New songs for October 21st, 2020

 here they are:


"Skin And Bones" by Cage the Elephant: A rarity in this day and age, Cage the Elephant are now on to the FIFTH single of their latest album! That song is "Skin And Bones", a song that goes for the psychedelically tinged indie-pop that CTE have used on pretty much all the tracks for their latest album. The song itself seems to be about trying to survive in a difficult world for so long that, "all that's left is skin and bones." Lead singer Matt Shultz turns to love and comfort to guide him through the hard times he's been through. Keep in mind the song came out LAST year, not this year, but a lot of us have been facing difficulty for roughly the last four years, to be honest.

"Survivin'" by Bastille: Our only other song of the week, as you can tell from the title alone, is also about trying to survive! Like "What You Gonna Do?" from earlier this year, "Survivin'" marks another turning point in Bastille's musical style. The former of the two songs had more of a rock sound than fans were used to. "Survivin'" is more of a hip-hop/jazz/soul hybrid, with particular emphasis on the saxophone that comes in during the chorus. Dan Smith and co try to be optimistic in this song, but the verses of the song trend more towards uncertainty. 

New songs for August 12th, 2020

 here they are:

"Burn Too Bright" by Laura Veirs: It's been 7 years since we last heard from indie-folk-rocker, Laura Veirs (by herself, at least - she was also part of indie-folk supergroup, case, lang, and veirs, back in 2016), and it feels like it's been even longer ago than that. I was not expecting to hear new material from her any time soon, yet here it is. Underneath the quirky upbeat vibes of her latest song, "Burn Too Bright", there lies an undercurrent of darkness, perhaps because the song is essentially a eulogy to Richard Swift, one of Laura's record producers and a member of indie-pop sensations, The Shins, for 6 years. Swift died two years ago from alcohol complications when he was only a year past 40. I had no idea until today that Laura has been a mother for about a decade now, but she has, and that probably just makes matters worse for her in light of both losing a close friend two years ago and losing her marriage just one year later. Here's hoping Laura continues to burn brightly in this world, but not too bright!

"Club Zero" by The Go-Go's: As both a Southern California native and as someone whose father has connections to the L.A. punk scene, it makes me proud that 2020 has been a great year for members of that very scene. In spring of this year, Los Angelean punk rock poets, X, made a surprise splash onto the fringes of adult alt radio with the spiky yet catchy "Alphabetland." Now it's The Go-Go's turn at bat. Both X and The Go-Go's moved away from punk later on, branching out into folk-rock and pop/rock respectively, yet 2020 has found both groups returning to their punk roots. With The Go-Go's being the flashy, bubbly group they are, there's a bit of a pop influence to their latest song, "Club Zero", but it's also the band's hardest rocking song since "We Got the Beat", perhaps even a little harder edged than that one was! You might be wondering why the song is called what it's called. There is no actual location known as Club Zero (that I know of), but there was the Zero Zero Club in Hollywood that existed during The Go-Go's heyday, which is how the song derived its name. There might also be an undercurrent of nihilism to the title of the song, as well as a sense of rebellion of, to quote the group's Jane Wiedlin, "zero f**ks given", the unapologetically brash attitude of both this song and the era it was created in!

"Double Denim Hop" by Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard: Here's another rock and roll throwback, this time more evocative of the swingin' sounds of the early to mid-1970's. Groups like Sweet, Foghat, Steve Miller Band, and Thin Lizzy seemed to influence the retro sounds of this song with an equally retro title. The title of the song was just thought up on a whim when the lead singer happened to be wearing double denim (which all four members sport in the song's music video). He posted his trendy look on Instagram, referred to it as, "that double denim hop", and thus, a new rock song with an old rock sound was born! One more thing. The band's name IS "Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard". Is that anything like "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice Beetlejuice"?! WHOA, holy cow, there he is! How'd Beetlejuice get here?!

"Just Because I Can" by Lissie: It has now been a decade since indie-folk-rocker, Lissie, first graced adult alt radio with her debut record, and its Triple A radio hits, "In Sleep", and "When I'm Alone." Her latest track, "Just Because I Can", is meant to be a retrospective to the year she debuted on the music scene. A bittersweet indie-folk ballad, "Just Because I Can" illustrates the struggle Lissie went through and eventually achieved to gain both recognition and independence as a musician. 2010 seems a little soon to be nostalgic for, but Lissie has already developed a nostalgia for that year and the importance it played in helping her break through to a small yet very dedicated audience that seems to have grown bigger every year since. I love how moving this song is, and how much strength and dedication was put into it!

