New songs for February 24th 2021

 here they are:


"Bed Head" by Manchester Orchestra: "Bed Head" is a good reminder to fans of Manchester Orchestra of where their roots were from. People like me who first heard them from "The Gold" back in 2017 might have thought of them as a contemporary folk-rock group, but that is not all they do. Far from it. "Bed Head" is straight-up alt-rock for ya, at least from a 21st century perspective of the term. A minor-key melody, guitars that sound halfway between "lite" emo and the post-punk revival, and warbling yet passionate vocals: all key elements of today's alt-rock, and "Bed Head" has got it all! Fitting with the song's overall "alternative" musical theme are its lyrics, which seem to question the meaning of life while finding reasons to regret it at the same time. 

"Heat Waves" by Glass Animals: With the few songs I've heard so far by Glass Animals ("Gooey," "Your Love Deja Vu," and now this one), I'm convinced that Glass Animals might just be their own genre combo - lounge-tronica. They use a lot of synthesized instrumentation, but they present it in such a way that it sounds like perfect music to play in a lounge room. Their latest song, "Heat Waves," is no exception to the rule. The title is not the only lyric that uses summertime imagery either. Practically the whole song does, particularly the chorus, evoking such languid, sultry imagery as "Sometimes all I think about is you, late nights or in the middle of June." Summer may still be months away, but who says we can't enjoy summertime vibes in late winter?! 

"Not Dead Yet" by Lord Huron: Never has there been a Lord Huron song with such blatantly morbid imagery (although "The World Ender" came close)! Their music typically brings about calmer vibes, with the darkness of some of their lyrics being only an oblique setoff to their sound. But just take a close listen to some of the lyrics here! "You got holes on your clothes, booze on your breath, you're lookin' like hell, and you smell like death." Whoa! Huron's Ben Schneider must really hate somebody (possibly himself) in order to write lyrics like THAT! Yeah, we get it, Ben. You're most definitely NOT dead. We believe you. Instead, it seems more like you're out to MAKE someone dead!

"Strangers" by Black Pumas (featuring Lucius): This is a pretty interesting song and collaboration. First of all, this song is not actually a Black Pumas OR Lucius song. It was originally a song by The Kinks from the early 1970's, the type of folk-rock venture The Kinks sometimes went on that seem to be popular picks for Wes Anderson films. This isn't really a song I'd picture Black Pumas or Lucius to cover, the former being a duo intent on reviving '70s soul music, and the latter being an indie-folk/pop quartet that is half female and half male. Interesting to note that both groups have become popular on the adult alt format, but haven't ventured too far outside the format so far (Oddly, Black Pumas' "Colors" is JUST starting to get airplay on regular alt-rock radio two years after its initial release, but they haven't become a household name on alt radio yet). Surprisingly, they both do an excellent job covering this Kinks classic that extols the virtues of outsider-ness!

New songs for February 17th, 2021

 here they are:


"Close to You" by Dayglow: Dayglow's fall/winter smash hit, "Can I Call You Tonight?" soared up the alt and adult charts and went on to be one of the most memorable, catchy, and recognizable songs of the past few months! Their second hit, "Close to You," seems like it might have a similar impact on the alt and adult alt radio charts. However, there are a few things that make "Close to You" noticeably different than "Can I Call You Tonight?" First, there's the fact that, where "Can I Call You Tonight?" used cleanly distorted echo-y guitars in the background, "Close to You" seems to use no guitars at all and instead relies entirely upon synth as its lead instrument. Those who are more observant might also notice that "Close to You" uses a mostly minor key melody, in contrast with the happy, upbeat major key that "Can I Call You Tonight?" used. "Close to You" is still plenty upbeat, though, and as perfect for the dance floor as it is for your bedroom!

