New songs for July 13th, 2022

 here they are:


"Hollywood Forever Cemetery" by Allison Ponthier: Not to be confused with Father John Misty's "Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings" by Father John Misty from about a decade earlier, Allison Ponthier's ode to the glitzy yet spooky Los Angeles landmark emphasizes the "cemetery" aspect of "Hollywood Forever Cemetery" in her latest song. The song is in a minor key to shed light on this facet, but it's still a catchy indie-folk/pop-tronica song that fans of musicians like Lana Del Rey, Lorde, and Billie Eilish might enjoy. The song is a rumination that wistfully whispers its woeful worries about what happens to famous women when they die, specifically Marilyn Monroe.

"Part of the Band" by The 1975: The 1975 have thus far been known mainly for catchy pop songs with "indie" instrumentation. Until now, that is. "Part of the Band" takes The 1975 in a different direction with more orchestral instrumentation and a more delicate, percussion-less sound. Underneath its bittersweet sound, frontman Matty Healy cracks sarcastic, subversive, and somewhat self-deprecating jokes. With a title like "Part of the Band," you might think this is a celebratory song. It's really anything but, but the ornate, exquisite beauty of the song makes it very much worth the listen!

"2AM" by Foals: Continuing in the direction of "Wake Me Up," their catchy alt-pop hit from earlier this year, Foals' "2AM" is yet another bright, pop-y anthem dominated mainly by synths with the occasional use of electric guitar punctuating the chorus sections. The song is actually about how self-destructive the members of Foals tend to be. "It's 2AM, I've gone and lost my friends/But I can't be alone again," lead singer Yannis Philippakis sings in the song's opening. The urgency and desperation of his plea is offset by how fun the song itself sounds, but this was a deliberate choice on his part.

"Wretched" by Bartees Strange: This is a song that wears its heart on its sleeve! The moody synth-and-guitar laden and minor key atmosphere of this song sets the scene. The title alone, "Wretched," indicates what kind of song it is. It is still indie-pop, like Bartees' previous song, "Heavy Heart," was, but this one is a bit darker than that one was, centering around how people who truly love Bartees have stood by him even when he was "wretched." Instrumentally, the song is also more interesting because it switches between having little to no percussion during the verses and having a heavy, techno-y percussion during the chorus. 

New songs for November 10th, 2021

 here they are:


"Billy Goodbye" by Franz Ferdinand: There's hardly a Franz Ferdinand song in existence that doesn't sound energetic in some way, but "Billy Goodbye" has a special kind of energy! The kind of energy and sound you would typically find in a David Bowie song from the early 1970's! Franz have taken on the post-punk sound plenty of times, but this time they go more for proto-punk, or more specifically, the glam rock sound. The titular Billy, by the way, is really a hodgepodge of different people in the band's lives that they've had to end friendships with, although not necessarily in a bad way. Most of these people have just come and gone throughout their lives. "Billy Goodbye" is not about resenting past friendships, but rather about celebrating them for what they were. Friendship IS magic, after all!

"Heading West" by Neil Young: Legendary rocker Neil Young (whose birthday is coming up shortly), offers us yet another way to reminisce about the past with his latest song, "Heading West." The song, which evokes a distinctly early 1970's sound that only Young and Crazy Horse could come up with, is about Neil Young's memories of traveling across the countryside with his mom and how that influenced his life growing up. Beneath the crunchy, blazing guitars of this song lie peaceful memories, and the song never gets too out of control, using a quaint piano sound and mellow beat to cushion an otherwise edgy sounding tune.

"Record Player" by Daisy the Great (featuring AJR): This one's an interesting one, for sure! It doesn't sound that different from most post-millennial mainstream pop, yet there's something "quirky" about this one all the same! Though Daisy the Great take the lead vocals on this track, it was actually AJR's idea when they came across an earlier version of the song (then called "The Record Player Song") and decided to duet with DTG on it. The result is the auditory equivalent of eating a sour lollipop: sweet and delicious, yet also something that perks up your taste buds (or ear buds, in this case). And the video for the song is also worth checking out with its surreal, cartoony look! (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyuIHyOBFsU)

"Silk Chiffon" by Muna (featuring Phoebe Bridgers): Two of the most interesting and sweet-voiced women of the indie-pop/folk/rock world come together to create a song that sounds more pop-y than most of the material either of them have done before in "Silk Chiffon." The song brightly mixes acoustic guitars with electronic beats with a sound that wouldn't be out of place in your local mall or grocery store. It's possible that the song's topic could be about a woman falling in love with another woman given both the lyrical content and the fact that Phoebe Bridgers is bisexual. You know you're living in more progressive times when a soft, fluffy pop song is willing to explore modes of sexuality that go beyond what people might expect otherwise from such a song.

