here they are:
"Can I Believe You?" by Fleet Foxes: Indie-folk sensations, Fleet Foxes, have switched gears from cynical to hopeful, at least for now. I'm skeptical as to how long their optimism will truly last during this troubled time, but part of the reason for this was because of the sour disposition that colored the outlook of their 2017 album, which was particularly noticeable on their song, "Fool's Errand." A title like "Can I Believe You?" also seems like it would promote skepticism, but during the final part of the song, lead singer Robin Pecknold makes it clear that he WANTS to believe the subject of the song, whoever or whatever that may be. Pecknold has jokingly referred to this song as the "headbanger" of his latest album. Unless you consider groups like The Shins to be heavy metal (which I highly doubt), there's nothing "headbanging" at all about this song. However, it is noticeably more lively and less sparse than most Fleet Foxes songs.
"Can I Call You Tonight?" by Dayglow: Yet another "Can I?" song. Is there a theme here somewhere?! Anyway, there is nothing that really distinguishes this song from other pop-influenced indie and alt tunes from the past 10-ish years, but it does manage to be catchy. Sloan Struble (who is, himself, "Dayglow") croons whisper-y messages over a guitar/drums/synth combo that bears a striking resemblance to groups like Tame Impala, whom Struble claims is one of his main influences in this song, along with Michael Jackson. Other than the fact that this is a danceable pop music tune, I don't quite see the resemblance to MJ, but if you're part of the TikTok generation, it is probably worth listening to, as that was the main source through which "Can I Call You Tonight?" gained popularity.
"Hollow" by Belle Mt.: Ever since the advent of acts like Imagine Dragons and Avicii circa the mid-2010's, the combo of acoustic guitar and dance/pop influence seems to have gained popularity. In the 2020's, at least the early part of the decade, this combo shows no signs of slowing down. "Hollow" by Belle Mt. is exactly that - a song centered around acoustic guitar and synthetic rhythms. As one might be able to guess from the lyrics, or perhaps just the title by itself, "Hollow" is about Matt Belmont (a.k.a. "Belle Mt.")'s relationship with a girl that he later regretted getting into. The lyrics are somewhat creative regarding this rather typical topic, especially "Lonely is her favorite place to be" during the chorus, but otherwise there's something about "Hollow" that seems...well...hollow! Music these days seems rather melancholy without a lot of substance to it, and this song is evidence of that. Not a bad one, though.
"How Lucky" by Kurt Vile (featuring John Prine): The cynical yet clever indie-folk musician, Kurt Vile, reveals here how he probably got that whole persona in his music in the first place - from John Prine, the recently deceased folk-rock and country-rock musician whose attitude and lyrics often smacked of a clever sense of cynicism and sarcasm ("Illegal Smile" and "In Spite of Ourselves" are both great examples of this.) "How Lucky" was actually originally Prine's song, which Kurt is covering here. Lyrically, the song is sort of like The Beatles' "In My Life" if the lyrics were being questioned by a skeptic. It invokes a sense of both nostalgia and realism. How lucky can one man get? Very lucky, apparently, as Kurt Vile pays tribute to a musician who was both cool enough for punks and mellow enough for hippies (much as Kurt himself has become today)!
"The Great Divide" by The Shins: This song might be a bit more electronica influenced than Shins fans are used to, but lead singer James Mercer is no stranger to the genre, which he experimented with on his side project, Broken Bells. Lyrically, it is one of an ever expanding lineup of songs that attempt to provide its audience with comfort during hard times. The song has an almost New Age-y vibe with lines like, "Now an age has come out of the loneliness." "The Great Divide" might have a negative sounding title with its use of the word "divide", but it aims to invoke emotions that are anything but negative.
