here they are:
"Hardlytown" by Hiss Golden Messenger: I'm pretty sure there's no such actual place as "Hardlytown," but if there was, the music there would sound like a cross between Bob Dylan and 1960's soul music, and going by the lyrics, it probably wouldn't be easy to live there! In HGM's latest song, the country-rock ensemble attempt to bring people together and lure them out of their darkness, while still acknowledging that such a task is easier said than done. The likelihood of achieving peace and unity amongst one another seems close to nil right now, but Hiss Golden Messenger still seem to think it could be worth the effort in "Hardlytown."
"Rocky Trail" by Kings of Convenience: In the early to mid 2000's, Norwegian folk-rock duo Kings of Convenience were seen as being the millennial equivalent to Simon and Garfunkel. Unlike S & G, however, KOC are only known by select few, achieving their fame in a way that was as quiet as their music is. On "Rocky Trail," the first KOC track in 12 years, the duo capture the essence of their quaint, wistful, folksy charm that won over the small but significant fan base they had. Using nothing but their voices, acoustic guitar, and a beautiful but stark orchestral arrangement in the background, Kings of Convenience invite us into their whispery, cozy world with "Rocky Trail." The word "rocky" in the title of the song, however, could be indicative of a broken relationship, judging by what the rest of the lyrics of the song have to say.
Showing posts with label Hiss Golden Messenger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hiss Golden Messenger. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 30, 2021
New songs for June 30th 2021
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
New songs for January 20th 2021
here they are:
"Charming Mess" by The Black Crowes: "Charming Mess" IS a charming mess! It's a sloppily played blues-rock song that manages to charm those who latched onto The Black Crowes in the early '90s for their perfect imitation of '70s rock. This song, in particular, is hugely influenced by the sleazy, sloppy blues-y sound of Rod Stewart's "Hot Legs," to the point of sharing the D, C, G chord progression that song does during its intro. Although the melody of the song isn't that original, it does seem to be winning back a lot of the original Black Crowes fanbase of classic rock fanatics, so that counts for something, right?
"Free As We Wanna Be" by Dawes: With its sweet-sounding hippie-esque title and its sincere, Springsteen-ian sound, "Free As We Wanna Be" might seem at first like a sigh of relief. However, upon closer listen, it's actually anything but. Los Angelean indie-folk-rock faves, Dawes, are criticizing the internet during the verses of the song, with each verse becoming darker than the last. The first verse decries TV advertisers, while the second goes after people who pitch ads on websites, and finally, the third gets rather specific, attacking internet advertisers for exploiting their users. Free As We Wanna Be?! Ummm...yeah...think again. You never are, and you know it!
"Sanctuary" by Hiss Golden Messenger: North Carolina country-rock group, Hiss Golden Messenger, give us what could be their saddest song yet with "Sanctuary." Frontman M.C. Taylor has had a lot on his mind for the past year or so, and he puts it all into HGM's latest tune. The song laments the state of distraught democracy the United States has gone through, which arguably apexed last year. He attempts for this song to shed a truthful light on the lies we have been fed through the media, following in the footsteps of his hero, John Prine (the fact he died last year, which Taylor is painfully aware of here, only adds to the grief of this song). This song arrived just in time, didn't it?!
Wednesday, January 8, 2020
First blog of the new year AND new decade, 2020!!
Happy New Year/Decade, folks!! I can't believe I've been doing this blog for (almost) 10 years now! It's been a wild ride, ain't it?! As the day draws closer to my actual blog-iversary (February 11th - 12th this year, since that's a Wednesday), I'll have something very special planned!! Though I don't know what that is yet. In the meantime, four brand new songs for a brand new year AND decade! Here goes:
"Dawn" by Fruition: What's been one of the most popular things to grace the internet during the past 15 years? Did you say "cute animals"?! Perfect! Because that's what the music video for Fruition's latest song, "Dawn", is all about! You can view the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OStNjwHRjh4. Much to the dismay of cat fans like myself, the video focuses more on dogs, but it's still a cute video that's well worth the watch. As for the song itself? Musically, it's almost as sweet as its video with its peppy folk-rock sound. Lyrically, it's a therapeutic song that tries to deal with negative emotions and thoughts. The title, "Dawn", represents a beacon of hope amidst all the darkness that is talked about during the rest of the song. What a fitting way to start out the first new blog of both the new year and the 2020's! Here's to the "Dawn" of a new era! May it bring us plenty of sweet music and cute animals!
