What is Borns' followup song to "Electric Love" and "10,000 Emerald Pools"? What is Houndmouth's followup song to "Sedona" and "Say It"? Find out tonight, in this edition of my weekly music blog!
"American Money" by Borns: The sultry sound and Borns' androgynous vocals pretty much define "American Money". Comparisons of this song have been drawn, musically and vocally, to icily enjoyable indie-pop musicians like Lana Del Rey and Lorde, in spite of the fact that lead vocalist Garrett Borns is a male. "American Money" sounds more like the title of a political protest song than a love song, but it is actually the latter. The title comes from the description Garrett gives of his lover's eyes, "green like American money". Likening a body part to dollar bills doesn't exactly sound like the most seductive thing in the world to me, but hey, whatever works!
"My Cousin Greg" by Houndmouth: "My cousin Greg, well he's a greedy son of a..." well, you probably know which word comes after the phrase "son of a". What a way to start out a song! However, that's the way neo-roots-rock group Houndmouth open their latest song, "My Cousin Greg". For Houndmouth, time probably stopped somewhere between 1969 and '70, when bands like The Band, The Grateful Dead, and The Allman Brothers Band were getting their careers off the ground, which is kinda funny considering that the members of Houndmouth don't look like they're older than their mid 30's. "My Cousin Greg" seems to evoke the sounds of all three of these groups. The song also seems to serve as a subtle warning against taking too much pleasure in fame, as the words, "If you want to live the good life, well you better stay away from the limelight" make up the chorus of the song. This is a lesson Houndmouth themselves could have learned before "Sedona" became a surprise radio hit on alt-rock stations!
