new songs for April 18th, 2012

here they are:


“Closer I Get” by Rebelution (featuring John Popper from Blues Traveler): Ever since Bob Marley became internationally known (and a little later on, when The Police combined reggae rhythms with rock instrumentation), reggae and rock have occasionally become “bedfellows” with each other, and in a rather successful way, at that. Rebelution are a reggae band that enlisted the help of rocker John Popper from Blues Traveler on harmonica on Rebelution’s latest track, “Closer I Get”. However, this sounds more like POP-reggae (think Matisyahu) than “rock-reggae”. “Closer I Get” manages to sound even more laid back than most Bob Marley tracks, actually. Its sound suggests that of when the funk-influenced rock group 311 briefly flirted with reggae on songs like “Amber” and “I’ll Be Here Awhile”. I was hoping for a vocal spot from John Popper on this song, but instead, all I got was a harmonica solo from him at the end of the song. “Closer I Get” is just one step ahead of Donovan’s “Mellow Yellow” on the color spectrum – it is “mellow green”, and more so than most reggae (and reggae influenced) songs. Not the best sounding song, but still a good one to hear on those sunny days when you feel like chilling in your backyard on a hammock with a pineapple flavored drink!

“Honey” by The Parlotones: This being the third major song I’ve come across from The Parlotones, one thing I can say about them that I can’t say about a lot of contemporary alt/indie acts is that no two Parlotones songs sound alike! So far, they have touched upon urgency (“Should We Fight Back?”) and balladry (“Save Your Best Bits”), and this time around, they’ve come out with a fun, quirky song with “Honey”. Unlike most songs with the word “honey” in the title, The Parlotones’ use of that word refers to the substance, rather than simply being a nickname for a boyfriend/girlfriend. The saxophones in “Honey” make it an even more enjoyable song than it already is! Looking forward to whatever surprises The Parlotones want to pull out next!

“Just Breathe” by Willie Nelson: Just like in the first song I reviewed this week, I’m going outside the rock ‘n’ roll box here! Well, kinda. This is a cover from a legendary country musician of a melancholy alternative rock song, much like Johnny Cash’s version of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt”. Cash practically made “Hurt” his own song, though! Nelson doesn’t quite do the same thing to “Just Breathe”, originally an introspective folk-rock song by Pearl Jam from just a couple years ago. However, it’s definitely a spirited, dedicated attempt at a cover song for Willie (as well as his son, Lukas, who does some of the vocals on this version of the song). This version actually rocks a bit harder than the original, believe it or not, if only for the fact that Willie sneaks in some electric guitar solos towards the end of the song, whereas the original Pearl Jam song was entirely acoustic. If only Johnny Cash were alive to hear Willie Nelson’s take on this song. I bet he’d be pretty impressed!!

“The Real Thing” by Audra Mae and The Almighty Sound: Audra Mae might be a young woman who’s new to the music biz, but she does not intend on sounding like just another “pretty young thing”, neither musically nor vocally! When Audra proclaims she’s “the real thing”, you’d better believe her!! Her vocal qualities suggest what a younger, clearer-voiced version of Janis Joplin might sound like, and her band, well, let’s just say it ain’t called “The Almighty Sound” for nothin’!! The Almighty Sound is a powerhouse of blues, country, and rock that stands as a force not to be reckoned with! If you’re the kind of person who prefers more of a kick in your music, as opposed to a gentler sound, then give “The Real Thing” a listen. It lives up to its title…and how!!

“This Head I Hold” by Electric Guest: If Beck decided to have a jam session with Fitz and The Tantrums, it would probably sound like Electric Guest! This is a band that is as soulful as they are detached, and somehow, they manage to pull it off!! How they do so without making their music sound somewhat forced in the process is anyone’s guess, but I’m glad they don’t! It just makes their material sound that much more original. In the 21st century, I guess anything can happen in the music world, and that would include having the Motown sound getting the new wave treatment! Never thought the day would come when the two sounds of the aforementioned genres merged into one, but the fact they have is nothing short of exciting!!

