New songs for March 24th, 2021

 here they are:


"All You Ever Wanted" by Rag 'N' Bone Man: Expecting another smooth alt-R & B song from Rag 'N' Bone Man like his mid-2010's mega-hit, "Human"? Think again! On "All You Ever Wanted", Rory "Rag 'N' Bone Man" Graham shows a bit more of a passionate rock and roller side! The ardent enthusiasm and echoic sound of earnest arena bands and performers like Kings of Leon, U2, and Bruce Springsteen have clearly influenced Rag 'N' Bone Man here! A refreshing change of pace, isn't it?! The lyrics seem a bit Springsteen-ian as well, especially during the part when Rory says, "It's a city of a thousand heartbeats/No room for another soul." Fusing rock and roll and poetry with such vivid, touching imagery used to be a thing during the genre's heyday. It's time that fusion was brought back to the mainstream!

"Click Click Domino" by Ida Mae (featuring Marcus King): Husband-and-wife duo, Ida Mae, debut onto this blog with an earthy, gritty brand of blues-rock! Equally gritty blues-rocker, Marcus King, is no stranger to this blog, though, and he is featured as the guest guitarist on Ida Mae's "Click Click Domino." I have yet to find out what the phrase "Click Click Domino" actually means. Could be onomatopoeic, for all I know! However, I do know what the song itself is about. Apparently, it came about as a response to all the "rumors on the internets," to paraphrase one of the best known "Bush-isms," that have been spread about today that make their way into news outlets, the political world, and seemingly everywhere we look. Ida Mae decided they are sick of all that, and make their feelings about it known in "Click Click Domino"!

"Dried Up River" by The Lone Bellow: The laid-back, Americana influenced folk-rock sound of The Lone Bellow's "Dried Up River" makes it seem like something from early in the trio's career. As their career progressed, they seemed to add increasingly more detailed instrumentation into their music. "Dried Up River" just seems like the basic two guitars, bass, and drum (with keyboard in the background) formula that The Lone Bellow used for their first three adult alt radio hits back in 2013. Much as its title suggests, "Dried Up River" really isn't very..."deep" (if you'll pardon the pun). Nothing to really take away from it aside from its billowy, breezy, somewhat rural sound. The lyrics seem to suggest a disconnect of sorts, though it's never made clear whether the problems are romantic or if they're between two struggling friends.

"Questions" by Middle Kids: At the end of this list are Middle Kids, who have been interesting since the beginning of their career (see what I did there?!), providing us with one of the few songs in the history of this blog to begin with the letter Q. Lead singer Hannah Joy sings with anything but joy, laced with doubt and fear, about a relationship in which her partner is probably cheating on her in Middle Kids' latest song, "Questions." The "questions" she has are all about whether the cheating she has suspected has really occurred. The songs sounds sweet enough, though, that some listeners might never suspect that the song is about such a troubling subject, with its fun sounding handclaps and bright, spirited brass section. This being the end of my blog for the week, I hope you have no more questions about "Questions"! 

New songs for St. Patrick's Day 2021!

 Today's songs are the same amount of leaves you would count on a four-leaf clover (plus one!) Enjoy! Here they are:


"Be Sweet" by Japanese Breakfast: No, "Japanese Breakfast" is not the name of some obscure anime, and nor was it just a completely random name. The lead singer of the band IS Asian. However, she is from Korea, not Japan. She had chosen "Japanese" as the nationality for her band name since Japan is a better-known country to the Western world than Korea is. Their latest song, "Be Sweet," is exactly what its title suggests it is. It's a sweet song, with funky guitar riffs and a synthpop sound that sounds like it time traveled from "Back to the Future" into the actual future. More specifically, it is a very yearning song, in which lead singer, Michelle Zauner, states in a bubbly, irresistible singing voice that she "wants to believe" in the subject of the song after telling them to "be sweet." 

"Follow You" by Imagine Dragons: You should know by now that if Imagine Dragons come out with a new song, it's going to explode into popularity at some point or another. The sweet, chill sound of their latest song, "Follow You," is probably no exception to this category. Dan Reynolds and co also seem to know that not everyone who knows them likes them, the aspect of which is highlighted in the intro to "Follow You"'s self-deprecating music video, in which a young adult male is excited that his girlfriend has gotten The Killers to perform on his birthday...except, oops! She actually got Imagine Dragons, HER favorite band, to perform on his birthday instead. "I don't wanna hear these guys," her boyfriend states unenthusiastically, before Imagine Dragons launch into their latest hit song. While the song may be a bit lackluster to those who want "alternative rock" to actually sound alternative and rockin' again, at least those who aren't fans of the band's music can enjoy their humor! The video can be viewed at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3zimSRKqNw

