New songs for August 31st, 2022

 here they are:


"Saturdays" by Broken Bells: Knowing that Broken Bells started out as a side project of James Mercer from The Shins, one should not be surprised to hear an overt Beatles influence in Broken Bells' latest song, "Saturday." Unlike the folk-y, jangly Rubber Soul-era Beatles material that The Shins typically seem to go for, "Saturdays" is more reminiscent of the swirly psychedelia of albums like Revolver  and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Both the drone and shakiness of the guitar in the song recall songs like "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds" and "Within You, Without You." Lines like "kept me gettin' high 'til you were mine" only accentuate the song's already trippy vibe, and the lyrics overall seem to be about the surreal nature of time. Far out, man!

"Weird Goodbyes" by The National (featuring Bon Iver): Two indie-folk/rock heavyweights who have been around roughly since the late 2000's and have only gotten more popular from there, The National and Bon Iver's latest collaboration, "Weird Goodbyes," isn't so much "weird" as it is poignant. Matt Berninger's deadpan yet forlorn vocals against bittersweet, piano-based music almost seem to channel Leonard Cohen here, albeit against a hip-hop influenced percussion section. The song is one of realization of how difficult modern times have been for society to handle, as if sensing a "goodbye" is imminent. That is to say, a goodbye from the world itself as we once knew it. 

New songs for July 28th 2021

 "Can You Handle My Love?" by Walk the Moon: In Walk the Moon's slow but steady progression from pop/rock to something that more closely resembles pure pop, one thing that has always remained consistent in their material is their ability to be insanely catchy! "Anna Sun" and "Shut Up and Dance" were both major earworms for WTM, and "Can You Handle My Love?" aims to continue in that direction! Though not as guitar-centric as either of the other two songs, "Can You Handle My Love?" seems like it's sure to be one of the central feel-good hit songs of summer 2021! It's a fun, get-up-and-dance song! The line "I've got a crush on you, and it's not just physical" will probably endear many who have already become attracted to Nicholas Petricca to develop an even deeper celebrity crush on him!

"Phoenix" by Big Red Machine (featuring Fleet Foxes and Anais Mitchell): Imagine The National, Bon Iver, and Fleet Foxes combining to record a single song. Well, that's exactly what's happening here! (Big Red Machine are comprised of members of The National and Bon Iver) This is pretty much any indie-folk fan's dream come true! Their song "Phoenix" is also a very dreamy sounding song. Far from being fiery like the song's titular mythological bird, "Phoenix" is instead a cool and soothing song! It was inspired at least in part by The Band's concert film, The Last Waltz, and the song's bittersweet flavor does seem to take significant influence from that film. The word "phoenix" is not mentioned anywhere in the song, but the line "you were making my heart change shape" is a recurring one that can be compared to the metamorphic nature of the phoenix.

"Run Run Run" by Kurt Vile: Who better to cover Lou Reed than the equally sardonic and apathetic Kurt Vile?! That's exactly what Kurt does here with the Velvets' song, "Run Run Run" on an album that was recently released in tribute to The Velvet Underground's debut album. "Run Run Run" was one of the more straightforwardly hard-rocking songs on The Velvet Underground and Nico, along with "I'm Waiting for the Man," both of which had a "chugging" rhythm in the key of D major, and both of which were seedy songs about scoring drugs from dealers. Though not the unforgettable combo of beautiful and scary songs like "Heroin" and "Venus in Furs" were, "Run Run Run" was not a bad song on the album, though it is probably one of my least favorites from the album simply because it didn't stand out in the way that most of the other songs did. Still, Kurt Vile does Lou Reed's grimy, unapologetically brash tale of urban poetry justice here. 

"Stay High" by Childish Gambino: Here is yet another cover song! Although this one is a cover of a song that came out just two years ago that was originally done by Brittany Howard from Alabama Shakes. Donald Glover, known in the music biz as "Childish Gambino," was someone I was first introduced to via the quirky NBC sitcom, Community. In it, Glover played Troy, the easygoing and slightly goofy best friend of pop culture nerd, Abed, and became one of my favorite characters on the show. Little did I know at the time, though, that acting was not Glover's only talent. He is also a stellar singer and performer who combines hip-hop, soul, rock, jazz, and a myriad of other genres into his own unique style, perhaps best known currently for his scathing yet compelling political indictment, "This Is America." His cover of Brittany Howard's "Stay High," which itself was a genre buster that mixed folk, soul, and rock, puts a bit more of a hip-hop and techno influence on Howard's composition, but otherwise matches the original perfectly! The key, the mellowness of the song, and even Glover's vocals all manage to emulate the original "Stay High" quite well, yet he still manages to make the song all his own here! 

New songs for November 4th, 2020

 here they are:


"One More Second" by Matt Berninger: Matt Berninger and his band, The National, could probably be described as "bitter", among other adjectives, in terms of both their music and their lyrics. Having recently struck out on his own, Matt has gone from bitter to bittersweet with "One More Second." There is a good reason that this song sounds sweeter than most of the tunes that Matt has done with The National. He wanted to write a song that was on par with songs like Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You" that elicited similar emotions from listeners. While the song will likely never achieve the level of fame and love that that one did, the effort Matt put into "One More Second" really shows, and you can tell he put more heart into this song than he has into anything he did previously!

"The Adults Are Talking" by The Strokes: What a year it has been for The Strokes!! 20 years after their debut, during which their hit song, "Last Nite", raced up the alt-rock charts, their song "Bad Decisions" not only raced up both the alt-rock charts and the adult alt charts, but it is also likely to be my number one song of the year! (Which is scarily apt, considering how many bad decisions we've all made this year so far!) To top it all off, they were also the most recent musical guests on SNL! Their followup song, "The Adults Are Talking", doesn't seem near as catchy as "Bad Decisions", but it still memorable in its own way. "The Adults Are Talking" has a mellower sound and beat, but Julian Casablancas' guitar work still shines through in a more subtle manner here. Lyrically, "The Adults Are Talking" continues in the pattern of "Bad Decisions" of being about a bad decision, specifically one person cheating on another. The song is executed in such an insouciant manner, however, that you'd never be able to tell unless you listened carefully enough!