"What You Gonna Do?" by Bastille (featuring Blur's Graham Coxon): It may be Bastille's Dan Smith on lead vocals here, but "What You Gonna Do?" is clearly a Graham Coxon song as far as its instrumentation is concerned! The song contains far more guitar licks than pretty much any Bastille song I've heard so far! I must say, I'm pretty impressed by the punchy power pop vibes this song has. Its brief, two-and-a-half minute length also distinguishes it from other Bastille songs, which often run roughly between three-and-a-half to four minutes. Both the length and sound of "What You Gonna Do?" were intentionally meant to be different from most of Bastille's other material. Dan Smith has acknowledged just what a chaotic year this has been so far, and "What You Gonna Do?" was meant to be a quick moment of fun, goofy escapism from an otherwise troubled world. So what you gonna do? Rock out and dance my butt off, that's what! 

New songs for May 8th 2019

here they are:


"Alligator" by Of Monsters and Men: Well, THIS song is sure to win the "most random song title of the week" award, right?! There aren't very many songs with the word "alligator" in the title, and perhaps even less with that word being the ONLY word in a song title! As it turns out, this song doesn't have much to do with alligators to begin with. Instead, it appears to be about either an acid trip or a "vision quest" of some sort. The sound of this song might alienate a few people who were initial fans of OMAM. It is not the neo-folk-rock of OMAM's last two albums, but rather a pop sound with a "dark" edge. Make of this song what you will...just know that there are no alligators in it.


"Hypersonic Missiles" by Sam Fender: What an amazing combination of sounds this guy has!! Mixing the arena ready indie rock of acts like Ryan Adams and Kings of Leon, the moody yet echoic chime of The Cranberries, and saxophones reminiscent of Men At Work's biggest hits, Sam Fender has launched his "Hypersonic Missiles" onto our ears, and boy, do they explode! In a good way, of course. Lyrically, it's a "love among the ruins" song, a bit like Goo Goo Dolls' "Name" (another personal fave of mine). Amidst the post-apocalyptic imagery, Sam manages to try to find hope in a hopeless situation. If the world ends in my lifetime, THIS is the song I want to exit with!


"I'll Wait" by The Strumbellas: It's not quite the toe tapping indie-pop of "Salvation" from late last year, but "I'll Wait", the second single from Strumbellas' latest album, is still a happy little slice of indie-folk-pop. Acoustic guitar takes a backseat in this song, though, to a backing string orchestra that swells throughout this song, providing it with a spirited vibe. The lyrics are nothing special, really. Just a simple love song. However, this seems to be what The Strumbellas do best with their music.


"Joy" by Bastille: Bastille have always put the "pop" in "indie-pop", but this song screams pop music! If the title alone wasn't enough to clue you in, "Joy" is pretty much just that. It's a joyful song. The song is their bounciest song yet. The harmonizing vocals towards the end of the song only reinforce the squeaky clean image the song attempts to paint in our minds.

New songs for May 23rd, 2018

here they are:


"Beyond" by Leon Bridges: The jazzy adult alt mega hit, "Bad Bad News", proved earlier this year that Leon Bridges is far more than just a throwback to '60s R & B. He can embrace contemporary soul music just as well. "Beyond" goes beyond that (no pun intended) and adds flourishes of acoustic guitar to a soulful ballad. Leon is no stranger to the acoustic guitar, as he had done so once before with "River", but "Beyond" takes it to a whole new level. It's one of the ultimate "love at first sight" songs. On "Beyond", Leon passionately sings about how his lover "might just be (his) everything and beyond". What a great way to declare love!


"Casanova" by Rayland Baxter: After the ultra smooth, romantic vibes of our last song, it's only fitting that our next entry for the week is called "Casanova". The vibes of this song, however, are far more quirky and whimsical than they are romantic. Rayland Baxter is an artist of unpredictable quality. His "Yellow Eyes" was a sentimental folk-rock tune, and his followup single, "Mr. Rodriguez", was psychedelic indie-pop. "Casanova" is also psychedelic indie-pop, but with a slightly more happy go lucky feel than "Mr. Rodriguez". "Casanova" doesn't talk about romance much at all, really, and is instead focused on addiction to sex and drugs with a very tongue-in-cheek lyrical delivery.