"Go Easy" by Matt Maeson: And now, for more positive sentiments and comfort for this new year/decade. Matt Maeson was previously known for his lyrically quirky and musically smooth song, "Cringe", which made waves on both alt and adult charts in late 2018/early 2019. Matt returns for late 2019/early 2020 with "Go Easy", a fun and somewhat spiritually cleansing indie-folk-pop tune about trying to learn from your mistakes and improve on how your life is. "Please just go easy on me, baby", Matt sings during the chorus, in which he also claims that you "can't change" and "can't blame" him. Perhaps it's a bit of a stretch to compare the sentiments of a contemporary alt musician to someone like Mr. Rogers, but this song shares Rogers' famously warm point of view that we all have someone out there who loves us just the way we are!
"Happy Birthday, Baby" by Hiss Golden Messenger: They say it's your birthday?! It's my birthday, too! Well, at least it WAS 10 days ago. Coincidentally, many of the gifts I got that day were related to either cats (see entry # 1 for this week) or Mr. Rogers (see entry # 2 of this week). On the subject of Rogers and other old PBS children's shows, if there's any show I loved in childhood on PBS other than his, it would undoubtedly be Sesame Street, which taught about numbers, just as this song does during its chorus. Specifically, the song counts up to 5, starting with a clever allusion to Three Dog Night's "One (Is the Loneliest Number)" and working its way through the rest of the numbers up to 5. With 2, we hear how the subject of the song was "born in thunder", on 3, they were "lightning quick", and finally, with 4 and 5, we hear how the subject of the song is "a wonder" and how the singer wants to tell that person he loves them. Not sure if this is directed to a girlfriend or a child, but either way, it's a cute song with a pleasant sound, as pretty much all the entries have been so far this week/year/decade. I remember hearing the Three Dog Night song I mentioned earlier in this entry back when I was a kid, disappointed that there were no mentions of numbers higher than one except on the "two can be as bad as one" line. Thankfully, this song mentions all the numbers from 1 through 5 during its chorus. Where was this song when I was a kid?! I probably would have loved it!
"Shine A Little Light" by The Black Keys: As usual, The Keys have had quite an album where their latest one is concerned! I've heard five songs off of it so far, this being the fifth, and their impressive streak of being the last great rock and roll band continues to be proven here! Their latest song, "Shine A Little Light", is a bit like The Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" with a slower beat and slightly less intense sound. With its rather apocalyptic lyrics, "Shine A Little Light" could have easily fit in the Stones' catalog during their heyday, although Dan Auerbach offers a beacon of hope with the title of the song in a tune that otherwise seems lyrically bleak. The song itself, thankfully, is not a downer, although then again, I have not known a single Black Keys song to be one!
"Dawn" by Fruition: What's been one of the most popular things to grace the internet during the past 15 years? Did you say "cute animals"?! Perfect! Because that's what the music video for Fruition's latest song, "Dawn", is all about! You can view the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OStNjwHRjh4. Much to the dismay of cat fans like myself, the video focuses more on dogs, but it's still a cute video that's well worth the watch. As for the song itself? Musically, it's almost as sweet as its video with its peppy folk-rock sound. Lyrically, it's a therapeutic song that tries to deal with negative emotions and thoughts. The title, "Dawn", represents a beacon of hope amidst all the darkness that is talked about during the rest of the song. What a fitting way to start out the first new blog of both the new year and the 2020's! Here's to the "Dawn" of a new era! May it bring us plenty of sweet music and cute animals!
"Go Easy" by Matt Maeson: And now, for more positive sentiments and comfort for this new year/decade. Matt Maeson was previously known for his lyrically quirky and musically smooth song, "Cringe", which made waves on both alt and adult charts in late 2018/early 2019. Matt returns for late 2019/early 2020 with "Go Easy", a fun and somewhat spiritually cleansing indie-folk-pop tune about trying to learn from your mistakes and improve on how your life is. "Please just go easy on me, baby", Matt sings during the chorus, in which he also claims that you "can't change" and "can't blame" him. Perhaps it's a bit of a stretch to compare the sentiments of a contemporary alt musician to someone like Mr. Rogers, but this song shares Rogers' famously warm point of view that we all have someone out there who loves us just the way we are!