"Open Up the Heavens" by Jade Bird: Probably the hardest-rockin' Jade Bird song so far, but certainly not her longest (ALL of her songs seem to clock in under three minutes). Many of the best-known and best loved women in rock, such as Stevie Nicks, Chrissie Hynde, and Patti Smith, seem to have inspired Jade in her latest song, "Open Up the Heavens," perhaps her first song not to have a hint of acoustic guitar at the forefront. Despite briefly resolving to major key and bright instrumentation during the chorus, "Open Up the Heavens" is a pretty angst-ridden song overall, typical of Jade's material. It's a bit more direct than most of her songs, though, confronting the subject of the song and asking them how it feels to be stood up by someone. The title of the song is only mentioned once, during the middle part of it, as a plea requesting the subject of the song to change their mind, while Jade is also fully aware that she will probably not get what she wants. 

"The Last Man on Earth" by Wolf Alice: The latest song from British alt-pop quartet, Wolf Alice, finds lead singer Ellie Roswell contemplating the selfish side of human nature, and why we feel this need to project our own experiences onto everything we see, feel, think, etc. Initially inspired by the Kurt Vonnegut quote, "Peculiar travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God," Roswell alludes to the quote in the first verse of "The Last Man on Earth," and uses it as a springboard for the rest of the song to suggest that not everything is a "lesson from God" or whatever else you might think sounds profound or meaningful. Over a bittersweet piano ballad, Ellie achingly croons a brokenhearted melody which is actually trying to warn us NOT to see ourselves in her song, or to try to identify everything with our own experiences. Sounds challenging, doesn't it?!

"You Saw Me Coming" by Tom Petty: Petty's posthumously released "Leave Virginia Alone" from last fall was only a taste of the outtakes from his 1994 album, "Wildflowers." Where "Leave Virginia Alone" could be described as a laid back rocker, "You Saw Me Coming" is a more poignant song. Ex-Heartbreaker Benmont Tench even thought it was the perfect song to close out Wildflowers, with its sense of wistful longing. The original release of Wildflowers did close with a similarly bittersweet song called "Wake Up Time," but it hasn't been until now, almost half a decade after Tom Petty's departure from Earth, that we've been able to hear his underrated '94 masterpiece of an album the way it was supposed to. Better late than never, Tom!

New songs for March 10th 2021

 here they are:

"Down in the Country" by Israel Nash: It's not the first time that folk-rock and funk have melded into one, but it is certainly a rare occasion that the two genres come together. Israel Nash is bringing the two together as one in his latest song, "Down to the Country," a song that's as slinky as it is mellow. The idea of this song has now been around for about a year, and the issues discussed within are still as relevant today as they were then. The world was just starting to fall into the grip of coronavirus at the time, and much of "Down in the Country" seems to pertain to that topic. The bigger issue in the song, though, is the economy, and more specifically, how a certain someone who led the country until recently (referred to in the song as the "Yankee man") caused its downfall, all of which are reflective of the "hard times" Israel references in the second verse of the song. 

"El Invento" by Jose Gonzalez: Do you speak-o El Spanish-o? Apparently, neo-folk-rock musician Jose Gonzalez does, judging by the title of this song. Actually, this is Jose's first song entirely in Spanish (actual Spanish, not mock-Spanish). Interestingly, though his name suggests Spanish ancestry, Jose was actually born in Sweden (albeit to Argentinian parents). So what, then, do the lyrics of this song mean when you translate them into English?! It is actually a deep meditation Jose has on the world around him when you really stop and contemplate the meaning of the lyrics. A song in which a dreamer asks about the universe and marvels its beauty. This song is really, to use a Spanish phrase that I know, una canción fantastica (a fantastic song)! ¡Gracias, Jose!

"Greatest Enemy" by The Strumbellas: No matter what song they do, The Strumbellas always seem to make quite a splash on alt and adult alt radio stations! Their latest song, "Greatest Enemy" is no exception to the rule. Their previous big hit, "Salvation", already seemed to be an attempt to emulate the sound of groups like Imagine Dragons. "Greatest Enemy" goes a step further and tries both to sound like Imagine Dragons and imitate their "life's a struggle, but I'm gonna make it" lyrical style. One can't help but wonder if the lead singer of The Strumbellas really feels like he is his greatest enemy, or if this is just a way to cash in on the emotional trials and tribulations typically faced by millennials. If the latter, then "Greatest Enemy" is its own greatest enemy! Catchy song, though, nonetheless.


