New songs for January 17th, 2023

 Monday was a holiday this time, so here is your New Music Monday on Tuesday:

"Eyez" by The Arcs: Until now, Dan Auerbach's side project, The Arcs, was a one-hit wonder for "Outta My Mind," a song from 2015 whose psychedelic garage rock sound was awfully similar to his main band, The Black Keys. "Eyez" marks a softer, more sophisticated, and more electronic side to The Arcs' music. The song is a tribute to original band member, Richard Swift, who died in his early 40's a few years ago from hepatitis. The song's subdued sound, which seems defined by its use of major 7th chords, was probably chosen to address such a heavy topic. The intentional misspelling of "eyes" in the title suggests a sense of humor, but given how the song's subject is no laughing matter, perhaps it was more to reflect Richard's sense of creativity.

"Grapevine" by Weyes Blood: Don't be scared by the "Blood" part of Natalie Mering's chosen stage moniker. Weyes Blood's breakthrough adult alt radio single, "Grapevine," is actually very gentle, reminiscent of breezy, female-fronted folk-rock groups of the 1990's such as Mazzy Star and Cowboy Junkies. The beautiful sound of the song weaves together chord progressions that aren't very common in today's music, giving the song a bit of unpredictability, but in a way that is more adventurous than dangerous. The reason the song sounds so forlorn is probably due to its subject matter, rooted in how the wounds from those who have wronged us never quite go away completely. The song's title refers to how we long for connections that we never seem to keep or maintain. Mering has taken her sadness and channeled it into the beauty of music for all of us to hear!

"Hungersite" by Goose: Goose have been around for a few years now, but "Hungersite" marks the first time they've broken through significantly to adult alt radio. This song's vaguely Grateful Dead-esque sound makes sense when you know they've performed it live with the neo-Dead jam band, Phish. The phrase "hungersite" is not actually used in the song, but "hungry sight" is. What a "hungry sight" even is is anyone's guess, but the song's theme overall seems to be holding out for hope in spite of the hardships we endure. Defined by both its breezy folk-rock sound and its more blues-y Trey Anastasio-esque guitar solo and intro, "Hungersite" is a unique song for a uniquely-named band.

"I Don't Know What You See in Me" by Belle and Sebastian: Much like B & S's 2014 song, "The Party Line," "I Don't Know What You See in Me" veers away from the late '60s/early '70s pastiche of jangle-pop Belle and Sebastian are known for and more towards '80s synth-pop. Where "The Party Line" was fittingly party-like and bouncy, "I Don't Know What You See in Me" is a bit more moody but still danceable. Known for their charmingly minimalist melodies and music, "I Don't Know What You See in Me" is a B & S song that focuses more on lyrical minimalism, repeating pretty much the same verse throughout with only slight variation during its second time around, even adding a "la-da-dee, la-da-da-da." This song almost feels like the result of someone wanting Belle and Sebastian to do another song when they didn't really want to do one, though the band are subversive enough that their apparent boredom in the song might just be trying to fool the listener.

"Really Really Light" by The New Pornographers: This song hearkens back to The New Pornographers' "vintage" sound they started with in the mid-'00s. After experimenting with synth-pop in 2017 and less ornate indie-pop in 2019, "Really Really Light" finds the cheekily-named ensemble back where they started from, placing emphasis this time on Baroque-pop influences, akin to groups like Arcade Fire and The National. There's a skittering synth that slinks in a subtle way throughout the song, so they haven't completely abandoned their newfound inclination towards synth-pop, but there's enough of an old-school feel on this tune that they'll probably win back a significant portion of their fanbase who might have been more alienated by their mid to late 2010's output. Group member Carl Newman said he was going for a sound like Electric Light Orchestra's Jeff Lyne when he backed some of Tom Petty's songs. The ELO influence shows up here nicely!

"Sideways Skull" by The Hold Steady: The Hold Steady always had a way of mixing the earnest Heartland rock sound of Bruce Springsteen with the passionate punk rock of The Clash with just a dash of the roots-y punk of Husker Du thrown in for good measure. The title alone of "Sideways Skull" should indicate that this is one of their songs that has a more obvious punk influence. Vocally, this song is Craig Finn at his most deadpan, almost narrating the song instead of singing it. Musically, this song sounds like a garage rock band being backed by Jerry Lee Lewis, although the middle part of the song slows it down a bit and reveals a softer piano sound before going back into how the song started within 15 to 20 seconds later. The song starts out being about every rock and roller's dream girl before delving into how said girl is actually the lead singer of a band that no one listens to. It comes to a nice conclusion, though, as the girl in the song figures that meeting other musicians is worth the price of playing with them, and that her band doesn't have to be famous to be enjoyable. A good lesson in this day and age!