"Wake Me Up" by Foals: Are you wondering why indie-popsters Foals are sounding more disco-y than ever? Well, the answer is because they figure that ultra-catchy dance-pop is the antidote to the pandemic blues! The song was originally thought up while people were in fuller lockdown mode than they are today. Instead of relying on pessimism, they chose to rely on hope, and as a result, they have made what could just be their catchiest song since "My Number," which came out 8 years ago. So what are you waiting for? Get down on the dance floor and join us!

New songs for September 25th 2019

here they are:


"Everyone Hides" by Wilco: Did you think that Imogen Heap was the only indie musician who enjoyed playing "hide and seek"?! Well, think again! Wilco enjoy it just as much, and not in the romantic way that Imogen did in her song. The video for "Everyone Hides" is quite literally a fun, harmless game of hide and seek between the band members! It can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2Gbbd6pVMg Jeff Tweedy and co are quite the clever punsters in this song and video! The title of the song itself, when used in combination with the video, could be taken as one, using the word "hide" in the sense of both concealing one's inner emotions in the song and literally finding a place to hide in the video. Visual puns that reference Wilco albums like "Being There" (depicted here as a movie starring Peter Sellers) and "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" (the tower on the album cover is one place they hide) can be found throughout the video. Happy hunting!


"Missing Home" by Flora Cash: The third song so far to become a hit in the catalog of Swedish indie-folk duo, Flora Cash, "Missing Home" recalls many of the elements that made their first and biggest hit (so far), "You're Somebody Else", so successful on alt and adult alt radio stations. For one, acoustic guitar makes a return to Flora Cash's music (guitar was largely absent on "They Own This Town"). Flora Cash also turn back from the bitter vibes of "They Own This Town" and go back to bittersweet, which suits them better, on "Missing Home". The title alone indicates a sense of yearning, and the moody yet longing vibe of the song and its lovelorn lyrics confirm this. Midway through, the song uses the old adage that "home is where the heart is", but it doesn't feel corny or forced here. Instead, it feels like it plucks at the ol' heartstrings. Here's hoping this song will become one of the smash hits for the final season of both 2019 and the 2010's!


"The Game" by Milky Chance: Often written off as a "one-hit wonder" for the sensually funky alt-folk song, "Stolen Dance", Milky Chance have had a few more songs that their fanbase knows them for, most notably "Flashed Junk Mind" and "Cocoon". Joining the ranks of those songs is the German indie-folk trio's latest tune, "The Game". Once again mixing folk guitars with world music rhythms, "The Game", which has a reggae rhythm that recalls Magic!, another mid 2010's one-hit wonder for their song, "Rude". The lyrics are basically about a relationship gone wrong, where lead singer Clemens Rehbein claims that he doesn't care about what rumors have been spread about him and that he just wants to learn "the rules of the game". The game, of course, is the game of love. I hate to burst anyone's bubble here, but no, it is not about that silly meme that claims, "You just lost the game"!


"The Runner" by Foals: Foals are one of the few indie/alt bands left that can shift between typical indie-pop and the alt-rock music in days of yore that had more guitars. They boasted some mighty fine guitar playing skills on their 2015 hit, "Mountain At My Gates". On their latest song, "The Runner", their guitar skills are once again evident! Where their song "Exits" from earlier this year seemed to evoke feelings of despair and hopelessness, "The Runner" seems to be all about determination! Nothing can get in the way of Foals' success after such a tumultuous, unpredictable decade. Hopefully they'll soldier on into the next one unscathed!

