New songs for October 28th 2020

 here they are:

"Fire For You" by Cannons: Disco meets techno in "Fire For You," the breakthrough song from L.A.'s own electro-pop group, Cannons. Apt to its title, the song has a sultry vibe that really pumps up the heat within its listeners. The stone-cold good looks of lead singer Michelle Joy, as well as her passionately seductive delivery in the song's music video, really help to sell this song to a wider audience! It has already been pretty popular in the alt-rock charts, but it has only just begun to burn up the adult alt charts. May your heart burn brightly with romantic desires as you listen to this truly torrid tune!

"Over You" by Aaron Frazer: In the space between the more blues-focused R & B from days of yore and the more contemporary rhythm-focused R & B blazing up today's charts sits "Over You" by Aaron Frazer. It has enough of an urban "hip" vibe to be liked by today's R & B fans, but its rhythm guitar is clearly derived from classic soul from the '60s and '70s. In barely under 3 minutes, Aaron sings a lovesick plea to the object of his desires about how much he feels attracted to her. "Over," in this song, does not mean "done with." It instead means "because of" (as in, "I'm just another lovesick fool over you," sung during the song's chorus.) 

New songs for October 21st, 2020

 here they are:


"Skin And Bones" by Cage the Elephant: A rarity in this day and age, Cage the Elephant are now on to the FIFTH single of their latest album! That song is "Skin And Bones", a song that goes for the psychedelically tinged indie-pop that CTE have used on pretty much all the tracks for their latest album. The song itself seems to be about trying to survive in a difficult world for so long that, "all that's left is skin and bones." Lead singer Matt Shultz turns to love and comfort to guide him through the hard times he's been through. Keep in mind the song came out LAST year, not this year, but a lot of us have been facing difficulty for roughly the last four years, to be honest.

"Survivin'" by Bastille: Our only other song of the week, as you can tell from the title alone, is also about trying to survive! Like "What You Gonna Do?" from earlier this year, "Survivin'" marks another turning point in Bastille's musical style. The former of the two songs had more of a rock sound than fans were used to. "Survivin'" is more of a hip-hop/jazz/soul hybrid, with particular emphasis on the saxophone that comes in during the chorus. Dan Smith and co try to be optimistic in this song, but the verses of the song trend more towards uncertainty. 

New songs for October 14th, 2020

 here they are:


"Lifetime" by Romy (from The xx): The female half of the guy/girl electro-indie-pop duo, The xx, Romy is striking out on her own this time around. Her debut solo single, "Lifetime", sounds like an odd cross between Madonna and Imogen Heap. How this came to be is anyone's guess. "Lifetime" is both energetic dance-pop and soothingly ambient. As it turns out, there is a reason this song sounds like something Madonna might have done in the '90s. The Material Girl's fave sound engineer, Mark "Spike" Stent, was the one who mixed this track. Who would have guessed?!

"Making Do" by Lake Street Dive: Lake Street Dive have been making blues-y R & B revival music since 2014. A lot of it has sounded fun and energetic, and the lyrical themes usually revolve around romance. "Making Do" is not such a song. It still has that chugging retro R & B flavor to it like most of their songs do, but this time it's a bit slower. What's most noticeable about "Making Do", though, is how serious the subject matter is! When a band as (typically) carefree as Lake Street Dive wants to shift gears into making protest songs, you KNOW something is wrong with the world! "To the next generation, Merry Christmas", lead singer Rachael Price half-sarcastically states in the opening of the song, following the line with the more truthful whammy of, "You're working harder than ever now, and the coffee sucks." Rachael continues addressing problems ranging from climate change to unfair pay throughout the song. Many more painful reminders of reality can be heard during the rest of the song, as Rachael questions where the heroes are in this day and age. Having just been married last year, the "baby girl" mentioned in the song is literally Rachael's own baby, not even a year old yet. Rachael brings her up to complain about how irresponsible contemporary society has been in creating a world where people are more physically vulnerable than ever before. My heart weeps for humanity!

"Shaken" by David Shaw (from The Revivalists): David Shaw from blues-rock group, The Revivalists, has struck out on his own now, after having been in a surprisingly successful band for 6 years. His debut solo song, "Shaken", doesn't sound too different from his material with The Revivalists. The song does have noticeably more acoustic guitar than most Revivalists songs do, but that just provides as a backdrop here for the more blues-y instruments up front. The song appears to be about a breakup of sorts. As much as I like songs with metaphorical messages, I'm glad that "Shaken" is NOT some sort of allegory for the present crisis we've been facing. Sometimes, songs with simpler topics are just easier to take!