"Happy Birthday, Baby" by Hiss Golden Messenger: They say it's your birthday?! It's my birthday, too! Well, at least it WAS 10 days ago. Coincidentally, many of the gifts I got that day were related to either cats (see entry # 1 for this week) or Mr. Rogers (see entry # 2 of this week). On the subject of Rogers and other old PBS children's shows, if there's any show I loved in childhood on PBS other than his, it would undoubtedly be Sesame Street, which taught about numbers, just as this song does during its chorus. Specifically, the song counts up to 5, starting with a clever allusion to Three Dog Night's "One (Is the Loneliest Number)" and working its way through the rest of the numbers up to 5. With 2, we hear how the subject of the song was "born in thunder", on 3, they were "lightning quick", and finally, with 4 and 5, we hear how the subject of the song is "a wonder" and how the singer wants to tell that person he loves them. Not sure if this is directed to a girlfriend or a child, but either way, it's a cute song with a pleasant sound, as pretty much all the entries have been so far this week/year/decade. I remember hearing the Three Dog Night song I mentioned earlier in this entry back when I was a kid, disappointed that there were no mentions of numbers higher than one except on the "two can be as bad as one" line. Thankfully, this song mentions all the numbers from 1 through 5 during its chorus. Where was this song when I was a kid?! I probably would have loved it!
"Shine A Little Light" by The Black Keys: As usual, The Keys have had quite an album where their latest one is concerned! I've heard five songs off of it so far, this being the fifth, and their impressive streak of being the last great rock and roll band continues to be proven here! Their latest song, "Shine A Little Light", is a bit like The Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter" with a slower beat and slightly less intense sound. With its rather apocalyptic lyrics, "Shine A Little Light" could have easily fit in the Stones' catalog during their heyday, although Dan Auerbach offers a beacon of hope with the title of the song in a tune that otherwise seems lyrically bleak. The song itself, thankfully, is not a downer, although then again, I have not known a single Black Keys song to be one!
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
New songs for June 19th 2019
here they are:
"High Steppin'" by The Avett Brothers: If you thought the Avetts departed from their folk/country-rock roots with the slightly more straight ahead rock of "Ain't No Man" and then went back to their original sound afterwards, you'd be wrong! "High Steppin'" is the least Avetts-y Avett Brothers song so far! It is the first song in which Seth and Scott employ (gasp!) a synthesizer. This element by itself seems like it would alienate quite a few members of their original fanbase, but surprisingly, Avett Brothers fans actually seem to like this song. For one thing, the video for the song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwebrzEldA0) features one of the brothers in a skeleton outfit. No one quite knows the reason for this, but it is entertaining, to say the least! For another, you can still hear a bluegrass-y fiddle in the background in spite of the overall "alternative" sound this song boasts.
"I Need A Teacher" by Hiss Golden Messenger: This song marks yet another instance of a bluegrass influenced folk-rock group opting for a more "alternative" sound. However, there was a very good reason that Hiss Golden Messenger chose to make their latest song a more moody one. "I Need A Teacher" is a political protest song inspired by teachers from North Carolina who railed against the idea of budget cuts to public education a year ago. After hearing about this, HGM thought it was only right to make a song dedicated to all the hard working teachers who have made noble sacrifices for their students and their unions. You'll never look at the phrase "Schoolhouse Rock" the same way again!
"Superbike" by Jay Som: It's a bird! It's a plane! No! It's (fanfare) Superbike!! Wait!! What's a superbike?! No one really knows the answer to that question, but what we do know is that Melina Mae Duterte, better known as Jay Som, is one cool chick! She fuses together the disparate musical worlds of the avant-garde psych-pop of groups like My Bloody Valentine and Cocteau Twins with the bubblegum-y 2010's teen pop of Katy Perry and Carly Rae Jepsen (of "Call Me Maybe" fame). These are such opposite end elements that no one would think a song like this could even exist, especially in the mass-produced, autotune era of the 2010's, yet here it is! It's like if The Velvet Underground tried covering a song like "Yummy Yummy Yummy" or "Sugar Sugar". Unthinkable, yet somehow totally possible. "Superbike", much like Superman, attains to soar to new heights that no one has ever witnessed before!
"High Steppin'" by The Avett Brothers: If you thought the Avetts departed from their folk/country-rock roots with the slightly more straight ahead rock of "Ain't No Man" and then went back to their original sound afterwards, you'd be wrong! "High Steppin'" is the least Avetts-y Avett Brothers song so far! It is the first song in which Seth and Scott employ (gasp!) a synthesizer. This element by itself seems like it would alienate quite a few members of their original fanbase, but surprisingly, Avett Brothers fans actually seem to like this song. For one thing, the video for the song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwebrzEldA0) features one of the brothers in a skeleton outfit. No one quite knows the reason for this, but it is entertaining, to say the least! For another, you can still hear a bluegrass-y fiddle in the background in spite of the overall "alternative" sound this song boasts.
