New songs for July 21st, 2021

here they are:


"Ain't Lookin'" by Wild Feathers: After a brief detour into indie-folk and power pop with their last album, Wild Feathers have returned to their country-rock roots with "Ain't Lookin'." Well...kind of. In addition to the country and roots-rock influences, "Ain't Lookin'" appears to be influenced by blues-rock as well! Fans of other blues-country hybrids such as Sturgill Simpson and Chris Stapleton might enjoy this song. The imagery the song has of traveling out on the road also seems fitting for a blues/country-rock song.


"Amoeba" by Clairo: If the chord progression of this song sounds like a modern-day lounge-pop version of Todd Rundgren's "I Saw the Light," which itself was largely influenced by Carole King, that's probably intentional on Clairo's part here. Carole, along with other early 1970's female singer/songwriter icons such as Joni Mitchell and Karen Carpenter, all inspired Clairo's latest song, "Amoeba." Even Blossom Dearie, the woman who lent her voice to such Schoolhouse Rock classics from that same era, as "Figure Eight" and "Unpack Your Adjectives," apparently inspired Clairo's latest tune as well. Its buoyant sound combined with its jazz-pop chord progressions make for a breath of fresh air compared to the monotony of most of what comprises "alternative" music today. For someone who is only 22 years old, Clairo sure has a vast appreciation for the songwriting chanteuses of the early 1970's! Taking on a truly "indie" aesthetic, Clairo weds these delightful, wistful melodies to lyrics about an abusive relationship. She sure knows how to make lemons out of lemonade, doesn't she?!

"Galacticana" by Strand of Oaks: The intriguingly named "Galacticana" continues in the soothing folk-rock direction that Indiana group, Strand of Oaks, started really honing in on their 2019 ballad, "Ruby." I don't know what "Galacticana" even means, and since it's mentioned nowhere in the song's lyrics, it's not very likely I will know, but going by the song's nostalgic, bittersweet lyrics, perhaps it refers to...wait, I STILL don't know what it refers to! Anyway, in "Galacticana," Strand of Oaks' lead singer Timothy Showalter recounts experiences of his childhood (and perhaps his teenhood as well) that he shares with his listeners to offer an escape from the world today. When he says "I believe that ecstasy happens when we all get together" in the beginning of the song, I don't think he's referring to the drug ecstasy, but to actual ecstasy - that which happens when people share a moment together to create a more understanding bond with one another.

"Poor Boy a Long Way From Home" by The Black Keys: The Black Keys' latest album seems to have offered us their blues-iest sound yet! The scorching, fiery, slow-burning blues-rock of "Crawling Kingsnake" was a great way to kick off the year, and now, midway through it, we have the fast, shuffling blues-rock of "Poor Boy a Long Way From Home." A blues-y rhythm and riff present in songs ranging from John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom" to Muddy Waters' "Baby Please Don't Go" to ZZ Top's "La Grange" and George Thorogood's "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" can be heard here. Like "Crawling Kingsnake," "Poor Boy a Long Way From Home" is a cover of a blues tune, this time one from blues musician R.L. Burnside from 1978, though it sounds like it came from a much earlier era. 

"Wrecked" by Imagine Dragons: From the title, you might gather that this is one of Imagine Dragons' more angst-ridden songs. It's really more of a melancholy one that still manages to have a pleasant, pop-y sound like most of their material. In contrast to their spring '21 hit, "Follow You," "Wrecked" is in minor key and is not a love song so much as it is a breakup song, or perhaps just a song about emotional disorder in general. Not a breakup song of the "good riddance" variety either, but more of an "I can't live without you" sort of tune. Dan Reynolds conveys anguish throughout the song, but especially in the middle where he says, "These days, I'm becoming everything that I hate/Wishing you were around now, but it's too late/My mind is a place that I can't escape your ghost." Sometimes, the relationships we might have thought we had given up long ago continue to haunt us. This is a perfect song for those sorts of situations!

New songs for August 17th, 2016

Here they are:


"After Dark" by Eliot Sumner: In spite of her name, Eliot Sumner is, in fact, a gal, not a dude. Speaking of dudes, her dad happens to be one of the biggest in the music business. His name is Gordon and he is best known by the moniker "Sting". Yes. THAT Sting. The man who combined reggae with rock in a trio who released five albums and then went on more of a straight jazz slant on his own. Eliot is picking up where her dad left off back in his heyday with "After Dark". Picture, if you will, a song like "Message In A Bottle" if it used more conventional chords and had more synth to back it up. That's pretty much "After Dark" in a nutshell. If Andy and Stewart still backed Sting up into the '90s and the 21st century, he'd sound an awful lot like his own kid! The Sumners are actually a musical family. Sting's son, Jake, had a minor adult alt hit with the reggae/rock fusion song with "Two Sisters" back in 2007. I wonder what his other kids have in store for us!