"Four Out of Five" by Arctic Monkeys: Actually, this is our THIRD out of five entries for this week. The title actually refers to star ratings for restaurants (i.e. four stars out of five). I'm not sure if I'd go so far as to give this song a four, but it at least deserves three for combining Bowie-esque vocals and instrumentation with a syncopated rhythm that wouldn't sound out of place in a Police song. The song's lyrics are rather sardonic, as one might expect with Arctic Monkeys, with lead singer Alex Turner taking on the guise of a narrator, who is a selfish person who just can't seem to get used to how no one seems to care for his glitzy, glamorous lifestyle. This song is one of a steadily growing number of songs from the late 2010's about the tension we have been facing in the modern era.


"Quarter Past Midnight" by Bastille: Bastille's second album was something of an experiment for the band. First we had the "Under Pressure"-ish grooves of "Good Grief", then the neo-glam-rock of "Blame", and finally, the surprisingly bittersweet acoustic rock ballad, "World Gone Mad". "Quarter Past Midnight" is a return to the more basic indie-pop of Bastille's debut record from 2013. Musically, there's nothing really special about this song, unless maybe you were yearning for the days of Bastille's first and biggest hits, like "Pompeii" and "Bad Blood". As the title of "Quarter Past Midnight" implies, the song is about how exciting it can be to stay up late at night in town with your friends. Though the song does sound a bit generic for a Bastille song, it certainly captures the adrenalized rush one might feel during a nocturnal spree!


"Sharon" by Matt Costa: Funny that the last song just happens to be my mom's name! It's not about her, though, of course. What it's actually about is Matt Costa's experiences going between Northern and Southern California translated into a clever but bittersweet narrative about a young woman named Sharon and her longing for a love she had in the past. Matt delivers all this in an oddly charming song that suggests what it might have been like if Tom Petty covered Elvis Costello's "Less Than Zero". Much like he did with his 2010 adult alt radio hit, "Witchcraft", Matt is once again proving that he can be more straight up rock than the folk-rock image he originally cultivated, but this time, it comes with a story that seems like the West Coast version of a typical Bruce Springsteen lyric.

First new songs of 2018

Actually these are pretty much all leftover from late 2017, but better late than never, right? Here goes:


"Creature Comfort" by Arcade Fire: First The Killers jumped onto the anti-sexual abuse bandwagon with "Run For Cover", and now Arcade Fire have issued a statement in defense of sexual abuse survivors with their latest song, "Creature Comfort". A key line in this song is, "Some boys get too much. Too much love, too much touch", and another is "some girls hate their bodies, stand in the mirror, and wait for feedback", taking the issue from both a male and female point of view. "All in all, I don't know if I want it" is another line in the song that is important to consider. AF have definitely taken on some serious issues in 2017, which started with the current state of politics in the surprisingly dark, "I Give You Power", and has extended into more personal issues with "Creature Comfort". When the going gets tough, the tough get going!


"Way With Words" by Bahamas: Could it be?! The Bahamas are no longer just a secret among indie fans?! Apparently, if Taylor Swift knows about 'em, they're no longer relegated to just a quirky, left-of-center audience! However, their music still sounds just as odd. Well, kind of. "Way With Words" sounds like The Police filtered through an indie-pop lens, with its swaying, reggae inspired groove. Perhaps it was because of Taylor Swift spreading the word about this song online that this song was streamed millions of times in just two weeks, but Bahamas still sounds just as chill and groovy as ever. They haven't changed their sound, as far as I can tell.


"World Gone Mad" by Bastille: Bastille's latest songs, such as "Good Grief", have noticeably more guitar than the songs on their debut. "World Gone Mad" is yet another first for the band, as it not only contains a guitar, but an acoustic guitar! The guitar quickly becomes obscured by a string section within the first minute, but that's not necessarily a bad thing here, since it makes for what is quite possibly the most poignant song in Bastille's catalog so far, which is mostly danceable alterna-pop, like "Pompeii". As you can probably tell from the title alone, "World Gone Mad" is a dark song, but it is more sad than it is scary or mean.

New songs for the day after Valentine's Day

here they are:


"Blame" by Bastille: You would have never expected the "Pompeii" hitmakers to pull off a song that uses glam rock style guitar fuzz, did you? Well, nor did I, but so far I'm liking the new direction Bastille have gone in. Queen seems to have been a particular influence on Bastille's latest material, as has been evident so far from the "Under Pressure" soundalike "Good Grief", and now with the blazing hot opening riffs of Bastille's latest song, "Blame", as well. Perhaps the forceful, compelling sound of "Blame" was intentional in order to reflect the dark lyrical themes of the song, centering around a gang fight. Musical battles haven't been this exciting since Michael Jackson told us to "Beat It" back in 1982!


