here they are:
"Good Side" by Liz Phair: There was a time early on in the new millennium when mid-'90s alt-rock goddess, Liz Phair, gave her music an Avril Lavigne styled makeover. Although it brought her music to mainstream radio, not a lot of Liz fans were on board with it. Thankfully, with "Good Side", Liz is back to doing the lyrically acerbic folk-rock with attitude she does best! She's no longer sweetly moaning "why can't I?" in response to falling in love, but is instead spouting more cynical sentences like, "there are so many ways to f**k up a life", the lyrics of which actually open this billowy yet caustic song. The song has lyrical depth that is open to interpretation, too, much like her mid-'90s repertoire. When she sings "I'm gonna leave you with my good side" during the chorus, for instance, what exactly is she talking about? From the overall tone of the song, the phrase "good side" seems somewhat tongue-in-cheek. Hopefully Liz will make more songs like this one, and her early '00s output will just end up being a tiny blemish in an otherwise outstanding catalog!
"Tell the Truth" by The Avett Brothers: Stepping away from the techno-rock of their adult alt smash hit, "High Steppin'", from earlier this year, "Tell the Truth" has more bittersweet autumnal vibes to contrast with "High Steppin'"s summery sound. The title of the song seems like pretty simple advice, but Seth and Scott confess within the lyrics of the song that it's not an easy thing to do. According to the song, they have lied to many who were near and dear to them, so the song serves as a sad but true reminder of how we really don't have anything to hide, no matter how hard we try to do so. "Tell the truth to yourself", they sing, "and the rest will fall in place". Great advice!
"The Well" by Marcus King: I have not heard a bad song from blues-rocker, Marcus King, as of yet, but "The Well" might just be his best one yet! If the song sounds a bit like The Black Keys' "Howlin' For You", it's because the Keys' Dan Auerbach produced it! It also seems to have the most blues-y lyrics of King's output so far ("Papa was a-preachin' 'bout the fires of Hell/If you want a drink of water, got to go to the well"), with its ever so blues-y struggle between the sacred and the profane. Specifically, this song might be about wanting to disprove the myth how rock music is the "devil's music", with Marcus claiming that the "cornerstone church tried to sell (his) soul", but that "the good Lord gave him rock and roll". Well, if classic rock groups like Argent or Kiss are correct, God DID give rock and roll to us!
