here they are:
"Blue Moon" by Beck: As the title alone indicates, "Blue Moon" is a sad song. Beck has been quite the busy man as of the past couple years, having had one single each (so far) between 2012 and 2014. All three of those songs were melancholy, and Beck's pining vocals, doleful lyrics, and swaying acoustic guitars definitely make "Blue Moon" a tearjerker. Over the past 20 years, he's proven he's far more than just a guy with a penchant for rap-rock hybrid songs with lyrical nonsense in their content. His worth as a more fragile musician seems to have come full circle with "Blue Moon", and there will probably be more to come in the near future for the '90s greatest musical chameleon!
"Coming of Age" by Foster the People: Foster the People are yet another band who never seemed to follow trends, yet wound up making big hits anyway! During the height of the success of their biggest hit to date, "Pumped Up Kicks", most alt-pop songs used guitars, and Foster the People used mostly synths (until the last minute and a half of the song). Now, it seems as though the tables have been turned for FTP. Many alt-pop songs now tend to rely more on synths than guitars, so Foster the People now have a "guitar song" on their hands with "Coming of Age". From its spacey David Bowie-ish intro to its INXS-ish guitar hooks, "Coming of Age" seems to gather its musical influences from many of the finest classic alternative-rock-meets-dance-pop musicians. "Coming of Age" also seems like it has a more consistent blend of deep in thought lyrics and progressive sound, unlike "Pumped Up Kicks", whose bouncy melody belied dark lyrics.
"Happy" by Pharrell Williams: Many of the best movies to have a song or two from their soundtrack hit the adult alt airwaves are usually ones like "Juno", "Garden State", or "Into the Wild". They aren't usually from feel-good family movies like "Despicable Me 2", which Pharrell Williams' "Happy" just happens to be from! Why this song was released to radio a little over 6 months after its initial release, I have no idea, but at least it IS getting airplay. The song "Happy" accompanies one of the most memorable scenes in "Despicable Me 2", during which the main character, Gru, has just admitted that he is head over heels in love with feisty, quirky redhead, Lucy Wilde. Naturally, this makes him, well, "happy", and the mood of the song itself is just irresistible!! You won't be able to get this song out of your head! Perhaps that's a good thing, though, considering what emotion it is intended to bring out in people!
"This Is A Game" by Nick Waterhouse: Ummmm...why is Chubby Checker spilling out of my radio all of a sudden?! And why is he playing surf guitars that sound like they might fit in well with the 1960's "Batman" theme song?! Well, I don't know, but man, I sure like this song!! It almost reminds me of the "Mermaidman And Barnacle Boy" theme song from "Spongebob Squarepants" (which itself is supposed to be a spoof of the "Batman" theme). The manic energy of this song wraps up in a matter of merely three minutes with a jazzed up howl!! Now why isn't it surfin' weather yet?! This song sure makes me wanna do something like that!!
"We're All In This Together" by Sam Roberts: The guitars seem kinda Black Keys-ish, but the piano here is in Sam's own style! In his native Canada, Sam is incredibly well known, but here in the U.S., he remains an "underground" artist. Are us Americans afraid of a little variety?! I can't really see any other reason Sam Roberts isn't a well known musician in the States, personally. None of his songs sound quite like the other, but a lot of them are pretty catchy nonetheless. He really seems to let out his inner rocker in this song. This song has apparently been compared to that of many legendary rockers, ranging from The Who to Jane's Addiction!
