New songs for September 7th, 2022

 here they are:

"A Nocturnal Heresy" by Ondara (formerly J.S. Ondara): When Ondara debuted in 2019, with a moniker that was then preceded by his first two initials, his bittersweet take on folk-rock recalled people like Tracy Chapman and Richie Havens with his brutally honest yet still vulnerable and sensitive sound and lyrics. Three years later, folk-rock still beats as the heart of Ondara's work, but he's added a bit more rock instrumentation on his latest song, "A Nocturnal Heresy," than he had on his previous songs. Both electric guitar and synth take center stage to the acoustic on this song. The song seems to be a "sequel" of sorts to his debut song, "Saying Goodbye," in that both are about ending a relationship, but in "A Nocturnal Heresy," it appears he doesn't know where he stands on the issue.

"Orange Blood" by Mt. Joy: Apparently, citrus is a recurring theme on Mt. Joy's latest album, if their previous single, "Lemon Tree," is anything to go by. The cover art of the "Orange Blood" single also features an anthropomorphic orange. "Orange Blood" is a calmer song than the more frenetic and unpredictable "Lemon Tree." There is still something psychedelic about "Orange Blood," but it doesn't have the slow-fast-slow-fast rollercoaster dynamic that "Lemon Tree" had. This is also Mt. Joy's first single to date that uses both Spanish and English words, the former of which are used in the first verse, adding to the exotic, tropical allure of the song. 

"Then it All Goes Away" by Dayglow: Sweet, summery pop songs made for an "alternative" audience is Dayglow's forte, and this is exactly what he does with his latest song, "Then it All Goes Away." However, something is present on this song that wasn't there on Dayglow's previous two hits, and that's how he chose to model this song after moodier, late '00s electro-pop groups like Phoenix, Passion Pit, and MGMT, as opposed to the bright, sunny '80s pop of Michael Jackson and "Take on Me." It seemed like just another Dayglow song until I found out Sloan Struble (who, himself, is "Dayglow") used those bands as influences, and having taken another listen to the song just now, I can hear a bit of MGMT and Phoenix influence, leaning more towards the synth-heavy stuff of the former's late '00s output than the slightly more guitar-driven stuff of the latter's album of the same era.

"There'd Better be a Mirrorball" by Arctic Monkeys: You'd probably never think that an Arctic Monkeys song could sound like a complex cross between Frank Sinatra and 1960's baroque-pop, yet that's pretty much what you get with Arctic Monkeys' latest song, "There'd Better Be a Mirrorball." The song sounds like it belongs in a much more distant era than the one it came out in, but perhaps that's part of the point to the song. Maybe Alex Turner and co were tired of their more jagged "alternative" sound and wanted to transport their listeners to a time when even their own parents might not have been alive when things were safer and more predictable (or so we would like to think). Even the lyrics (i.e. "old romantic fool") seem somewhat Sinatra-esque. About the only thing that prevents this song from being mistaken for the product of a bygone era are Alex Turner's husky, perishing vocals, more suited to alt and indie than they are to the "crooner" genre. 

New songs for February 17th, 2021

 here they are:


"Close to You" by Dayglow: Dayglow's fall/winter smash hit, "Can I Call You Tonight?" soared up the alt and adult charts and went on to be one of the most memorable, catchy, and recognizable songs of the past few months! Their second hit, "Close to You," seems like it might have a similar impact on the alt and adult alt radio charts. However, there are a few things that make "Close to You" noticeably different than "Can I Call You Tonight?" First, there's the fact that, where "Can I Call You Tonight?" used cleanly distorted echo-y guitars in the background, "Close to You" seems to use no guitars at all and instead relies entirely upon synth as its lead instrument. Those who are more observant might also notice that "Close to You" uses a mostly minor key melody, in contrast with the happy, upbeat major key that "Can I Call You Tonight?" used. "Close to You" is still plenty upbeat, though, and as perfect for the dance floor as it is for your bedroom!

"Hypotheticals" by Lake Street Dive: Taking a step back from the "retro-soul" sound that Lake Street Dive have become known for, their latest song, "Hypotheticals," sounds a bit closer to contemporary R & B, as if someone like Pharrell Williams or Beyonce could have recorded it (albeit with noticeably more guitar in the background). Even the solo of the song is synth based, as opposed to being based around guitar or sax. The "hypothetical" being discussed in the song, by the way, is that of long distance relationships. Rachael Price contemplates the age-old question of whether she should stay or she should go in the song's lyrics. Sigh...I can relate. 

"Low" by Chet Faker: Obviously, "Chet Faker" is not the real name of this song's performer. It is actually Nick Murphy, a name he used temporarily after his first big hit, "Gold," from 2014. Nick reverted to using his given name afterwards...until now, that is. I have no idea what Nick's recordings were like under his given name, but under the Chet Faker alias, they all seem to have an element of electro-pop. His latest song, "Low," is no different. "Low" was actually released back in October of last year, when hope for the pandemic to be eradicated wasn't as big as it has gotten today, so a lot of the lyrics relate to that. This is why, in the context of the song, he is feeling "low," but he still encourages his listeners to find peace among the chaos. Nick, it looks like your wish is slowly but surely coming true!