"I Need A Teacher" by Hiss Golden Messenger: This song marks yet another instance of a bluegrass influenced folk-rock group opting for a more "alternative" sound. However, there was a very good reason that Hiss Golden Messenger chose to make their latest song a more moody one. "I Need A Teacher" is a political protest song inspired by teachers from North Carolina who railed against the idea of budget cuts to public education a year ago. After hearing about this, HGM thought it was only right to make a song dedicated to all the hard working teachers who have made noble sacrifices for their students and their unions. You'll never look at the phrase "Schoolhouse Rock" the same way again!
"Superbike" by Jay Som: It's a bird! It's a plane! No! It's (fanfare) Superbike!! Wait!! What's a superbike?! No one really knows the answer to that question, but what we do know is that Melina Mae Duterte, better known as Jay Som, is one cool chick! She fuses together the disparate musical worlds of the avant-garde psych-pop of groups like My Bloody Valentine and Cocteau Twins with the bubblegum-y 2010's teen pop of Katy Perry and Carly Rae Jepsen (of "Call Me Maybe" fame). These are such opposite end elements that no one would think a song like this could even exist, especially in the mass-produced, autotune era of the 2010's, yet here it is! It's like if The Velvet Underground tried covering a song like "Yummy Yummy Yummy" or "Sugar Sugar". Unthinkable, yet somehow totally possible. "Superbike", much like Superman, attains to soar to new heights that no one has ever witnessed before!
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
New songs for October 4th, 2017
here they are:
"Domino (Time Will Tell)" by Hiss Golden Messenger: Much like in Van Morrison's similarly titled "Domino", we never really find out who (or what) "Domino" is in the context of this song, but in both cases, they appear to be a person. Both songs also center around the joys of music. However, this "Domino" has more of a roots-y country-rock sound, as opposed to Van's soulful jazz-rock ditty. It appears to be more lyrically influenced by The Grateful Dead's "Truckin'" than it is by Morrison's "Domino" (which both came out in the year 1970, coincidentally) with its constant name dropping of famous cities and venues in the U.S. and its narrative of life on the road. Will this song hold up as well as The Dead and Van the Man have?! Well, as the parenthetical title of this song implies, "time will tell"!
"If We Were Vampires" by Jason Isbell: After Jason's scathing, rocking, "Hope the High Road" from earlier this year, he has come back a second time around with a much softer and more reflective song, albeit with a spookier title apt for the month Halloween happens to fall on. The song actually has little to do with vampires, and a lot to do with contemplating the meaning of life and whether it's worth living. The song only gets more poignant as it goes on, culminating with the lines, "Maybe we'll get 40 years together/But one day I'll be gone, or one day you'll be gone", quite possibly the deepest lyrics in a country-rock song since "Dust In the Wind".
"It's A Shame" by First Aid Kit: It was just about a month ago that First Aid Kit, a folk-rock duo of Swedish sisters, released a surprisingly catchy song called "Revolution" with newcomer, Van William. Now, First Aid Kit have once again struck out on their own. "It's A Shame" isn't quite as catchy as "Revolution", but it's still memorable, and First Aid Kit fans will likely be drawn to it, since it has the trademark harmonies and bittersweet yet buoyant folk-rock instrumentation the sisters have become known for. The "shame" that is talked about in the song is the shame that is felt when a relationship ends. The vintage sounding organ in the song gives it a slightly Dylan-esque flavor, and was apparently recorded in Jack White from The White Stripes' studio.
"One Foot" by Walk the Moon: There has always been something irresistibly cheesy about Walk the Moon's music. That's nothing new! What is new, however, is that their latest song, "One Foot", has a bit less guitar than their fans might be used to. Both their debut single, "Anna Sun", and the massively successful "Shut Up And Dance" have used guitar as a prominent instrument, sounding like an unabashedly pop-y version of U2 in doing so. "One Foot" just doesn't have that U2-ish sound. It is largely a synth driven song, except during the chorus when you can hear the guitarist a bit more clearly. One thing WTM haven't lost, though, is their knack for making radio ready pop music with a slightly "alternative" edge. They have turned the cliche phrase, "one foot in front of the other", into a group of words that can be shouted at a stadium! These guys could probably sing a section of the phonebook and still make a Top 40 hit out of it!