"Hey Lou" by Liz Phair: Perhaps I'm not the only one who has thought to himself, "What if Lou Reed was a guest star on Sesame Street?" Apparently, '90s alt-pop diva, Liz Phair, had similar thoughts in the video for her latest song, "Hey Lou," which features the legendary Velvet Underground singer, musician Laurie Anderson (to whom he was married during the last few years of his life), and even Andy Warhol as puppets! Who'da thunk?! The charmingly quirky video, almost as avant-garde as (but much more goofy than) The Velvet Underground itself, can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4LcFHMjH9k Liz's own music can typically be described as Lou Reed meets Joni Mitchell, so she obviously has had huge admiration for the man who was perhaps the world's first known alt-rocker for a very long time. The song seems to be Laurie Anderson (from Liz's point of view) trying to speak to Lou Reed, sympathize with him, and talk sense into him. And here I thought the appearance of Jefferson Airplane's lead singer on animations featured on actual episodes of Sesame Street during its early days were weird! Ha!! This, if it actually were to happen on there, would be TWICE as unexpected. Leave it to Liz to mix a TV fave from childhood with a musical fave from my teens and onward! 

"How Low Can You Go?" by LP: She was optimistic and freewheeling on her debut single, "Into the Wild." A few years later, she got more bittersweet and pensive on "Lost on You." As we enter the 2020's, a cynical decade so far, LP has become cynical along with it in "How Low Can You Go?" though without losing the indie-folk flair that made her a hit among her loyal listeners. The keyword in the title of this song is the word "low." A vital line in the song appears towards the end of it: "The days catch fire like gasoline. Tell me, what's the worst that you've seen?" The song appears to be on the surface about a relationship LP regretted, and is also notable for being the first song in her catalog I've heard where she swears (not once, but twice). Perhaps underneath it all, though, LP is venting her rage and frustration at the world, which has gotten pretty "low" itself lately. A scathing song disguised by a folk-y melody? Seems like that's becoming more and more typical as time goes on, for some reason.

"Pay Your Way in Pain" by St. Vincent: Last, but certainly not least, the remarkably talented St. Vincent gives us what is perhaps this week's most anticipated new song with "Pay Your Way in Pain." Musically, the song pays homage to two of rock's somewhat recently fallen heroes, David Bowie and Prince. It has a funky, progressive vibe that wouldn't sound out of character at all for either artist, and St. Vincent's repeated refrain of "pain" sounds an awful lot like Bowie's refrain of "fame" from the song "Fame." The song opens on a piano riff, but that sound is quickly left behind as soon as the rest of the song unfolds. This song almost seems like the left-of-center answer to Lady Gaga in some ways, an image which St. Vincent has cultivated somewhat already, but never as she has on this tune!  

When Irish "I"s are smiling...

 Hi everyone! Happy March, and top o' th' mornin', lads and lassies! Just like the word "Irish" itself, both our entries for this list start with the letter I, hence the goofy title for this week's blog. Here goes!

"I Hear the Ax Swinging" by Ghost of Vroom: Some of you may know Mike Doughty from his mid '90s alt-rock group, Soul Coughing. Others of you may be familiar with his more folksy yet still quirky solo material from the 21st century. His latest project, Ghost of Vroom, is probably closer to Soul Coughing than it is to his solo stuff. It's been a long time since I've heard a Mike Doughty that's this rockin'! Probably not since "Super Bon Bon" back in 1996! Like most Doughty songs, "I Hear the Ax Swinging" has a bit of a caustic edge to it lyrically. Some of the lyrics seem random, but the title of the song, which also serves as its chorus, is probably reflective of how Doughty feels about the world today. In other words, he feels that, at any time, we could be "axed out" of the world! Some clever musical references in this song too ("Reach the beach like The Fixx," referencing the British new wave band's biggest album, and "Roundabout, yes..." referencing the song "Roundabout" by prog-rock group, Yes).

"I Ran Away" by Dinosaur Jr.: Fitting to their somewhat intimidating name, Dinosaur Jr. often had an element of heaviness and unpredictability to their music. This, however, is not such a song. It's almost got a country-rock flavor, actually, although that is not too surprising knowing how much lead singer J. Mascis was influenced by folk-rock legends like Bob Dylan and Neil Young as much as he was by noisier groups like The Velvet Underground and The Stooges. Mascis has recruited help from contemporary musicians influenced by his own work, such as The War on Drugs' Kurt Vile, for this particular tune. Adding to the retro flavor of this tune is the 12-string Vile contributes to it!