"Sunblind" by Fleet Foxes: Fitting to its title, "Sunblind" sounds like a very sunny, summery song. However, if you listen closely, its lyrics tell a sadder story. Many names are mentioned within the song, and all those names are the names of dead musicians. All the names listed are probably too numerous to mention here, but among those mentioned, in order of appearance in the song, are folk-rocker John Prine, soul musician Bill Withers, tragic indie-folk poet Elliott Smith, soul musician Curtis Mayfield (could also be Ian Curtis from post-punk group, Joy Division), classic rock legend Jimi Hendrix, fellow classic rock legend David Bowie, tragically short-lived folk-rocker Nick Drake, soul musician Otis Redding, alterna-folk hero Jeff Buckley, power pop-ster Chris Bell from Big Star, soul legend Marvin Gaye, and even innovative rap-rocker Adam Yauch from The Beastie Boys. This entire REVIEW for the song has been those musicians! But I did not mention them here merely as a list. They are also being mentioned for their contributions to rock and pop music, and for being meaningful enough to Robin Peckold's life for him to sing about them in sweet, poignant tribute like no other song before or since! (Well, except maybe Don McLean's "American Pie" - that was a pretty moving tribute too!)

"Two" by Flock of Dimes: Perhaps some might think that A Flock of Seagulls sounds more significant than a Flock of Dimes. After all, the former conjures up majestic imagery of birds flying gracefully over the sea, where the latter evokes more mundane imagery of someone dropping ten-cent coins on the floor of the laundry room. But make no mistake! Flock of Dimes, as a band, are more majestic and poetic than their name suggests they might be! They are actually the side project of Jenn Wasner from indie-pop group, Wye Oak. Like most of the entries on this week's list, Flock of Dimes' "Two" is a synthpop song. It is an ethereal, bittersweet song in which Jenn Wasner hopes to form a "union" of sorts with the object of her affections. Her vocals alone always seem to quaver with yearning, and with "Two," it's no exception. 

New songs for September 30th, 2020

 here they are:


"Can I Believe You?" by Fleet Foxes: Indie-folk sensations, Fleet Foxes, have switched gears from cynical to hopeful, at least for now. I'm skeptical as to how long their optimism will truly last during this troubled time, but part of the reason for this was because of the sour disposition that colored the outlook of their 2017 album, which was particularly noticeable on their song, "Fool's Errand." A title like "Can I Believe You?" also seems like it would promote skepticism, but during the final part of the song, lead singer Robin Pecknold makes it clear that he WANTS to believe the subject of the song, whoever or whatever that may be. Pecknold has jokingly referred to this song as the "headbanger" of his latest album. Unless you consider groups like The Shins to be heavy metal (which I highly doubt), there's nothing "headbanging" at all about this song. However, it is noticeably more lively and less sparse than most Fleet Foxes songs.

"Can I Call You Tonight?" by Dayglow: Yet another "Can I?" song. Is there a theme here somewhere?! Anyway, there is nothing that really distinguishes this song from other pop-influenced indie and alt tunes from the past 10-ish years, but it does manage to be catchy. Sloan Struble (who is, himself, "Dayglow") croons whisper-y messages over a guitar/drums/synth combo that bears a striking resemblance to groups like Tame Impala, whom Struble claims is one of his main influences in this song, along with Michael Jackson. Other than the fact that this is a danceable pop music tune, I don't quite see the resemblance to MJ, but if you're part of the TikTok generation, it is probably worth listening to, as that was the main source through which "Can I Call You Tonight?" gained popularity. 

"Hollow" by Belle Mt.: Ever since the advent of acts like Imagine Dragons and Avicii circa the mid-2010's, the combo of acoustic guitar and dance/pop influence seems to have gained popularity. In the 2020's, at least the early part of the decade, this combo shows no signs of slowing down. "Hollow" by Belle Mt. is exactly that - a song centered around acoustic guitar and synthetic rhythms. As one might be able to guess from the lyrics, or perhaps just the title by itself, "Hollow" is about Matt Belmont (a.k.a. "Belle Mt.")'s relationship with a girl that he later regretted getting into. The lyrics are somewhat creative regarding this rather typical topic, especially "Lonely is her favorite place to be" during the chorus, but otherwise there's something about "Hollow" that seems...well...hollow! Music these days seems rather melancholy without a lot of substance to it, and this song is evidence of that. Not a bad one, though.

"How Lucky" by Kurt Vile (featuring John Prine): The cynical yet clever indie-folk musician, Kurt Vile, reveals here how he probably got that whole persona in his music in the first place - from John Prine, the recently deceased folk-rock and country-rock musician whose attitude and lyrics often smacked of a clever sense of cynicism and sarcasm ("Illegal Smile" and "In Spite of Ourselves" are both great examples of this.) "How Lucky" was actually originally Prine's song, which Kurt is covering here. Lyrically, the song is sort of like The Beatles' "In My Life" if the lyrics were being questioned by a skeptic. It invokes a sense of both nostalgia and realism. How lucky can one man get? Very lucky, apparently, as Kurt Vile pays tribute to a musician who was both cool enough for punks and mellow enough for hippies (much as Kurt himself has become today)!

"The Great Divide" by The Shins: This song might be a bit more electronica influenced than Shins fans are used to, but lead singer James Mercer is no stranger to the genre, which he experimented with on his side project, Broken Bells. Lyrically, it is one of an ever expanding lineup of songs that attempt to provide its audience with comfort during hard times. The song has an almost New Age-y vibe with lines like, "Now an age has come out of the loneliness." "The Great Divide" might have a negative sounding title with its use of the word "divide", but it aims to invoke emotions that are anything but negative.