New songs for February 8th, 2012

Here they are:

"Brothers" by The War On Drugs: If Bob Dylan were the lead singer (and sole harmonica player) of Arcade Fire, it would probably sound like "Brothers" by The War On Drugs. The Dylan influence shouldn't come as too much of a surprise for those who know the solo work of The War On Drug's lead singer, Kurt Vile, who has a bit less of an electronic/ambient influence on his solo records. The depth of the lyrical content and the melancholy feel of "Brothers" is contrasted by how there are only 3 chords throughout the entire song. Kurt Vile and co manage to deliver a bittersweet, affecting, memorable song nonetheless, though, with "Brothers".

"Gotta Be Wrong Sometimes" by O.A.R.: O.A.R. are one of those "hit-or-miss" bands for me. This has been especially apparent ever since they switched their sound from jam band to alt-pop back in 2008. Sometimes O.A.R. still manage to deliver a relatively decent song, though, and "Gotta Be Wrong Sometimes" is one such song. "Gotta Be Wrong Sometimes" also adds a new musical facet to O.A.R.'s catalog - reggae. The throbbing bass sound and pulsating guitar riffs indicate this. Much like The Police and The Clash (among others), O.A.R. add a more rock 'n' roll element to "Gotta Be Wrong Sometimes" once the chorus comes around (and also during the bridge). The song also wraps up nicely with acoustic guitars being strummed.

"Love Interruption" by Jack White: So when's the White Stripes reunion gonna be?! Yeah, I know, Jack White announced the breakup of his one man/one woman rock band last year, but I think he's just pulling our leg. Jack released the moderately successful "Two Against One" with Danger Mouse around May of last year, and now he's got an entire solo ALBUM!! "Love Interruption" is also the most anticipated new song this week, zooming up both the adult alternative and "regular" alternative charts! Amazing how Jack started with rough, garage rock-ish songs like "Fell In Love With A Girl", and now he's progressed to Dylan-esque folk-rock with "Love Interruption". Acoustic guitar is one of the only instruments in "Love Interruption", actually, supported only by Jack's vocals, female backing vocals, and an organ (perhaps the best part of this song). Sadly, "Love Interruption" is only about two and a half minutes long. Why couldn't it have been longer?! Oh well, better that than nothing at all, I say!

"Midnight In Harlem" by The Tedeschi-Trucks Band: What's this?! Susan and Derek now have a FOURTH song hitting the adult alt airwaves?!? Never would've expected THAT!! Neither of them have gotten this much success before! Perhaps it's the diversity of musical influences they've chosen, from gospel, to hard rock, to straight up blues, that has gotten Tedeschi and Trucks this much attention. "Midnight In Harlem" seems to recall the melancholy country-rock of people like Bonnie Raitt (likely one of Susan Tedeschi's biggest influences). Certainly a change of pace from the relentless energy of the other three songs that have gotten attention from The Tedeschi-Trucks band, but "Midnight In Harlem" definitely gels, especially due to the honest, heartfelt emotion that Susan Tedeschi puts into the song! Derek Trucks also puts about as much emotion into his guitar playing as Tedeschi puts into the vocal parts of this song, making for a winning combination once again!

"Old Lady" by Sinead O'Connor: With The Cranberries having also released a new song just three months before this one, I think I can officially say that Irish alt-rock gals are taking over once again! "Old Lady" marks a couple high points for Sinead, I think. First of all, the lyrics to the song are probably some of the most pensive, most reflective I've ever heard from her, revolving around hope that her relationship will literally last a lifetime. Instrumentally, "Old Lady" delivers too. Sinead seemed to move away from alternative rock and more into pop and folk by the time her popularity started to fade away around the mid-'90s, but "Old Lady" picks up where songs like "The Emperor's New Clothes" and "Mandinka" left off. It doesn't have as much of a propulsive, rocking sound as either of those songs, but it does make it sound as though Sinead has gotten more attuned to newer alt-pop/rockers like Snow Patrol, (early) Coldplay, and Travis. Perhaps not what most Sinead fans were expecting, but it seems to be pretty well received so far nonetheless, and, might I add, quite deservedly so

