New songs for January 27th 2021

 here they are:


"All My Favorite Songs" by Weezer: This is a rather unusual song for Weezer! It's one of the few songs where they don't have any guitar! However, according to Rivers Cuomo's lyrics, there is a reason for this. Supposedly, "all (his) favorite songs are slow and sad." So is the case with "All My Favorite Songs." The song itself is slow and sad. It is written in C sharp minor, is dominated by cello instead of guitar, and manages to make the quirky but edgy punk-pop of Weezer classics like "Buddy Holly" and "Undone (The Sweater Song)" sound like heavy metal in comparison! "All My Favorite Songs" seems to serve as an unofficial "sequel" song to Weezer's surprisingly bittersweet and ultra-soft 2008 song, "Heart Songs." In contrast to the complete sincerity of "Heart Songs," though, "All My Favorite Songs" is somewhat self-deprecating, with Rivers claiming during the chorus that he "doesn't know what's wrong with him"!

"Call Me A Fool" by Valerie June: A sweeping, haunting neo-soul tune, "Call Me A Fool" might be sung by a millennial musician, but it is none other than 1960's R & B legend, Carla Thomas, providing the opening spoken word part: "Only a fool tests the depths of the water with both feet." Valerie, in response, kicks off the song with the four titular words, "call me a fool," twice. Why is she a "fool," exactly? Well, it's because she's fallen for a person who has used her, but she likes them anyway, in a way that's more than just friendly. Somehow, I feel like this is the perfect kind of song for Valentine's Day of this year, which will be coming up shortly!

"Ghosts" by Bruce Springsteen: In fall of last year, Bruce made a grand return to adult alt radio with "Letter to You," a sweet, heartfelt song that recalled vintage Bruce songs from the 1970's. With "Ghosts," the vintage Bruce sound continues, albeit on a much grander scale! The spirited, lively tone of this epic, five-and-a-half-minute song sounds like it was made for the arenas! (There'd better BE arenas sometime this year!) Unlike what its title might suggest, "Ghosts" is not about a dead person or people, but rather a metaphor for how music makes Bruce feel! The comparison here is that, much like a ghost, Bruce is haunted (in a good way) by the sound of music. Bruce, someday, when you're a ghost yourself, I hope to feel the same way you do when you hear music! One more thing I might add. The ghost of Clarence, the Big Man himself, appears to permeate this song towards the end of it! It's probably his son, Jake, playing sax during that part! 

"Waiting on a War" by Foo Fighters: If you thought "Shame Shame" from fall of last year was too "soft" for a Foo Fighters song, then this song might disappoint you even more. However, for the people who enjoy the softer side of Dave and the boys, like me, "Waiting on a War" is an excellent, haunting track! The song is their folkiest since the days of the acoustic version of "Everlong" and the equally haunting, "Walking After You"...well, until the end of it, that is, although even that part still retains the sense of sweet melody and harmony the song starts with. Since the song did come out during autumn of the tumultuous and unpredictable year of 2020, the lyrics to "Waiting on a War" are heavily reflective of just how torn apart the U.S. (and arguably the rest of the world, to a degree) had become by that point. The title of the song comes about from how Dave Grohl wonders throughout the song whether there is more to life than just "waiting on a war." There's never any definitive proof of an answer to this, but he seems to lean towards the more hopeful side, as the song is attempting to spread a message of peace and love amongst a nation (and planet) of war-torn citizens!

New songs for January 20th 2021

 here they are:

"Charming Mess" by The Black Crowes: "Charming Mess" IS a charming mess! It's a sloppily played blues-rock song that manages to charm those who latched onto The Black Crowes in the early '90s for their perfect imitation of '70s rock. This song, in particular, is hugely influenced by the sleazy, sloppy blues-y sound of Rod Stewart's "Hot Legs," to the point of sharing the D, C, G chord progression that song does during its intro. Although the melody of the song isn't that original, it does seem to be winning back a lot of the original Black Crowes fanbase of classic rock fanatics, so that counts for something, right?

"Free As We Wanna Be" by Dawes: With its sweet-sounding hippie-esque title and its sincere, Springsteen-ian sound, "Free As We Wanna Be" might seem at first like a sigh of relief. However, upon closer listen, it's actually anything but. Los Angelean indie-folk-rock faves, Dawes, are criticizing the internet during the verses of the song, with each verse becoming darker than the last. The first verse decries TV advertisers, while the second goes after people who pitch ads on websites, and finally, the third gets rather specific, attacking internet advertisers for exploiting their users. Free As We Wanna Be?! Ummm...yeah...think again. You never are, and you know it! 

"Sanctuary" by Hiss Golden Messenger: North Carolina country-rock group, Hiss Golden Messenger, give us what could be their saddest song yet with "Sanctuary." Frontman M.C. Taylor has had a lot on his mind for the past year or so, and he puts it all into HGM's latest tune. The song laments the state of distraught democracy the United States has gone through, which arguably apexed last year. He attempts for this song to shed a truthful light on the lies we have been fed through the media, following in the footsteps of his hero, John Prine (the fact he died last year, which Taylor is painfully aware of here, only adds to the grief of this song). This song arrived just in time, didn't it?! 