New songs for February 6th 2019

here they are:


"Exits" by Foals: The fusion of electronica and rock in Foals latest song, "Exits", is nothing new. However, its length of nearly 6 minutes IS something new! Why did they decide to go for such a long song this time around?! Perhaps they wanted the "epic" feel of the song to go along with their video for it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6YMCjpfH0c), which was inspired by "Game of Thrones". This the second GOT inspired music video we've had so far in 2019, the first of which was Beirut's "Landslide". However, unlike that video, there is nothing silly or "Monty Python"-esque about the video for "Exits". Both the song and the video are meant to serve as a reflection of just how backwards and scary society has become for humanity today. How apt, also, that the song is called "Exits", as it will be one of many songs that the 2010's itself will exit with! Not exactly the exit I was hoping for, though. Oh well. There's always next decade to set things right again, right?!


"Old Black Magic" by Josh Ritter: Josh Ritter is normally more mystical and folk-y than he is on his latest song, "Old Black Magic". This song sounds more like an angst-ridden country-rock song, and there's a good reason for that. This is because of country-rocker Jason Isbell's production of the song. Isbell had a politically angry song back in 2017 with "Hope the High Road", and the mood (though not necessarily the lyrics) of "Old Black Magic" is meant to evoke the disaster in the air that many Americans are continuing to experience day after day. Isbell's influence is especially apparent on "Old Black Magic"'s guitar solo, which sounds like a Lynyrd Skynyrd song if it was suddenly induced with paranoia. Yet another dark song to end the decade with! Keeping my fingers crossed that the coming years and coming decade won't be as fraught with turmoil as this one has turned out to be.


"Ready to Let Go" by Cage the Elephant: Our last song of the week is yet another dark entry, but not one of a political nature. "Ready to Let Go" does tackle another subject of a controversial nature, though, and that is the subject of divorce. The divorce happened for CTE's lead singer Matt Shultz within a matter of just 5 years. Since their separation happened in Pompeii, the song is filled with metaphors relating to volcanic activity, such as "At times I wonder, are we just a puff of smoke?" and "Underneath this bed of ashes". Explosion in both the literal AND metaphorical sense?! I can see why the song is called "Ready to Let Go", because if that happened to me, that's exactly what I'd wanna do!

new songs for September 16th, 2015

here they are:


"All Your Favorite Bands" by Dawes: If by "all your favorite bands", you mean Jackson Browne and The Beatles, then I guess you're right, as this song kinda sounds like a cross between the former's "Rock Me On the Water" and the latter's "Let It Be". Like "Let It Be", "All Your Favorite Bands" is a rather bittersweet song. The title of the song (and the album for which it is named) comes from the line "may all your favorite bands stay together". Well, seeing as Dawes have now been around for about 6 years without any known splitting apart of the members, perhaps they're one of their own favorite bands! The song is basically a sad but hopeful love song, with Taylor Goldsmith pleading, "I hope the world sees the same person that you always were to me" to his lover.


"Mountain At My Gates" by Foals: One of the more experimental bands in indie-rock, Foals might have just finally scored a slightly more mainstream hit with "Mountain At My Gates", which combines the adventurous sounds of Tame Impala and "Kid A" era Radiohead with the sound of more accessible bands like Imagine Dragons. The bright, spirited piano in the background of the song keeps it chugging along, and as its instruments gradually build into a crescendo, it seems to transition from indie-rock to arena rock within the blink of an eye! What a trippy mountain there must be at those gates, eh?!


"Walk the Wire" by Boy and Bear: Wait a minute, who let Ric Ocasek join Boy and Bear?! I don't even...well a lot of bands have been trying to change their sound lately, but I would NOT have expected the quaint and folk-y Boy and Bear to turn into an arena ready new wave revival band!! Therefore, "Walk the Wire" is quite a fitting name for this song! Boy and Bear will probably lose some fans along the way. However, fans of The Cars will probably be clamoring over to "Walk the Wire", which even features a brief Elliot Easton-esque guitar solo! Brandon Flowers and co, take note. THIS might be what you want your next album to sound like!


"Yellow Eyes" by Rayland Baxter: At last, a newcomer on this week's blog! Rayland Baxter's autumnal, pleasant folk-rock sound seems to have arrived just in time for the fall season! The sound of Rayland's debut song, "Yellow Eyes", recalls some of the older Ryan Adams and Wilco songs from before they started adding a crunchier electric guitar sound to their songs. The song's lyrics seem to be delivered in a rather soul-searching manner, but they're actually about a man who has a bad habit of leaving his girlfriends without a significant other. What a great title, too. I'm sure we've all heard songs about people with blue eyes, brown eyes, and maybe even green eyes, but not yellow eyes. Until now, that is.