"The Valley of the Pagans" by Gorillaz (featuring Beck): Gorillaz latest album, "Song Machine", is to them what "Supernatural" was to Santana: an all-star album! Musicians ranging from cult faves like St. Vincent and Joan As Policewoman to major stars like Elton John to alt-rock legends like The Cure and Beck can all be found on this album! Not bad for a band that's comprised of fictional cartoon characters! "The Valley of the Pagans" is stellar track for both Beck and Gorillaz! It's an uber-catchy song whose lyrics are reminiscent of the "word salad" lyrics that Beck had on his breakthrough hit, "Loser." The chorus of "The Valley of the Pagans" mentions the phrase "it feels so good" four times. You don't need to think too hard to understand why. This song is one that makes you feel good, that's why! 

New songs for June 24th 2020

here they are:


"A Ghost" by Travis: Though Travis are actually Scottish, they have often been lumped under the "Britpop" category that also includes groups like The Verve and Radiohead, and (early on), Coldplay. Travis are typically on the melancholy side of the Britpop spectrum, like Radiohead are, but the eerily titled "A Ghost", ironically, is one of the happiest songs I've ever heard by them! The song is bouncy and jangly enough that I could picture it being done by some of British rock's founding fathers, like The Beatles or The Kinks. The titular "ghost" in the song is one that Fran Healy claims to "see in the mirror", according to the lyrics. More than likely, "ghost" is being used as a metaphor for confronting one's past self here. In "A Ghost", Fran gives a kiss-off to his past by unexpectedly embracing his happiness. Go figure!


"Didn't Want to Be This Lonely" by The Pretenders: Here is yet another song whose sound reaches back to the past. The Pretenders have already become "classic" in and of themselves, but here, they reach for influences that came along before their 40-plus-year career even began! There is a clear influence from proto-classic rockers like Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley here. After the melancholy folk-rock/power pop of The Pretenders' "The Buzz" from earlier this year, it's nice to see Chrissie and the gang pick themselves back up again! Like our previous entry, this song also seems like an upbeat tune that masks more negative emotions, and could also be viewed as being somewhat therapeutic in that regard.


"I Do" by Wild Rivers: Have we finally reached a point where neo-folk-rock has hit saturation point? This song from Canadian quartet, Wild Rivers, is one of the few songs of said genre to give me mixed reactions. On the one hand, the guy/girl harmonies of folk-rock that have been essential to the sub-genre since the days of The Mamas and The Papas are present here, which I like. On the other hand, though, the girl's vocals here remind me too much of Colbie Caillat, whom I've never liked, and the production of the music seems squeaky clean in comparison to the more rustic and ragged sound of most folk-rock. The jury's out on this song, but I've reviewed it here just in case I someday grow to like it more than I do now.


"My Own Soul's Warning" by The Killers: Brandon Flowers and co lived up to their name once again in spring and early summer of this year by burning up the alt and adult alt radio charts with the anthemic song, "Caution". The song seemed to evoke the new-wave-meets-Heartland-rock sound that groups like The War on Drugs have cultivated recently. The Killers' latest song, "My Own Soul's Warning", seems to head in this direction as well. Like many Killers songs from 2006 and onward, "My Own Soul's Warning" seems to have somewhat Springsteen-ian instrumentation, which meshes well with its cryptic yet soul searching lyrics. The opening lyrics of the song, "I tried going against my own soul's warning, but in the end something just didn't feel right", kind of sum up what the song is about. In other words, it seems as though during the course of the song, Brandon Flowers tries to find his own purpose in life without listening to the guidance of others, but he veers off course and ultimately decides that such advice might have been worth listening to after all. Flowers might not be near as good a lyricist as his idol, Bruce, but he certainly does try sometimes, and it really shows, too!


"No Time For Love Like Now" by Michael Stipe and Big Red Machine: Sometimes music from two different eras can share a common aesthetic. Such is the case with R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe and The National's Aaron Dessner (with a little help from members of Bon Iver), all of whom have collaborated with one another on the song, "No Time For Love Like Now". Though Stipe takes on the vocal parts here, it is Dessner who heads the musical composition of this number, filled more with the icy electronics of The National than the bittersweet, autumnal jangle of R.E.M. I'm not sure how they found out about one another, perhaps it is because both have proven to be influential in the world of alternative rock at some point in time, but the combo seems to work here. The song seems at least in part to be about the negative and surprising changes our world has experienced this year so far. The title of the song tells of love, but it's more a sense of sadness that permeates through this track.


"Proxima B" by Benjamin Gibbard: Death Cab's lead singer released what could have been his most depressing song ever with "Life in Quarantine" earlier this year around spring. The lyrics to his latest song, "Proxima B", though still somewhat sad, aim to subvert the sadness a bit. Unlike the stark folk-rock of "...Quarantine", "Proxima B" has a more bouncy, power pop/jangle pop sound, not uncommon in Death Cab's own material, such as "Crooked Teeth". The subject of "Proxima B" is basically Ben's desire to have somewhere to escape from the chaos and imminent danger the world is currently facing. With Planet Earth on the wane, Ben suggests Proxima B, the name of a distant planet in another galaxy (a real one, not a fictional one), as a place to be "careless and free", away from all the troubles of our current biological home.