New songs for October 7th, 2020

 here they are:


"Leave Virginia Alone" by Tom Petty: Rock legend Tom Petty left us three years ago, sadly, and his latest, "Leave Virginia Alone", was actually a song that was supposed to be on his 1994 album, "Wildflowers." Petty felt that the song sounded too similar to another he was already doing at the time, giving it away to Rod Stewart in the process of making this decision. Now, almost 25 years later, we finally get to hear "Leave Virginia Alone" the way it was meant to be heard. Not surprisingly, the song sounds very Petty-esque, and it probably wouldn't sound out of place as a Traveling Wilburys song either. "Virginia," in this case, is the name of a woman, and not the name of the state. The titular Virginia appears to be a sex, drugs, and rock & roll fiend on the fringes of society. Why does Petty want people to leave her alone? According to the lyrics, it's because "she's not like you and me." In other words, she's basically a societal rebel that doesn't want people to mess with her.

"Let Down" by Michigander: Michigander, who are, in fact, from Michigan, debuted late last year with the indie-folk-rock tune, "Misery," which was really anything but miserable. Similarly, "Let Down" is anything but a let down. The song has a bit more of a rock oriented sound that separates it from the band's previous single. It has a very mid-2000's indie-pop feel to it, as if The Killers were covering Arcade Fire's "Rebellion (Lies)." It combines the flashy, electric guitar dynamics of the former with the charging, B-flat piano of the latter. Perhaps the reason that "Let Down" sounds uplifting as opposed to melancholic is because lead singer, Jason Singer (yes, that's his actual name), says that song reflects on his tendencies to have big aspirations (only to have them torn down afterwards). He seems to be trying to offer his audience hope amidst a dismal time, like many singers and performers have done lately.


"Officer of Love" by Caamp: Ohio indie-folk quartet, Caamp, have had two hits on the adult alt charts so far with the energetic bluegrass influenced rocker, "Peach Fuzz" and the more purely bluegrass sound of "By And By." Their third Triple A single, "Officer of Love", appears to combine the two sounds, not unlike what groups like Buffalo Springfield and The Flying Burrito Brothers were doing decades ago. The song is basically a love song, but with somewhat quirky lyrics. The chorus of the song claims that its subject is an "officer of love" and that the lead singer will "obey her every word." Not every day that you hear references to law enforcement in a love song, is it?! The quaint charm of this song's sound combined with its outlandish lyrics seems to make it work somehow. 

New songs for September 30th, 2020

 here they are:


"Can I Believe You?" by Fleet Foxes: Indie-folk sensations, Fleet Foxes, have switched gears from cynical to hopeful, at least for now. I'm skeptical as to how long their optimism will truly last during this troubled time, but part of the reason for this was because of the sour disposition that colored the outlook of their 2017 album, which was particularly noticeable on their song, "Fool's Errand." A title like "Can I Believe You?" also seems like it would promote skepticism, but during the final part of the song, lead singer Robin Pecknold makes it clear that he WANTS to believe the subject of the song, whoever or whatever that may be. Pecknold has jokingly referred to this song as the "headbanger" of his latest album. Unless you consider groups like The Shins to be heavy metal (which I highly doubt), there's nothing "headbanging" at all about this song. However, it is noticeably more lively and less sparse than most Fleet Foxes songs.

"Can I Call You Tonight?" by Dayglow: Yet another "Can I?" song. Is there a theme here somewhere?! Anyway, there is nothing that really distinguishes this song from other pop-influenced indie and alt tunes from the past 10-ish years, but it does manage to be catchy. Sloan Struble (who is, himself, "Dayglow") croons whisper-y messages over a guitar/drums/synth combo that bears a striking resemblance to groups like Tame Impala, whom Struble claims is one of his main influences in this song, along with Michael Jackson. Other than the fact that this is a danceable pop music tune, I don't quite see the resemblance to MJ, but if you're part of the TikTok generation, it is probably worth listening to, as that was the main source through which "Can I Call You Tonight?" gained popularity. 

"Hollow" by Belle Mt.: Ever since the advent of acts like Imagine Dragons and Avicii circa the mid-2010's, the combo of acoustic guitar and dance/pop influence seems to have gained popularity. In the 2020's, at least the early part of the decade, this combo shows no signs of slowing down. "Hollow" by Belle Mt. is exactly that - a song centered around acoustic guitar and synthetic rhythms. As one might be able to guess from the lyrics, or perhaps just the title by itself, "Hollow" is about Matt Belmont (a.k.a. "Belle Mt.")'s relationship with a girl that he later regretted getting into. The lyrics are somewhat creative regarding this rather typical topic, especially "Lonely is her favorite place to be" during the chorus, but otherwise there's something about "Hollow" that seems...well...hollow! Music these days seems rather melancholy without a lot of substance to it, and this song is evidence of that. Not a bad one, though.

