New songs for February 10th 2021

 Here they are:


"Break My Baby" by Kaleo: There are two sides to Kaleo's music. There's the sweet folk/soul/rock combo that has made them popular among millennials, and then there's the more blues-y side that can sometimes get so intense that it slides into Led Zeppelin territory. "Break My Baby" falls into the latter category. No Zeppelin-esque stuff here, but it does manage to capture the blues-rock influence of bands like The Black Keys, albeit in somewhat softer form. Sort of a cross between The Black Keys and Hozier here, really. Lyrically, it's an interesting song as well. Underneath its surface as a possible breakup song, "Break My Baby" might also be about the music biz! When lead singer JJ Julius Son spouts lines like, "They'll take you in and spit you out. You're only worth how much you sell," his lyrics are pretty representative of his venom towards the industry! Perhaps the "baby" in the song is the very group of people who produced it!

"C'Est La Vie" by The Killers: Breaking from the "epic" sound of "Caution" and "My Own Soul's Warning," "C'Est La Vie," the latest single from The Killers, is noticeably different from most of their stuff. First of all, there isn't near as much guitar in the song (if any) as most of their material. Instead, "C'Est La Vie" is keyboard dominated. It also has a happy, quirky sound to it. It's not aiming to be a "crowd pleaser" the way most of their songs do. Even the lyrics are somewhat quirky, especially the line about frogs falling from the sky! 

"Faith Healer" by Julien Baker: My closest online friend actually recommended Julien to me awhile back. A few years later, and now I'm reviewing her music on my blog! How 'bout that? Anyway, onto the song, which is a very bittersweet and meaningful one. The titular "faith healer" Julien is hoping for is one who can help her fight her addiction to drugs. She talks candidly about how she misses the buzz drugs gave her, while at the same time acknowledging how harmful they have been in her life. Anyone struggling with anything, be it mental or physical, could benefit from hearing this song!

"Hold Yourself" by tUnE-YaRdS: Even among "indie" bands, tUnE-YaRdS hAvE AlWaYs bEen on the wEirdEr sIDe of the inDie rOcK spEcTRum! (SeE wHat I dId tHeRe?!) The surreal video of their latest song, "Hold Yourself," employs techniques like cutout animation and features a muscular lookalike of Benson from "Regular Show." Ummm...WHAT?! As for the song, it starts out as sort of a synth-pop ballad, but halfway through, it quickly devolves into what appears to be a badly orchestrated trumpet section. Once again...WHAT?! About the only way this song might make even remote sense is in the lyrical department. It seems to be about how, just because one has parents, doesn't mean they're always mature people who know what they're doing. I get the feeling tUnE-YaRdS don't quite know what they're doing either! (Here is the song's bizarre music video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hcG6UgTHiU

"Pendulum" by Jealous of the Birds: 22-year-old Northern Irish musician, Naomi Hamilton, is Jealous of the Birds. I'm not saying she's actually jealous of any particular group of birds, or any anything, for that matter. "Jealous of the Birds" is simply what she has chosen to call herself on stage. Why?! Ummm...darned if I know! Anyway, it was none other than my dad who recommended this musician to me merely a few days ago, and I can see why! "Pendulum," the song currently poised to be her breakthrough hit, is a sweetly hypnotic song that bears similarity to other innovative female musicians of the past 10-ish years, such as St. Vincent, and Florence Welch of Florence and The Machine. The title comes from how Naomi views relationships as a constant back-and-forth, as though swinging on a pendulum. I hear ya, Naomi. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I feel like I've been swinging from a pendulum all week!

"Say" by Moon Taxi: After the bittersweet folk-rock of Moon Taxi's previous single, "Hometown Heroes," "Say" continues more in the anthemic indie/alt-pop direction Moon Taxi have become known for. Sound-wise, it's almost like Queen's "We Will Rock You" with keyboards and drum machines instead of guitars and hand claps. The message of the song is simple but powerful: "If you wanna say something, say it!" Not much more to say (no pun intended) about this song, but sometimes songs can say (no pun intended, I swear!) so much even though they seem to be conveying so little!

"The Divine Chord" by The Avalanches (featuring Johnny Marr from The Smiths, and MGMT): I don't know The Avalanches very well yet, but I do know Johnny Marr and I do know MGMT. Of the three acts featured here, this seems to be mostly in MGMT's ballpark. The combo of keyboard and a faint hint of guitar swirling into a pleasantly psychedelic flavor has become MGMT's trademark sound, though they didn't start out that way. The recurring line, "the stars are rearranging, my love," seems very fitting for a song as billowy and fluffy as this one is. There's also an aura of mystery in this song, though, since what "the divine chord" is is never mentioned in the song (and nor is the phrase itself). 

Funk-tober!!

I noticed all three entries this week were a blend of funk and rock, hence the silly name I gave this week's blog entry. Here are the songs:


"Colors" by Black Pumas: Neo-soul group, Black Pumas, made the adult alt charts not once, but twice, both times with the funky yet haunting, "Black Moon Rising". Their second song (and third entry?) on the adult alt charts is "Colors", one of the few songs I know that could be called "acoustic funk". The song starts out with a vaguely acoustic strum, only for a soulful rhythm to be gradually added into the song as it progresses. What the song is about could be up for debate. Some of the lyrics hint at the colors of nature, but during the chorus when he talks about "all my favorite colors, my sisters and my brothers", it could be symbolic of the idea of racial harmony, an idea that is desperately needed in today's increasingly divided world.


