New songs for April 14th, 2021

 here they are:

"Last Day on Earth" by beabadoobee: As you can probably guess from the song's title, "Last Day on Earth" is about our recent situation facing lockdowns and a "new normal," a phrase that I have still struggled with fully accepting even after a year. March 2020 felt like the "last day on earth" for Beatrice "beabadoobee" Kristi Laus, and in this song, she expresses what that feels like, in a song that attempts musically to emulate the "lighter" elements of female-led '90s alt-rock groups like Garbage and No Doubt. I guess we can all be thankful that "Last Day on Earth" is not the last SONG on Earth! At the bottom of our hearts, let's still hold on to hope!

"Vertigo" by Alice Merton: We haven't heard too many songs from Alice Merton so far, but we've heard enough to know that her typical style is an "alterna-dance-pop" of sorts that dominated the 2010's and which, so far, has carried into the 2020's as well. Not to be confused with U2's rock anthem, "Vertigo," Alice Merton's "Vertigo" has a more intense mood than the U2 song of the same name, though it's still pretty catchy in its own way. The lyrics of the song seem like a disaster movie waiting to happen! The floor is shaking, faces "seem deadly," and there is nothing but darkness all around! Unlike our previous entry, however, "Vertigo" is NOT about recent events. It is instead a more personal song, revealed towards the end to be about jealousy, but Alice keeps us on our toes beforehand, making us wonder just what it is that's making her feel so dizzy and so threatened!

In celebration of Women's Day

Three days after International Women's Day, we have three songs that are all done BY women! So here goes:


"Garden Song" by Phoebe Bridgers: Phoebe Bridgers' vocals are naturally soothing. They still are in her latest tune, the Nico-esque "Garden Song", but here she trips things up a bit in a few different ways. First, it seems like the song skips a bit throughout, although this is intentional. Phoebe's breathy vocals and calming music contrast with the skipping of the rhythm here. The weirdest part, though, is the video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u8rIx65QgA). Phoebe warns those with epilepsy not to watch it. I did not watch the whole thing since this is a potential problem with me, but I saw parts of it and couldn't help but notice that in some of the video, it looks like she's being snuggled by what look like cheap, store bought versions of "Sesame Street"s Mr. Snuffleupagus! Ummmm....WHAT?! As Snuffy himself has been known to say, "Ohhhh...dear!!"


"Stay With Me" by Margaret Glaspy: Margaret Glaspy debuted during the rather tumultuous year of 2016, and her cynical, world weary views and raspy vocals fit right in with the attitude of the time! Four years later, things haven't gotten much better, so we could use Margaret's cynicalness once again. Though her pessimistic attitude and sarcastic lyrics remain in her latest song, "Stay With Me", her sound is a little different this time. The grunge-meets-blues-rock electric guitars of her 2016 songs have been replaced here by synths and acoustic guitars, which tend to offset her caustic, timely lyrics, like, "Who's the clown and who's the savior?" This lyrical refrain could refer to a strained relationship, but it's possible that it could also refer to the condition of how things have been in the United States, where people just can't seem to tell if their "leader" truly is one anymore.


"The Steps" by Haim: Sisters Este, Danielle, and Alana Haim, known all together by their last name, had one of the most deceptively catchy tunes of last summer with "Summer Girl", which sounded sweet on the surface but was actually inspired by the cancer diagnosis that Danielle Haim's boyfriend received a few years prior. The fact that the trio showed off their bathing suits in a way that was both silly and sexy in the song's video only further distanced itself from what the song was really about. In "The Steps", Haim make their subject matter clearer. Though the song features sunny, Lindsey Buckingham inspired guitar playing on the surface, there is now an obvious undercurrent of angst in the lead vocals of the song. "The Steps" centers its lyrics around domestic strife within relationships and its video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2O_xa8cems) also depicts the difficulties they experience in their day-to-day lives. As in the "Summer Girl" video, all three members of Haim are in states of undress on the video for "The Steps", but it is not necessarily meant to be sexy here, and it certainly isn't meant to be silly. Instead, it's meant to tell what it's like for them to wake up in the morning, only to deal with frustration even from the moment the day begins. Relationships can be such a chore sometimes! Both the video and the song for "The Steps" exemplify how this can be so!

