So, here are the rest of my songs for this week. Here goes:
"Bad Self Portraits" by Lake Street Dive: In 2013, the word "selfie" exploded to rather unreasonable popularity. Now, in 2014, there's a song about selfies! Well, at least that's what the title would suggest. The song is actually about the loneliness felt after a breakup, but the jazzy beat of this song would probably indicate otherwise. Actually, now that I think of it, "jazzy" isn't enough to describe this song. It also has elements of folk, soul, and indie-pop. Think of all the most talented female musicians that get played on adult alt stations, from the blues-y Susan Tedeschi, exotically alluring Florence Welch, and laid-back, folk-y Indigo Girls, and mix them all together into one sound. That's pretty much Lake Street Dive in a nutshell!
"Josephina" by Big Head Todd and The Monsters: The blues-meets-folk-meets-rock amalgam Big Head Todd and The Monsters once had in the '90s seemed to be reduced to mere folk-pop in the 2000's. Thankfully, in the 2010's, Big Head Todd and The Monsters have picked up the slack once again! Their newest song, "Josephina", has a slightly rockin', but still kinda roots-y sound that might bring to mind musicians like Dire Straits and Tom Petty. The beat of the song could be said to resemble the classic rock sound, too, particularly that of "Takin' Care of Business" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive. For those complaining that the old rock 'n' roll sound isn't around anymore, look beyond your radio dial, and listen to "Josephina" by Big Head Todd and The Monsters today!
"Southern Sun" by Boy and Bear: In fall 2011, I thought Boy and Bear would wind up being one of those indie-folk/pop bands that would hit "one-hit wonder" status with their song, "Feeding Line", since no other songs from their debut CD seemed to become well-known. Their latest song, "Southern Sun", has proven me wrong, though. It seems as though Boy and Bear have polished up their sound a bit for this song. We get a bit of the wistful folk-pop that "Feeding Line" provided in the beginning of "Southern Sun", but the rest of it seems to be a cross between the vocals of Fleet Foxes mixed with the instrumentation of Fleetwood Mac (albeit with more of an "indie" slant in the instrumentation as well). Definitely more meshing together of acoustic and electric guitars in "Southern Sun", and a more consistent guitar riff as well.
"The Devil You Know" by Tommy Castro and The Painkillers: You know a song with the word "devil" in the title is going to be energetic and brash in some way or another. "The Devil You Know" by blues-rock combo, Tommy Castro and The Painkillers, is exactly that! It is not only brash and energetic, but quite spicy as well! The guitar licks in this song are like the audio equivalent of a thick, chunky, smoky salsa! Each sizzling hook only leaves you wanting more, as Tommy Castro weaves a cautionary tale about how "when you dance with the devil, you have hell to pay". Time to set the night on fire!!
"The Moment" by Toad the Wet Sprocket: Just as "New Constellation" proved that '90s alt-pop sensations, Toad the Wet Sprocket, might be hip on the indie-pop trends of the '00s and 2010's in summer 2013, "The Moment" is out to prove the same thing for winter 2014. Each song seems to fit the respective seasons in which they were released to radio stations, too. "New Constellation" was bright and summery, but "The Moment" is a bit more melancholy and wintry. It still has a good beat, though. "The Moment" sounds like it could have been a Scars on 45 or Alpha Rev song, and its chorus, letting its listeners know that "there is nothing but the moment", goes well with the reflective mood of the bands it is trying to emulate.
Showing posts with label Toad the Wet Sprocket. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Toad the Wet Sprocket. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
New songs for the day before the 4th of July
here they are:
"Most People" by Dawes: Taylor Goldsmith and his roots-y indie-folk-rock band, Dawes, recently performed their newest song, "Most People", live, with folk-rock legend, Bob Dylan. The sound of "Most People" is closer to Jakob Dylan than Bob, though. "Most People" adheres to the typical sort of folk-rock sound that Dawes have, but between this song and their previous adult alt smash hit, "From A Window Seat", I can tell that Dawes are shaping up their sound to be more dynamic and energetic than it was when they debuted at the end of the '00s. Some hints of Springsteen and Mellencamp type influence in this song, too. With their endless fascination for the roots-y, heartland side of classic rock, Dawes are well on their way to becoming the Black Crowes of 21st century rock music!