"In A Black Out" by Hamilton Leithauser: If you were hoping that the next song I reviewed for the week would be more peaceful, then you got your wish! "In A Black Out" has a nice little rippling sound throughout that reminds me of the flowing of a river, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who notices that. It can be viewed as a peaceful song, but it can also be viewed as bittersweet due to some of the lyrics it has, such as "I live in a nameless town" and "many friends have said goodbye". The "blackout" Hamilton appears to be experiencing does not seem to be a scary or sudden one and is instead more of a state of sadness.


"Love Do What It Do" by Robert Randolph (featuring Darius Rucker from Hootie & The Blowfish): Hootie and The Blowfish provided some calm to the otherwise angst-y rock of the '90s. Nothing wrong with that, but when Darius went country I decided not to pay attention to him anymore. Until now, that is, because I do love me some blues-rock every once in awhile, and Robert Randolph knows how to lay down some mean blues! Surprisingly, the vocals of Hootie frontman blend in quite well with the blues-y guitar chops of Robert Randolph. The message of the song is pretty much spelled out in the title of the song, and is literally spelled out in the chorus as Darius passionately sings, "L-O-V-E, love! Let it do what it do!"


"Reverend" by Kings of Leon: Not nearly as compelling as their 2016 mega-hit, "Waste A Moment", but then again the sophomore singles from new albums tend to be like that. Still, though, "Reverend" is worth the listen since it does contain the 21st century indie-cum-arena-rock that KOL have now become known for. The chorus of the song uses a rather strange metaphor, comparing the passion of a lover to a "reverend on the radio". Huh?! Well, perhaps Caleb Followill is not speaking about his relationship with a partner, but his relationship with God. After all, the members of the band were all the sons of a United Pentecostal Minister!


"They Put A Body In the Bayou" by The Orwells: We're probably never going to know who put a body in the bayou, or what the name of the person was to whom the body belonged to, for that matter. What we do know is that The Orwells are one fiery, kickin' rock group whose sound blends garage rock with blues rock in a similar manner to groups like The Black Keys, The White Stripes, and the harder edged Cage the Elephant songs. The lyrics of "They Put A Body In the Bayou" center around a girl who died of drug addiction at an early age, but instead of treating this as sad or sorrowful subject matter, The Orwells inject all their fury and righteous anger into this powerhouse track that has woken up the monster that is rock and roll!


"Where's the Revolution?" by Depeche Mode: Not since their 2009 track, "Wrong", has there been such a heavily anticipated Depeche Mode song. It is because of the mysterious and tumultuous state of current political affairs that the notoriously gloomy 1980's electro-rock group Depeche Mode have decided to release a new track, and their complaints can be detected right from the title of their song! Where IS the revolution?! DM rage against the electoral college machine and answer the titular question as best they can with a palpable, scathing sense of anger! If it wasn't for the recognizable vocals of Dave Gahan, this could easily be a Nine Inch Nails track! As T. Rex's Marc Bolan once proclaimed in song during the Nixon era, "You won't fool the children of the revolution!"


"Young Lady, You're Scaring Me" by Ron Gallo: Actually it's a young MAN named Ron who's scaring ME into thinking that we've somehow traveled back in time to the mid 1960's! Echoes of many epic '60s rock tunes, ranging from Jimi Hendrix's "Hey Joe" to The Chambers Brothers' "Time Has Come Today" to The Rolling Stones' "Sympathy For the Devil" can all be heard in this psychedelic blues-rock tune! The song just seems to be about a guy falling in love with a girl, but the tune itself is enough to wake up dead rock and roll zombies and get them on their feet dancin' and jammin' the night away! Long live rock and roll!!

New songs for June 22nd 2016

here they are:


"All I Ever Wonder" by St. Paul and The Broken Bones: Retro-soul revivalists St. Paul and The Broken Bones are on the run once again! In addition to the Al Green-ish R & B they've already become known for, St. Paul and The Broken Bones have a bit of an added gospel influence in their latest song, "All I Ever Wonder", that wasn't exactly apparent on their previous songs. So what is it that they "ever wonder", you may ask? Well, the song is basically about trying to make it through difficult situations. Perhaps the high-spirited gospel influenced sound of the song serves as a way to find light through the darkness of life.


