New songs for the day before Thanksgiving 2020

 here they are:


"Basement Tapes" by Semisonic: Semisonic surprised us all in summer of this year with the ultra-catchy "You're Not Alone," a major hit on adult alt radio stations and perhaps the catchiest they've had since "Closing Time" almost two decades ago! Can Semisonic outdo the one-hit wonder curse once again this time of year?! Who knows?! Their next single, "Basement Tapes," tells us that may be so! In a song that sounds like a cross between Third Eye Blind and The Killers, Dan Wilson and co weave a tale about what Semisonic themselves have become for many people: nostalgia. Only this particular nostalgia goes before the '90s and back to the early '70s with an excellent lyrical reference to Big Star, the patron saints of power pop. The song also seems to be about living the rock and roll lifestyle, with the opening lyrics discussing the prospect of getting "loaded" in a van, and later lyrics pointing out various destinations in the U.S. where they've traveled to. 

"Chinatown" by Bleachers (featuring Bruce Springsteen): And speaking of the rock star lifestyle, who better to embody that than Bruce Springsteen?! The Boss has more in common with Bleachers' Jack Antonoff than one might think. In addition to both being musicians, they're also both New Jersey natives! In "Chinatown," a contemporary Jersey boy meets his legendary Jersey hero and gets the opportunity to sing with him! Influence from The Boss was evident on a few Bleachers songs, particularly the '80s Bruce vibes of Bleachers' "Rollercoaster," but it comes out even more here! "Chinatown" romanticizes city life like a typical Bruce song from the early days...except Bruce didn't write it! He must be awfully proud of the people he has influenced!

"Figure It Out" by Blu DeTiger: As much as I try to avoid apps like TikTok, there are some times I can't help but be dragged into it, despite not even having an account on the site. Such is the case with our next song, Blu DeTiger's "Figure It Out." It is yet another song to gain popularity from the app, as many have this year. With its seamless blend of funk and contemporary pop, "Figure It Out" appears to be about a relationship in limbo, in which the object of Blu's affections doesn't know whether he wants to be with her or not. 

"Let Me Love You Like A Woman" by Lana Del Rey: Can you believe it's been almost a decade that Lana Del Rey has had a career as a musician by now?! Within nearly ten years, Lana has gone from curious newcomer flirting with the rock star lifestyle to world weary musician wanting to retreat into a world of her own insecurities. Each LDR song and album seems to be more personal than the other (with the possible exception of her cover of Sublime's "Doin' Time," since it isn't actually hers.) There was something quite haunting and vaguely Leonard Cohen-esque about her last single, "Mariner's Apartment Complex." In "Let Me Love You Like A Woman," she bares her soul like never before. Here, she invites the listener to take a vacation from the glitz and glamour of L.A. and into a world of fragile, introverted love. Sometimes I want to escape into a very similar world to that which I hear being presented within the song, so I feel like I can relate to this one!

New songs for November 18th, 2020

 here they are:


"Are You Bored Yet?" by Wallows: This song has been popular on alternative rock stations for quite a few months now, but it's only started its impact on adult radio. The song is a fun, upbeat pop song on the surface, but the lyrics reveal it to be about dissatisfaction in a relationship. The title alone could probably tell you that, though. Wallows' Dylan Minnette spends the song pondering whether he will regret his relationship later on in life. Boredom can sometimes be hard to tell in a relationship. Thankfully, though, the song itself isn't that boring.

"Leave Me Alone" by I Don't Know How But They Found Me: It's fitting that a band named for a quote from "Back to the Future" has such an '80s sound, isn't it? Well, this is exactly what to expect with I Don't Know How But They Found Me's breakthrough hit, "Leave Me Alone," which mixes '80s synthpop with funky basslines in the background. But one question still remains. WHO does the lead singer want to "leave him alone"? The answer is actually my hometown, Los Angeles, and more specifically, Hollywood. When lead singer Dallon Weekes says that the subject of the song is a "big shot here, "here" means Hollywood. Weekes is deriding the typically selfish lifestyle of actors and actresses there. I'm not always cool with someone dissing SoCal, but in this case, I'd say it's warranted. Not a big fan of the egomaniacs who dominate Hollywood myself.

