here they are:
"High Steppin'" by The Avett Brothers: If you thought the Avetts departed from their folk/country-rock roots with the slightly more straight ahead rock of "Ain't No Man" and then went back to their original sound afterwards, you'd be wrong! "High Steppin'" is the least Avetts-y Avett Brothers song so far! It is the first song in which Seth and Scott employ (gasp!) a synthesizer. This element by itself seems like it would alienate quite a few members of their original fanbase, but surprisingly, Avett Brothers fans actually seem to like this song. For one thing, the video for the song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwebrzEldA0) features one of the brothers in a skeleton outfit. No one quite knows the reason for this, but it is entertaining, to say the least! For another, you can still hear a bluegrass-y fiddle in the background in spite of the overall "alternative" sound this song boasts.
"I Need A Teacher" by Hiss Golden Messenger: This song marks yet another instance of a bluegrass influenced folk-rock group opting for a more "alternative" sound. However, there was a very good reason that Hiss Golden Messenger chose to make their latest song a more moody one. "I Need A Teacher" is a political protest song inspired by teachers from North Carolina who railed against the idea of budget cuts to public education a year ago. After hearing about this, HGM thought it was only right to make a song dedicated to all the hard working teachers who have made noble sacrifices for their students and their unions. You'll never look at the phrase "Schoolhouse Rock" the same way again!
"Superbike" by Jay Som: It's a bird! It's a plane! No! It's (fanfare) Superbike!! Wait!! What's a superbike?! No one really knows the answer to that question, but what we do know is that Melina Mae Duterte, better known as Jay Som, is one cool chick! She fuses together the disparate musical worlds of the avant-garde psych-pop of groups like My Bloody Valentine and Cocteau Twins with the bubblegum-y 2010's teen pop of Katy Perry and Carly Rae Jepsen (of "Call Me Maybe" fame). These are such opposite end elements that no one would think a song like this could even exist, especially in the mass-produced, autotune era of the 2010's, yet here it is! It's like if The Velvet Underground tried covering a song like "Yummy Yummy Yummy" or "Sugar Sugar". Unthinkable, yet somehow totally possible. "Superbike", much like Superman, attains to soar to new heights that no one has ever witnessed before!
