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.
