here they are:
"Baby I'm Broken" by The Record Company: Their debut album's only a year old, and already blues-rock outfit, The Record Company, are hot on the heels of a brand new album for this year! Perhaps this was a result of songs like the saucy "Off the Ground" and the sizzlin' "Rita Mae Young" becoming such big hits on adult alt radio stations. The Record Co's third big song, "Baby I'm Broken", seems poised to do the same as its predecessors, and for the same reasons as well. In a year when rock and roll had continued to diminish into a desert island, The Record Company satisfied the thirst of classic rock and blues-rock fans everywhere, and that is why they became such a big hit with their listeners! "Baby I'm Broken" is twice the rock and twice the roll, with a fuzz soaked blues-y sound and vamp that probably brings bands like The Black Keys to mind.
"Restart" by BNQT: Banquet?! No, I think that "Bee-En-Kyoo-Tee", the individual letters of the band's name, is how you pronounce this one, although supposedly, "Banquet" was the original name of the band. BNQT are actually an indie-rock supergroup featuring members of Band of Horses, Grandaddy, Travis, and Franz Ferdinand, the first two of whom collaborated on a Christmas song together a few years back (I suppose that's how they know each other). Anyway, their debut song, "Restart", has a rather T. Rex-ish glam rock groove that none of the other bands the members are in have really achieved aside from possibly Franz Ferdinand. The song's chorus states that, "We could all use a restart". I would say that the phrase "throwback" is more accurate in terms of describing this song than "restart" is, but there's nothing wrong with a good throwback once in a while!
Showing posts with label indie rock supergroup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label indie rock supergroup. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
New songs for July 29th 2015
here they are:
"Different Colors" by Walk the Moon: With each new Walk the Moon song that comes out, the alt-pop quartet continues to prove that they are heavy hitters today, just as much as their namesake (The Police - specifically "Walking On the Moon") was in the late '70s/early '80s. "Anna Sun" and "Tightrope" were already pretty huge, but their Fall '14 smash hit, "Shut Up And Dance", outdid even THOSE songs!! So, does WTM's star continue to rise on "Different Colors"?! I would say, yes AND no. Yes, because it's catchy as heck, like pretty much all of their material is! No, on the other hand, because "Different Colors" isn't INSTANTLY catchy like their other three singles have been so far. A short description of this song's sound?! Think Foreigner's "Jukebox Hero" mixed with The Killers' "Shot At the Night".
"I'm In Love With My Life" by Phases: "I'm In Love With My Life", indeed! And with a song as catchy as THIS, why shouldn't you be?! It has all the makings of a classic pop radio hit! Disco beats, INXS-ish guitar hooks, and the perfect blend of male and female vocal harmonies! What's more?! First off, not a single lyric in the song is negative, a rarity for this day and age! To add to that, Phases are also an indie-pop supergroup, consisting of members of groups like The Like, Phantom Planet, as well as one member who was in both Bright Eyes and Rilo Kiley. Have you ever known a song whose title fits its mood more than this one does?! I sure haven't!!
"Light And Candle" by JJ Grey and Mofro: The '60s R & B vibe is here, as is the case with most JJ Grey and Mofro songs, but this time the boys slow things down a bit for a sound that is smooth and sensual, yet still gritty. The sweet, sensitive sounding title of the song kinda gives away how the song comes across overall. This sorta song is perfect after a nice night out of fine dining, or a walk in the moonlight. You'd swear you were hearing a long, lost Otis Redding ballad of the most passionate quality!
"Meet Me In the Woods" by Lord Huron: February's "Fool For Love" was the surprise hit of the year for Lord Huron! The group have always been favorites of the indie-folk community, but "Fool For Love" reached a little beyond their usual crowd! Could that be what's in store for Lord Huron's next big song, "Meet Me In the Woods"? Well, probably not. Still, though, the captivating, haunting sound of "Meet Me In the Woods" is bound to be a treat for Lord Huron fans, as well as fans of similar acts like Fleet Foxes, Iron & Wine, and The Tallest Man on Earth. So far, "Meet Me In the Woods" is the only minor key Lord Huron song that I've heard, which is interesting, considering how "lo-fi" their overall sound is. Perhaps it is the minor key sound of the song that makes it sound so mysterious, like a group of people traveling through a forest in the middle of the night!
