New songs for August 24th, 2022

 Here they are:

"Blood on the Tracks" by Marcus King: With "Blood on the Tracks," blues-rocker Marcus King continues with his throwback 1970's-inspired sound. Taking musical cues from both Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Born on the Bayou" and the CCR-soundalike song, "Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)," "Blood on the Tracks" is a slinky, blues-y vamp with lyrics that as rooted in the blues as the music is. The song has a similar lyrical theme to many older blues tunes in that it concerns someone who is in the midst of making a difficult decision between the sensuous allure of music and the more purifying ways of spiritual life.

"Out of My Head" by First Aid Kit: "Out of My Head" is a phrase that some people might think apply to First Aid Kit themselves when they hear this song, as it appears that after about a decade of folk-rock, the Swedish songbird sisters of First Aid Kit have finally surrendered to synth-pop. Chances are, no one saw this coming (I certainly didn't). Apparently, they wanted a sound that was closer to musicians like Kate Bush and 1980's-era Stevie Nicks, both of whom have dabbled in the folk-rock sound as well at times. "Out of My Head" is about being trapped inside your mind and wanting to escape from it, and the throbbing urgency of the song's instrumentation certainly seems to indicate this, yet it still contains the yearning fervor present in most other First Aid Kit songs.

"Stay Out of It" by Michigander: This song features Michigander at their most U2-ish so far. The riffs on the chorus could have easily been influenced by a song like "Where the Streets Have No Name." The more bass-laden verses make for an interesting contrast with the more driven vibe of the chorus. Not a whole lot more to say about this song, but it's a good one.

"Tippa My Tongue" by Red Hot Chili Peppers: This song marks a return to form for RHCP. The mixture of funk and rock they started out with did get featured in a few of the songs they did from the '90s onward, but it wasn't near as common as what it was when they started out. "Tippa My Tongue" brings back the freewheeling and somewhat goofy funk-rock the Chili Peppers started out with, and even features a few "rapped" sections during the verses. 

New songs for May 4th, 2022

 Here they are:


"Falling Apart (Right Now)" by Wilco: Wilco have gone through many musical phases in their career! Psychedelic, prog-rock, folk-rock, you name it! But it's important for Wilco's fans to remember they started off as a country-rock group, and with "Falling Apart (Right Now)," Wilco have gone back to their roots. Sort of. The song is really more rockabilly than anything else. There's a definite sense of country twang in the song, but it's done to a sort of boogie-woogie shuffle. Yet another adventure into uncharted territory in the eclectic Wilco catalog!

"Hard Working Man" by Marcus King: Hard ROCKING man is more like it!! For soul/blues-rocker, Marcus King, this is probably the hardest rocking song he's had in his catalog so far! The song echoes a lot of guitar riffs 1970's rock bands and musicians such as Bad Company, George Thorogood, and ZZ Top. Marcus' riffs and sound are usually a bit smoother than that, but there's nothin' wrong with spicing up your material with rawer sounds every once in a while!

"Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)" by Arcade Fire: Yet another song from this year that showcases the more sensitive, folk-rock side of Arcade Fire, "Unconditional I (Lookout Kid)" is a song that attempts to reach out to a world that continues to crumble at the seams despite our best efforts to prevent that from happening. The song takes its main title (and chorus) from our innate desire for unconditional love, much needed in times like this, and its parenthetical title, "Lookout Kid," from what Win Butler says during the verses; essentially an attempt to warn listeners, especially teens and young adults ("kids"), that the world is a far from perfect place and that they should look out for danger (and for one another). 

New songs for March 24th, 2021

 here they are:


"All You Ever Wanted" by Rag 'N' Bone Man: Expecting another smooth alt-R & B song from Rag 'N' Bone Man like his mid-2010's mega-hit, "Human"? Think again! On "All You Ever Wanted", Rory "Rag 'N' Bone Man" Graham shows a bit more of a passionate rock and roller side! The ardent enthusiasm and echoic sound of earnest arena bands and performers like Kings of Leon, U2, and Bruce Springsteen have clearly influenced Rag 'N' Bone Man here! A refreshing change of pace, isn't it?! The lyrics seem a bit Springsteen-ian as well, especially during the part when Rory says, "It's a city of a thousand heartbeats/No room for another soul." Fusing rock and roll and poetry with such vivid, touching imagery used to be a thing during the genre's heyday. It's time that fusion was brought back to the mainstream!

"Click Click Domino" by Ida Mae (featuring Marcus King): Husband-and-wife duo, Ida Mae, debut onto this blog with an earthy, gritty brand of blues-rock! Equally gritty blues-rocker, Marcus King, is no stranger to this blog, though, and he is featured as the guest guitarist on Ida Mae's "Click Click Domino." I have yet to find out what the phrase "Click Click Domino" actually means. Could be onomatopoeic, for all I know! However, I do know what the song itself is about. Apparently, it came about as a response to all the "rumors on the internets," to paraphrase one of the best known "Bush-isms," that have been spread about today that make their way into news outlets, the political world, and seemingly everywhere we look. Ida Mae decided they are sick of all that, and make their feelings about it known in "Click Click Domino"!

"Dried Up River" by The Lone Bellow: The laid-back, Americana influenced folk-rock sound of The Lone Bellow's "Dried Up River" makes it seem like something from early in the trio's career. As their career progressed, they seemed to add increasingly more detailed instrumentation into their music. "Dried Up River" just seems like the basic two guitars, bass, and drum (with keyboard in the background) formula that The Lone Bellow used for their first three adult alt radio hits back in 2013. Much as its title suggests, "Dried Up River" really isn't very..."deep" (if you'll pardon the pun). Nothing to really take away from it aside from its billowy, breezy, somewhat rural sound. The lyrics seem to suggest a disconnect of sorts, though it's never made clear whether the problems are romantic or if they're between two struggling friends.