"Help Me Out" by Wild Feathers: Wild Feathers' second single from "Lonely Is A Lifetime", "Help Me Out", opts once again for a vibe that is more straight "indie" than it is country-rock. "Help Me Out" is a bit more slowed down than their previous single, "Overnight", but it still rocks in its own little way. On the surface, "Help Me Out" might sound like a lovesick plea, but the type of love that the song centers around is more platonic than romantic. According to one of the band members, it's basically their equivalent, lyrically, to a song like "Lean On Me", with its universal message urging people to stand by one another through the good times and the bad.


"New Song" by Warpaint: You couldn't come up with a better title of your song than what your song is, eh?! Actually, "new song" doesn't refer to the song itself, but is instead a cute nickname for the lead singer's object of affection. I can't help but feel a little bad that this is the first Warpaint song I've really heard. They've been a cult fave for a long time among indie fans and were (from what I heard) more experimental. "New Song" isn't really all that experimental. It doesn't stray too far from the C minor note that starts it off, which is also used heavily in the verses and chorus. Its electronica sound isn't anything new or different either, but I suppose I should still give credit where credit is due. This song is probably just a vehicle for Warpaint to get a larger audience, and if so, I think they will probably succeed in doing so.


"Real Love Baby" by Father John Misty: The title of this song just sounds like some sort of laid back hippie phrase, doesn't it?! If it does, then what you see is what you get here. FJM dials back the odd sort of experimentation he's done with his last few songs and returns to a more basic folk-rock sound with "Real Love Baby". As you might expect with a song with this title, the message of "Real Love Baby" is simple but still satisfying. "Real Love Baby" also tends to tone down the irony and sarcasm that FJM seems to use in a lot of his songs. This song, in contrast, is a very sincere one, and quite possibly the most sincere so far in his catalog.


"River" by Bishop: Bishop Briggs, if you want to know her alliterative full name. This slinky combination of soul, rock, and electronica is just the right track to make your sizzlin' summer more steamy! "Shut your mouth and rock me like a river", Bishop saucily croons during the chorus of the song. With "River"'s electronic beats coming off as sultry as Bishop's own voice, "rock (her) like a river" is probably exactly what many of her male fans would like to do to her. Add this one to your soundtrack of love-makin' music if you have one!

Nine New Songs for a Nifty New Year!!

Happy New Year everyone!! Did ya miss me?! Well, I'm back! Here are 9 brand new songs for you all to enjoy!


"Bring My Baby Back" by Dr. Dog: Dr. Dog's voyage of psychedelic-tinged folk-rock continues with their latest tune, "Bring My Baby Back". The sound of the song is pretty normal for Dr. Dog, or any indie-pop band for that matter, but what has made a lot of Dr. Dog's songs so special to me is the cleverness they exude. The cleverness factor just doesn't seem to be as strong on "Bring My Baby Back". The folk-rock factor is also more present on this song than it is on most Dr. Dog songs (with the notable exception of the Neil Young-esque "Shadow People", although even that one sounded more like a "Sgt. Pepper" song somewhere in the middle). This is a good song, don't get me wrong, but I do feel like Dr. Dog could be doing better than this.


"Cautionary Tale" by Dylan LeBlanc: Been awhile since we've had a newcomer to the music scene, eh?! Well here's one (at least as far as his airplay on adult alt radio stations is concerned). His name is Dylan LeBlanc and, perhaps not surprisingly, he sounds pretty influenced by a well-known musician whose last name is his first. Unlike THAT Dylan, THIS Dylan has a sound that's more dreamy than it is raw, and would probably be liked by fans of acts like Ryan Adams or Iron & Wine. The soul-searching lyrics of "Cautionary Tale" are well-suited to its tune, which is also rather yearning. So far, so good!


"Delilah" by Florence and The Machine: Who is Delilah?! Well, the only thing we know about her is that she taught Florence Welch how to dance, at least according to the lyrics of this song. Most of "How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful" has been surprisingly guitar-centric, from the funky, Prince-esque hooks of "What Kind of Man" to the epic, Springsteen-ian rush of "Ship to Wreck". "Delilah" is a song that is more focused on piano hooks and clap-along rhythms than those two songs were, which make it a strangely fun combination of indie-pop and gospel music! Flo's latest album has been a great experience so far. Hoping "Queen of Peace", a sweeping, orchestral slice of baroque-pop ear candy, becomes the fourth single off the album! In the meantime, you can dance to the "different kind of danger" that is "Delilah" 'till the day is done!