"Sparks" by Beach House: Ah, nothing like a nice, dreamy song from Beach House. 'Cept this one kinda isn't! At least not as much as their usual material is. "Sparks" is more influenced by neo-psychedelia (and post-punk, in the vein of bands like My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus & Mary Chain) than it is by ethereal, airy folk/classical/jazz/rock blend they usually have. The screeching, fuzz soaked electric guitars about 30 seconds into the song make it apparent that this is a different Beach House song than usual. Well, at least Victoria Legrand's vocals are still soothing. It also retains the one-word titles of their previous hits ("Norway", "Zebra", and "Myth").
"Different Colors" by Walk the Moon: With each new Walk the Moon song that comes out, the alt-pop quartet continues to prove that they are heavy hitters today, just as much as their namesake (The Police - specifically "Walking On the Moon") was in the late '70s/early '80s. "Anna Sun" and "Tightrope" were already pretty huge, but their Fall '14 smash hit, "Shut Up And Dance", outdid even THOSE songs!! So, does WTM's star continue to rise on "Different Colors"?! I would say, yes AND no. Yes, because it's catchy as heck, like pretty much all of their material is! No, on the other hand, because "Different Colors" isn't INSTANTLY catchy like their other three singles have been so far. A short description of this song's sound?! Think Foreigner's "Jukebox Hero" mixed with The Killers' "Shot At the Night".
"I'm In Love With My Life" by Phases: "I'm In Love With My Life", indeed! And with a song as catchy as THIS, why shouldn't you be?! It has all the makings of a classic pop radio hit! Disco beats, INXS-ish guitar hooks, and the perfect blend of male and female vocal harmonies! What's more?! First off, not a single lyric in the song is negative, a rarity for this day and age! To add to that, Phases are also an indie-pop supergroup, consisting of members of groups like The Like, Phantom Planet, as well as one member who was in both Bright Eyes and Rilo Kiley. Have you ever known a song whose title fits its mood more than this one does?! I sure haven't!!
"Light And Candle" by JJ Grey and Mofro: The '60s R & B vibe is here, as is the case with most JJ Grey and Mofro songs, but this time the boys slow things down a bit for a sound that is smooth and sensual, yet still gritty. The sweet, sensitive sounding title of the song kinda gives away how the song comes across overall. This sorta song is perfect after a nice night out of fine dining, or a walk in the moonlight. You'd swear you were hearing a long, lost Otis Redding ballad of the most passionate quality!
"Meet Me In the Woods" by Lord Huron: February's "Fool For Love" was the surprise hit of the year for Lord Huron! The group have always been favorites of the indie-folk community, but "Fool For Love" reached a little beyond their usual crowd! Could that be what's in store for Lord Huron's next big song, "Meet Me In the Woods"? Well, probably not. Still, though, the captivating, haunting sound of "Meet Me In the Woods" is bound to be a treat for Lord Huron fans, as well as fans of similar acts like Fleet Foxes, Iron & Wine, and The Tallest Man on Earth. So far, "Meet Me In the Woods" is the only minor key Lord Huron song that I've heard, which is interesting, considering how "lo-fi" their overall sound is. Perhaps it is the minor key sound of the song that makes it sound so mysterious, like a group of people traveling through a forest in the middle of the night!
"Sparks" by Beach House: Ah, nothing like a nice, dreamy song from Beach House. 'Cept this one kinda isn't! At least not as much as their usual material is. "Sparks" is more influenced by neo-psychedelia (and post-punk, in the vein of bands like My Bloody Valentine and The Jesus & Mary Chain) than it is by ethereal, airy folk/classical/jazz/rock blend they usually have. The screeching, fuzz soaked electric guitars about 30 seconds into the song make it apparent that this is a different Beach House song than usual. Well, at least Victoria Legrand's vocals are still soothing. It also retains the one-word titles of their previous hits ("Norway", "Zebra", and "Myth").