"Questions" by Middle Kids: At the end of this list are Middle Kids, who have been interesting since the beginning of their career (see what I did there?!), providing us with one of the few songs in the history of this blog to begin with the letter Q. Lead singer Hannah Joy sings with anything but joy, laced with doubt and fear, about a relationship in which her partner is probably cheating on her in Middle Kids' latest song, "Questions." The "questions" she has are all about whether the cheating she has suspected has really occurred. The songs sounds sweet enough, though, that some listeners might never suspect that the song is about such a troubling subject, with its fun sounding handclaps and bright, spirited brass section. This being the end of my blog for the week, I hope you have no more questions about "Questions"! 

New songs for May 20th, 2020

here they are:


"Everything's Right" by Phish: Phish are known for being the ultimate example of a jam band from the '90s onward, much like The Grateful Dead were the ultimate example of a jam band during the '60s, '70s, and '80s. Much like The Dead, Phish's studio tracks are usually more "controlled" than their freewheeling live tracks, but that is not always the case. Phish's latest studio recording, "Everything's Right", which started out as a live recording, clocks in at a little over 12 minutes, making it the longest song I've reviewed so far! For the true devotees of Phish, it might be worth it to listen to all 12 minutes. However, for more casual fans such as myself, the first four and a half minutes of the song should do just fine. It's actually a very fun, optimistic track up until that point. After that, it's pretty much nothing but guitar solos. The entire track is for hardcore fans only, but just a slice of this track should be enough to uplift anyone from their quarantine blues.


"Isabella" by Hamilton Leithauser: "Isabella", the latest track from The Walkmen's frontman continues in the folk-rock direction of his previous adult alt radio hit, "Here They Come", but it's a much sweeter song than that one was. Its chill yet yearning vibes make for a bittersweet love song. At least it appears to be a love song on the surface, but underneath it all, there are no direct references that tell how Hamilton truly feels about the titular Isabella. Based on the music, though, he probably thinks she's pretty dreamy.


"One Day She's Here" by Marcus King: After the explosive blues-rock of his 2019 adult alt radio hit, "The Well", Marcus King dials things back a bit with "One Day She's Gone". Though guitar isn't the most audible instrument on "One Day She's Here", Marcus compensates for this by making the song extra sleek and funky. The song is about a girl whom Marcus attempts to build a relationship with, but he never quite gets there. Aren't a lot of relationships like that, though?


"This Forgotten Town" by The Jayhawks: For most of the new millennium, alt-country critical darlings, The Jayhawks, have focused on a jangle-pop sound similar to groups like The Byrds, Big Star, and R.E.M. "This Forgotten Town" marks the first time in nearly 25 years that The Jayhawks have gone back to the more countrified, roots-y rock sound they started with. There's nothing really jangly about this song, which uses roots-y electric guitar riffs backed by acoustic guitar and honky-tonk piano where fans might have expected 12-string guitars and Rickenbacker riffs to be instead. The songs "going down the road" style lyrics also hearken back to earlier Jayhawks songs, which were not as yearning and bittersweet as the ones they put out from the 2000's onward. This might just be the song to win back the small but significant fanbase that The Jayhawks first started building during the early to mid '90s. Who knew?!

New songs for October 16th, 2019

here they are:


"Good Side" by Liz Phair: There was a time early on in the new millennium when mid-'90s alt-rock goddess, Liz Phair, gave her music an Avril Lavigne styled makeover. Although it brought her music to mainstream radio, not a lot of Liz fans were on board with it. Thankfully, with "Good Side", Liz is back to doing the lyrically acerbic folk-rock with attitude she does best! She's no longer sweetly moaning "why can't I?" in response to falling in love, but is instead spouting more cynical sentences like, "there are so many ways to f**k up a life", the lyrics of which actually open this billowy yet caustic song. The song has lyrical depth that is open to interpretation, too, much like her mid-'90s repertoire. When she sings "I'm gonna leave you with my good side" during the chorus, for instance, what exactly is she talking about? From the overall tone of the song, the phrase "good side" seems somewhat tongue-in-cheek. Hopefully Liz will make more songs like this one, and her early '00s output will just end up being a tiny blemish in an otherwise outstanding catalog!


"Tell the Truth" by The Avett Brothers: Stepping away from the techno-rock of their adult alt smash hit, "High Steppin'", from earlier this year, "Tell the Truth" has more bittersweet autumnal vibes to contrast with "High Steppin'"s summery sound. The title of the song seems like pretty simple advice, but Seth and Scott confess within the lyrics of the song that it's not an easy thing to do. According to the song, they have lied to many who were near and dear to them, so the song serves as a sad but true reminder of how we really don't have anything to hide, no matter how hard we try to do so. "Tell the truth to yourself", they sing, "and the rest will fall in place". Great advice!


"The Well" by Marcus King: I have not heard a bad song from blues-rocker, Marcus King, as of yet, but "The Well" might just be his best one yet! If the song sounds a bit like The Black Keys' "Howlin' For You", it's because the Keys' Dan Auerbach produced it! It also seems to have the most blues-y lyrics of King's output so far ("Papa was a-preachin' 'bout the fires of Hell/If you want a drink of water, got to go to the well"), with its ever so blues-y struggle between the sacred and the profane. Specifically, this song might be about wanting to disprove the myth how rock music is the "devil's music", with Marcus claiming that the "cornerstone church tried to sell (his) soul", but that "the good Lord gave him rock and roll". Well, if classic rock groups like Argent or Kiss are correct, God DID give rock and roll to us!