here they are:
"Fire Bug" by JD McPherson: The greatest '50s rock sensation that never was had a big hit on the adult alt charts earlier this year with "North Side Gal", and now he's burnin' up those charts again with his latest song, "Fire Bug"! With its pounding Jerry Lee Lewis style pianos, Chuck Berry style guitars, and soulful saxophones, "Fire Bug" sounds like the perfect song for a 1950's diner to be playing. Like "North Side Gal", "Fire Bug" is yet another song about an object of JD's affections. An ordinary subject, but an extraordinary song, so much so, that it probably wouldn't matter what JD sang about, as long as he delivered it with enough passion and energy!
"Let Me Lie" by Trey Anastasio: For a jam band aficionado, you'd probably expect a more complex, or at least a more electric guitar oriented song from Phish's leading man. But no, Trey has decided to mellow out and unplug for his latest song, "Let Me Lie". Even the lyrics ("Gonna take my bike out, gonna take my bike, gonna ride it slowly, ride it just how I like") suggest that Trey doesn't want to go all Jerry Garcia on us this time like he usually does, he just wants to take a break from all that fast paced life out on the road. For a man who's been jammin' his brains out for more than 20 years, both with and without Phish, I'd say that "Let Me Lie" is a well deserved break for Trey. Not that I don't enjoy it when he jams, though, he's great at that!!
"Love Is A Fire" by Courrier: With a sound that comes halfway between Snow Patrol and The Killers, Courrier already seem poised for success with their debut single, "Love Is A Fire". Somehow, though, even though Courrier have a solid, dynamic, appealing sound, something seems missing from their music. Perhaps because their lyrics (like the chorus, "Can you hear my heart, hear my heart now? Love is a fire and it's burning me down") seem ordinary in comparison to those that Gary Lightbody and Brandon Flowers typically deliver in their music. Courrier don't even seem to have the "tight harmony" concept that make songs by groups like Scars on 45 so profound sounding to me. Yet somehow, I still like Courrier, and I still like this song. It's not bad. I just think it needs a little improvement, and I think that Courrier have potential to make better songs.
"1957" by Milo Greene: Has it somehow become a trend to use 20th century years in indie-pop/rock song titles?! First there was Phoenix's "1901", and earlier this year, The Tallest Man on Earth put out a song called "1904". Now, thanks to Milo Greene (a band, not a person), we have our third "year song" in the indie-pop category, "1957". "1957" also utilizes other trends in indie-pop/rock. Like Of Monsters and Men, Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros, The Civil Wars, and The Lumineers, Milo Greene are a band that plays bittersweet folk-rock with a guy and girl sharing vocals, somewhat like a modern day Mamas and Papas. The video for the song is particularly interesting, in that it plays out like a three and a half minute version of current indie flick, "Ruby Sparks". The guy in the video appears to be writing a story about this girl, he falls for her, she appears to be real, but she turns out to (more than likely) just be imaginary. Surreal enough for ya?! The video can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8Mc8YRigmw
"Teardrop Windows" by Benjamin Gibbard: So Death Cab's leading man has finally decided to go solo, eh? Well, it sounds like...ummm...not that different from Death Cab themselves. However, "Teardrop Windows" is a relief for me since its sound hearkens back to the bittersweet folk-rock Death Cab initially became known for, as opposed to the more electronic flourishes of more recent Death Cab songs like "You Are A Tourist" and "Underneath the Sycamore". As you might expect from a song with the word "teardrop" in the title, "Teardrop Windows" has both a moody sound and moody lyrics (even the opening lyrics, "Teardrop windows crying at the sky, he's all alone and wondering why"). But Ben doesn't let the tears flow too hard in "Teardrop Windows", since the song has a somewhat catchy backbeat, as well as a good balance of major and minor chords throughout the song.
