here they are:
"Beryl" by Mark Knopfler: Though Mark has two inescapable rock 'n' roll hits ("Sultans of Swing" and "Money For Nothing") that will follow him wherever he goes, it seems as though Mark's true passion is for folk and country music. Many of his solo albums have an Americana feel to them, and he has duetted with folkies like James Taylor and country musicians like Emmylou Harris on his solo albums as well. His latest song, "Beryl", seems to have shades of both his solo career material and his Dire Straits material. It features a strummed acoustic guitar and a twangy electric guitar, playing together in harmony. One question remains, though. Who IS "Beryl" (the subject of the song)? It turns out that Beryl is Beryl Bainbridge, a British author whose award for writing was a posthumous one, as she never received any awards during her lifetime. The song basically centers around the tragedy of how Bainbridge was appreciated more after she died than she was during her life. A bit like Don McLean's "Vincent", then, in terms of the narration, though not nearly as sad.
"Congregation" by Foo Fighters: The Foos are surprisingly eclectic for a band who evolved out of the grunge scene! They don't just bathe themselves in angst, and can sometimes be quite sunny! "Congregation" is one example of a sunnier song from Dave and the boys (though it turns into a bit of a raver towards the middle). It also seems to be one of those songs that just celebrates the joys of music, as Dave sings about a "jukebox generation" during the chorus. The song seems to have an oddly biblical narrative, too, with lyrics like "I met the seventh son", "Step in the light", and "Where is your blind faith? No false hope".
"Radio" by Ryan Bingham: Our last song of the week is a gritty, Tom Petty-esque rocker. Like the last song I posted about, "Radio" is a song purely about the joys of music, nothing more, and nothing less. Ryan's raw vocals creakily sing about how "radio makes (him) wanna just lose (his) head" during the chorus, placing a drawled out emphasis on the word "lose". I say this song will make you wanna lose your head! In a good way, though, I promise!