"Gypsy In Me" by Bonnie Raitt: Flo may charm me with her cute and quirky ways, but Bonnie will always have a special place in my heart! She has, ever since I was little and my mom would play her records for me on road trips. Speaking of road trips, that pretty much seems to be the vibe that Bonnie's latest song, "Gypsy In Me", is going for! The lyrics play out like a more accessible and less drug-addled version of The Grateful Dead's "Truckin'". That is to say, "Gypsy In Me" is a song about being on the road nonstop. It's also about the joy of being a restless, energetic, unstoppable spirit! Bonnie has certainly proven herself to be unstoppable, still kickin' plenty of big ol' blues-y butt at age 66. Way to go!


"High Note" by Mavis Staples: While on the subject of legendary blues-y ladies, Mavis Staples, who has been recording even longer than Bonnie Raitt has, also has a new one out! Mavis started out as a gospel style singer, turned to more mainstream R & B during the peak of her career, and seems to have dabbled in blues-rock during the last few years. Mavis also seems to be pretty hip on singers of the new(er) generation, such as Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, whom she has duetted with at least once, as well as Valerie June, a blues/folk-rock musician who was probably heavily influenced by Mavis. Valerie actually helped to write Mavis' latest song, "High Note". Her new album is actually full of newer folk-rock and blues-rock musicians. Two of them, Benjamin Booker and Son Little, are also heirs to Mavis' musical throne, so I'm looking forward to hearing their contributions to her new album as well!


"Lazarus" by David Bowie: From a high note to a (very) low note, both literally and figuratively in this case. "Lazarus" is a minor key song, and from its opening lyrics, "Look up here I'm in heaven/I've got scars that can't be seen", one might get the hint that the song is about death, and they would be correct in assuming this. In fact, Bowie's entire newest (and, sadly, last) ALBUM is about death, and his self-awareness of exiting the Earth. Tragically, David Bowie recently died of cancer at age 69, and he was aware about his cancer the entire time he was recording his latest album, but no one knew about it until after the fact. "Lazarus" is a great reminder of the man we have lost. That man is a man who has influenced many subgenres of rock, from the punk sound of his contemporaries (and friends) like Iggy Pop and Lou Reed, to the quirky new wave of Talking Heads and Devo, to the entire "synth-pop" scene that dominated the '80s, icons of the '90s like Kurt Cobain (who famously covered his "The Man Who Sold the World"), and even more recent alt-rockers like The Killers and Franz Ferdinand. That may be a lot of examples for some of you, but it just goes to show what a tremendous impact he had. David Bowie, you will be missed!


"Overnight" by Wild Feathers: They were a little bit country, but now they're a little bit rock 'n' roll. Wild Feathers' latest song, "Overnight", has a bit more of a crunchy, electric guitar based rock sound. Perhaps the more forceful sound is fitting with the rather forceful, critical lyrics they have to offer in "Overnight", such as, "You can't wait 'till the morning light, 'cause you want it all right now". The song is basically Wild Feathers' way of pointing fingers at those who demand instant success, which Wild Feathers themselves have certainly not begged for. They are nowhere near as well-known as, say, The Lumineers or The Civil Wars, but they don't seem to have a problem with that. Just as it should be, I say.


"Under the Influence" by Elle King: It took awhile for Elle King to taste the surprising amount of success she had with the spirited jazz-rock tune, "Ex's And Oh's", but once she got it, she got it big! The song was even huge enough for her to perform it at New Year's Rockin' Eve 2015, which is pretty unbelievable to me (but in a good way)!! Can her second big tune, "Under the Influence", measure up to the crazy catchiness of "Ex's And Oh's"?! You might not think so at first, but "Under the Influence" is the type of song that can sink under your skin within a matter of minutes! It is a slow song, but it is also rather seductive, as Elle seems to simultaneously complain and contemplate about just how intoxicating falling in love can be!


"Wide Open" by The Chemical Brothers (featuring Beck): I've never been that into The Chemical Brothers, as I'm really not much of a fan of techno music to begin with, but with Beck on their side, The Chemical Brothers seem as though they've been touched by magic. "Wide Open" is still techno enough for Chemical Brothers fans to enjoy, but it also has a sound that's more catchy and memorable than it is repetitive, and with Beck featured as the song's leading vocalist for most of it, he seems to give "Wide Open" the Midas touch and make it his own. It's the type of song that would feel equally at home in a club as it would in a bookstore. Music for your feet as well as your mind! How about that, eh?!

