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 March 22nd, 2017

here they are:


"Baby I'm Broken" by The Record Company: Their debut album's only a year old, and already blues-rock outfit, The Record Company, are hot on the heels of a brand new album for this year! Perhaps this was a result of songs like the saucy "Off the Ground" and the sizzlin' "Rita Mae Young" becoming such big hits on adult alt radio stations. The Record Co's third big song, "Baby I'm Broken", seems poised to do the same as its predecessors, and for the same reasons as well. In a year when rock and roll had continued to diminish into a desert island, The Record Company satisfied the thirst of classic rock and blues-rock fans everywhere, and that is why they became such a big hit with their listeners! "Baby I'm Broken" is twice the rock and twice the roll, with a fuzz soaked blues-y sound and vamp that probably brings bands like The Black Keys to mind.


"Restart" by BNQT: Banquet?! No, I think that "Bee-En-Kyoo-Tee", the individual letters of the band's name, is how you pronounce this one, although supposedly, "Banquet" was the original name of the band. BNQT are actually an indie-rock supergroup featuring members of Band of Horses, Grandaddy, Travis, and Franz Ferdinand, the first two of whom collaborated on a Christmas song together a few years back (I suppose that's how they know each other). Anyway, their debut song, "Restart", has a rather T. Rex-ish glam rock groove that none of the other bands the members are in have really achieved aside from possibly Franz Ferdinand. The song's chorus states that, "We could all use a restart". I would say that the phrase "throwback" is more accurate in terms of describing this song than "restart" is, but there's nothing wrong with a good throwback once in a while!

New songs for September 25th, 2013

here they are:


"Fresh Strawberries" by Franz Ferdinand: Franz Ferdinand aren't British (they're Scottish), but they sure SOUND like a British group sometimes! Perhaps no song of theirs sounds as "British" as their latest one, "Fresh Strawberries". Unlike most of their post-punk-y material, "Fresh Strawberries" has even older influences! It sounds like a Beatles or Kinks song, with somewhat Elvis Costello-ish instrumentation here and there. In typical Franz fashion, "Fresh Strawberries" is a catchy pop-rock tune with dark lyrical content (in this case, about the fear of death). I never thought Franz Ferdinand would have a song that sounded more like the British Invasion than British post-punk, but what can I say, they managed to pull it off here!


"Shot At the Night" by The Killers: Wait a minute, is this The Killers, or 1980's era Genesis?! Somehow it sounds more like the latter than the former. This songs SCREAMS "1980's"!! Perhaps Brandon Flowers was even thinking of David Byrne for the repeated phrase, "once in a lifetime", for this song, but that was probably just coincidental. Byrne seems too arty and weird (in a good way) to come up with a song like this, though, which sounds like it was pretty much made for a John Hughes film. In spite of the negative comments I'm making about this song, "Shot At the Night" will probably grow on me like pretty much every Killers song (besides "Human") has. So I'm willing to give "Shot At the Night" a shot at success!


"Sirens" by Pearl Jam: After the roaring, angry wake-up call of "Mind Your Manners" from earlier this year, it's nice to hear a more reflective song from Eddie and the boys this time around! "Sirens" is one of the more melancholy songs from their catalog. Its combination of folk-y introspection upfront with rock instrumentation in the background easily brings to mind the best material from acts like Bruce Springsteen and U2. People might like to think of Pearl Jam as a fearless rock 'n' roll band (and indeed, sometimes they are), but I personally think that their best material comes from deep within their hearts, and this song is no exception!

New songs for July 10th, 2013

here they are:


"I Won't Be Long" by Beck: Earlier this year, David Bowie released his first single of the year shortly after his birthday, and now, rock 'n' roll's other "chameleon" has done the same thing a few days after HIS birthday!! Coincidence?! Unlike Bowie's latest material, Beck's most recent song, "I Won't Be Long", does not delve into crooner jazz or neo-psychedelia, and instead, it sticks to the tried-and-true "melancholy techno" sound that Beck originally became known for. "I Won't Be Long" somehow manages to sound both wistful and catchy. Beck's voice repeatedly echoes the title of the song during the chorus, as his voice slowly resonates, and then vanishes without a trace into the distance afterwards. Definitely ranks among the more haunting songs in Beck's catalog.


"Kissin' On the Blacktop" by Daughn Gibson: When you think "stoner metal", you probably don't think of country-rock, and you probably don't think of words like "goofy" either. However, Daughn Gibson, the ex-drummer of stoner metal group, Pearls and Brass, provides both country influenced rock music, as well as rather eccentric vocals, on his latest solo effort, "Kissin' On the Blacktop". Also, when I say "country", I don't mean the kind of quaint, down-home-y sorta thing that country has become today. I mean country inflected with a mean brand of dirty blues that you could blast during your next major barbecue event!! Daughn's vocals are incredibly low in this song, but I almost feel like they are intentionally low. I don't think that even Elvis has as many "dips" in his singing voice as Gibson does!!


"Right Action" by Franz Ferdinand: In many ways, Franz Ferdinand are an oddity among indie-pop groups. Every song they do is catchy and funky, yet (with the possible exception of "No You Girls"), their songs always seem to have a deeper meaning than what is implied upon merely listening to them. Subjects like war ("Take Me Out") and pyromania ("This Fire") are not uncommon in their material. The lyrical theme of "Right Action" is not as violent as those sorts of themes, but it still creates a contrast to their upbeat Talking Heads/Blondie influenced style of indie-dance-pop. Is there any other band from whom you'd expect to hear almost Buddhistic thoughts ("right thoughts, right words, right action") set to a Saturday night party song?!