"Rainy Day Girl" by The Villains: The Villains aren't very villainous, are they?! Quite the opposite, really. They have a very benign, accessible sound, and they don't really sound as spectacular or memorable as most of the songs/performers on this week's list, but the faux-U2 sound of this song has still managed to please me, perhaps because it just sounds natural to me, and not so over the top like most of the modern bands influenced by U2. The electric guitar solo in the middle (and end) of "Rainy Day Girl" came as a bit of a surprise to me since most of the song seems more mellow than that. Yeah, the lyrics are pretty generic, but there's still something about this song I like!

"Save Your Best Bits" by The Parlotones: The Parlotones seemed like they got their first taste of attention when they decided to be a supporting act for Coldplay one of their tours, but this sounds more like Cold War Kids than Coldplay. This song is also a far cry from the surging, urgent, energetic feel of The Parlotones' first big song, "Should We Fight Back?" "Save Your Best Bits" is a slower, more heartfelt song. The 'Tones still have some backbone on this song, though. "Save Your Best Bits" is backed by electric guitars that seem to have a "U2 goes indie" sort of sound. That being said, "Save Your Best Bits" really has only one major flaw. Why isn't it longer than three minutes?!? Oh well, it's still likable, and that's what matters the most here.

"You As You Were" by Shearwater: This song comes off like a "piano-rock" version of bands like Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear. The lead singer of Shearwater sounds like a cross between Morrissey from The Smiths and Pete Townshend from The Who on this song. So far, this is probably an odd description for "You As You Were", but it's actually one of the best songs on this list as far as I'm concerned! But why?! Well, perhaps because the passionate vocals of the lead singer match almost perfectly with the song's equally passionate piano playing. "You As You Were" seems like it's as much of a sad song as it is a "rush of energy" song. Not many have been able to pull both of those aspects off in such a powerful manner, but Shearwater does so on "You As You Were" with tremendous effort and commitment!

New songs November 9th, 2011

here they are:


“After the Gold Rush” by Thom Yorke: Radiohead’s enigmatic but passionate frontman performed his cover of the classic Neil Young song, “After the Gold Rush”, at Neil’s own Bridge School Benefit Concert, which are held annually to benefit children with disabilities who attend Bridge School (a school in Mountain View, California). I am a huge fan of both Radiohead and Neil Young, so I was very curious in knowing if their two musical worlds would meet or drift apart in Thom Yorke’s cover of “After the Gold Rush”. Though not as good as the Neil Young original, Yorke does “After the Gold Rush” justice by maintaining the melancholy but earnest feel of the original tune (and Yorke’s reedy tenor vocals match Young’s quite well, though perhaps unintentionally).

“Feeding Line” by Boy and Bear: This song does not really have any factors that distinguish it from other indie songs, but I like it anyway! I’m always a sucker for smooth harmonies, random whistling (which “Feeding Line” has towards the middle of it), and acoustic and electric guitars complementing each other in their sound. And, what can I say, I’ve become accustomed to the “lyrical dissonance” songs like this feature (lyrics like “Nevertheless when this pain in my chest seems to grow…” are juxtaposed against a catchy, vibrant melody in A major). Yeah, like I said, nothing particularly special about “Feeding Line”, but it’s still a fun song to listen to and sing along to.

“Games People Play” by Lissie: The folk-pop/rock musician known simply as “Lissie” onstage has made huge strides for herself this year! Up until last month, she was merely a two-hit wonder (for “In Sleep” and “When I’m Alone”), known among the indie circles but not much outside of that. In October of this year, though, she toured with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers in order to boost the ratings of Los Angeles adult alt outlet, KCSN, which plays both Lissie’s and Tom Petty’s music on a regular basis! As if THAT weren’t enough major star power for Lissie, her latest CD is an all covers album, encompassing everything from country songs to heavy metal songs within the process! The first song off her collection of covers is “Games People Play”. No, this is not a cover of the Alan Parsons song, for those wondering, it is actually a cover of a song by country musician Joe South. Lissie does a fine job at covering it, though, remaining faithful to the original song by performing it in A major like Joe did, and even adding in the sitar-sounding instruments that his version had!