New songs for July 17th 2019

here they are:


"Fighter" by Joseph: The somewhat ironically named all-girl trio, Joseph, graced adult alt radio in 2016 and 2017 with their harmonious, bittersweet brand of indie-folk with songs like "White Flag" and "S.O.S. (Overboard)". The success must have paid off well for the three of them because summer 2019 marks their return to adult alt radio with "Fighter". The song is a bit of a departure from the acoustic guitar driven sound of their previous songs, as it doesn't seem to feature guitar much at all. However, the mood of "Fighter" is pure Joseph. Like their biggest hit to date, "White Flag", "Fighter" is all about never giving up. It touches on a more personal level than "White Flag" did, though. "Fighter" is actually a song that almost didn't even come into existence due to personal strife within the band, but Natalie, Allison, and Megan took that tension, made it into a song, and as a result, have landed the biggest new adult alt radio hit of the week! Way to go, girls!


"Heat of the Summer" by Young the Giant: In the mood for a summer song to make a splash on alt and adult alt radio?! Then wait no more! Young the Giant might just have what you're looking for with "Heat of the Summer". The song is actually a clever mix of the traditional fun summer song and the more contemporary type of "summer boredom" song. Lead singer, Sameer Gadhia, expresses his boredom with summer during the verses, which are accompanied by sparse bass sounds, and the richer, guitar laden sounds of the chorus complement its more joyful lyrics quite nicely.


"Rylan" by The National: Who is Rylan? Furthermore, what kind of a NAME is Rylan?! I've heard of (and met) people named Ryan, but adding an "L" into the middle of their names just seems odd. Anyway, as to the question of who Rylan is, it's a bit of a mystery. From the context of the song, he seems to be a neglected, sad child who rarely speaks. Beneath Rylan's quiet lies a troubled boy, as Matt Berninger switches between saying that he "reminds him of everyone" during the first part of the song, to saying that "there's a little bit of hell in everyone" towards the end of it. "Everyone", to Matt Berninger, is flawed in some way. Rylan, therefore, reminds Matt of just how imperfect the human race truly is. The National have often talked about alienation in their music, but rarely at a level that cuts as deep as this one does.


"See You Through My Eyes" by The Head and The Heart: Although The Head and The Heart's previous hit, "Missed Connection", was a significant departure from the folk-rock sound they started out with, it ended up becoming one of the biggest hits of the first half of 2019. We have now arrived at the second half of the year, and The Head and The Heart's move from folk-rock to soft alt-pop still hasn't waned with their latest song, "See You Through My Eyes", which looks poised to become one of the year's biggest hits as well. Musically, it's pretty much the major key version of "Missed Connection". Lyrically, it touches on more positive themes as well, focusing primarily on learning to love yourself.


"Strangers" by City and Colour: If you first found out about City and Colour through their 2009 folk-rock song, "Sleeping Sickness", then you might be in for a surprise to learn that lead singer Dallas Green's previous band was a hard-edged emo band called Alexisonfire. C & C's latest song, "Strangers", seems to be an attempt at combining the sweetness and harmonies of City and Colour with the chord progressions and energy of Alexisonfire. The song has a sound that is both sweet and moody, probably the moodiest that C & C have recorded so far. Its title, "Strangers", gives it an air of mystery to match its moodiness. As for the lyrics ("we are strangers in this land with so much left to discover"), they almost make the song seem vulnerable. Any way you look at it, this song is packed full of emotion!


"Wasted Youth" by Jenny Lewis: According to the YouTube comments on this song, I'm not the only one who thought of Carole King when I first heard this song on my local radio station, KCSN, a few weeks ago. Jenny has emulated quite a few of the women who have helped to shape rock and alternative music, from Joni Mitchell to Patti Smith, but I have not heard her try to take on Carole's style yet. Carole has an almost nostalgic, childlike quality to her music, something that Jenny offers somewhat on the surface, often interspersed with world weary, sarcastic lyrics underneath. There is no sarcasm in "Wasted Youth", though. If anything, the song offers up bittersweet truths that lament her own drug addictions and deaths that have occurred in her family. The song is basically "It's Too Late" for millennials. Something inside has indeed died within Jenny, and she makes no attempts to hide or fake it either!

New songs for March 13th 2019

here they are:


"Lo/Hi" by The Black Keys: It's been 5 years since The Black Keys released something together! Can you believe it?! Has it been worth the wait? You bet it has! The psychedelic blues-rock boogie the band has become known for shines brightly on their latest song, "Lo/Hi". The song doesn't have much to go by lyrically, but what it lacks in spoken content it makes up for in terms of what people hear from it. The song's fuzzed out A major guitar riff recalls Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit In the Sky", but with words that are more free flowing than they are religious or spiritual.


"You Had Your Soul With You" by The National: Our only other song of the week comes from Ohio quintet, The National. Their latest song, "You Had Your Soul With You", starts out frantic, but quickly settles down...kind of. There is a lingering sense of paranoia throughout the song, though. The song could be considered to be vaguely creepy by some, but in a riveting way that doesn't let you go, and in a way that makes you strangely compelled to listen to the rest of it. The National have always been one of the darker indie rock groups, and it just seems to get more and more obvious every time they release a new song. One more thing about this song: if the female voice in the middle of the song sounds unfamiliar to you, it's Gail Ann Dorsey, a former bandmate of none other than David Bowie!

