here they are:
"Every Morning" by J. Mascis (from Dinosaur Jr.): With a past full of sardonic, grungy rock songs, it's a bit of a surprise to me that J. Mascis, the lead singer of noise-rock pioneers, Dinosaur Jr., has mellowed out in recent years! I didn't believe I'd hear anything even remotely acoustic from him until I heard him cover Edie Brickell's "Circle". Mascis' latest solo effort, "Every Morning", is a folk-rock song. The song is not without his fuzzy yet spastic trademark electric guitar solos, but those are not the defining features of "Every Morning" by a long shot! Mascis' dry attitude is still there in both the lyrics ("every morning makes it hard on me") and in the way they're delivered. It seems as though he has been quite the busy man this year, having also provided the guitar solos on "Goshen '97" by up-and-coming indie rock group, Strand of Oaks.
"Family Tree" by Kings of Leon: Kings of Leon have done plenty of odes to classic rock, but so far, none of those songs quite capture the spirit of the vintage 1970's electric guitar sound like "Family Tree". It is by far the most upbeat song from KOL's latest album, "Mechanical Bull", and quite possibly their most upbeat song in general! The chorus of the song is memorable, though it does have some awkward rhyming ("I am your family tree, I know your A to Z, this is a secret proposition, lay your hands on me"). It seems as though the whole song centers around the subject of the song trying to make it with the girl of his dreams, but that is rather typical subject matter for a 1970's rock song, so the Followill brothers once again manage to capture the essence of the glory days of rock 'n' roll!
"Rise Up Singing" by Trigger Hippy: You know that a band with the word "hippy" in the name is probably going to sound like something from the past, and it does, but in a rather fresh, soulful way! Trigger Hippy are a supergroup that comprise of various members of The Black Crowes (including newer member, Jackie Greene), and alt-rocker turned soul mistress, Joan Osborne. Not surprisingly, Trigger Hippy sounds like a group whose music got stuck in the early '70s, combining elements of rock, folk, and soul all in the same sound. The message of the song is simple, but quite joyful and exuberant.
