New songs for July 21st, 2021

here they are:


"Ain't Lookin'" by Wild Feathers: After a brief detour into indie-folk and power pop with their last album, Wild Feathers have returned to their country-rock roots with "Ain't Lookin'." Well...kind of. In addition to the country and roots-rock influences, "Ain't Lookin'" appears to be influenced by blues-rock as well! Fans of other blues-country hybrids such as Sturgill Simpson and Chris Stapleton might enjoy this song. The imagery the song has of traveling out on the road also seems fitting for a blues/country-rock song.


"Amoeba" by Clairo: If the chord progression of this song sounds like a modern-day lounge-pop version of Todd Rundgren's "I Saw the Light," which itself was largely influenced by Carole King, that's probably intentional on Clairo's part here. Carole, along with other early 1970's female singer/songwriter icons such as Joni Mitchell and Karen Carpenter, all inspired Clairo's latest song, "Amoeba." Even Blossom Dearie, the woman who lent her voice to such Schoolhouse Rock classics from that same era, as "Figure Eight" and "Unpack Your Adjectives," apparently inspired Clairo's latest tune as well. Its buoyant sound combined with its jazz-pop chord progressions make for a breath of fresh air compared to the monotony of most of what comprises "alternative" music today. For someone who is only 22 years old, Clairo sure has a vast appreciation for the songwriting chanteuses of the early 1970's! Taking on a truly "indie" aesthetic, Clairo weds these delightful, wistful melodies to lyrics about an abusive relationship. She sure knows how to make lemons out of lemonade, doesn't she?!

"Galacticana" by Strand of Oaks: The intriguingly named "Galacticana" continues in the soothing folk-rock direction that Indiana group, Strand of Oaks, started really honing in on their 2019 ballad, "Ruby." I don't know what "Galacticana" even means, and since it's mentioned nowhere in the song's lyrics, it's not very likely I will know, but going by the song's nostalgic, bittersweet lyrics, perhaps it refers to...wait, I STILL don't know what it refers to! Anyway, in "Galacticana," Strand of Oaks' lead singer Timothy Showalter recounts experiences of his childhood (and perhaps his teenhood as well) that he shares with his listeners to offer an escape from the world today. When he says "I believe that ecstasy happens when we all get together" in the beginning of the song, I don't think he's referring to the drug ecstasy, but to actual ecstasy - that which happens when people share a moment together to create a more understanding bond with one another.

"Poor Boy a Long Way From Home" by The Black Keys: The Black Keys' latest album seems to have offered us their blues-iest sound yet! The scorching, fiery, slow-burning blues-rock of "Crawling Kingsnake" was a great way to kick off the year, and now, midway through it, we have the fast, shuffling blues-rock of "Poor Boy a Long Way From Home." A blues-y rhythm and riff present in songs ranging from John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom" to Muddy Waters' "Baby Please Don't Go" to ZZ Top's "La Grange" and George Thorogood's "One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer" can be heard here. Like "Crawling Kingsnake," "Poor Boy a Long Way From Home" is a cover of a blues tune, this time one from blues musician R.L. Burnside from 1978, though it sounds like it came from a much earlier era. 

"Wrecked" by Imagine Dragons: From the title, you might gather that this is one of Imagine Dragons' more angst-ridden songs. It's really more of a melancholy one that still manages to have a pleasant, pop-y sound like most of their material. In contrast to their spring '21 hit, "Follow You," "Wrecked" is in minor key and is not a love song so much as it is a breakup song, or perhaps just a song about emotional disorder in general. Not a breakup song of the "good riddance" variety either, but more of an "I can't live without you" sort of tune. Dan Reynolds conveys anguish throughout the song, but especially in the middle where he says, "These days, I'm becoming everything that I hate/Wishing you were around now, but it's too late/My mind is a place that I can't escape your ghost." Sometimes, the relationships we might have thought we had given up long ago continue to haunt us. This is a perfect song for those sorts of situations!

New songs for February 27th 2019

here they are:


"Beloved" by Mumford and Sons: If you thought Mumford and Sons' Fall 2018 hit, "Guiding Light", harkened back to their original sound, then you're in for a real treat with "Beloved", which sounds even more like a "Babel" outtake than "Guiding Light" did! The song hovers closer to folk-rock than it does alt-pop, like the early M & S songs, and the poetic and nearly Shakespearean content of "Beloved"'s lyrics is a nice way to welcome fans back into the M & S circle. A few lyrics of the song are what some might call "ambiguously Christian" ("She says the Lord has a plan/but admits it's pretty hard to understand"), but it's not that different than most of the other Mumford and Sons lyrics that straddle the line between religious sincerity and the doubt that gives such songs "indie cred." The only real disappointing part is when they add more synthetic instrumentation in the middle, but on the whole, that does not ruin what is otherwise a fantastic song!