New songs for April 25th 2018

here they are:


"Bad Dreams" by Pete Yorn and Scarlett Johannson: Folk-rocker Pete Yorn and actress turned singer extraordinaire Scarlett Johansson have duetted before, but it's been almost a decade since they last did so. I never thought I'd hear the two of them after their 2008 song, "Relator", but now here they are together again. This time, the two opt for a cover of a song by indie-pop group, The Echo Friendly, and for some reason, the song has been retitled from "Worried" to "Bad Dreams". (It's not the first time this has been done. When Southern rock group Molly Hatchet covered The Allman Brothers' "Dreams", they retitled it as "Dreams I'll Never See", even though the two songs were actually the same one). Further immersing himself in the works of the indie pop groups he probably inspired, Pete Yorn adds a dark but catchy indie pop flavor to "Bad Dreams" that seems to stray a bit from the folk-rock he did when his career first started out. "We will always have bad dreams", Yorn and Johannson sing together in harmony during the chorus. I think The Echo Friendly's bad dreams have become a reality since someone took their song and changed its title!


"Fine Line" by Parker Millsap: Parker Millsap first arrived onto the adult alt airwaves two years ago, with a fun, charming acoustic rock song called "Pining" that easily brought to mind early Elvis Presley tunes. With "Fine Line", Parker continues churning out retro rock, but this time he goes one decade forward and amps it up a bit, bringing to mind the blues-ier side of groups like The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, a bit like The White Stripes had done as their career started to progress. "Honey I don't bite", Parker yowls during the chorus, "I'm just a little bloodthirsty". No, Parker hasn't been reading too many "Twilight" books (thankfully), he's just using a strange yet appealing metaphor to describe a typical day in the life of a rock and roll musician!


"Guilty Party" by The National: The National made two of their most rockin' tunes yet on their latest album, with the fast paced, frantic, "The System Only Dreams In Total Darkness", as well as the U2-esque, "Day I Die". Their third single from "Sleep Well Beast", "Guilty Party", dials things back a bit. "Guilty Party" depends more on keyboard than it does guitar, and it's noticeably softer than the other two songs as well. It's as though Matt Berninger partied too hard at first, and that this song was the aftermath. "Guilty Party", as its title implies, sounds sorrowful and somber. The National are known for being one of the more pessimistic groups in the indie scene, but this might be their saddest one yet.


"In Chains" by The War on Drugs: The National aren't the only band coming up on their third single from their latest album. The War on Drugs are as well, and this time around, Kurt Vile and his Pennsylvanian indie rock ensemble once again walk the line between Springsteen-esque arena rock and Roxy Music influenced prog-rock and sophisti-pop. The three singles from The WOD's latest album could be seen as a trilogy of sorts, each spiraling further downward into despair than the other. There was the hopeful "Holding On", the bitter sting of "Pain", and now it seems to be culminating in the realization of being "In Chains" as a result of all the negative emotions Kurt Vile is going through in this song. Out of the darkness comes light, though, as Kurt has been able to take all his frustration and turn it into aching, bittersweet beauty in his 7 and a half minute magnum opus, "In Chains".


"Just A Fool" by Jim James: Opening with a fuzzed out, Jack White-ish guitar solo, My Morning Jacket's Jim James' latest song, "Just A Fool", deals with the realization of just how foolish Jim feels as a member of contemporary American society, a theme that recurs throughout his latest album. Jim claims he's "just a fool gettin' by" in this song, but the struggle to "get by" is not one he shrugs off too easily, feeling cheated and used by the media and its spread of fast but often false information. Jim, you're no fool at all! Everyone else is!


"Life to Fix" by The Record Company: The most anticipated song of the week on adult alt radio is also the blues-iest and most upbeat! The Record Company are like the Black Crowes of the 2010's, out of step with current musical trends, but embracing blues-rock with such unabashed passion that people can't help but love them anyway! Their latest song, "Life to Fix", has a blues-y Southern rock groove that wouldn't sound out of place in an Allman Brothers or early ZZ Top song, except The Record Company aren't from the South. In fact, this blazin' rock trio are actually from my neck of the woods, Los Angeles! Maybe you don't have to be from a certain area of The States to appreciate what real rock and roll is all about! Oh, and dig those funky bass riffs in the opening, too!


"Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way" by U2: U2 might not have had a consistently good ALBUM since 2004, but they have been able to provide some powerful songs since then, and their latest song, "Love Is Bigger Than Anything In Its Way", just happens to be one of them. The message of the song is simple, but still very universal. It's the old "love conquers all" adage, essentially, put to song. Leave it to Bono and the boys to continue the spread of peace and love through difficult times!

New songs for September 6th 2017

here they are:


"Bones of Saints" by Robert Plant: In contrast to the folk-y "The May Queen" from just last week, "Bones of Saints" has a bit more of a sound that suggests what it might sound like if Led Zeppelin had stayed together into the new millennium. The foreboding "bones" part of the title suggests that it's more of a rock song, but fear not, it's not a spooky one. It's a fun little blues-y romp tinged with mythological motifs that were common in Plant's music during the Led Zeppelin days. It doesn't hit quite as hard as the typical Zeppelin tune, but for those who want Robert Plant to show off some of his rock and roll past, you got your wish!


"Day I Die" by The National: Joy Division styled electro-gloom fused with U2 styled guitars might not seem like a good match at first, but The National manage to make it work on their latest song, "Day I Die". Strained family relationships and drug/alcohol abuse make up the core of this song, which has Matt Berninger wondering, "The day I die, where will I be?" Judging by the lyrical content and the somewhat dismal musical landscape, he probably thinks he won't be in a good place when he dies. Fate is a fickle friend, isn't it?!


"No Witness" by LP: A departure from the folk-y vibes of "Into the Wild" and "Lost On You", LP's latest song, "No Witness", has more of a post-millennial alt-pop flavor to it, full of synths and handclap sounds. It comes off sounding like Queen's "We Will Rock You" as if it was covered by Lorde. Where "Lost On You" was more of a mournful pining on a love gone lost, "No Witness" is a song in which LP accepts her fate as the rejected lover, admitting, "No one can save me, love me or hate me". She seems to use the aforementioned line as a bit of a mantra before jumping into the chorus, as if she doesn't like what has happened to her, but has still chosen to accept it that it's just how things are.