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
It's my first Blog-i-versary!!! (kind of)
I first started this blog on February 11th of last year (but that's not a Wednesday), so today I'm celebrating my first blog-i-versary!!! With 8 cool new tracks to review, too! So here they are:
"Helplessness Blues" by Fleet Foxes: I love how nostalgic and simply beautiful Fleet Foxes' music sounds. "White Winter Hymnal" has a very dreamy sound, and "Mykonos" has remarkably similar chord structure to The Mamas and Papas' "California Dreamin'", another personal fave of mine. That being said, I was pretty excited to hear Fleet Foxes released a new track this year!! "Helplessness Blues", once again, evokes the same dreamy, nostalgic qualities that most of their songs tend to. It almost sounds like it uses the same tuning as Joni Mitchell's "You Turn Me On I'm A Radio", and the mood of the song even seems somewhat Joni-like (and Dylanesque). Fleet Foxes have once again managed to win my heart over, and I hope they continue to do so!!
"Let the Light In" by Bob Schneider: Bob Schneider has been around for longer on the music scene than most people probably think he has been (since around 2003). It wasn't until 2009, though, that he started getting attention with songs like the marvelous, enchanting indie-pop/adult alt fave "40 Dogs (Like Romeo and Juliet)" and the more subdued, somewhat Dave Matthews-ish "The Bringdown". I guess adult alt radio liked Schneider enough that they've decided to give him another chance. "Let the Light In", amazingly, lives up to its title. It's not bittersweet like "40 Dogs" or melancholy like "The Bringdown", but instead is a rather happy song, with sunny synths and exciting xylophones to set the mood! I wasn't sure whether to expect indie-pop or folk-pop with "Let the Light In", as Schneider has been known to do both, but this song meets somewhere in between, and I think I like that!
"Me Me Me" by Middle Brother: Imagine what it would be like if alumni from three somewhat roots-y indie rock groups (Delta Spirit, Deer Tick, and Dawes) formed into one supergroup and somehow landed a guest spot on "Happy Days". What would that be like?!? Well, wonder no more, for Middle Brother is a supergroup comprised of members of all three of the bands I just mentioned, and their first big hit (among the indie/adult alt crowds), "Me Me Me", sounds more like a song you'd expect to hear from Elvis Presley or Jerry Lee Lewis (albeit with a "fuzz" guitar solo in the middle) than you would from three bands who typically bear more similarity to acts like Bright Eyes, Wilco, and My Morning Jacket. It's a darn catchy tune that I would definitely like to hear more of for at least the late winter/Spring season!! Between the rockin' boogie vibe of this song and the Joni Mitchell-esque folk-rock of "Helplessness Blues" I can't decide which is my fave pick of the week!!
"Poison And Wine" by The Civil Wars: A bit of a late review here, but please bear with me. This song could easily be called "Falling Slowly - redux". It's a melancholy folk-rock tune that features a duet between a guy and a girl (though unlike Glen and Marketa, of "Falling Slowly" fame, I don't think The Civil Wars are Irish). "Poison and Wine" definitely seems like it was intended to be a tearjerker, yet I only get that emotion from the song about halfway. I guess "Falling Slowly" had such an authentically emotional grip on me that I didn't expect any song or band to try and copy it, yet lo and behold, The Civil Wars' "Poison and Wine" shows up about four years later! Perhaps I shouldn't care too much if one song is copying (intentionally or not) another, as I do typically love songs like "Poison and Wine"!
"The Roller" by Beady Eye: Hmmmm....who's "Beady Eye"?!? This sounds more like an Oasis tune. That's because, technically, this IS an Oasis tune. Beady Eye is the side project of one of the Gallagher brothers (though I forget which one at the moment), and "The Roller" really doesn't sound too different at all from the typical Oasis song. Oasis are one of my fave bands, though, so no problem here! The jaunty, toe-tapping feel of "The Roller" also helps to give it a little bit of flavor and distinction from most Oasis tunes (besides "Lyla" which had practically the same rhythm).
