here they are:
"Be A Rebel" by New Order: I'll be honest. I have mixed feelings about New Order. I think "Ceremony", "Age of Consent", and "Regret" are all great songs, while bigger New Order hits like "Blue Monday" and "Bizarre Love Triangle" really didn't impress me very much. As a guitarist, I'm sort of biased towards the "guitar side" of otherwise synth-y groups like New Order. Their first song in what seems like decades, "Be A Rebel", goes more towards the synth side. However, I can also see why adult alt radio stations have gravitated towards it. For a synth track, it is also very chill. "Be A Rebel", contrary to its title, is the type of track that can provide a sense of ambiance in a pleasant enough atmosphere. Lyrically, it is one of a growing number of songs from 2020 that rail against the anger and depression the world has suffered through lately. It has mostly good lyrics, although "be a rebel, not a devil" sounds like clumsy writing coming from one of the most respected groups in the history of British alternative rock!
"Cyr" by The Smashing Pumpkins: And here is another synth-rock tune from a much revered alt-rock band! Those of you who want another "1979" or "Today" will probably be disappointed, as "Cyr" isn't very much of a guitar rock song. However, longtime fans of The Pumpkins will probably know that Billy Corgan was just as influenced by synth-driven new wave music as he was by hard, electric guitar based rock (and to a lesser extent, folk-rock). Not only does the music sound like Depeche Mode, but the lyrics do too, with their cryptic yet spooky sounding references, employing the use of icy vocabulary like "the whorl" and "the void." I guess this is yet another reason for "pumpkins" to be symbolic of Halloween!
"Letter to You" by Bruce Springsteen: If the last two reviews have made you lose your faith in guitar rock, leave it to The Boss himself to revitalize your faith! With a message as heartfelt as his classic mid-to-late 1970's songs, and composed in that style as well, "Letter to You" is a song attempting to reach out to people warmly during our puzzling, pandemonium-inducing pandemic. There is no particular person Springsteen had in mind when he wrote this song. It's a message to all his fans to make sure they're feeling alright. As a longtime Bruce fan, I just want to say, thank you for the message! We, the fans, appreciate it immensely! No complaints here, except Clarence's son, Jake, is somehow absent from this track. Any Bruce track that attempts to be a throwback to the '70s should have a sax player on it somehow! Oh well...the song is still a lovely and well-needed message during a time of crisis!
"My Vibe" by Mt. Joy: Of the Mt. Joy songs I've heard so far, this is probably the track that really emphasizes the "joy" part of their name the best! It's a quirky, goofy, lighthearted track that sounds like it could have easily been a "Sgt. Pepper" outtake (albeit with millennial indie-rock elements woven within). As Paul McCartney himself might say, "My Vibe" is basically a silly love song...in a good way, though! There are no heavy motives or symbolism behind this song. It's just an excuse to let loose and have fun!
"Visitor" by Of Monsters and Men: Somehow, just the title of this song alone sounds somewhat chilling! Lyrically, it kind of is! Nanna Hilmarsdottír, one of the two lead singers of OMAM, describes what it is like to become a "visitor" in this song - in other words, feeling disconnected from a world that is on the brink of change where what was once familiar has now vanished. Sound familiar? This song was actually done one month prior to the pandemic's worldwide spread, but OMAM do seem to agree that the song's chilly, distant vibe fit in eerily well with a world affected by coronavirus. Hopefully this is what coronavirus itself will end being...a visitor! I can't express enough how I want to get back into the world I used to know!