"Spent the Day In Bed" by Morrissey: And last, but certainly not least, the distinctly voiced, notoriously cynical lead singer of innovative '80s indie-pop band, The Smiths, has returned to make lyrical poetry out of complaints once again. Though Morrissey is a native Brit, he seems to pay attention to political affairs the world around, and is usually unhappy about them. This leads me to believe that "Spent the Day In Bed" is probably about the current state of American political affairs, particularly when Moz urges his listeners to "stop watching the news" during the chorus. Over a quirky, stilted keyboard sound that might not sound out of place in a Zombies tune, Morrissey broodingly croons about how agoraphobia might not be a bad choice with all the negativity going on in the world outside his house. Hopefully we'll be able to wake you up in 2020, Moz! In the meantime, sweet dreams...hopefully.
"Domino (Time Will Tell)" by Hiss Golden Messenger: Much like in Van Morrison's similarly titled "Domino", we never really find out who (or what) "Domino" is in the context of this song, but in both cases, they appear to be a person. Both songs also center around the joys of music. However, this "Domino" has more of a roots-y country-rock sound, as opposed to Van's soulful jazz-rock ditty. It appears to be more lyrically influenced by The Grateful Dead's "Truckin'" than it is by Morrison's "Domino" (which both came out in the year 1970, coincidentally) with its constant name dropping of famous cities and venues in the U.S. and its narrative of life on the road. Will this song hold up as well as The Dead and Van the Man have?! Well, as the parenthetical title of this song implies, "time will tell"!
"If We Were Vampires" by Jason Isbell: After Jason's scathing, rocking, "Hope the High Road" from earlier this year, he has come back a second time around with a much softer and more reflective song, albeit with a spookier title apt for the month Halloween happens to fall on. The song actually has little to do with vampires, and a lot to do with contemplating the meaning of life and whether it's worth living. The song only gets more poignant as it goes on, culminating with the lines, "Maybe we'll get 40 years together/But one day I'll be gone, or one day you'll be gone", quite possibly the deepest lyrics in a country-rock song since "Dust In the Wind".
"It's A Shame" by First Aid Kit: It was just about a month ago that First Aid Kit, a folk-rock duo of Swedish sisters, released a surprisingly catchy song called "Revolution" with newcomer, Van William. Now, First Aid Kit have once again struck out on their own. "It's A Shame" isn't quite as catchy as "Revolution", but it's still memorable, and First Aid Kit fans will likely be drawn to it, since it has the trademark harmonies and bittersweet yet buoyant folk-rock instrumentation the sisters have become known for. The "shame" that is talked about in the song is the shame that is felt when a relationship ends. The vintage sounding organ in the song gives it a slightly Dylan-esque flavor, and was apparently recorded in Jack White from The White Stripes' studio.
"One Foot" by Walk the Moon: There has always been something irresistibly cheesy about Walk the Moon's music. That's nothing new! What is new, however, is that their latest song, "One Foot", has a bit less guitar than their fans might be used to. Both their debut single, "Anna Sun", and the massively successful "Shut Up And Dance" have used guitar as a prominent instrument, sounding like an unabashedly pop-y version of U2 in doing so. "One Foot" just doesn't have that U2-ish sound. It is largely a synth driven song, except during the chorus when you can hear the guitarist a bit more clearly. One thing WTM haven't lost, though, is their knack for making radio ready pop music with a slightly "alternative" edge. They have turned the cliche phrase, "one foot in front of the other", into a group of words that can be shouted at a stadium! These guys could probably sing a section of the phonebook and still make a Top 40 hit out of it!
"Spent the Day In Bed" by Morrissey: And last, but certainly not least, the distinctly voiced, notoriously cynical lead singer of innovative '80s indie-pop band, The Smiths, has returned to make lyrical poetry out of complaints once again. Though Morrissey is a native Brit, he seems to pay attention to political affairs the world around, and is usually unhappy about them. This leads me to believe that "Spent the Day In Bed" is probably about the current state of American political affairs, particularly when Moz urges his listeners to "stop watching the news" during the chorus. Over a quirky, stilted keyboard sound that might not sound out of place in a Zombies tune, Morrissey broodingly croons about how agoraphobia might not be a bad choice with all the negativity going on in the world outside his house. Hopefully we'll be able to wake you up in 2020, Moz! In the meantime, sweet dreams...hopefully.
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