New songs for August 21st 2019

here they are:


"Catfish Kate" by Pixies: The legendary alternative rock band returns just in time for the end of the decade! In comparison to the spiky sound of their last "comeback" song, "Classic Masher", "Catfish Kate" sounds almost like an R.E.M. song, similar to The Pixies' now classic, "Here Comes Your Man". Frank "Black Francis" Black takes the lead vocals on this song and weaves a tale about someone he once knew whose nickname was "Catfish Kate". What is this tale about?! I'm scratching my head trying to figure THAT one out, but most Pixies songs tend to be rather obscure in meaning upon first listen. It's only upon listening to a Pixies song enough times that one can decipher its true significance, but such is part of the appeal of a band that was famously one of Kurt Cobain's favorites.


"Knock Me Off My Feet" by Soak: As an Irish-American myself, I think there are many talented Irish musicians. U2, of course, but there are many more: The Cranberries, Sinead O'Connor, The Boomtown Rats, Van Morrison, Damien Rice, and so much more. One of the latest performers to join their ranks is Bridie Monds-Watson, better known as "Soak". Her song, "Knock Me Off My Feet", has a sound that's evocative of groups like The Cure, Echo and The Bunnymen, and Joy Division. Much like the bands she is emulating, Soak's "Knock Me Off My Feet" has rather dark subject matter. Here it concerns how harshly people can treat themselves, although it also suggests the opposite idea of how well people can treat themselves.


"Lebanon" by J.S. Ondara: Thanks to L.A.'s trailblazing radio station, KCSN, I have heard J.S. Ondara's latest offering, "Lebanon". The song has an interesting title for a musician who was born in an African country and raised in the United States, since Lebanon itself is a Middle Eastern country. The song is not about geographical location, though, but is instead about providing friendship and loyalty through thick and thin. Through a sweet folk-rock sound that brings to mind what Tracy Chapman might sound like with a catchier beat, Ondara tells a story of his desire for friendship through troubled times. "In the water, in the fire, I'll go wherever you go", Ondara sings during the song's chorus. Powerful stuff!


"Life In the City" by The Lumineers: It's not every day you get a song with a waltz rhythm and a folk-rock sound, but The Lumineers did it before with "Submarines", and they're doing it again with their latest song, "Life In the City". Though the song itself might sound somewhat uplifting, do not be fooled. "Life In the City" does not celebrate the urban lifestyle, but instead criticizes it. Wesley Schultz croons sorrowfully about how city life has left him feeling empty inside, even stating in the chorus that it will "never be pretty". Through troubled times, though, come great songs, and this is one of them!


"So Caught Up" by The Teskey Brothers: Australian quartet, The Teskey Brothers, offer us music that does not sound like it came from down under at all. For that matter, it doesn't sound current either. Instead, it sounds like a 1960's soul song that came from someone like Sam & Dave or Otis Redding. Lyrically, it's a love song without a very deep meaning to it, but the way the song is delivered is so energetic that the listener can't help but get hooked into it!


"The Chain" by The Highwomen: An all-woman, country-rock supergroup, composed of Brandi Carlile, Maren Morris, Natalie Hemby, and Amanda Shires, most of whom have had adult alt radio hits as solo musicians, take on a song from one of the most legendary women (and men) in rock and roll history! If you saw the title, "The Chain", and thought of a Fleetwood Mac song from the mid 1970's, you'd be correct! This is the song the quartet of women are taking on. How does it fare in comparison to the original? An A for effort on their part, but it almost sounds TOO similar to the Fleetwood Mac version. The song is in the key of E (major for the verses, minor for the chorus) like the original, and it also has the same rhythm and remarkably similar instrumentation, right down to the bass riff and guitar solo that marks the end of the song, nearly note for note! The only way to truly differentiate the two versions is by vocals (and by the "jam band" styled section towards the end of the song). Still, they picked a great song to cover!