"Over Everything" by Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett: Move over, Cobain and Love! There's a new Kurt and Courtney in town! Kurt Vile and Courtney Barnett, to be exact, both of whom are eclectic indie-folk-rockers of the 2010's. Their first song together, "Over Everything", epitomizes the "slacker" aesthetic of the indie scene. It is a very lazy, hazy song, with lyrics that don't exactly add up to a cohesive narrative (at least not that I can tell). However, it also has an equal amount of sensitivity in terms of how it sounds, both instrumentally and vocally. At 6 and a half minutes, the song also has a bit of a "jam band" vibe. I wonder if that was influenced by both Kurt and Courtney contributing to an all-indie tribute to The Grateful Dead that came out about a year ago.


"Revolution" by Van William (featuring First Aid Kit): No, this is not a Beatles cover song, for those who might be wondering. Far from it, in this case. Unlike the rollicking, roaring Lennon-McCartney tune of the same name, this "Revolution" is soft and folk-y and has nothing to do with politics whatsoever. This song is simply about a strained relationship that both members of the couple want to patch up. Nothing too remarkable about this song, but it is pleasant to listen to, and the horns that come in midway through the song make it sound a bit more unique than it would otherwise.


"The Sky Is A Neighborhood" by Foo Fighters: Last, but certainly not least, the mighty Foo Fighters are still roarin' and rockin' to this very day! Their latest song is essentially arena rock in the vein of The Who or Queen, but meant more for the current generation. What's particularly remarkable about this song, though, is the lyrics. Dave Grohl supposedly was reading Neil DeGrasse Tyson books when he came up with the lyrics to this song. Its talk of heaven, the stars, and the sky is not merely poetic metaphor in this song, but rather a literal musing on the cosmos. Rock never sounded so out of this world!

New songs for May 24th 2017

here they are:


"Second One to Know" by Chris Stapleton: I don't usually gravitate towards country musicians, but when I do they usually have at least a slight trace of rock music in their sound. This is most certainly the case with Chris Stapleton's latest song, "Second One to Know", which would not sound out of place on a Lynyrd Skynyrd or ZZ Top record. The song comes off like "Sweet Home Alabama" played two semitones lower. Chris seems to have an affinity for Southern rock musicians, as can be seen from a skit on Jimmy Fallon's show in which Jimmy, Chris, and Kevin Bacon perform ZZ Top's "Legs" while passing themselves off as ZZ Top in the process. I'm happy to be one of the first ones to know about "Second One to Know"!


"The System Only Dreams In Total Darkness" by The National: And the winner for longest song title in the world goes to...The National! 7 words used in a single song title is rare, but Matt Berninger and the boys pull it off here. What they also pull off in "The System..." is their first attempt at going from maudlin, orchestral indie-pop to a brooding yet more accessible attempt at just straight up rock music. The song even includes an electric guitar solo, for goodness' sakes, which may be a first for The National. A song like this one probably wouldn't sound too out of place on a Pink Floyd record.

New songs for August 19th, 2015

here they are:


"Empty Heart" by Grace Potter: Grace has dabbled in folk and in rock, but "Empty Heart" is probably the first song she's done that's a little of both. Its sound comes off like what it would be like if Gin Wigmore did a song that sounded like a cross between John Lennon's "Give Peace A Chance" and The Lumineers' "Ho Hey", with a vaguely hip-hop influenced beat to keep the time. Like John Lennon, Grace Potter lets the piano play a central role in "Empty Heart", particularly during the chorus, where the song's key of C major briefly turns into a blues-y, jazzy C7. "Why don't you let me fill up your empty heart?" Grace pleads during the chorus. Grace, you've already filled it up with your free-spirited, spunky approach to music!


"Fire And the Flood" by Vance Joy: Though folks like Phillip Phillips, The Lumineers, and Of Monsters & Men were already riding high on the coattails of what New Zealand folk-rocker Vance Joy did about a year later than they did, I still can't help but feel like Vance Joy has a sound all his own nonetheless. "Fire And the Flood" does seem kinda Phillip Phillips-esque, though, with its bright brass bursting through its otherwise reserved and melancholy sound. Perhaps what appeals to me the most about Vance's latest song, "Fire And the Flood", is how it manages to sound old and new at the same time! In addition to the 2010's neo-folk-rock sound that "Fire And the Flood" is probably intending to give off, I can also detect a sort of "lo-fi" influence in the song as well that gives the song a late '60s/early '70s, almost Cat Stevens-ish flavor. Also, the "fire and the flood" mentioned in the song's chorus is clearly a girl that Vance has developed affections for. Given how disastrous both fires and floods are, I would venture to say that said girl is also doing him some damage as well. What can I say, that's love for ya!


"Into the Deep" by Galactic (featuring Macy Gray): You probably haven't heard the name Macy Gray since the late '90s, and Galactic is a name that (sadly) doesn't get tossed around much at all, but together, on "Into the Deep", Macy and Galactic combine forces to make a smooth, silky soul powerhouse! Galactic aren't nearly as funky and jazzy as they usually are here, but the old school R & B flavor is still there, it's just slowed down a bit here. "Into the Deep" is a passionate love song, perfect for kiss heavy, love making nights, and it'll sink deep into your soul, too!


"Return to the Moon" by El Vy: Do you recognize the maudlin baritone of the lead singer of El Vy? If you do, that's because those are the vocals of Matt Berninger, lead singer of indie faves, The National. "Return to the Moon" does NOT sound like the National, though, in terms of its instrumental content. It's not often you hear indie-pop that's this funky, but when you do, cherish the moment! It's a rare but noteworthy opportunity! As you would probably suspect, the "moon" is being used as a metaphor here, and it is likely that the metaphor revolves around how Matt had longed to return to his home state of Ohio ("the moon") while he was living in California ("Earth"). I've never heard Matt sound so upbeat ever, but perhaps he should do more songs like this! I can dig it!