"How Lucky" by Kurt Vile (featuring John Prine): The cynical yet clever indie-folk musician, Kurt Vile, reveals here how he probably got that whole persona in his music in the first place - from John Prine, the recently deceased folk-rock and country-rock musician whose attitude and lyrics often smacked of a clever sense of cynicism and sarcasm ("Illegal Smile" and "In Spite of Ourselves" are both great examples of this.) "How Lucky" was actually originally Prine's song, which Kurt is covering here. Lyrically, the song is sort of like The Beatles' "In My Life" if the lyrics were being questioned by a skeptic. It invokes a sense of both nostalgia and realism. How lucky can one man get? Very lucky, apparently, as Kurt Vile pays tribute to a musician who was both cool enough for punks and mellow enough for hippies (much as Kurt himself has become today)!

"The Great Divide" by The Shins: This song might be a bit more electronica influenced than Shins fans are used to, but lead singer James Mercer is no stranger to the genre, which he experimented with on his side project, Broken Bells. Lyrically, it is one of an ever expanding lineup of songs that attempt to provide its audience with comfort during hard times. The song has an almost New Age-y vibe with lines like, "Now an age has come out of the loneliness." "The Great Divide" might have a negative sounding title with its use of the word "divide", but it aims to invoke emotions that are anything but negative. 

New songs for September 16th, 2020

 here they are:


"Be A Rebel" by New Order: I'll be honest. I have mixed feelings about New Order. I think "Ceremony", "Age of Consent", and "Regret" are all great songs, while bigger New Order hits like "Blue Monday" and "Bizarre Love Triangle" really didn't impress me very much. As a guitarist, I'm sort of biased towards the "guitar side" of otherwise synth-y groups like New Order. Their first song in what seems like decades, "Be A Rebel", goes more towards the synth side. However, I can also see why adult alt radio stations have gravitated towards it. For a synth track, it is also very chill. "Be A Rebel", contrary to its title, is the type of track that can provide a sense of ambiance in a pleasant enough atmosphere. Lyrically, it is one of a growing number of songs from 2020 that rail against the anger and depression the world has suffered through lately. It has mostly good lyrics, although "be a rebel, not a devil" sounds like clumsy writing coming from one of the most respected groups in the history of British alternative rock!

"Cyr" by The Smashing Pumpkins: And here is another synth-rock tune from a much revered alt-rock band! Those of you who want another "1979" or "Today" will probably be disappointed, as "Cyr" isn't very much of a guitar rock song. However, longtime fans of The Pumpkins will probably know that Billy Corgan was just as influenced by synth-driven new wave music as he was by hard, electric guitar based rock (and to a lesser extent, folk-rock). Not only does the music sound like Depeche Mode, but the lyrics do too, with their cryptic yet spooky sounding references, employing the use of icy vocabulary like "the whorl" and "the void." I guess this is yet another reason for "pumpkins" to be symbolic of Halloween!

"Letter to You" by Bruce Springsteen: If the last two reviews have made you lose your faith in guitar rock, leave it to The Boss himself to revitalize your faith! With a message as heartfelt as his classic mid-to-late 1970's songs, and composed in that style as well, "Letter to You" is a song attempting to reach out to people warmly during our puzzling, pandemonium-inducing pandemic. There is no particular person Springsteen had in mind when he wrote this song. It's a message to all his fans to make sure they're feeling alright. As a longtime Bruce fan, I just want to say, thank you for the message! We, the fans, appreciate it immensely! No complaints here, except Clarence's son, Jake, is somehow absent from this track. Any Bruce track that attempts to be a throwback to the '70s should have a sax player on it somehow! Oh well...the song is still a lovely and well-needed message during a time of crisis!

"My Vibe" by Mt. Joy: Of the Mt. Joy songs I've heard so far, this is probably the track that really emphasizes the "joy" part of their name the best! It's a quirky, goofy, lighthearted track that sounds like it could have easily been a "Sgt. Pepper" outtake (albeit with millennial indie-rock elements woven within). As Paul McCartney himself might say, "My Vibe" is basically a silly love song...in a good way, though! There are no heavy motives or symbolism behind this song. It's just an excuse to let loose and have fun!

"Visitor" by Of Monsters and Men: Somehow, just the title of this song alone sounds somewhat chilling! Lyrically, it kind of is! Nanna Hilmarsdottír, one of the two lead singers of OMAM, describes what it is like to become a "visitor" in this song - in other words, feeling disconnected from a world that is on the brink of change where what was once familiar has now vanished. Sound familiar? This song was actually done one month prior to the pandemic's worldwide spread, but OMAM do seem to agree that the song's chilly, distant vibe fit in eerily well with a world affected by coronavirus. Hopefully this is what coronavirus itself will end being...a visitor! I can't express enough how I want to get back into the world I used to know!