"Hypotheticals" by Lake Street Dive: Taking a step back from the "retro-soul" sound that Lake Street Dive have become known for, their latest song, "Hypotheticals," sounds a bit closer to contemporary R & B, as if someone like Pharrell Williams or Beyonce could have recorded it (albeit with noticeably more guitar in the background). Even the solo of the song is synth based, as opposed to being based around guitar or sax. The "hypothetical" being discussed in the song, by the way, is that of long distance relationships. Rachael Price contemplates the age-old question of whether she should stay or she should go in the song's lyrics. Sigh...I can relate. 

"Low" by Chet Faker: Obviously, "Chet Faker" is not the real name of this song's performer. It is actually Nick Murphy, a name he used temporarily after his first big hit, "Gold," from 2014. Nick reverted to using his given name afterwards...until now, that is. I have no idea what Nick's recordings were like under his given name, but under the Chet Faker alias, they all seem to have an element of electro-pop. His latest song, "Low," is no different. "Low" was actually released back in October of last year, when hope for the pandemic to be eradicated wasn't as big as it has gotten today, so a lot of the lyrics relate to that. This is why, in the context of the song, he is feeling "low," but he still encourages his listeners to find peace among the chaos. Nick, it looks like your wish is slowly but surely coming true!

"Sunblind" by Fleet Foxes: Fitting to its title, "Sunblind" sounds like a very sunny, summery song. However, if you listen closely, its lyrics tell a sadder story. Many names are mentioned within the song, and all those names are the names of dead musicians. All the names listed are probably too numerous to mention here, but among those mentioned, in order of appearance in the song, are folk-rocker John Prine, soul musician Bill Withers, tragic indie-folk poet Elliott Smith, soul musician Curtis Mayfield (could also be Ian Curtis from post-punk group, Joy Division), classic rock legend Jimi Hendrix, fellow classic rock legend David Bowie, tragically short-lived folk-rocker Nick Drake, soul musician Otis Redding, alterna-folk hero Jeff Buckley, power pop-ster Chris Bell from Big Star, soul legend Marvin Gaye, and even innovative rap-rocker Adam Yauch from The Beastie Boys. This entire REVIEW for the song has been those musicians! But I did not mention them here merely as a list. They are also being mentioned for their contributions to rock and pop music, and for being meaningful enough to Robin Peckold's life for him to sing about them in sweet, poignant tribute like no other song before or since! (Well, except maybe Don McLean's "American Pie" - that was a pretty moving tribute too!)

"Two" by Flock of Dimes: Perhaps some might think that A Flock of Seagulls sounds more significant than a Flock of Dimes. After all, the former conjures up majestic imagery of birds flying gracefully over the sea, where the latter evokes more mundane imagery of someone dropping ten-cent coins on the floor of the laundry room. But make no mistake! Flock of Dimes, as a band, are more majestic and poetic than their name suggests they might be! They are actually the side project of Jenn Wasner from indie-pop group, Wye Oak. Like most of the entries on this week's list, Flock of Dimes' "Two" is a synthpop song. It is an ethereal, bittersweet song in which Jenn Wasner hopes to form a "union" of sorts with the object of her affections. Her vocals alone always seem to quaver with yearning, and with "Two," it's no exception. 

New songs for February 10th 2021

 Here they are:


"Break My Baby" by Kaleo: There are two sides to Kaleo's music. There's the sweet folk/soul/rock combo that has made them popular among millennials, and then there's the more blues-y side that can sometimes get so intense that it slides into Led Zeppelin territory. "Break My Baby" falls into the latter category. No Zeppelin-esque stuff here, but it does manage to capture the blues-rock influence of bands like The Black Keys, albeit in somewhat softer form. Sort of a cross between The Black Keys and Hozier here, really. Lyrically, it's an interesting song as well. Underneath its surface as a possible breakup song, "Break My Baby" might also be about the music biz! When lead singer JJ Julius Son spouts lines like, "They'll take you in and spit you out. You're only worth how much you sell," his lyrics are pretty representative of his venom towards the industry! Perhaps the "baby" in the song is the very group of people who produced it!