"S.O.B." by Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats: The letters "S.O.B." aren't actually mentioned in this song. Therefore, as you might have guessed, the song's title is actually just a radio-friendly way of saying the REAL words of the chorus, "son of a b...." ....better not say that last word!! Anyway, this is a pretty unique song! It almost seems like a fusion of bluegrass music, gospel, and Elvis Presley-style early rock. Never thought anyone would try to combine all those genres together, but it actually sounds really good! This song is full of relentless energy, and is also enough for many people to long for the days of a time that happened before they were even born!


"Say It" by Houndmouth: And here's another retro-style song! This time, the sound that's being emulated is that of Canadian folk-rock group, The Band (and probably many other similar acts, but The Band seem to be the most obvious here). First off, I NEVER would have thought that Houndmouth would become so big with their song "Sedona" from earlier this year, but they did, on both the adult alt AND regular alt charts!! Perhaps part of "Sedona"'s success was the fact that it DID sound a bit more "alternative" than most of Houndmouth's material. "Say It" returns to the basic country-rock formula that Houndmouth became known for among their initial fanbase. "Say It" is definitely the most upbeat song in the Houndmouth catalog so far! It also sounds like the lead singers are having a lot of fun saying "say it like you mean it" over and over again as fast as they can, as though singing a tongue twister along the lines of "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers", or "she sells seashells by the seashore"!


"Steven's Cat" by Widespread Panic: Underneath all their jam-band glory, Widespread Panic have always seemed like a band with a witty sense of humor. The title of their latest song, "Steven's Cat" sounds like a pun on folk-rock musician, Cat Stevens, though the song itself doesn't sound a thing like Cat Stevens. There is a subtle reference to Cat's "Moonshadow" in the lyric, "shadow the moon lighting the wood path". The song doesn't seem to be about anything in particular, but it almost seemed like that's what WP intended here in this invigorating, freewheeling song!

New songs for September 4th, 2013

here they are:


"Graceless" by The National: The title of this song alone indicates that it will not exactly be an uplifting one (then again, there aren't really any songs by The National that contain positive subject matter, so it's hardly surprising). It seems as though Matt Berninger is literally "losing his religion" in "Graceless", with such lines as "I figured out how to be faithless", "now I know what dying means", and "God loves everybody, don't remind me". The rhymes Matt sings for the title of the song can feel a bit strained at times (e.g. "erase this", "waste this", "weightless", "face this", etc.) but then again, perhaps the struggle for a word to rhyme with "graceless" goes in line with the weary, cumbersome feeling the song itself has to offer.


"New" by Paul McCartney: Paul McCartney's new song is "New". No, I'm not trying to sound redundant, it's just that "New" happens to be the TITLE of McCartney's latest tune. Part of the charm of this song comes from who produced it, if you ask me, and that would be Mark Ronson, who has been known for producing material for musicians like Lily Allen and Amy Winehouse. It seems as though whenever Sir Paul has hired good producers for his 21st century material, it ends up having a solid sound, like the Nigel Godrich (Radiohead's producer) produced albums he had during the mid-'00s. "New" doesn't sound a thing like Amy Winehouse or Lily Allen, though. It sounds better (at least I think it does)!! Its catchy, Beatlesque pop sound and Brian Wilson-ish harmonies make "New" sound timeless!!


"Pompeii" by Bastille: With electronica becoming an increasingly more dominant form of popular music, the arrival of "Pompeii" seems quite timely. Ordinarily, electronica doesn't impress me too much, but thankfully, "Pompeii" is laced with both smooth enough harmonies and a catchy enough melody for me to appreciate it. Perhaps what's gotten so many people hooked on the song so far, though, is its faux-Latin "day-oo day-oo, day, day-oo, day-oo" chorus, which makes it stand out from other forms of contemporary music. As a side note, "Pompeii" is a triple geographical whammy! Pompeii is in Italy, Bastille is in Canada, yet the band itself is British! Go figure!!


"Say the Words" by Satellite: These guys sound like Travis, Coldplay, The Doves, and many other "Britpop" bands, and even their accent sounds somewhat British. So why are they from America?! Oh well, that's not the point of this song, as far as I'm concerned. The main focus of "Say the Words" is to bring the more guitar based side of the Britpop sound into the 2010's. On the surface, "Say the Words" sounds like a love song, and perhaps part of it is, but the first two verses of the song seem to indicate that the song is more centered around someone who has given up all hope on his/her life. The chorus is probably encouragement that the lead singer is providing to the subject of the song in order for him/her to feel less pressure regarding his/her life.

New songs for April 17th, 2013

here they are:


"Don't Swallow the Cap" by The National: The National have always been one of the more low-key, brooding bands of indie rock, even their songs titles (i.e. "Bloodbuzz Ohio", "Anyone's Ghost", "Terrible Love", etc.) tend to indicate this. Their latest song title, "Don't Swallow the Cap", sounds like it would be more likely to be a warning on a medicine bottle than it would a piece of music. Musically, it is sandwiched somewhere between the moody goth-rock of Joy Division, and the indie rock orchestration of Arcade Fire (although that would describe most of The National's material, really). "Don't Swallow the Cap" is a tale of alienation and isolation, as one might expect from The National, yet, despite the ghastly nature of the band, there's still something enjoyable about what they do. Their last album, "High Violet", was a masterpiece, yielding many songs that became well-known among the indie and adult alt communities, such as "Bloodbuzz Ohio", "Anyone's Ghost", "Lemonworld", and "Terrible Love" (and maybe "Conversation 16" to a certain extent). Hopefully The National's latest CD will be just as good, if not better! For now, though, we have "Don't Swallow the Cap", a song that is pretty typical of The National, which makes me hopeful that there will be other good songs to enjoy off the same album!