New songs for January 13th 2021

 here they are:


"Freedom" by Illiterate Light and Devon Gilfillian: The neo-psychedelic pop sounds of Illiterate Light and the smooth neo-soul sounds of Devon Gilfillian were two of the best things to grace adult alt radio in 2020! A year later, not only are they both still going strong, but they've decided to join forces with one another! Who knew, eh?! Their first effort together, "Freedom," doesn't quite sound like Illiterate Light OR Devon Gilfillian, yet somehow they manage to make it work here! The song has a funky indie-dance-pop flavor fit for any millennials who might not have heard their music previously. The highlight of the song, perhaps, is Devon's vocal solo in the middle of the song. His sweet yet powerful R & B suited vocals really sell the point of the song right where it seems most comfortable, smack dab in the center of it all!

"Keep Your Name Outta My Mouth" by The Black Keys: Why am I reviewing a Black Keys song that has been out for 10 years, you may ask?! Well, it's because up until recently, no one even knew it existed! "Keep Your Name Outta My Mouth" is actually an outtake from The Black Keys' breakthrough record, "Brothers," which features such great soon-to-become-classics (if they aren't already) as "Tighten Up" and "Howlin' For You." "Keep Your Name..." doesn't seem like it has quite the staying power those songs did, but it still has the signature Black Keys sound that melds blues-rock with rhythm & blues. The song oozes blues influence from head to toe, and not just musically either. The lyrics of the song have a sort of "my woman done me wrong" feel that seemed present throughout the album. Here's to hopefully another 10 years of The Black Keys!

"The Bandit" by Kings of Leon: Where in the world are Kings of Leon?! Out to catch the bandit, that's where! For a guy who has recently become nostalgic for the classic, geography-based PBS game show, "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" KOL's latest song has a lot of interesting (and probably unintentional) parallels! "Must catch the bandit"? Well, that was the object of the show, wasn't it?! It features such other lyrics fitting for a geography centered chase like, "200 miles to clear, chasing a sound I hear." The music is as exciting as its lyrics, with that blend of Springsteen-ian sincerity and blues-y grittiness that KOL have cultivated since 2008. I'm not sure what "bandit" KOL are actually trying to capture, but what an adventurous thrill this song gives me! Hope it does the same for you!

New songs for January 6th, 2021

 Happy New Year, everyone! At least I HOPE it'll be a happy one...maybe I should just wish everyone a good New Year instead?! Haha. Anyway, here are the first five songs I've chosen to review in 2021. Enjoy!

"Find My Way" by Paul McCartney: Let's start this year off optimistically, shall we?! Does anything embody the spirit of optimism better than the sunny, melodic music of ex-Beatle, Paul McCartney? Well, I dunno, but I'd say it's hard to top! McCartney, who is now two years shy of 80, continues to make sweet and spirited music well into his later years with "Find My Way." The song is a message of hope with an upbeat sound that comes off, not surprisingly, like what a 21st century Beatles song might have sounded like if they stuck around that long.

"Plastic Beach" by Future Islands: Like "For Sure" from last year, "Plastic Beach" is yet another Future Islands song where the title doesn't appear in the song. The song's energetic yet minor key sound gives "Plastic Beach" an element of mystery that separates it from other Future Islands songs, and it's also the first song I've heard of theirs that isn't in B flat or F, opting instead for C sharp minor. These surprisingly dark elements all seem to fit the lyrics of the song, which is about regret. "I spent a lifetime in the mirror, picking apart what I couldn't change," Sam Herring sings in both the second and third verse of the song. Trying to avoid change when change is inevitable. Yeah...I've been there.

"Redemption" by Nathaniel Rateliff: How Nathaniel Rateliff went from spirited, feisty blue-eyed soul performer to moody country-rocker is anyone's guess, but the latter sound appeared on both of Nathaniel's singles from last year, "And It's Still Alright," and "Time Stands." With "Redemption," Nathaniel goes for the moody country-rock sound yet again (albeit with an electric guitar solo in the middle). As one might infer from the title of the song, "Redemption" is a bittersweet song about wanting to be free from a world that holds you back. This is what we all need from the surprising debacle that was last year! A very timely release, if I do say so myself!

"The Only Thing" by Travis (featuring Susanna Hoffs from The Bangles): After her career with '80s pop sensations, The Bangles, Susanna Hoffs went on to do a few albums of cover songs with '90s power pop master, Matthew Sweet. Fitting to Susanna's (and Matthew's) musical roots, a lot of those cover songs had a jangle-pop vibe similar to groups like The Byrds and Big Star. "The Only Thing" is not a cover song, and its moody, bittersweet flavor seems much closer to the melancholy folk-y Britpop of Travis than it does to the more high-energy vibe of The Bangles. Not a lot of people would probably peg Travis' Fran Healy as being a Bangles fan, but perhaps he was if he enlisted Susanna's help in this song for backing vocals. The song is mostly a typical "love gone lost" song, although the second verse contains memorably quirky lines like, "you are the record in the record shop nobody wants to buy," and a line after that that cleverly makes use of both "metaphor" and "meta for." 

"Trick to Happy" by Bahamas: Bahamas previous single, "Own Alone," was the happiest Bahamas song that I'd ever heard! "Trick to Happy"? Well...not as happy...but still mellow, in typical Bahamas fashion. "Trick to Happy" is not about BEING happy, but instead about asking if there's a "trick" to being happy. What does that even mean? Is Afie trying to imply that happiness doesn't just come naturally, and that you have to work for it to get it?! Bahamas have always been a fun and catchy band to listen to, but in "Trick to Happy," they show lyrical prowess as well!