"Too Dramatic" by Ra Ra Riot: Ra Ra Riot's follow-up to "Boy" sounds like...well..."Boy". But it's still worth reviewing because it's a tune that's been catchy enough to get stuck in my head! And plus you gotta love a band who combines the reggae-tinged new wave sound of The Police with the "orchestral rock" vibes of groups like Arcade Fire! Perhaps one advantage "Too Dramatic" has over "Boy" is that the guitar seems to be used throughout the song (though "Boy" had a much more distinct guitar solo), and, since I play guitar, this does make a difference for me.
"When I'm Alone" by Lissie: Between this song and Lissie's previous hit, "In Sleep", I'm pretty convinced that Lissie is on her way to becoming the indie world's answer to Alanis Morissette! Both songs manage to combine a pop-y melody with minor key chords and world-weary, frustrated lyrics. "When I'm Alone" is a bit more of an intense tune than "In Sleep", though, I think, not only because of its more frenzied rhythm, but also because of the rushed way she delivers the lyrics in the verses, almost as though out of desperation. "When I'm Alone" uses a rhythmic technique that isn't really that common in pop/rock music these days, and the way Lissie manages to keep steady vocal patterns in the chorus over its frenetic instrumentation makes it all the more worth listening to!
"World Gone Crazy" by The Doobie Brothers: Back in the summer of last year, an updated version of The Doobies' 1972 song "Nobody" started (surprisingly) hitting the adult alt airwaves and (even MORE surprisingly) hit the Top 20 of the adult alt charts somewhere around mid-fall of last year. What made "Nobody" such a cool song was that it sounded like a vintage Doobie Brothers tune (the kind you'd be likely to hear on a classic rock station, not the Michael McDonald era Doobies). "World Gone Crazy" doesn't quite have the same vibe. It sounds a bit more like an updated version of an Eagles song (only more sax heavy). It does have two saving graces, though. First off, it's a catchy tune (I can't say that about too many of the Michael McDonald songs, save for possibly "Takin' It to the Streets"), but the best part is that the lead vocalist was the one who sang on all the pre-McDonald tracks (I forget his name, but I like him MUCH better than McDonald).
"Helplessness Blues" by Fleet Foxes: I love how nostalgic and simply beautiful Fleet Foxes' music sounds. "White Winter Hymnal" has a very dreamy sound, and "Mykonos" has remarkably similar chord structure to The Mamas and Papas' "California Dreamin'", another personal fave of mine. That being said, I was pretty excited to hear Fleet Foxes released a new track this year!! "Helplessness Blues", once again, evokes the same dreamy, nostalgic qualities that most of their songs tend to. It almost sounds like it uses the same tuning as Joni Mitchell's "You Turn Me On I'm A Radio", and the mood of the song even seems somewhat Joni-like (and Dylanesque). Fleet Foxes have once again managed to win my heart over, and I hope they continue to do so!!
"Let the Light In" by Bob Schneider: Bob Schneider has been around for longer on the music scene than most people probably think he has been (since around 2003). It wasn't until 2009, though, that he started getting attention with songs like the marvelous, enchanting indie-pop/adult alt fave "40 Dogs (Like Romeo and Juliet)" and the more subdued, somewhat Dave Matthews-ish "The Bringdown". I guess adult alt radio liked Schneider enough that they've decided to give him another chance. "Let the Light In", amazingly, lives up to its title. It's not bittersweet like "40 Dogs" or melancholy like "The Bringdown", but instead is a rather happy song, with sunny synths and exciting xylophones to set the mood! I wasn't sure whether to expect indie-pop or folk-pop with "Let the Light In", as Schneider has been known to do both, but this song meets somewhere in between, and I think I like that!
