here they are:
"Saturdays" by Broken Bells: Knowing that Broken Bells started out as a side project of James Mercer from The Shins, one should not be surprised to hear an overt Beatles influence in Broken Bells' latest song, "Saturday." Unlike the folk-y, jangly Rubber Soul-era Beatles material that The Shins typically seem to go for, "Saturdays" is more reminiscent of the swirly psychedelia of albums like Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Both the drone and shakiness of the guitar in the song recall songs like "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" and "Within You, Without You." Lines like "kept me gettin' high 'til you were mine" only accentuate the song's already trippy vibe, and the lyrics overall seem to be about the surreal nature of time. Far out, man!
"Weird Goodbyes" by The National (featuring Bon Iver): Two indie-folk/rock heavyweights who have been around roughly since the late 2000's and have only gotten more popular from there, The National and Bon Iver's latest collaboration, "Weird Goodbyes," isn't so much "weird" as it is poignant. Matt Berninger's deadpan yet forlorn vocals against bittersweet, piano-based music almost seem to channel Leonard Cohen here, albeit against a hip-hop influenced percussion section. The song is one of realization of how difficult modern times have been for society to handle, as if sensing a "goodbye" is imminent. That is to say, a goodbye from the world itself as we once knew it.