“Look Around” by Red Hot Chili Peppers: And now, we come to yet another musical act that has gotten major attention for their latest album this year! “Look Around” marks the FOURTH song to get attention from The Chili Peppers’ “I’m With You” (quite a lot of songs to get noticed from an album that came out only 4 and a half months ago)! “Look Around” seems to bridge the gaps between the original funk-rock sound The Chilis had in the late ‘80s/early ‘90s, and the more melodic rock sound they developed ever since then. Flea’s bass playing is spectacular (and wild) enough here to win back their initial fanbase, yet Anthony Kiedis’ vocals shine enough here (especially during the title-only chorus) that I can’t help but want to harmonize with him when he sings! 25 years and still going strong!! Few other rock and roll bands have achieved such a feat, so congrats to them!

“No Spare Parts” by The Rolling Stones: And speaking of long-standing rock bands, The Stones have GOT to be one of the LONGEST lasting of them all!! Mick Jagger and co started rolling in the mid-‘60s and haven’t given up ever since! Their latest, “No Spare Parts”, has a rather country-rock sound to it. Not the first thing that comes to mind when The Stones are mentioned, but they’re certainly no strangers to country-rock (though it took them until “Wild Horses” was released to do a song that wasn’t a mockery of the genre). Being that this song was an “outtake” from the largely sarcastic, misogynistic, angst-ridden “Some Girls” album, “No Spare Parts” is probably more mockery than it is a “serious” song. Mick’s rather detached, weary sounding vocals on “No Spare Parts” also seems to hint at the insincerity this song might have. Yeah, I know, it’s (kind of) “only rock and roll” of them to pull off a half-hearted song like “No Spare Parts”, but I like it!

“Should We Fight Back?” by The Parlotones: Before I actually sat down and listened to “Should We Fight Back?” I was a bit skeptical as to whether or not I would enjoy it since I only knew The Parlotones for being a band that Coldplay selected to play with them on their latest tour prior to this song’s release to adult alt radio stations. The Parlotones, however, do not have a contrived, overproduced, adult-contemporary-meets-alt-pop type sound like Coldplay’s later (and latest) album(s) do. Instead, they are more an “indie-dance-pop/rock” band in the vein of The Killers, Phoenix, and Foster the People, all three of whom seemed to have instance success, both commercially and among more independent minded audiences, upon their debuts! So far, The Parlotones haven’t made quite the same impact with “Should We Fight Back?” but the way the guitars, drums, and vocals blend together seamlessly on this song seems to indicate it will do pretty well! Listener, beware, though. Beneath the irresistibly catchy sound of “Should We Fight Back?” are lyrics of political dissatisfaction. That shouldn’t stop you from enjoying the song, though!!

“Tomorrow” by The Cranberries: And last, but certainly not least, how can you have a great November without some “Cranberries”?!? Dolores O’Riordan and her band of merry Irish alt-rockers haven’t had a successful record in 10 years (see also Ben Folds Five’s “House”, which I reviewed last week), but it’s definitely been worth the wait!! Unlike other major ‘90s rockers like Counting Crows and Goo Goo Dolls, The Cranberries haven’t veered an inch from the Smiths-meets-Sinead O’Connor type sound that made them famous! “Tomorrow” is a bittersweet but memorable slice of jangle-pop that recalls The Smiths’ “Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now” throughout, albeit with a more hopeful sounding message. So what if it doesn’t have the “sonic-boom” guitar sound of “Dreams” or the pseudo-hard-rock sound of “Zombie”?! “Tomorrow” is STILL a great song, and probably my fave song of the week!! Highly recommended!!!