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 14th, 2021

 here they are:

"Last Day on Earth" by beabadoobee: As you can probably guess from the song's title, "Last Day on Earth" is about our recent situation facing lockdowns and a "new normal," a phrase that I have still struggled with fully accepting even after a year. March 2020 felt like the "last day on earth" for Beatrice "beabadoobee" Kristi Laus, and in this song, she expresses what that feels like, in a song that attempts musically to emulate the "lighter" elements of female-led '90s alt-rock groups like Garbage and No Doubt. I guess we can all be thankful that "Last Day on Earth" is not the last SONG on Earth! At the bottom of our hearts, let's still hold on to hope!

"Vertigo" by Alice Merton: We haven't heard too many songs from Alice Merton so far, but we've heard enough to know that her typical style is an "alterna-dance-pop" of sorts that dominated the 2010's and which, so far, has carried into the 2020's as well. Not to be confused with U2's rock anthem, "Vertigo," Alice Merton's "Vertigo" has a more intense mood than the U2 song of the same name, though it's still pretty catchy in its own way. The lyrics of the song seem like a disaster movie waiting to happen! The floor is shaking, faces "seem deadly," and there is nothing but darkness all around! Unlike our previous entry, however, "Vertigo" is NOT about recent events. It is instead a more personal song, revealed towards the end to be about jealousy, but Alice keeps us on our toes beforehand, making us wonder just what it is that's making her feel so dizzy and so threatened!

2019: New songs for the New Year!!

It's the last year of the 2010's!! Can you believe it?! Here are 6 songs to get us started on the right track. All are left over from 2018, though I'm sure by next week there will be a few that are brand new for this year. Here goes:


“Funny Business” by Alice Merton: “I don’t play cards, I don’t do funny business”, alt-pop sass queen Alice Merton proclaims in her latest song, “Funny Business”. You’d better believe she means it! Alice’s songs tend to be full of both cleverness and insults set to a sound that’s half alternative and half pop music, not unlike what Lily Allen was doing midway through the 2000’s. So far, it appears as though the last year of the 2010’s is gonna go out with a bang! But let’s see what else is in store for the first month of the new year…


“Hey Larocco” by Rayland Baxter: The normally folk-y Rayland Baxter surprised us all with his psych-pop tinged “Casanova” in late spring/early summer of last year. “Hey Larocco” marks a return to Rayland’s folk-rock roots, to the point of which it could be considered a “sequel song” to his breakthrough single, “Yellow Eyes”. It’s even in the same key as that one is. Unlike the wistful romanticism of “Yellow Eyes”, “Hey Larocco” is about a predicament that Rayland finds himself in trying to apologize to his friend, whose name is Larocco (a name as unusual as his own, might I add).


“Now That You’re Gone” – The Raconteurs: It’s been about a decade since we last heard from Jack White’s side project, The Raconteurs. So Jack, Brendan, and the gang have decided to treat us to not one, but TWO new songs within a single month! The first of these is “Now That You’re Gone”, the crunchier and blues-ier of the two tracks. The song has all the makings of a trademark Jack White tune, such as squealing guitars, husky vocals, and chunky power chords. Adding to the blues-rock vibe of the song are its lovelorn lyrics, pontificating on the loss of a love life repeatedly in just two short verses.


“Shelter” by Broken Bells: It’s been four years since The Shins’ James Mercer and record producer Brian Burton (better known as “Danger Mouse”) last released an album. “Shelter” has many of the things you might expect from a Broken Bells song. Indie-pop melodies combine with techno instrumentation (with the occasional guitar playing in the background). The song revolves around the uncertainty of falling in love. A far cry, lyrically, from the more optimistic sounding “The High Road”, but a good one nonetheless.


“Sunday Driver” by The Raconteurs: And now we come to The Raconteurs OTHER song for the decade’s final year. “Sunday Driver” is a bit slower paced and roots-y than “Now That You’re Gone”, but it is not without its fair share of excitement. This one also has some blues-y lyrics, but more in the vein of the “travelin’ down the road” variety than of the “my love has done me wrong” sort. Not sure whose decision it was to make The Racs have two songs on the adult alt charts simultaneously (things like that don’t usually happen), but I have a feeling it’s gonna pay off big time for ‘em!


“Traveling On” by The Decemberists: For those who were disappointed by “Severed” from last year around this month, “Traveling On” might just be your antidote! “Traveling On” contains no synths or post-punk influenced sounds, and is instead a return to the familiar for Decemberists fans: a bittersweet folk-rock song, like most of the material they’ve become known for. There’s also a somewhat roots-y vibe to “Traveling On” with its weary traveler centered lyrics. You could easily picture a “long and lonesome highway” in your head as you listen to this one!

New songs for April 11th, 2018

here they are:


"Fever Pitch" by Rainbow Kitten Surprise: In a decade where a "My Little Pony" reboot has proven to be one of the most successful cartoons, it only makes sense that someone would name their band something like "Rainbow Kitten Surprise". So, is their music as cute as their band name makes it sound?! Well...not exactly. It's kinda funky. Their lead singer bears a slight resemblance to Nathaniel Rateliff in terms of how he looks, and it sounds like his music does too. This song will not make you go "aww" like a rainbow or a kitten would. Instead, it's "surprise"-ingly soulful and groovy!


