here they are:
"Charity" by Courtney Barnett: Don't be fooled by the title. This is not a love ballad from Courtney Barnett (Has she ever done one before in the first place?!) Instead, it's a dour, sarcastic, downtrodden song from Courtney, as per usual. If The Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb" had an "answer" song, it might just be this one. Jagger sang about a woman who was "under his thumb". Courtney IS that woman - well, not Mick's, but certainly one who has felt mistreated in relationships. In "Charity", she sings about how it feels to be treated with disrespect in a relationship, albeit with a cynicism that is unique to Courtney in her songs. "You must be having so much fun. Everything's amazing", she begins during the chorus, and follows these statements with, "So subservient I make myself sick. Are you listening?" In other words, she feels like she's been treated like an object for too long and doesn't want to put up with it anymore. Charity, eh?! Doesn't sound very charitable to me!
"On My Knees" by Middle Kids: It's been a long time since rock and roll. Even the so called "indie kids" feel that way now. "On My Knees" is the closest that Australian indie-pop trio, Middle Kids, have gotten to a rock song so far, so perhaps that's why it's gotten more attention so far than their other tunes have. The sound seems a little rushed and haphazard and gives off vibes of what it'd be like if Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros tried making a garage rock song. The attempt at sounding more like a rock group than an indie-pop band was probably intentional in this song, as it is basically about how much the members felt they have suffered as a band, and their search to find a silver lining in their situation.
"Sucker's Prayer" by The Decemberists: If the synth laden blitzkrieg of "Severed" from earlier this year didn't sit well with you, then perhaps the calmer roots-y guitar sound of "Sucker's Prayer" might be more for you. Lyrically, it is a classic Decemberists tune which juxtaposes sweet melodies and harmonies with dark lyrics. It's a song about someone who wants to commit suicide, but that might not be apparent to those listening to the song for the first time who want to focus more on the way the song sounds than its lyrical content. It's not the first time Colin Meloy and his indie-folk-rock ensemble have pulled this off. "The Rake's Song", for instance, was a grisly murder ballad, but its catchy beat seemed to lead people away from assuming that's what the song was about. Well done, Decemberists. You still have it in ya!