"Me Me Me" by Middle Brother: Imagine what it would be like if alumni from three somewhat roots-y indie rock groups (Delta Spirit, Deer Tick, and Dawes) formed into one supergroup and somehow landed a guest spot on "Happy Days". What would that be like?!? Well, wonder no more, for Middle Brother is a supergroup comprised of members of all three of the bands I just mentioned, and their first big hit (among the indie/adult alt crowds), "Me Me Me", sounds more like a song you'd expect to hear from Elvis Presley or Jerry Lee Lewis (albeit with a "fuzz" guitar solo in the middle) than you would from three bands who typically bear more similarity to acts like Bright Eyes, Wilco, and My Morning Jacket. It's a darn catchy tune that I would definitely like to hear more of for at least the late winter/Spring season!! Between the rockin' boogie vibe of this song and the Joni Mitchell-esque folk-rock of "Helplessness Blues" I can't decide which is my fave pick of the week!!
"Poison And Wine" by The Civil Wars: A bit of a late review here, but please bear with me. This song could easily be called "Falling Slowly - redux". It's a melancholy folk-rock tune that features a duet between a guy and a girl (though unlike Glen and Marketa, of "Falling Slowly" fame, I don't think The Civil Wars are Irish). "Poison and Wine" definitely seems like it was intended to be a tearjerker, yet I only get that emotion from the song about halfway. I guess "Falling Slowly" had such an authentically emotional grip on me that I didn't expect any song or band to try and copy it, yet lo and behold, The Civil Wars' "Poison and Wine" shows up about four years later! Perhaps I shouldn't care too much if one song is copying (intentionally or not) another, as I do typically love songs like "Poison and Wine"!
"The Roller" by Beady Eye: Hmmmm....who's "Beady Eye"?!? This sounds more like an Oasis tune. That's because, technically, this IS an Oasis tune. Beady Eye is the side project of one of the Gallagher brothers (though I forget which one at the moment), and "The Roller" really doesn't sound too different at all from the typical Oasis song. Oasis are one of my fave bands, though, so no problem here! The jaunty, toe-tapping feel of "The Roller" also helps to give it a little bit of flavor and distinction from most Oasis tunes (besides "Lyla" which had practically the same rhythm).
"Too Dramatic" by Ra Ra Riot: Ra Ra Riot's follow-up to "Boy" sounds like...well..."Boy". But it's still worth reviewing because it's a tune that's been catchy enough to get stuck in my head! And plus you gotta love a band who combines the reggae-tinged new wave sound of The Police with the "orchestral rock" vibes of groups like Arcade Fire! Perhaps one advantage "Too Dramatic" has over "Boy" is that the guitar seems to be used throughout the song (though "Boy" had a much more distinct guitar solo), and, since I play guitar, this does make a difference for me.
"When I'm Alone" by Lissie: Between this song and Lissie's previous hit, "In Sleep", I'm pretty convinced that Lissie is on her way to becoming the indie world's answer to Alanis Morissette! Both songs manage to combine a pop-y melody with minor key chords and world-weary, frustrated lyrics. "When I'm Alone" is a bit more of an intense tune than "In Sleep", though, I think, not only because of its more frenzied rhythm, but also because of the rushed way she delivers the lyrics in the verses, almost as though out of desperation. "When I'm Alone" uses a rhythmic technique that isn't really that common in pop/rock music these days, and the way Lissie manages to keep steady vocal patterns in the chorus over its frenetic instrumentation makes it all the more worth listening to!
"World Gone Crazy" by The Doobie Brothers: Back in the summer of last year, an updated version of The Doobies' 1972 song "Nobody" started (surprisingly) hitting the adult alt airwaves and (even MORE surprisingly) hit the Top 20 of the adult alt charts somewhere around mid-fall of last year. What made "Nobody" such a cool song was that it sounded like a vintage Doobie Brothers tune (the kind you'd be likely to hear on a classic rock station, not the Michael McDonald era Doobies). "World Gone Crazy" doesn't quite have the same vibe. It sounds a bit more like an updated version of an Eagles song (only more sax heavy). It does have two saving graces, though. First off, it's a catchy tune (I can't say that about too many of the Michael McDonald songs, save for possibly "Takin' It to the Streets"), but the best part is that the lead vocalist was the one who sang on all the pre-McDonald tracks (I forget his name, but I like him MUCH better than McDonald).
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