"Hey Rose" by Son Little: Son Little's slinky, catchy mix of blues and funk continues in his latest song, "Hey Rose". The song is unique in Little's catalog for its use of handclaps. The earthy yet gutsy vibes he got across in his debut single, "The River", back in 2014, are shown prominently on "Hey Rose". The song seems to be about wanting to fall in love with someone by inviting them to a concert, as evidenced by the "big brass band" that Son Little keeps telling the titular Rose about, despite there being no brass instruments on the song itself.


"Over You" by Seratones: The combo of funk and rock music seems to be pretty trendy this week since it makes up the entirety of this week's blog! Our last entry for the week comes from Seratones, the sassy soul sensations from Shreveport who brought us "Gotta Get to Know Ya" in spring of this year. "Over You" is considerably less loud than "Gotta..." but it's just as jagged and unapologetic in its lyrics. "We made love like pianos falling down the stairs", AJ Haynes viciously sings during one part of the song. If that's not proof she's "over" the subject of her song, I dunno what is!

New songs for September 25th 2019

here they are:


"Everyone Hides" by Wilco: Did you think that Imogen Heap was the only indie musician who enjoyed playing "hide and seek"?! Well, think again! Wilco enjoy it just as much, and not in the romantic way that Imogen did in her song. The video for "Everyone Hides" is quite literally a fun, harmless game of hide and seek between the band members! It can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2Gbbd6pVMg Jeff Tweedy and co are quite the clever punsters in this song and video! The title of the song itself, when used in combination with the video, could be taken as one, using the word "hide" in the sense of both concealing one's inner emotions in the song and literally finding a place to hide in the video. Visual puns that reference Wilco albums like "Being There" (depicted here as a movie starring Peter Sellers) and "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" (the tower on the album cover is one place they hide) can be found throughout the video. Happy hunting!


"Missing Home" by Flora Cash: The third song so far to become a hit in the catalog of Swedish indie-folk duo, Flora Cash, "Missing Home" recalls many of the elements that made their first and biggest hit (so far), "You're Somebody Else", so successful on alt and adult alt radio stations. For one, acoustic guitar makes a return to Flora Cash's music (guitar was largely absent on "They Own This Town"). Flora Cash also turn back from the bitter vibes of "They Own This Town" and go back to bittersweet, which suits them better, on "Missing Home". The title alone indicates a sense of yearning, and the moody yet longing vibe of the song and its lovelorn lyrics confirm this. Midway through, the song uses the old adage that "home is where the heart is", but it doesn't feel corny or forced here. Instead, it feels like it plucks at the ol' heartstrings. Here's hoping this song will become one of the smash hits for the final season of both 2019 and the 2010's!


"The Game" by Milky Chance: Often written off as a "one-hit wonder" for the sensually funky alt-folk song, "Stolen Dance", Milky Chance have had a few more songs that their fanbase knows them for, most notably "Flashed Junk Mind" and "Cocoon". Joining the ranks of those songs is the German indie-folk trio's latest tune, "The Game". Once again mixing folk guitars with world music rhythms, "The Game", which has a reggae rhythm that recalls Magic!, another mid 2010's one-hit wonder for their song, "Rude". The lyrics are basically about a relationship gone wrong, where lead singer Clemens Rehbein claims that he doesn't care about what rumors have been spread about him and that he just wants to learn "the rules of the game". The game, of course, is the game of love. I hate to burst anyone's bubble here, but no, it is not about that silly meme that claims, "You just lost the game"!


"The Runner" by Foals: Foals are one of the few indie/alt bands left that can shift between typical indie-pop and the alt-rock music in days of yore that had more guitars. They boasted some mighty fine guitar playing skills on their 2015 hit, "Mountain At My Gates". On their latest song, "The Runner", their guitar skills are once again evident! Where their song "Exits" from earlier this year seemed to evoke feelings of despair and hopelessness, "The Runner" seems to be all about determination! Nothing can get in the way of Foals' success after such a tumultuous, unpredictable decade. Hopefully they'll soldier on into the next one unscathed!

New songs for June 27th 2018

here they are:


"Castles" by Lissie: "Castles" pretty much represents the essence of indie-folk songstress, Lissie. It is a quiet, reflective song that fuses brass instruments, acoustic guitar (with an electric guitar solo), and piano into a tasty treat for Lissie fans that feels as billowy as a warm summer breeze. It has lyrics that are both quirky and meaningful, and a sound that is both hip enough for Lorde fans and nostalgic enough for Carole King fans. When Joni Mitchell sang of "ice cream castles in the air" on "Both Sides Now", perhaps the castles described in this song were the ones she was talking about. Dreamy imagery that still somehow manages to stay down to earth. Lissie's sound seems to have matured as she's gotten older. Perhaps her lyrics have, too.


