Actually these are pretty much all leftover from late 2017, but better late than never, right? Here goes:
"Creature Comfort" by Arcade Fire: First The Killers jumped onto the anti-sexual abuse bandwagon with "Run For Cover", and now Arcade Fire have issued a statement in defense of sexual abuse survivors with their latest song, "Creature Comfort". A key line in this song is, "Some boys get too much. Too much love, too much touch", and another is "some girls hate their bodies, stand in the mirror, and wait for feedback", taking the issue from both a male and female point of view. "All in all, I don't know if I want it" is another line in the song that is important to consider. AF have definitely taken on some serious issues in 2017, which started with the current state of politics in the surprisingly dark, "I Give You Power", and has extended into more personal issues with "Creature Comfort". When the going gets tough, the tough get going!
"Way With Words" by Bahamas: Could it be?! The Bahamas are no longer just a secret among indie fans?! Apparently, if Taylor Swift knows about 'em, they're no longer relegated to just a quirky, left-of-center audience! However, their music still sounds just as odd. Well, kind of. "Way With Words" sounds like The Police filtered through an indie-pop lens, with its swaying, reggae inspired groove. Perhaps it was because of Taylor Swift spreading the word about this song online that this song was streamed millions of times in just two weeks, but Bahamas still sounds just as chill and groovy as ever. They haven't changed their sound, as far as I can tell.
"World Gone Mad" by Bastille: Bastille's latest songs, such as "Good Grief", have noticeably more guitar than the songs on their debut. "World Gone Mad" is yet another first for the band, as it not only contains a guitar, but an acoustic guitar! The guitar quickly becomes obscured by a string section within the first minute, but that's not necessarily a bad thing here, since it makes for what is quite possibly the most poignant song in Bastille's catalog so far, which is mostly danceable alterna-pop, like "Pompeii". As you can probably tell from the title alone, "World Gone Mad" is a dark song, but it is more sad than it is scary or mean.