"Better Love" by Hozier: The hits just keep on comin' from Irish soul/alt-pop hybrid, Hozier. Nearly half of his debut album has become well loved among indie and alt fans. With news of a new Hozier song that was NOT on his debut album, I thought maybe he had already released a sophomore effort! Sadly, this is not the case. His newest song, "Better Love", is actually a song featured exclusively on the soundtrack of the new movie, "The Legend of Tarzan". Most of Hozier's songs deal with the battle between the sacred and the profane, but it seems like it is mainly the former that is being focused on in this case. This is especially evident on the chorus when Hozier proudly proclaims that "there's no better love that beckons above me". What does sacred, pure love have to do with Tarzan?! As someone who has not seen the movie yet, I have yet to find out, but I'm guessing it has something to do with some heroic triumph that the title character has towards the end of the film.


"Good Grief" by Bastille: Since when has Charlie Brown joined an indie-pop group?! Come to think of it, that'd probably be pretty fitting for everyone's favorite "blockhead", considering how heavy the weight of his problems are, but I digress. Actually, "Good Grief" is pretty energetic for British indie-pop stars, Bastille, in spite of its pessimistic sounding title. The song plays out like Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure" filtered through a bright, flashy indie-pop lens. It seems to be more of a song about missing a girl than it is about general frustration (which I thought it would have been due to its title.)

New songs for August 20th, 2014

here they are:



"Flaws" by Bastille: Synth driven beats and melodic British vocals made for a winning combination for Bastille's first two hits, "Pompeii" and "Bad Blood", both of which became chart toppers, so it only seems natural that their fans were just begging for more from them. With the strength of Bastille's third big hit, "Flaws", fans of the band have yet another chance to experience their music! Like Bastille's other two songs, "Flaws" combines catchy beats with brooding, angst-ridden lyrics. "Flaws" is more a song about self-blame than the more outwardly accusatory "Pompeii" and "Bad Blood" were, though.


"Light Will Keep Your Heart Beating In the Future" by Mike Doughty: Mike Doughty isn't an Imagine Dragons fan...or is he?! Mike's latest song, "Light Will Keep Your Heart Beating In the Future" (wow, that's a mouthful!!) seems to take after Imagine Dragons' folk-guitar-meets-pop-beats type sound. Knowing Doughty, if he intended to emulate Imagine Dragons at all, it was probably satirical. Then again, there is the inspirational sounding chorus (consisting only of the words to the title), so maybe it's a sincere song after all. However, if you consider that the title is the only part of the song that really makes sense (and that he actually got it from a newspaper article, as opposed to feeling the need for being inspirational), then you basically have a song that is folk-rock in sound, but an oddity in lyric, typical of Mike Doughty's material.


"Stop Your Crying" by Lake Street Dive: So apparently we're starting AND stopping with bands who are (so far) three-hit wonders, with one album each. Unlike Bastille, Lake Street Dive haven't been on multiple pop charts yet, and are instead exclusive to the adult alternative charts. Given how catchy Lake Street Dive's songs are, as well as their slow but steady status as a "cult band", I don't understand why Lake Street Dive haven't made that big of a splash beyond one format yet! Beginning with a crunchy guitar riff that somewhat recalls "No Matter What" by Badfinger, "Stop Your Crying" quickly turns into an irresistibly fiery combination of both classic rock and classic R & B by the time the drums enter the song! Lead singer Rachael Price is able turn yet another tale of romance gone wrong into a joyous musical celebration as she leads the rest of the band into action with her passionately exciting vocals!

New songs for January 15th, 2014

here they are:


"Bad Blood" by Bastille: In an ever growing revolution of indie-pop bands that fall between electronica and rock, Bastille joined their ranks in summer 2013 with their smash hit, "Pompeii". Their latest song, "Bad Blood", also has an electro-pop/rock sound, but its minor key sound makes it considerably darker than "Pompeii", which was written in major key. One thing that both songs have in common is that they are both about the downsides of adolescence. "Pompeii" is about disillusionment, while "Bad Blood" seems to be about losing a friend. Sometimes, to get through the darkest of times, you gotta sing about 'em too, right?!