"No One Knows Nothing Anymore" by Billy Bragg: Billy Bragg is a British folk-rocker, yet his latest song, "No One Knows Nothing Anymore", sounds more like a roots-y Bob Dylan song than a somber Nick Drake one. As the title of the song would suggest, "No One Knows Nothing Anymore" is a song of lament, with Bragg pondering thoughts like, "What if there's nothing, no pot of gold?", and "What if our ancestors had stayed up in the trees?" Though it is a pessimistic sounding song, "No One Knows Nothing Anymore" is also an intelligent and thought provoking song, and would make a great addition to public radio stations that also stream music, such as KCRW, if it hasn't been played on there already!

New songs for Dec. 8th, 2010

Here they are!

"Boots" by The Killers: Is it just me, or does it seem a tad weird to call a Christmas song "Boots"?!? It's such an enigmatic title!! (Though there have been other Christmas tunes with odd titles - Joni Mitchell's "River", The Pretenders' "2000 Miles", and The Pogues "Fairytale of New York" among them). I like this song, but I do have a couple complaints about it. First of all, come on Brandon, you could have picked a better title!! The Killers already have THREE Christmas songs in their catalog with more obvious associations with the holidays in the titles - "A Great Big Sled", "Joseph Better You Than Me" (as in the Biblical Joseph), and "Don't Shoot Me Santa". "A Great Big Sled" is probably my personal fave in The Killers' Xmas catalog. But getting back to the review, my second complaint is that Brandon Flowers really seems to have softened his music more than usual as of 2010. All of his most recent songs (including "Boots", with The Killers), seem to be on a level that sounds like a cross between Coldplay and U2, better than the former, but worse than the latter! The release Flowers put out the earliest this year, "Crossfire" at least had some nice electric guitar riffing, but "Only the Young" and "Boots"?! These songs seem to rely more on keyboards. I dunno, something about that just puts me off. But the lyrics are nostalgic (with the mention of things like "snowball fights" and "the smell of cinnamon" in the chorus), and thankfully, I COULD hear some acoustic guitar strumming towards the end of the song, which I liked.

"Fixin' to Die" by G. Love, and featuring The Avett Brothers: Not to be confused for the Country Joe and The Fish song of a similar name ("I Feel Like I'm Fixing to Die Rag"). It seems as though the artist formerly known as Garrett Dutton and The Avetts are both trying to add a little down-'n'-dirty country-blues into their catalog. This song marks an especially welcome return for G. Love, who seemed to stray from his eccentric take on blues he had in the '90s and go more into being a Jack Johnson clone in the '00s. As for The Avetts, it took me awhile to get used to them. I'm still not fond of the "sleepers" (slower, more polished piano-pop style tunes) in their catalog, like "I And Love And You" and "Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise"), but songs like the melancholy, vaguely Robbie Robertson-esque (his '60s/'70s era material) songs "January Wedding" and "Yard Sale" were both great songs that I warmed up to circa the summer of this year. Speaking of which, their more punchy tune, "Kick Drum Heart" is also being reviewed in this week's blog! "Fixin' to Die" is a really gritty, catchy, gutsy, bluesy tune for both Dutton (G. Love) and The Avetts, though! Highly recommended!

"Hey Ahab" by Elton John and Leon Russell: Much like "If It Wasn't For Bad" (see my late August/early September reviews on this site), it seems as though despite the fact that Elton is taking most of the vocal parts here, that Leon Russell is clearly the man when it comes to the instrumentation of the songs on his latest album with Elton John! Elton's melodic piano-pop sound isn't quite evident on "Hey Ahab" (and "If It Wasn't..."), but Leon plays a mean boogie-style piano a la The Band and Van Morrison on both of 'em. "Ahab" is a bit more of an adventurous and energetic track. Its length is almost five and a half minutes, it features R & B/gospel style female singers in the background, and its very fully orchestrated. Way to go, guys!

"Kick Drum Heart" by The Avett Brothers: I already made my opinion about these guys clear when I reviewed "Fixin' to Die" in this week's blog. "Kick Drum Heart" is a surprisingly punchy tune for the normally mellow neo-folk act. It's still mellow, but it's more energetic than most of their material. It's also one of their more piano driven tunes (like nearly everything they've done so far that's hit the airwaves). Perhaps it was the dreary (in my opinion) keyboards of "I And Love And You" and "Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise" that put me off about those songs, but the keyboards in "Kick Drum" are quite lively and stomp-y. Not bad for a country-rock influenced band!

"Terrible Love" by The National: A good word to describe this song?! "Fuzzy"!! Yes, "fuzzy". It sounds funny, but of course I'm not talking "fuzzy" as in "Fuzzy Wuzzy Was A Bear", more as in "that song's got a fuzzy sound". In other words, somewhat muddy distortion on the recording (and guitar). For a band I've just come to know this year, I must say, The National is pretty cool!! Whether it's the pseudo-goth-rock vibe of "Bloodbuzz Ohio" (and "Anyone's Ghost"), the orchestral '60s-ish pop-rock of "Lemonworld" (my fave of theirs so far), or "Terrible Love", it's all good!! "Terrible Love" almost reminds me of a Beck song with its purposely old-sounding distortion and dark, yet still entertaining sound. Even the lyrics sound a bit Beck-ish ("It's a terrible love and I'm walking with spiders" - what is THAT supposed to mean?!) Beck would be proud!!

from A to Z

decided to title my latest entry as such since my first song begins with an "A", and my last song, a "Z". Unfortunately, it seems like a lot of these have only gotten airplay on a couple stations. Shame, since they're all great songs.

