nutshell. Eclectic rock guitarist Charlie Sexton provides "Jingle And Go" with its freewheelin' rock and roll sound.
"Ruby" by Strand of Oaks: Strand of Oaks' lead singer, Timothy Showalter, claims that "Ruby" is the happiest song he's ever written! That's pretty something coming from someone who did angst filled songs like "Goshen '97" and "Radio Kids". "Ruby" does not contain any angst at all, and is the softest song so far in Strand of Oaks' catalog. Ruby is also not the name of a person, but a personification of Showalter's past. The song seems to be a yearning for nostalgia for the most part. Given how jaded Strand of Oaks' material usually sounds, the song provides a much needed breath of fresh air the band has probably needed for quite a while now!
Showing posts with label Ryan Bingham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ryan Bingham. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 27, 2019
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
New songs for January 28th, 2015
here they are:
"Beryl" by Mark Knopfler: Though Mark has two inescapable rock 'n' roll hits ("Sultans of Swing" and "Money For Nothing") that will follow him wherever he goes, it seems as though Mark's true passion is for folk and country music. Many of his solo albums have an Americana feel to them, and he has duetted with folkies like James Taylor and country musicians like Emmylou Harris on his solo albums as well. His latest song, "Beryl", seems to have shades of both his solo career material and his Dire Straits material. It features a strummed acoustic guitar and a twangy electric guitar, playing together in harmony. One question remains, though. Who IS "Beryl" (the subject of the song)? It turns out that Beryl is Beryl Bainbridge, a British author whose award for writing was a posthumous one, as she never received any awards during her lifetime. The song basically centers around the tragedy of how Bainbridge was appreciated more after she died than she was during her life. A bit like Don McLean's "Vincent", then, in terms of the narration, though not nearly as sad.
"Congregation" by Foo Fighters: The Foos are surprisingly eclectic for a band who evolved out of the grunge scene! They don't just bathe themselves in angst, and can sometimes be quite sunny! "Congregation" is one example of a sunnier song from Dave and the boys (though it turns into a bit of a raver towards the middle). It also seems to be one of those songs that just celebrates the joys of music, as Dave sings about a "jukebox generation" during the chorus. The song seems to have an oddly biblical narrative, too, with lyrics like "I met the seventh son", "Step in the light", and "Where is your blind faith? No false hope".
"Radio" by Ryan Bingham: Our last song of the week is a gritty, Tom Petty-esque rocker. Like the last song I posted about, "Radio" is a song purely about the joys of music, nothing more, and nothing less. Ryan's raw vocals creakily sing about how "radio makes (him) wanna just lose (his) head" during the chorus, placing a drawled out emphasis on the word "lose". I say this song will make you wanna lose your head! In a good way, though, I promise!
"Beryl" by Mark Knopfler: Though Mark has two inescapable rock 'n' roll hits ("Sultans of Swing" and "Money For Nothing") that will follow him wherever he goes, it seems as though Mark's true passion is for folk and country music. Many of his solo albums have an Americana feel to them, and he has duetted with folkies like James Taylor and country musicians like Emmylou Harris on his solo albums as well. His latest song, "Beryl", seems to have shades of both his solo career material and his Dire Straits material. It features a strummed acoustic guitar and a twangy electric guitar, playing together in harmony. One question remains, though. Who IS "Beryl" (the subject of the song)? It turns out that Beryl is Beryl Bainbridge, a British author whose award for writing was a posthumous one, as she never received any awards during her lifetime. The song basically centers around the tragedy of how Bainbridge was appreciated more after she died than she was during her life. A bit like Don McLean's "Vincent", then, in terms of the narration, though not nearly as sad.
"Congregation" by Foo Fighters: The Foos are surprisingly eclectic for a band who evolved out of the grunge scene! They don't just bathe themselves in angst, and can sometimes be quite sunny! "Congregation" is one example of a sunnier song from Dave and the boys (though it turns into a bit of a raver towards the middle). It also seems to be one of those songs that just celebrates the joys of music, as Dave sings about a "jukebox generation" during the chorus. The song seems to have an oddly biblical narrative, too, with lyrics like "I met the seventh son", "Step in the light", and "Where is your blind faith? No false hope".
"Radio" by Ryan Bingham: Our last song of the week is a gritty, Tom Petty-esque rocker. Like the last song I posted about, "Radio" is a song purely about the joys of music, nothing more, and nothing less. Ryan's raw vocals creakily sing about how "radio makes (him) wanna just lose (his) head" during the chorus, placing a drawled out emphasis on the word "lose". I say this song will make you wanna lose your head! In a good way, though, I promise!
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
New songs for August 22nd, 2012
here they are:
"Heart of Rhythm" by Ryan Bingham: Much like Grace Potter before him, Ryan Bingham is a former country/pop-rock musician that wanted to turn up his amps once his sophomore album came around. And boy, does he ever!! Never expected Ryan to pound out a rock 'n' roll anthem influenced by the likes of Chuck Berry, and The Rolling Stones, among others, but he does so on "Heart of Rhythm" with reckless abandon and passionate enthusiasm! During the song's chorus, Ryan proclaims he has a "heart full of rhythm and rock 'n' roll". If I hadn't heard this song I don't think I would have believed him. But now I do! More than I ever would have expected to!!
"Magpie" by Beth Orton: On the flipside of the pounding electric guitars and racing drums of the only other song I have for this week is the quieter, more soothing sound of Beth Orton, a brilliant singer and songwriter whose music combines the bittersweet folk-rock of Joni Mitchell and the ethereal electro-pop of Annie Lennox. Beth seemed to have a steady flow of three albums between the late '90s and mid 2000's. After 2005, though, Beth Orton's fans were left Beth Orton-less for 7 years. Until now, that is!! "Magpie" is a song whose lyrics evoke nature, particularly birds (magpies, crows, and blue jays are all mentioned in the song), and whose sound seems like it might as well have come from a bird, with Beth's sweet voice, and instrumentation consisting of both acoustic guitars and a lovely string section. Welcome back, Beth! Missed you madly for many years!!
"Heart of Rhythm" by Ryan Bingham: Much like Grace Potter before him, Ryan Bingham is a former country/pop-rock musician that wanted to turn up his amps once his sophomore album came around. And boy, does he ever!! Never expected Ryan to pound out a rock 'n' roll anthem influenced by the likes of Chuck Berry, and The Rolling Stones, among others, but he does so on "Heart of Rhythm" with reckless abandon and passionate enthusiasm! During the song's chorus, Ryan proclaims he has a "heart full of rhythm and rock 'n' roll". If I hadn't heard this song I don't think I would have believed him. But now I do! More than I ever would have expected to!!
"Magpie" by Beth Orton: On the flipside of the pounding electric guitars and racing drums of the only other song I have for this week is the quieter, more soothing sound of Beth Orton, a brilliant singer and songwriter whose music combines the bittersweet folk-rock of Joni Mitchell and the ethereal electro-pop of Annie Lennox. Beth seemed to have a steady flow of three albums between the late '90s and mid 2000's. After 2005, though, Beth Orton's fans were left Beth Orton-less for 7 years. Until now, that is!! "Magpie" is a song whose lyrics evoke nature, particularly birds (magpies, crows, and blue jays are all mentioned in the song), and whose sound seems like it might as well have come from a bird, with Beth's sweet voice, and instrumentation consisting of both acoustic guitars and a lovely string section. Welcome back, Beth! Missed you madly for many years!!
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