"Boom" by X Ambassadors: "Boom" is a song that last for just 2 and a half minutes and whose title is just 4 letters, but that does not stop it from being an aptly explosive song! This might just be the first X Ambassadors song to rely more on bass than it does on guitar (though you can hear some funky guitar licks during the chorus). "Renegades", "Unsteady" and "Ahead of Myself" all focused on acoustic guitar, and "Low Life" was an unusually blues-y electric guitar song, which gives "Boom" distinction among the other songs in X Ambassadors' catalog. The lyrics are pretty simplistic ("my feet go boom boom boom/my heart beats boom boom boom", etc.), but that doesn't stop "Boom" from being a catchy song!


"Clap Your Hands" by Galactic: Blues and jazz influence are defining features of Galactic's music. They are still present on their latest song, "Clap Your Hands", but they seem to be heading in more of a pop music direction than their previous efforts have suggested here. Thankfully they haven't completely shifted gears. There is still plenty for old school R & B fans and fans of New Orleans jazz to get out of "Clap Your Hands". Fitting for the title of the song, "Clap Your Hands" does contain a lot of clapping, which is probably what gives it more of a pop flavor than most Galactic songs have, but the band are still as jammin' as ever in this one!


"For Real" by Tom Petty: Legends never die! Last summer, a posthumous Petty song was released called "Keep A Little Soul", which sounded like a rock song from the early '80s because that's essentially what it was: an outtake of a previously unreleased Tom Petty song from the '80s. "For Real" sounds like it was done a bit later, and has a bit less of a rock and roll factor than "Keep A Little Soul" did, but it has nevertheless been soaring up the adult alt radio charts within a little over a week. "For Real" is a song that seems to reflect on Tom Petty's life and career in a very poignant manner. The fact that it sounds like a more recent song might be because that's what it probably is. Petty died 2 years ago, and this is more than likely one of the last songs he ever recorded. There seems to be a painfully sad self awareness that Petty has about the last moments of his life in "For Real", which can be compared to other recent post-mortem rock songs like David Bowie's "Lazarus" and The Cranberries' "All Over Now".


"Jingle And Go" by Ryan Bingham: Ryan Bingham is known for his country/folk sounding songs, like "The Weary Kind", but the songs of his that make the biggest impression on me contain a bit more of a rock and roll sound, like the frantic "Heart of Rhythm" and the Tom Petty-esque "Radio". On "Jingle And Go", Ryan seems to take a cue or two from The Rolling Stones circa the late '60s/early '70s. Imagine Mick Jagger's famous rock group with more of a country-rock sound, and you've pretty much got "Jingle And Go" in a nutshell. Eclectic rock guitarist Charlie Sexton provides "Jingle And Go" with its freewheelin' rock and roll sound.


"Ruby" by Strand of Oaks: Strand of Oaks' lead singer, Timothy Showalter, claims that "Ruby" is the happiest song he's ever written! That's pretty something coming from someone who did angst filled songs like "Goshen '97" and "Radio Kids". "Ruby" does not contain any angst at all, and is the softest song so far in Strand of Oaks' catalog. Ruby is also not the name of a person, but a personification of Showalter's past. The song seems to be a yearning for nostalgia for the most part. Given how jaded Strand of Oaks' material usually sounds, the song provides a much needed breath of fresh air the band has probably needed for quite a while now!

New songs for December 14th, 2016

here they are:


"Back Against the Wall" by Son Volt: Son Volt have come a long way from their days in the mid '90s as a rowdier country-rock group with their minor alt-rock radio song, "Drown". They've become a lot quieter and sadder since then. "Back Against the Wall" is probably one of the most bittersweet songs Son Volt have recorded. Perhaps it should come as no surprise, then, that the album it's from is called "Notes of Blue". Maybe we'll get an entire album of bittersweet ballads from the alt-country quintet! "Back Against the Wall" is not without clues of the band's rock 'n' roll past, though, as it does contain a ragged, Neil Young-esque guitar solo towards the middle and end of it.