"Lash Out" by Alice Merton: Our next entry is pretty funky as well. Having already gained major success on the alt and adult alt charts during Autumn 2017 with "No Roots", Alice Merton returns to the charts for Spring 2018 with "Lash Out". Propelled by thick, funky guitars and a pulsating beat, "Lash Out" is a song about what pretty much everyone desires to do at some point when they feel under pressure. The impassioned, pent up anger released in Alice's voice during the chorus of the song makes us wanna lash out too. It also makes us wanna dance!


"Pink Lemonade" by James Bay: In an amazing switch from sounding less like Sheeran and more like The Strokes, "Pink Lemonade" marks singer/songwriter James Bay's first real dip into rock music. Opening with a propulsive guitar riff in F sharp minor, "Pink Lemonade" is enough to make fans out of people who weren't previously James Bay fans. From beginning to end, the song grips the listener and doesn't let go, especially once the drums kick in at about 15 seconds into it. The song appears to be about indecision regarding what to do in a relationship, and its title is only mentioned once in the song when James says he "want(s) to drink pink lemonade and watch movie trailers 'till it's late". I'm not one for drinking lemonade, regardless of its color, but this song sure makes me wanna dance all night!

New songs for October 18th 2017

here they are:


"End of the World With You" by Calexico: And here we have yet another indie-folk-rock group with a song that spews political commentary in 2017 (you could probably guess by the title). However, like most of Calexico's songs, "End of the World With You" is still a very mellow song. Interestingly, the "-exico" suffix that makes up Calexico's name doesn't seem to carry as much significance on this song as they did on their previous albums. The jaunty horn sections of mariachi bands are almost always present on Calexico's songs, but not on this one. A stray electric guitar seems to take its place. Lead singer Joey Burns sings about love and time "in the age of the extremes" in this song. It's tough to survive in this day and age. That's why music is here to save the day!


"Live In the Moment" by Portugal. The Man: Who would have guessed that Portugal. The Man would have one of THE biggest hits of the year with "Feel It Still"?! I sure wouldn't have! The song was big enough for Miley Cyrus to lip sync on Jimmy Fallon's show, though. Who can blame 'em?! The song was pretty catchy! "Live In the Moment" continues PTM's newfound knack for catchiness, which has never come on quite as strongly as it has this year. With an electro-pop sound and a beat that recalls Gary Glitter's "Rock And Roll Part 2", "Live In the Moment" will probably be another mega-hit for PTM. Of course, this will probably lead some people to believe that they're "selling out", but I see it as just another step of artistic growth for the band!


"Matter of Time" by Sharon Jones and The Dap-Kings: It was only a matter of time before Sharon Jones exited the world in November of last year in her early 60's after a battle with pancreatic cancer. The energetic, feisty soul singer injected new life into the R & B genre in the mid 2000's and early 2010's that sounded far more like Aretha Franklin than it did like Beyonce. Thankfully, Sharon's record company decided to release another song of hers that was unreleased during her lifetime. "Matter of Time" is probably one of the bluesiest songs in her catalog, built almost entirely around E7 and A7 chords, and even a brief bluesy guitar solo in between some of the verses. "Matter of Time" is a song of hope, and it's a good song to listen to. The only thing I'm wondering is this. Why couldn't this song have been released right before she died?! I'm sure it would have helped a lot of people if that was the case!


"No Roots" by Alice Merton: Take the bass riff of The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army" and make it into a pop song. What have you got?! You've got "No Roots" by Alice Merton, a song that's as daring as it is fun! Lyrically, the song is like Blind Faith's "Can't Find My Way Home" if it was a more optimistic and happy song. "No Roots" is basically about how Alice is the type of person who doesn't stay in the same place for too long of a time. She can't find her way home. However, instead of despairing, she seems to take this as an opportunity to explore who she is and how she fits into society.


"Pain" by The War on Drugs: "Pain" is probably the first word that comes to mind for people who grow weary of the prog-rock and jam band influenced meanderings that The War on Drugs often take in their songs! There's a beauty in this pain, though. In this 5 and a half minute swirl of hypnotic, smooth, neo-psychedelic pop, Kurt Vile spills deep thoughts and turns them into lyrical poetry. "He had a fear in his eyes that I could not understand", "Am I movin' back in time? Just standin' still?", and "Like a demon in a doorway waiting to be born", are just some of the weighty, existential lyrics in this song, in which light acoustic guitars and keyboards are offset by fuzz drenched screeching electric guitars during the instrumental parts.


"This Is It" by Lo Moon: The chill yet mysterious aura of this song reminds me of something that new wave pioneers, Roxy Music, might have done on their "Avalon" album from 1982 (perhaps, more accurately, if it was crossed with the progressively atmospheric to anthemic vibe of Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" from only a year earlier than the Roxy Music album). This is the kind of song that leaves the listener in suspense. "This is it". WHAT is it?! The lead singer of Lo Moon never specifies this. Yet listeners of this song can't help but be drawn into it as well. The song starts off billowy and cloudy, only to wake up your ears as soon as the lead singer shouts the title of the song during its chorus.