New songs for November 13th, 2013

here they are:


"Dirty Paws" by Of Monsters and Men: The fourth single from this exceptional Icelandic folk-rock group provides an answer as to why their debut (and so far, only) CD was called "My Head Is An Animal" (it's the words to the second line of this song). "Dirty Paws" continues in the pattern of a lot of what OMAM's material has had so far. A gentle folk-rock sound that evokes medieval and mythological imagery in both its instrumentation and its lyrics. The song can be interpreted many different ways, but it is most likely an allegory for war, using animals to tell its story ("Animal Farm", anyone?!) I would think that OMAM would be better at coming up with a hook to this song, which sounds a bit too much like their own "King and Lionheart" mixed with the beat of Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros' "Home". Quite a thrilling tale of a song otherwise, though!


"Elephant" by Tame Impala: If the name "Tame Impala" reminds you of bands with equally bizarre names like "Jefferson Airplane", "Strawberry Alarm Clock", and "Quicksilver Messenger Service", you should have a pretty good idea of what Tame Impala's music sounds like! It has a vaguely psychedelic influenced sound, but with a heavily pulsating beat that brings to mind bands like The White Stripes and Cage the Elephant. Another thing Tame Impala's "Elephant" shares in common with psychedelic rock songs is that the lyrics don't quite make sense (the opening lyrics are "well he feels like an elephant shaking his big grey trunk" - Huh?!) The song also meanders into quite adventurous instrumental territory during certain sections, which seems to be a defining feature of some of the best known psychedelic rock songs. So, as they say in "Hairspray", "Welcome to the '60s!!"


"Got It Wrong" by Wild Feathers: It could be said that The Wild Feathers are the indie-folk scene's answer to groups like The Allman Brothers Band and The Black Crowes. Their sound is clearly Southern influenced (well, they're from Nashville, Tennessee, so I guess that makes sense), but it is done in a more sincere and heartfelt manner than one might expect from, say, ZZ Top. The Feathers' latest song, "Got It Wrong", continues in that direction, with its down home-y (but still fun) sound that seems like it came straight out of a classic cowboy movie. The refrain of this song ("it's all right, we've got it all wrong"), only seems to further cement their "good ol' Southern boy" image, but I'm guessing they don't mind that.

New songs for April 10th, 2013

here they are:


"Lightning Bolt" by Jake Bugg: Like Jake's previous hit, "Two Fingers", "Lightning Bolt" is full of musical homages to the 1960's, which is incredibly unusual for someone who's only 18 years old! "Lightning Bolt" has a bit more of a fast, rock-y feel to it than the folk-y "Two Fingers" did, and it almost sounds like a White Stripes style cover of a Bob Dylan song circa 1965. At only two and a half minutes, Jake Bugg packs a powerful punch into "Lightning Bolt", with both the steady, catchy beat of the song, and Jake's fast-paced, rambling vocals. Not a hard song to perform by any means, but it still takes an awful lot of skill to pull a song like this off!!


"Never Wanted Your Love" by She & Him: The third record from Manic Pixie Dream Girl, Zooey Deschanel, and her quieter backing singer, M. Ward, is finally out!! The record's first single, "Never Wanted Your Love", is a catchy song, like most of Zooey's material tends to be, and it has a "retro" flavor to it with its somewhat rockabilly inspired beats. The rushing, mariachi influenced sound of the violins in the intro also make "Never Wanted Your Love" a memorable song in the She & Him catalog. Then again, though, what She & Him song isn't?!


"The Ceiling" by Wild Feathers: While roots-rock has come to be a defining feature so far of 2010's music, there have only been a handful of bands (Black Keys, Alabama Shakes, Dawes, etc.) that have gone more for the electric side of the genre than the acoustic side. Enter Wild Feathers. Their debut song, "The Ceiling", proves that the band have somehow managed to be a TRUE "folk-rock" band for the second decade of the 21st century, placing equal emphasis on electric and acoustic guitar, and they also have a vaguely bluegrass-y sound that, amazingly, does NOT require a banjo or mandolin! The freewheeling, unabashedly retro style of Wild Feathers might bring to mind bands like The Black Crowes. Ha! Crows, Feathers!! I wonder if there's a connection there?! Well, like they say, birds of a feather flock together, and Wild Feathers certainly know how to do so!!