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.