"C'Est La Vie" by The Killers: Breaking from the "epic" sound of "Caution" and "My Own Soul's Warning," "C'Est La Vie," the latest single from The Killers, is noticeably different from most of their stuff. First of all, there isn't near as much guitar in the song (if any) as most of their material. Instead, "C'Est La Vie" is keyboard dominated. It also has a happy, quirky sound to it. It's not aiming to be a "crowd pleaser" the way most of their songs do. Even the lyrics are somewhat quirky, especially the line about frogs falling from the sky! 

"Faith Healer" by Julien Baker: My closest online friend actually recommended Julien to me awhile back. A few years later, and now I'm reviewing her music on my blog! How 'bout that? Anyway, onto the song, which is a very bittersweet and meaningful one. The titular "faith healer" Julien is hoping for is one who can help her fight her addiction to drugs. She talks candidly about how she misses the buzz drugs gave her, while at the same time acknowledging how harmful they have been in her life. Anyone struggling with anything, be it mental or physical, could benefit from hearing this song!

"Hold Yourself" by tUnE-YaRdS: Even among "indie" bands, tUnE-YaRdS hAvE AlWaYs bEen on the wEirdEr sIDe of the inDie rOcK spEcTRum! (SeE wHat I dId tHeRe?!) The surreal video of their latest song, "Hold Yourself," employs techniques like cutout animation and features a muscular lookalike of Benson from "Regular Show." Ummm...WHAT?! As for the song, it starts out as sort of a synth-pop ballad, but halfway through, it quickly devolves into what appears to be a badly orchestrated trumpet section. Once again...WHAT?! About the only way this song might make even remote sense is in the lyrical department. It seems to be about how, just because one has parents, doesn't mean they're always mature people who know what they're doing. I get the feeling tUnE-YaRdS don't quite know what they're doing either! (Here is the song's bizarre music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hcG6UgTHiU

"Pendulum" by Jealous of the Birds: 22-year-old Northern Irish musician, Naomi Hamilton, is Jealous of the Birds. I'm not saying she's actually jealous of any particular group of birds, or any anything, for that matter. "Jealous of the Birds" is simply what she has chosen to call herself on stage. Why?! Ummm...darned if I know! Anyway, it was none other than my dad who recommended this musician to me merely a few days ago, and I can see why! "Pendulum," the song currently poised to be her breakthrough hit, is a sweetly hypnotic song that bears similarity to other innovative female musicians of the past 10-ish years, such as St. Vincent, and Florence Welch of Florence and The Machine. The title comes from how Naomi views relationships as a constant back-and-forth, as though swinging on a pendulum. I hear ya, Naomi. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I feel like I've been swinging from a pendulum all week!

"Say" by Moon Taxi: After the bittersweet folk-rock of Moon Taxi's previous single, "Hometown Heroes," "Say" continues more in the anthemic indie/alt-pop direction Moon Taxi have become known for. Sound-wise, it's almost like Queen's "We Will Rock You" with keyboards and drum machines instead of guitars and hand claps. The message of the song is simple but powerful: "If you wanna say something, say it!" Not much more to say (no pun intended) about this song, but sometimes songs can say (no pun intended, I swear!) so much even though they seem to be conveying so little!

"The Divine Chord" by The Avalanches (featuring Johnny Marr from The Smiths, and MGMT): I don't know The Avalanches very well yet, but I do know Johnny Marr and I do know MGMT. Of the three acts featured here, this seems to be mostly in MGMT's ballpark. The combo of keyboard and a faint hint of guitar swirling into a pleasantly psychedelic flavor has become MGMT's trademark sound, though they didn't start out that way. The recurring line, "the stars are rearranging, my love," seems very fitting for a song as billowy and fluffy as this one is. There's also an aura of mystery in this song, though, since what "the divine chord" is is never mentioned in the song (and nor is the phrase itself).