New songs for April 27th, 2022

 Here they are:


"I'm on Your Side" by Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats: After having had singles with both a powerhouse soul song ("Survivor") and a more bittersweet country-rock song ("Face Down in the Moment") recently, Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats decided to combine the two factors for their latest song, "I'm on Your Side." One can infer from the title alone that "I'm on Your Side" is a heartfelt song, and it certainly is, and this gives it sort of a bittersweet flavor. However, the song's steady beat and heavy use of horns should be pleasing to fans of Nathaniel's more upbeat, soulful side. 

"Just a Little While" by The 502s: Although nowhere near as memorable as groups like Mumford and Sons, The 502s are already drawing comparisons to the famed 2010's neo-folk act for a few reasons. For one, both sound like Irish folk-rock groups with a roots-y flavor, and both also have gratuitous yet still enjoyable use of horns. The difference? Mumford and Sons sounded Irish, but The 502s actually ARE Irish. Another notable difference is how upbeat and summery this song sounds in comparison to Mumford and Sons' more melancholy winterish chill and autumnal calm. 

"Love Me More" by Mitski: I've reviewed Mitski's material a few times on my blog, but no Mitski song so far has compared to the compelling sound and surprise success of her "The Only Heartbreaker" from last fall! Will her new song, "Love Me More," outdo the success of "The Only Heartbreaker"? Time will tell. It doesn't seem too likely at this point, although both songs are catchy synth-pop based numbers. Both songs are pleas for love, although "The Only Heartbreaker" seemed to indulge more in self-pity, whereas "Love Me More" is a song of hope...kind of. There is still an urgency to this song, but at least Mitski has now moved from self-blame to the desire for love.

"Sidelines" by Phoebe Bridgers: Probably the most vulnerable song on my list for this week, both in terms of its sound and in terms of its lyrics, Phoebe Bridgers really spills her heart out on her latest song, "Sidelines." In a change of pace for Phoebe, "Sidelines" is more rooted in synth than it is in guitar, but it manages to be quite a powerful song nonetheless (the string sections in the background help to draw the listener into a deeper sense of pathos than they were already in). She claims she's not afraid of anything in the song, but that statement is clearly meant to be a cover for how she actually feels about things like aging, dying, living on a fault line (literally, in this case - Phoebe lives in Southern California like I do). "Sidelines" is such a poignant song! It is the story of someone who has survived emotional trauma, is willing to come forward about it, but still not fully willing to face what she has gone through head on. I can relate!

New songs for April 13th, 2022

 here they are:


"Change" by The War on Drugs: As per usual with The War on Drugs, their latest track, "Change," falls somewhere between prog-rock and '80s-era Springsteen, with a fair amount of jangly, harmonious Fleetwood Mac influence thrown in for good measure. Of course, what separates The War on Drugs from its nostalgic influences is how the lyrics of their songs have a jaded nature that distinctly takes place after punk and grunge took over music. "Change" exhibits this jaded nature even more than the usual WOD song. Even the title of the song, which comes from how it's "hard to make the change" that takes place after a relationship has ended, is not exactly on the optimistic side. 

"Clarity" by Vance Joy: "Clarity" marks a change in Vance Joy's music. It still contains acoustic guitar and horns like Vance's material usually does, but "Clarity" uses a marked rhythmic influence with percussion and bass that his stuff doesn't usually have. Not sure why the sudden change in style for Vance since the lyrics seem pretty typical of his material (someone who doesn't realize they love their now ex-partner until it's too late). Dan Wilson of Semisonic (best known for late '90s rock hit, "Closing Time") was the one who produced "Clarity" for Vance. Even Vance didn't like "Clarity" initially, under the impression that it sounded like more of a mainstream pop song than his usual material, but with Dan's encouragement, Vance released "Clarity," and now we have another side of Joy to enjoy. 

"Electrify My Love" by Mondo Cozmo: Mondo Cozmo will probably forever be defined by their mid-2010's folk-rock hit, "Shine," which was kind of a fluke hit for them considering the songs that have been released since by them, which have typically been more electro-pop. Their latest song, "Electrify My Love," also uses electro-pop influence, albeit with neo-psychedelic electric guitars during the chorus section. Another feature of this song that distinguishes it from other Mondo Cozmo songs is its 1-minute-and-17-second long intro. According to lead singer Joshua Ostrander, this stretchy intro is used in the song to lure the listener into a sense of calm before breaking into a more celebratory, party-like vibe afterwards. 

"Hard Drive Gold" by alt-J: The band name "alt-J" in and of itself is kind of quirky, and catchy alt-pop songs with quirky lyrics are pretty much how alt-J have defined their career so far. Their latest song, "Hard Drive Gold," is about a 15-year-old boy, presumably the lead singer, using cryptocurrency to become a millionaire in a short amount of time. The song isn't meant to be taken seriously, though. It's a little hard to take oddly specific tongue-in-cheek lyrics like "I then googled 'neoliberal'" with a straight face, after all.

"Same Team" by Alice Merton: Alice Merton seems like one of those musicians who will forever be remembered for her first hit the most, which was a catchy minor-key alt-pop number called "No Roots," in her case. She has released other material since then, though, one of the most compelling of which was the surprisingly intense "Vertigo," released during the height of the pandemic. "Same Team" continues with the themes of a challenging, fast-changing world that "Vertigo," but instead of being caught up in the heat of the moment, "Same Team" is a song that relies more on facing things that are now past events. Specifically, it deals with how Alice feels like she has been forced into situations with others who are supposedly on her "team," but who really bring her down and make her doubt her worth and herself. If you can't depend on your peers, who can you turn to?! This is a song that faces such issues head-on!

New songs for April 6th 2022

 here they are:


"Ain't Killed Me Yet" by Adia Victoria: As a contemporary R & B musician attempting to bring the "B" (blues) back into R & B, blues has always been a part of Adia Victoria's sound, but it's never come out quite as strong as it has on her latest track, "Ain't Killed Me Yet"! A slow-churning yet catchy track with a John Lee Hooker styled beat, "Ain't Killed Me Yet" is a punchy, unapologetic blues-rock song that was loosely inspired by "Won't You Celebrate With Me?" by poet Lucille Clifton. Clifton's themes of racial and sexual injustice in "Won't You Celebrate With Me?" spoke to Adia, who is both a racial and sexual minority herself, although Adia seems more to be taking that sense of angst and directing it towards today's harsh sociopolitical climate, finding solace only in the fact that such heinous acts and sentiments "ain't killed (her) yet"!

"Synchronize" by Milky Chance: German indie-pop duo, Milky Chance, continue to do what they do best on their latest song, "Synchronize," combining folk-y acoustic guitars with hip-hop beats and techno synths. This eclectic sound combination is nothing new for Milky Chance, although the song's lyrics seem to have more of an idealistic hippie vibe than their previous songs did. The title of the song comes from the "synchronicity" of all emotions and that, when it boils down to one's emotional essence, the only thing people really feel in the end is love.