New songs for September 25th 2019

here they are:


"Everyone Hides" by Wilco: Did you think that Imogen Heap was the only indie musician who enjoyed playing "hide and seek"?! Well, think again! Wilco enjoy it just as much, and not in the romantic way that Imogen did in her song. The video for "Everyone Hides" is quite literally a fun, harmless game of hide and seek between the band members! It can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2Gbbd6pVMg Jeff Tweedy and co are quite the clever punsters in this song and video! The title of the song itself, when used in combination with the video, could be taken as one, using the word "hide" in the sense of both concealing one's inner emotions in the song and literally finding a place to hide in the video. Visual puns that reference Wilco albums like "Being There" (depicted here as a movie starring Peter Sellers) and "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" (the tower on the album cover is one place they hide) can be found throughout the video. Happy hunting!


"Missing Home" by Flora Cash: The third song so far to become a hit in the catalog of Swedish indie-folk duo, Flora Cash, "Missing Home" recalls many of the elements that made their first and biggest hit (so far), "You're Somebody Else", so successful on alt and adult alt radio stations. For one, acoustic guitar makes a return to Flora Cash's music (guitar was largely absent on "They Own This Town"). Flora Cash also turn back from the bitter vibes of "They Own This Town" and go back to bittersweet, which suits them better, on "Missing Home". The title alone indicates a sense of yearning, and the moody yet longing vibe of the song and its lovelorn lyrics confirm this. Midway through, the song uses the old adage that "home is where the heart is", but it doesn't feel corny or forced here. Instead, it feels like it plucks at the ol' heartstrings. Here's hoping this song will become one of the smash hits for the final season of both 2019 and the 2010's!


"The Game" by Milky Chance: Often written off as a "one-hit wonder" for the sensually funky alt-folk song, "Stolen Dance", Milky Chance have had a few more songs that their fanbase knows them for, most notably "Flashed Junk Mind" and "Cocoon". Joining the ranks of those songs is the German indie-folk trio's latest tune, "The Game". Once again mixing folk guitars with world music rhythms, "The Game", which has a reggae rhythm that recalls Magic!, another mid 2010's one-hit wonder for their song, "Rude". The lyrics are basically about a relationship gone wrong, where lead singer Clemens Rehbein claims that he doesn't care about what rumors have been spread about him and that he just wants to learn "the rules of the game". The game, of course, is the game of love. I hate to burst anyone's bubble here, but no, it is not about that silly meme that claims, "You just lost the game"!


"The Runner" by Foals: Foals are one of the few indie/alt bands left that can shift between typical indie-pop and the alt-rock music in days of yore that had more guitars. They boasted some mighty fine guitar playing skills on their 2015 hit, "Mountain At My Gates". On their latest song, "The Runner", their guitar skills are once again evident! Where their song "Exits" from earlier this year seemed to evoke feelings of despair and hopelessness, "The Runner" seems to be all about determination! Nothing can get in the way of Foals' success after such a tumultuous, unpredictable decade. Hopefully they'll soldier on into the next one unscathed!

New songs for September 11th 2019

here they are:


"Better Than I Used To" by Illiterate Light: You know a song's gonna be kinda quirky when its opening lyrics are, "In my mind there's only three things: rubber band ball bouncing around". Huh?! Sounds like something badly translated from another language! The song itself is charmingly odd as well with its post-psychedelic influences, bringing to mind other bands who have revived psychedelia for the 21st century, such as Dr. Dog and My Morning Jacket. I actually mistook this for a Dr. Dog song when I first heard it on KCSN, a station that has introduced me to many other wonderful songs and bands that resides in SoCal like I do. "Every time that I think of you, I feel better than I used to", the lead singer states during the chorus. I echo that sentiment when I listen to songs like this one!


"Will We Talk?" by Sam Fender: Sam's late spring/early summer adult alt radio hit, "Hypersonic Missiles", sounded like Springsteen circa 1975 being covered by Ryan Adams. A great combo of sounds if ever there was one! Sam's second adult alt radio hit, "Will We Talk?", sounds a bit more modern, evoking the sounds of groups like The Strokes and The Killers, albeit with that distinctly Springsteen-ian chime and string section in the background. The Strokes and The Killers were both heavily influenced by music of the post-punk and new wave eras, so it's only fitting that "Will We Talk?" opens with the lyrics, "Blue Monday blaring through the speakers", referencing "Blue Monday" by New Order, one of the best known groups of the post-punk and new wave eras. Here, the lyrics also seem like early Springsteen, save for an F-bomb that gets dropped midway through the song, if The Boss had kept his original jazzier and grittier sound into the 1980's, weaving a tale of bittersweet urban romance. Bruce was thought to be the new Bob Dylan back in the day. I'd say that Sam is the new Bruce!