"Digital Witness" by St. Vincent: "And you may find yourself...listening to a song by St. Vincent!!" St. Vincent's first big breakthrough might have been with the enigmatic, Bjork-ish "Cruel", but it was her project with David Byrne that seemed to really bring St. Vincent (a.k.a. Annie Clark) into the limelight with many people (including Stephen Colbert!) St. Vincent's latest song, "Digital Witness", seems to have that fun, quirky blast of electronica-meets-funk-meets-jazz-meets-rock sound that Byrne typically has, both with and without Talking Heads, so perhaps Byrne's influence rubbed off on Ms. Clark!! St. Vincent is also just as enjoyably mysterious as ever in the lyrics of "Digital Witness", with one lyrical phrase asking, "What's the point of doing anything?", and another demanding to "give (her) all of your mind"!


"Girl You Look Amazing" by Nicole Atkins: "Girl, you SOUND amazing" is more like it (though Nicole certainly looks amazing too)!! Nicole's seemingly effortless combination of disco and indie-pop really shines through on this song just as it did on her debut from 5 years ago. The song also offers an empowering message to women everywhere to have a good, healthy sense of self-esteem. It's funny I mentioned David Byrne in my previous review for this week, because the inspiration behind "Girl You Look Amazing" was (guess who?!) David Byrne!! Apparently, Nicole had a dream where the Talking Heads frontman was singing a song called "Girl You Look Amazing" at a discotheque, and she just snatched the song out of her dream and into reality!!


"Say It, Just Say It" by The Mowgli's: Is there anything The Mowgli's can't do to win people over with their charming, fun, friendly music?! Between this song and their springtime megahit, "San Francisco", I would say that the answer to that question is "no" - there's nothing these guys can't do to make me and thousands of others break into a big grin!! "Say It, Just Say It" is a love song, pure and simple, but its bouncy melody and infectious harmonies seem to make it more than that! And then there's that cute little claymation video that would melt Gumby's big green heart just watching it!! The video for the song can be viewed here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRn8Sl6-sRo

New songs for September 4th, 2013

here they are:


"Graceless" by The National: The title of this song alone indicates that it will not exactly be an uplifting one (then again, there aren't really any songs by The National that contain positive subject matter, so it's hardly surprising). It seems as though Matt Berninger is literally "losing his religion" in "Graceless", with such lines as "I figured out how to be faithless", "now I know what dying means", and "God loves everybody, don't remind me". The rhymes Matt sings for the title of the song can feel a bit strained at times (e.g. "erase this", "waste this", "weightless", "face this", etc.) but then again, perhaps the struggle for a word to rhyme with "graceless" goes in line with the weary, cumbersome feeling the song itself has to offer.


"New" by Paul McCartney: Paul McCartney's new song is "New". No, I'm not trying to sound redundant, it's just that "New" happens to be the TITLE of McCartney's latest tune. Part of the charm of this song comes from who produced it, if you ask me, and that would be Mark Ronson, who has been known for producing material for musicians like Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse. It seems as though whenever Sir Paul has hired good producers for his 21st century material, it ends up having a solid sound, like the Nigel Godrich (Radiohead's producer) produced albums he had during the mid-'00s. "New" doesn't sound a thing like Amy Winehouse or Lily Allen, though. It sounds better (at least I think it does)!! Its catchy, Beatlesque pop sound and Brian Wilson-ish harmonies make "New" sound timeless!!


"Pompeii" by Bastille: With electronica becoming an increasingly more dominant form of popular music, the arrival of "Pompeii" seems quite timely. Ordinarily, electronica doesn't impress me too much, but thankfully, "Pompeii" is laced with both smooth enough harmonies and a catchy enough melody for me to appreciate it. Perhaps what's gotten so many people hooked on the song so far, though, is its faux-Latin "day-oo day-oo, day, day-oo, day-oo" chorus, which makes it stand out from other forms of contemporary music. As a side note, "Pompeii" is a triple geographical whammy! Pompeii is in Italy, Bastille is in Canada, yet the band itself is British! Go figure!!


"Say the Words" by Satellite: These guys sound like Travis, Coldplay, The Doves, and many other "Britpop" bands, and even their accent sounds somewhat British. So why are they from America?! Oh well, that's not the point of this song, as far as I'm concerned. The main focus of "Say the Words" is to bring the more guitar based side of the Britpop sound into the 2010's. On the surface, "Say the Words" sounds like a love song, and perhaps part of it is, but the first two verses of the song seem to indicate that the song is more centered around someone who has given up all hope on his/her life. The chorus is probably encouragement that the lead singer is providing to the subject of the song in order for him/her to feel less pressure regarding his/her life.