"Come On To Me" by Paul McCartney: The legendary Sir Paul just doesn't want to quit making music...and that's a good thing! A VERY good thing! His latest song, "Come On To Me", is a sunny but kickin' power pop song, in true Macca fashion. The song is both upbeat enough and quirky enough to be mistaken for a Beatles number (at least it would be if it weren't for the shimmering, contemporary production techniques used for this song). The song is a silly love song (pun intended) about his current wife, Nancy Shevell. As Sir Paul himself once asked, though, "What's wrong with silly love songs?" Well, in the case of "Come On To Me", absolutely nothing!


"Disappointing Diamonds Are the Rarest of Them All" by Father John Misty: With a total of eight words in the title of this song, Father John Misty would certainly win the award this week for "song with the longest title"!! It's kind of a random title too, but as FJM's fans probably know, that's just how he rolls. The song is both weird and edgy, as many of his songs are. Who ELSE would open a song with the lyrics, "Like a pervert on a crowded bus, the glare of love bears down on us"? There aren't too many songs I know that even USE the word "pervert" (perhaps that's a good thing, though). This baroque pop track is only two and a half minutes long. Songs of absurdly short or absurdly long lengths seems to be a FJM trademark as well. To paraphrase a line from Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets", Father John Misty is so weird and he's wonderful!

"G" Whiz!!

The punny title comes from how both song titles for this week begin with the letter "G" (and you can't have the word "goofy" without the "G", right?!) Anyway, here they are:


"Get Out" by Frightened Rabbit: Probably the closest to a pure rock and roll sound (albeit with techno beats) that Frightened Rabbit have come to so far would be their latest song, "Get Out". The normally folk-rock-y Scottish group amps it up a bit for this song, which has quite interesting lyrical metaphors for love. These include lines like, "I'm a worshiper, a zealot king, cursed, a devotee of the heady golden dance she does", and "She's an uncut drug. Find the vein and pulse". Strange yet somewhat insightful and clever lyrics, if I do say so myself. If Scott Hutchinson's girl is an "uncut drug" then I guess sooner or later he's gonna have to face that he's addicted to love!


"Gimme the Love" by Jake Bugg: Yet another former folk-rocker trying to get away from the sound he's become known for. Jake Bugg actually has had some pretty hard rocking songs before, like "What Doesn't Kill You", the sound of which bore slight resemblance to bands like Green Day. Normally, though, Jake is like a slightly edgier Mumford and Sons. "Gimme the Love" sounds like neither Mumford nor Green Day. Instead, it sounds like an outtake from U2's "Achtung Baby", fusing rock and techno into one fluid musical movement.

New songs for November 18th 2015

here they are:


"Carter And Cash" by Tor Miller: Between the Jeff Buckley/Tom Waits influence of Tor's previous hit song, "Midnight", and the name checking of two country-rock icons in "Carter And Cash", I would have expected the latter song to have a more roots-y Americana flavor, but it doesn't. Instead, "Carter And Cash" sounds more like a danceable indie-pop song in the vein of Grouplove or Walk the Moon. Perhaps if this song became a single before "Midnight" did, Tor Miller would be a much better known musician, but that's the way the cookie crumbles, I guess. Breaking away from the romanticized bohemian view of city life that "Midnight" had, "Carter And Cash" is just a simple love song in terms of its lyrical content, nothing more. Any love song that name checks Johnny Cash has gotta be worth listening to, though!


"Jackie And Wilson" by Hozier: Back when all I knew from Hozier was "Take Me to Church", a lot of people were telling me "the whole album is good". Well it just so happens that "Jackie And Wilson" is the FIFTH hit song from Hozier's debut album, so the people who listened to that album must have been right, because there aren't many albums from the 2010's with that many songs that have become popular! This particular song's title is a pun on soul music legend Jackie Wilson, probably one of many classic soul musicians who influenced the unique neo-soul stylings of Hozier. "Jackie And Wilson" is a bit grittier and blues-ier than Hozier's previous hits, and its pun based title is mentioned in the chorus when Hozier suggests that his wife name his kids Jackie and Wilson and "raise them on rhythm and blues", so perhaps that's part of why the song has such an earthy '60s soul influenced sound. It's a bit surprising that a man whose musical gumbo is equal parts soul, jazz, blues, rock, and gospel has become so popular, but what a relief it is knowing that people like him can actually succeed in a world full of plastic auto-tuned pop musicians!


"Look It Here" by Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats: During the late summer and early fall of this year, Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats went from being under-the-radar musicians who played at the "Gentlemen of the Road" music festivals to alt-rock and adult alt radio sensations with the catchy, sass-mouthed "S.O.B."!! Where that song sounded like it could have been from the '50s or further back, "Look It Here" clearly recalls '60s soul, particularly Memphis soul musicians like Otis Redding and Booker T and The MG's. Will this song make as big a splash as "S.O.B." did?! Probably not, but Rateliff's spicy brand of blue-eyed soul is just as potent here as it was in that song. "Look it here, baby, I'm comin' home", Rateliff sings during the song's chorus. You'd better believe he's comin' home, too, and he's gonna make your sensual urges run wild with fire!

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!