"Do You Still Love Me?" by Ryan Adams: It's not often that one of the most heavily anticipated songs of the year comes in December, yet Ryan Adams' latest song is now getting airplay on 25 adult alt stations, and it only took less than a week of the song's existence for people to fall head over heels in love with it! Why is this, you ask?! Well, it's because "Do You Still Love Me?" is one of those songs that just grabs you by the neck and proclaims its power right on the spot as soon as you hear it! The song is performed in an arena-rock-cum-roots-rock style, not unlike certain songs by Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, and John Mellencamp, and it has one of the most boastful guitar solos ever known in a Ryan Adams tune! Do we still love you, Ryan?! You bet we do! Keep coming out with songs like this one and we'll only love you more!


"Painting (Masterpiece)" by Lewis del Mar: Lewis del Mar is not one person, but two people, in spite of how their moniker might sound at first. Their debut song, "Painting (Masterpiece)", is as colorful as its title makes it sound, both musically and lyrically. The thumping C sharp bass note in the beginning of the song makes it sound a little similar to Everclear's "Father of Mine", albeit a lot less grungy and a lot more...ummm...indie...tronic?! (It's hard to come up with a term to describe what their music sounds like, haha). The lyrics of "Painting (Masterpiece)" use a lot of color related imagery, particularly during the chorus. To this, I can only say that although it might not be easy to be green, I don't feel blue about it. As a matter of fact, I'm tickled pink!


"Radio Kids" by Strand of Oaks: Strand of Oaks sure are radio kids, too! Their breakthrough song, "Goshen '97", talked about "singing Pumpkins" (as in Smashing) "in the mirror". In "Radio Kids", the arena rock of the '80s collides with a chord progression that sounds similar to "Morning Glory" by Oasis from the '90s. Strand of Oaks really know their stuff, clearly. "Play it, play it, loud on the radio!" lead singer Timothy Showalter pleads urgently during the chorus of "Radio Kids". Don't worry, Tim. We'll be blasting this song from our radios loud and clear for the next few months, at least! Thus ends this year's blog posts (besides the yearly Top 20) with a big, loud, rock 'n' roll BANG!! See ya next year, all you crazy music lovers!

New songs for July 2nd, 2014

here they are:


"Gimme Something Good" by Ryan Adams: Ryan Adams could easily be likened to a younger Neil Young, with his tendency to switch between heartfelt, acoustic ballads, and electrifying, arena ready rockers. The "rock side" of Ryan's material seems to be largely influenced by U2 and Bruce Springsteen. Opting for a Tom Petty style sound is not something I recall Ryan Adams doing. Until now, that is. "Gimme Something Good" clearly recalls Tom Petty, circa the late '70s/early '80s, in many ways. First off, there's that mix of roots-y but gutsy electric guitar that evokes the sound that The Heartbreakers' Mike Campbell typically used, and there's even a keyboard in the background that sounds remarkably like Heartbreakers keyboardist Benmont Tench. To top it all off, the chorus of "Gimme Something Good" kinda sounds like "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around", Petty's duet with Fleetwood Mac vocalist, Stevie Nicks. Not sure if Petty would be honored or insulted if he heard this song, but chances are, probably one of the two. With Petty having recently released a new record, it'd be interesting to find out what he thinks of Ryan Adams' latest song!!


"Goshen '97" by Strand of Oaks: The title of the song is never mentioned in the lyrics, but it's a pretty clear statement of what the song is about. It is a no-frills, cheekily nostalgic look back on what life was like for Strand of Oaks' lead singer, Timothy Showalter, in Goshen, Indiana, back in 1997. The chorus of the song tells it all, as Showalter creakily growls that he was "lonely but (he) was having fun", and that he does not want to "start all over again". Various bits of '90s nostalgia are laced through the song, from its mention of "singing Pumpkins in the mirror" (Smashing Pumpkins), to the fact that Dinosaur Jr. guitarist J. Mascis provides guest guitar work on the song. Welcome to the '90s!


"Rainbow" by Robert Plant: From Zeppelin to zen. This seems like an apt way of describing how Robert Plant's recent work has turned out. Yes, he still performs rock music, but not the mighty, thunderous roar of Led Zeppelin. Instead, it is a more mature, transcendentally influenced, and almost meditative form of rock music. His latest song, "Rainbow", continues in this pattern, having not only a peaceful sound, but soothing, hippie-like lyrics as well, especially when he describes himself as being the "rainbow" in the title of the song. "I will sing my song for you, and carry on", Plant sings, in a blissfully existential manner. Also, I'm sorry to dash the hopes of any Led Zeppelin fans who might be reading this, but Plant is not planning a reunion tour with the band, as he would much rather focus on the here and now than dwell on the past.