New songs for September 9th, 2020

 here they are:

"I'm Ready" by Black Pumas: On the strength of three hugely successful and hugely soulful songs on adult alt radio, Black Pumas are now ready for a fourth song to hit the adult alt airwaves. Their latest song, "I'm Ready", is actually a bonus track from their debut album (another of which is a lovely cover of the classic Tracy Chapman song, "Fast Car.") "I'm Ready" is a more upbeat song from Black Pumas' catalog, like most of their material so far has been. Lead singer Eric Burton talks a few times about being born in California in the song, though his band is based in Texas (another state he makes reference to later on in the song.) Like most Black Pumas songs, "I'm Ready" is essentially a love song, but the title of the song could mean other things, like how Eric is ready to make his music known to the world!

"Impossible Weight" by Deep Sea Diver (featuring Sharon Van Etten): You might not know Deep Sea Diver offhand, but if you're a fan of contemporary indie/alt music, chances are you've heard lead singer Jessica Dobson providing backing guitar for major acts of the genre like The Shins and Beck. It's taken us almost a decade to hear Jessica strike out with her own band to score an adult alt radio hit, but with "Impossible Weight", it looks like she's finally achieved her goal! The song, not surprisingly, bears resemblance to groups like The Shins, if St. Vincent somehow got involved with them. Providing additional support to Deep Sea Diver in "Impossible Weight" is indie-folk cult fave, Sharon Van Etten, who has scored a few adult alt radio hits of her own within nearly the last decade. For those are fond of hearing women in the indie scene rock out, "Impossible Weight" might just be the song for you!

"Lonely Heather" by The Nude Party: The revitalized, Stones-esque rock and roll flavor of this song is only one aspect that makes this song worth reviewing. The other is its stunning music video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FteAfB5Sw9A&ab_channel=TheNudeParty)!! It seems almost "BoJack Horseman" influenced, albeit with more actual humans than human-animal hybrids (a few wolf-people are featured at the beginning of the video, though.) There's something that just screams "adult animation" about this video, but not in a gross way, more in a subtle way, as BoJack has been known to have. The animator for this video, however, was never involved in that show. "Lonely Heather"s animator is a man named Parker Worthington, and not much else is known about him. The song itself is a mere two-and-a-half minutes of joyously fun rock music, capped off by the rebel yell (or should I say "rebel L") of "Luh-luh-luh-Lonely Heather" during the chorus!

"Mind Eraser" by Nicole Atkins: The unexpected darkness of 2020 has certainly impacted Nicole Atkins! As the pandemic was just beginning to rage earlier this year, she gave us "Domino", a deceptively catchy song that was actually about the end of the world. Now, we have the even darker "Mind Eraser", a seductive, bass driven, funky song (with a surprisingly blues-y guitar solo midway through) that seems to be about questioning the very nature of reality! Nicole talks throughout the song about how "it seems (her) mind's erased", as well as how, if that's the case, she "never wants to leave again." Wow! Chilling lyrics! However, they are strangely befitting for the time being!

"The World" by Pete Yorn: A short but sweet folk-rock tune, Pete Yorn's "The World" is about...well...the world! More specifically, though, it's about how unpredictable Pete feels the world is. It seems to let him down. Having had nearly 20 years in the music biz, one might expect Pete to feel a little world weary right now, but this song almost feels like a reflection on just what a sad state the world is in right now. There are many songs in Pete Yorn's catalog that can be called "bittersweet", but this one probably tops 'em all so far in that regard!

"Time Is Wasting" by Josh Ritter: This upbeat folk-rock tune, which has a similar beat and sound to Paul Simon's "Graceland" (albeit without the rhythmic African influence the song was known for), was supposedly a song Josh Ritter originally wrote for a movie, although what movie that was is currently unknown. Upon actually releasing the song, Josh found it to be strangely fitting for our present coronavirus pandemic, and then decided to write other songs with a similar theme for his latest album. However, "Time Is Wasting" is the song that got the ball rolling for Josh in 2020. Underneath the song's happy sound, there is a rather disquieting sense of desperation in the lyrics. How will the other songs on Josh's new album pan out? Well, we'll just have to wait and see!

"Under the Table" by Fiona Apple: There hasn't been a Fiona Apple album as heavily anticipated as her latest one has been since...well...since her debut in 1996! Quite a bit of time has passed by between her debut album and our current year, but Fiona's sense of confessional, wounded angst has remained all these years! Songs like "Under the Table" are like the opposite of the cliche about fine wines. Instead of tasting sweeter over time, Fiona's songs seemed to have grown more sour with each passing year. On the subject of wine, apparently "Under the Table" was inspired by an actual dinner, not a metaphorical one like one might expect, that Fiona had where a lot of expensive wine was involved. It's not the food and drink that's important here, though. What is important in the subject of this song is how Fiona felt used by the guy who hosted the dinner. To put it in more polite-ish terms, this song is basically a "screw-you" to the guy who used her. Ah, the beauty of songs! They can mean so many things...and yes, that includes how songs can be a kiss-off to someone you really don't like!