"American Slang" by Gaslight Anthem: For a band who was initially labeled "punk", they sure don't sound like it in this song. In fact, they have more of a classic rock vibe, a la Springsteen and Neil Young. This seems to be a trend (albeit a small one) in indie rock lately, as The Hold Steady, Band of Horses, and My Morning Jacket seemed to have all taken on this aesthetic at least once in their careers. "American Slang" also boasts an epic, catchy riff that's instantly memorable upon first hearing it. This song is proof that indie rock doesn't have to be all about weird, random instrumentation. Sometimes it's good to just go back to the basics!

"American Troglodyte" by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim: Unlike the first single off their latest effort ("A Perfect Hand", featuring Steve Earle), this song manages to capture the offbeat-but-catchy vibe of Byrne's unlikely 2008 smash with Brian Eno, "Strange Overtones". The beat (and instruments) aren't the only cool thing about this song, though. The lyrics are also pretty interesting. Beneath its insanely danceable hooks, the ex-Talking Heads frontman sings about disappointed he is with current American culture. Lyrical dissonance doesn't always work, but somehow, in this song, it just seems right!

"Big Jet Plane" by Angus and Julia Stone: I'm mainly including this one since I loved their previous song, "The Beast", so much, that as soon as I heard they had a new record/single out, I just had to hear it! And it's pretty good, though it's got more of an uneasy (yet still melodic) feel to it than the wistful, bittersweet qualities that "The Beast" had. The guitar hook almost makes this sound like one of Radiohead's later efforts (like "I Might Be Wrong", or Thom Yorke's solo song, "Black Swan"), yet the violin (and Julia Stone's vocals) make "Big Jet Plane" distinguishable from such songs. When listening to this song, I don't know whether to call it angst-ridden or sad, since at times it sounds like both, but perhaps that's what makes this song so unique!

"Bloodbuzz Ohio" by The National: Even within the already eclectic world of indie rock, The National are one of those bands who manage to take that eclectic-ness a step further than most indie rock bands (except for possibly Wilco and Beck). They have been influenced by country-rock, contemporary British rock, and power pop ("power pop" would be bands, largely between the '70s and '90s, that sound a lot like The Beatles and The Kinks, often with Beach Boys-esque harmonies), and "Bloodbuzz Ohio" seems to reveal a new facet to their already diverse musical pallet - that of the gothic rock of Joy Division and Nick Cave. Vocally, The National's lead singer even sounds like Joy Division's lead singer, Ian Curtis, on this song. "Bloodbuzz Ohio", in fact, reminds me a great deal of Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" for a couple reasons. Both songs are in A major, despite their gloomy sound. They also tend to both have an atmospheric quality with their "walls of sound" (use of multiple instruments that sound orchestral, in a rock and roll kind of way), and they both manage to compensate for their depressing nature with their fast drumbeats (at least to me they do). And, yes, they both have downbeat (and somewhat creepy) lyrics. Yet the non-synthesized keyboards and the almost continual transition in "Bloodbuzz Ohio" from A major to F sharp minor manage to make it distinct from "Love Will Tear Us Apart". Nevertheless, if bands that sound like a cross between Joy Division and Wilco are your thing, then "Bloodbuzz Ohio" is a surefire winner for you!

"Love Me Chase Me" by Carney: Don't be fooled by this song's slow, churning intro. This song's a real kicker from the chorus on up! It almost sounds like a modern-day update on one of the songs from The Beatles' "White Album". Its sound is like pop music that somehow manages to sound somewhat blues-y in its riffs, almost like one of The Raconteurs' songs. The lyrics are a bit simplistic from what I can tell ("if you love me, chase me"), but the riffs are both chunky and pop-y. Who knew the best guitar soloing on this week's list would come from a pop-rock band?! Not me. But I sure am glad someone out there is trying to preserve the sound of good ol' British rock and roll!! ("British" by sound, that is, as I'm not sure if Carney are actually British or not)

"Numbers Don't Lie" by The Mynabirds: I love the "retro" sound of this one! (Though practically all the songs on here have a "retro" sound, so I'll specify in the next few sentences 'bout that). This one has almost a "girl group" sound (a la Phil Spector) to it instrumentally that sounds like Chan Marshall (better known as "Cat Power" to you indie fans!) is taking the lead on vocally. Beneath the chirpiness that the vibe of this song gives off, "Numbers Don't Lie" is actually a very bitter, angst-ridden song lyrically. The chorus pretty much states it all ("Baby if you want to be right, I will let you be right, I will let you be right/You know that the numbers don't lie, you know the numbers don't lie, two wrongs will not make it right"). This technique of blending a happy melody with confrontational/controversial subject matter is nothing new, though (The Shirelles, anyone? "Will you STILL love me tomorrow?" The lyric there is both demanding AND sexual) The Mynabirds are just here to remind us in "Numbers Don't Lie" how to mask a tale of a relationship gone wrong with a harmonious, uplifting melody!

"Zebra" by Beach House: Not since "Zoot Suit Riot" back in '98 has there been a song that begins with the letter "Z" that I've really liked! (and "Zebra" is WAY better, to me). This has got to be one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard! And it doesn't take a minor key melody to do that in this song. "Zebra" is written in G sharp major, but still manages to make me cry on the inside. The word "zebra" isn't mentioned anywhere in the song (though the chorus mentions a "black and white horse", which I think is close enough). It's interesting that color seems to be a theme throughout the song (examples include the opening lyrics "You know you're gold", and "Your love is stag in the white sand"), yet none of these are colors of the rainbow. Perhaps this is symbolic of how beauty can be found in unlikely, seemingly "dull" places. The simplistic but elegant nature of this song is to die for! I highly recommend this one!!