"2all" by Catfish and The Bottlemen: Our last entry of the week is another song I first heard on L.A.'s KCSN, just like J.S. Ondara's "Lebanon", which I reviewed earlier in this week's blog. The harmonious vocals and heartfelt message of "2all" marks an interesting contrast to the usual gritty material of Catfish and The Bottlemen's material. I couldn't even believe it WAS Catfish and The Bottlemen when I first heard it. There's a reason this song sounds sweet and mellow in comparison to most of CATB's material, though. Van McCann apparently wanted to do a song dedicated to his audience and how supportive they were to his band and their music. What a great idea! Now that's what I call dedication!

New songs for March 27th 2019

here they are:


"Change" by Mavis Staples: Perhaps the most active "old school" R & B musician of the 2010's, Mavis has practically reinvented herself through the course of the 2010's while still keeping her old sound intact. Her latest, and perhaps last, song of the 2010's, "Change", has her close the decade the same way she started it, with a straight up blues-rock number! She kicked off the 2010's with a cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Wrote A Song For Everyone". "Change", however, is an original Mavis number, urging people to improve their actions and their lives through a simple but catchy blues riff in E major. Here's hoping people will listen to the song's message and do what it says!


"Different Kind of Love" by Adia Victoria: Our only other song of the week also happens to be from a black female blues-rock musician. Unlike Mavis, though, Adia Victoria has only been in the music scene for a few years. Adia's breakthrough song, "Different Kind of Love", seamlessly mixes blues, pop, and rock into a single vernacular, in a similar manner to Elle King's "Ex's And Oh's" from a few years earlier. Adia playfully teases the listener throughout with her persistent "Who do you love?" The answer, of course, is Adia herself, but the answer is only hinted at and never revealed. Adia not only breaks down the walls between rock and soul on "Different Kind of Love", she also does so with a secret weapon known as temptation!

2 Girls, A Blog, and October

How much better can you get?! Anyway, here are this week's songs:


"Emotions And Math" by Margaret Glaspy: Emotions and math?! I thought those were two completely different things!! That's like saying "chemistry and Shakespeare" to me. I guess the concept of two radically different heads being better than one is a good way to describe "Emotions And Math", the second single from raspy, angst-ridden indie gal, Margaret Glaspy. The song would fit pretty well lyrically with any song from Liz Phair's "Exile In Guyville", yet it also has a funky bass line that one might not typically associate with a musician like Phair. The title comes from Glaspy's description of what she thinks her love life is in the chorus of the song: "an ice cold bath of emotions and math". In other words, love is confusing and hard to handle. Yeah, we hear ya loud and clear, Maggie.


"Not Gonna Let You Walk Away" by LoLo: No, the name "LoLo" has nothing to do with "LOL" or any other sort of Internet slang. It is actually a nickname for the name "Lauren", singer Lauren Pritchard, specifically. LoLo's sound is as memorable as her unique moniker. Her debut single, "Not Gonna Let You Walk Away", mixes Alabama Shakes-ish distortion and alterna-soul vibes with the choppy syncopation on every even numbered beat that reggae music is known for having. LoLo's smoky, husky white-girl-with-soul vocals are the cherry on top of the cake that is "Not Gonna Let You Walk Away", a yearning mid-tempo ballad that put's LoLo's ex in a corner of guilt in a way that sounds more lovesick than it does accusatory.

The Bluesy Rockin' Ladies Blog!!