"New Constellation" by Toad the Wet Sprocket: And now, a new song from a group of guys who really ARE classic rock (or at least classic alt) by today's standards!! Toad the Wet Sprocket, a folk-pop/rock quartet from Santa Barbara who named themselves after a "Monty Python" skit, have not released a new album in 16 years!! Quite a long time gone for a band who made some of the biggest hits of the '90s! So how does their new song, "New Constellation", hold up in comparison to Toad standards like "All I Want" and "Walk On the Ocean"?! Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but it doesn't hold a candle to those songs. However, "New Constellation"'s catchy, indie-pop influenced sound seems to indicate that Toad are not behind the times, and that they have a good ear for what sounds good now just as they did about a decade and a half ago. As for the lyrical direction of the song, lines like "write your name in a new constellation" might sound poetic, but it almost seems like Toad were struggling for lyrics to fit with this bouncy song. A three star effort from a four star band. Not bad, though, by any means.
"Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons: This song has already become a hit on...hmmmm...let's see...alternative rock stations, pop stations, and for some weird reason, even hard rock stations at this point, and it has been so roughly since fall of last year. So what took adult alt radio stations so long to catch up with this song, esp. since "It's Time" and "Demons" have already become hits on Triple A radio stations?! Perhaps one reason why is because "Radioactive" is considerably darker than most of the more ethereal alt-pop that Imagine Dragons have become known for. It is written in a minor key, unlike "Demons" and "It's Time", and it also has somewhat of a mood whiplash about 30 seconds into the song. "Radioactive" starts out with rather heavenly sounding instruments before going into a rather grim (by pop standards, at least) techno influenced sound for the verses. Interestingly, the chorus of the song brings back the shimmery guitars from the beginning of the song. "Radioactive" is also a rather defiant song for Imagine Dragons, as Dan Reynolds repeatedly chants "welcome to the new age" during the chorus, as though the words are supposed to signify some sort of "this is the way it is, so get used to it" kind of attitude.
"Most People" by Dawes: Taylor Goldsmith and his roots-y indie-folk-rock band, Dawes, recently performed their newest song, "Most People", live, with folk-rock legend, Bob Dylan. The sound of "Most People" is closer to Jakob Dylan than Bob, though. "Most People" adheres to the typical sort of folk-rock sound that Dawes have, but between this song and their previous adult alt smash hit, "From A Window Seat", I can tell that Dawes are shaping up their sound to be more dynamic and energetic than it was when they debuted at the end of the '00s. Some hints of Springsteen and Mellencamp type influence in this song, too. With their endless fascination for the roots-y, heartland side of classic rock, Dawes are well on their way to becoming the Black Crowes of 21st century rock music!
"New Constellation" by Toad the Wet Sprocket: And now, a new song from a group of guys who really ARE classic rock (or at least classic alt) by today's standards!! Toad the Wet Sprocket, a folk-pop/rock quartet from Santa Barbara who named themselves after a "Monty Python" skit, have not released a new album in 16 years!! Quite a long time gone for a band who made some of the biggest hits of the '90s! So how does their new song, "New Constellation", hold up in comparison to Toad standards like "All I Want" and "Walk On the Ocean"?! Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but it doesn't hold a candle to those songs. However, "New Constellation"'s catchy, indie-pop influenced sound seems to indicate that Toad are not behind the times, and that they have a good ear for what sounds good now just as they did about a decade and a half ago. As for the lyrical direction of the song, lines like "write your name in a new constellation" might sound poetic, but it almost seems like Toad were struggling for lyrics to fit with this bouncy song. A three star effort from a four star band. Not bad, though, by any means.
"Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons: This song has already become a hit on...hmmmm...let's see...alternative rock stations, pop stations, and for some weird reason, even hard rock stations at this point, and it has been so roughly since fall of last year. So what took adult alt radio stations so long to catch up with this song, esp. since "It's Time" and "Demons" have already become hits on Triple A radio stations?! Perhaps one reason why is because "Radioactive" is considerably darker than most of the more ethereal alt-pop that Imagine Dragons have become known for. It is written in a minor key, unlike "Demons" and "It's Time", and it also has somewhat of a mood whiplash about 30 seconds into the song. "Radioactive" starts out with rather heavenly sounding instruments before going into a rather grim (by pop standards, at least) techno influenced sound for the verses. Interestingly, the chorus of the song brings back the shimmery guitars from the beginning of the song. "Radioactive" is also a rather defiant song for Imagine Dragons, as Dan Reynolds repeatedly chants "welcome to the new age" during the chorus, as though the words are supposed to signify some sort of "this is the way it is, so get used to it" kind of attitude.
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