"Run It" by My Morning Jacket: My Morning Jacket's "Feel You" has ended up becoming one of the biggest smashes on adult alt radio this year. Its comforting yet trippy sound seemed like exactly what fans of the band wanted to hear during this uncomfortable and trippy year. With "Run It," MMJ continue to provide a sense of comfort, perhaps even more so than their previous single did. "Run It" also runs just 10 seconds over the 5-minute mark, unlike its predecessor, which ran for a little over 6 minutes, so it will probably end up being more palatable for those unfamiliar with MMJ. Jim James' central message in the song is to "get back to water." What he means by this is anyone's guess, but I'd venture to guess that it means to return to a state of calm and fluidity. Jim speaks the truth here!

New songs for November 11th, 2020

 here they are:

"Headstart" by Jade Bird: The sassy, catchy folk-rock of Jade bird rose onto the adult alt radio airwaves in 2018 and 2019 and quickly became a fave of radio programmers of such stations! Most of her hit songs didn't last past 3 minutes, and her latest song, "Headstart," is another very short song of hers, at only 2 minutes and 21 seconds. Bringing electric guitars a bit more to the forefront than her previous songs did, "Headstart" still has a folk-rock-y feel to it, and it concerns the subject of unrequited love. Angst-ridden songs about ex-lovers seem to be a theme with Jade, which has garnered her a few comparisons to Alanis Morissette, albeit in a more millennial, indie-folk-rock sorta way.

"Shame Shame" by Foo Fighters: Dave Grohl has said of this song that its album was supposed to be like the Foo Fighters equivalent of David Bowie's "Let's Dance" album. I can kind of see why, as it lacks the crunchy hard rock guitar sound typically present in the Foos' material. In fact, there's barely any noticeable guitar hooks in it at all! Instead, the song is more dominated by drums and (surprise!) a string section, of all things! The song doesn't start at a medium tempo and climax into a full-blown rock song either. It just stays the same at a relatively tepid pace. Not a song for a more rabid Foo Fighters fan, but for those who are in favor of the band exploring more eclectic musical venues, it could be worth the listen. 

New songs for November 4th, 2020

 here they are:


"One More Second" by Matt Berninger: Matt Berninger and his band, The National, could probably be described as "bitter", among other adjectives, in terms of both their music and their lyrics. Having recently struck out on his own, Matt has gone from bitter to bittersweet with "One More Second." There is a good reason that this song sounds sweeter than most of the tunes that Matt has done with The National. He wanted to write a song that was on par with songs like Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" that elicited similar emotions from listeners. While the song will likely never achieve the level of fame and love that that one did, the effort Matt put into "One More Second" really shows, and you can tell he put more heart into this song than he has into anything he did previously!

"The Adults Are Talking" by The Strokes: What a year it has been for The Strokes!! 20 years after their debut, during which their hit song, "Last Nite", raced up the alt-rock charts, their song "Bad Decisions" not only raced up both the alt-rock charts and the adult alt charts, but it is also likely to be my number one song of the year! (Which is scarily apt, considering how many bad decisions we've all made this year so far!) To top it all off, they were also the most recent musical guests on SNL! Their followup song, "The Adults Are Talking", doesn't seem near as catchy as "Bad Decisions", but it still memorable in its own way. "The Adults Are Talking" has a mellower sound and beat, but Julian Casablancas' guitar work still shines through in a more subtle manner here. Lyrically, "The Adults Are Talking" continues in the pattern of "Bad Decisions" of being about a bad decision, specifically one person cheating on another. The song is executed in such an insouciant manner, however, that you'd never be able to tell unless you listened carefully enough!

"The Valley of the Pagans" by Gorillaz (featuring Beck): Gorillaz latest album, "Song Machine", is to them what "Supernatural" was to Santana: an all-star album! Musicians ranging from cult faves like St. Vincent and Joan As Policewoman to major stars like Elton John to alt-rock legends like The Cure and Beck can all be found on this album! Not bad for a band that's comprised of fictional cartoon characters! "The Valley of the Pagans" is stellar track for both Beck and Gorillaz! It's an uber-catchy song whose lyrics are reminiscent of the "word salad" lyrics that Beck had on his breakthrough hit, "Loser." The chorus of "The Valley of the Pagans" mentions the phrase "it feels so good" four times. You don't need to think too hard to understand why. This song is one that makes you feel good, that's why!