What do all three of the entries for this week's blog have in common? All of 'em are performed by women who know how to sing and play the blues! So here goes:


"Anyhow" by The Tedeschi-Trucks Band: Ever since Susan Tedeschi and her equally blues-y husband Derek Trucks joined forces together 5 years ago, the two of them have taken the blues in many different directions, including country, rock, and R & B. Their latest song, "Anyhow", seems to boast a musical gumbo all its own, in which soothing lounge-style piano sounds and sultry sax sounds compete against the trademark blues-y guitar sound of the TTB. Tedeschi has gotten many comparisons to people like Bonnie Raitt, but this song might just be the most Bonnie-esque she has ever sounded, at least as far as her choice in musical style is concerned here! It is also one of the longest TTB songs, at 6 and a half minutes long!


"Call Off Your Dogs" by Lake Street Dive: In which Rachael Price and the rest of Lake Street Dive progress from mid-'60s soul to mid-'70s funk. Seems to be a rite of passage for a lot of today's progressive R & B influenced musicians (Alabama Shakes, for instance, who are coming up next) to make such a leap in their music. Those who prefer the more earthy, raw sound of Lake Street Dive's first three adult alt radio hits might be a bit disappointed here, as "Call Off Your Dogs" does sound a bit "cleaner" than those songs do. Underneath the song's disco influenced sound, though, there are still plenty of audibly funky guitar hooks that probably wouldn't sound as good in the context of a typical disco song. Perhaps this will be for Lake Street Dive what "Love Machine" was for Smokey Robinson, a song that sounds a bit more polished up than most of their material, but which will (hopefully) still be well loved among fans of the band.


"Shoegaze" by Alabama Shakes: It doesn't get more powerfully blues-rockin' than Alabama Shakes! "Shoegaze" sounds like The Rolling Stones, Lou Reed, and Prince combined into one band, in all its earthy, psychedelically soulful glory! It comes off as both an acerbic auditory assault and a hypnotic swirling trance at the same time. "Can't wait for night to come/That's when the fun really begins", Brittany Howard sings in the opening verse of the song. Music THIS freaky (and I mean that as a compliment) can ONLY come out at night!!

Let's hear it for the gals!!

I think this is the first time my blog entry of the week has focused entirely on female performers! And what great names they have, too, Imelda May and Lana Del Rey (hey, that rhymed!!) Anyway, enough chatter, and on with the show!!

"Inside Out" by Imelda May: In the summer of this year, the sexy, jazzy, black-haired Irishwoman known as Imelda May caused a lot of "Mayhem", and this time around she's up to more of her old tricks with the saucy, slinky, seductive, soulful (and somewhat subversive) song, "Inside Out"!! The instrumentation of this song (and Imelda's steamy, passionate vocals) make "Inside Out" catchy enough, as though Gwen Stefani joined the Brian Setzer Orchestra, but it's the lyrics to the song that just crack me up and are worth mentioning!! Throughout the song, Imelda not only says she loves the subject of her song "inside out", but also describes why, pointing out how she loves each part of her subject's body on the way. It starts out relatively innocent ("I love your eyes, blue as the skies/I love your lips to your fingertips"), but it gets weirder as the song goes on, ultimately resulting in lyrics like, "I love your nails, even your entrails", and "I love your wits and your wobbly bits" (Whoa!! TMI, Imelda!!) She even admits that the way she loves the person in question is "kinda creepy", but that, at the same time, the person she's addressing "loves it deeply", and that he "know(s) (he)'s gonna keep (her)". Catchy AND funny (and attractive)?!? I think we got a winner here!!!

"Video Games" by Lana Del Rey: A good song about a subject I've never been crazy about (though practically all my friends are). Or so it would seem. Though "Video Games" might be the title of this song, that's not exactly what it's about. In fact, the term "video games", in this song, is probably more of a metaphor, suggesting either masculinity and/or an example of an activity Lana Del Rey doesn't like but is willing to endure to keep her boyfriend company. Lana tends to deliver the lyrics of "Video Games" in a rather dry manner, but with sweet, benign vocals, and instrumentation similar to acts like Feist, Florence and The Machine, and Joanna Newsom.