New songs for July 15th 2024

 here they are:


"Bells and Whistles" by Bright Eyes:  Hard to believe Bright Eyes have now been around for over 20 years, but it's true! The Wilco-esque sound of their latest song, the bluesy and boozy piano-dominated "Bells and Whistles," is not entirely out of character for them either, and it could easily be mistaken for a Bright Eyes song from a decade or two prior! Beneath the song's jaunty sound, Conor Oberst is actually trying to tell a tale about how things that seem trivial one moment can end up being a huge part of your life the next. I feel like I've been there before quite a few times myself, so I think I can relate to this song. The ending of the song is interesting, with the piano, guitar, and brass all in drunken yet coherent harmony with one another.

"Big Time Nothing" by St. Vincent:  The surprisingly dark (even by St. Vincent standards) sounds of "Broken Man" from earlier this year were shocking yet appealing to me. "Big Time Nothing," St. Vincent's latest single, is not an attempt for St. Vincent to calm down after the repressed industrial rock rage of her previous song, but rather a chance for her to show off her funky side! With many apt comparisons to Prince, "Big Time Nothing" uses somewhat monotonous "sing-speak" vocals to convey how she probably feels being pushed around by so many people. The word "don't" seems to be in almost every line in the verses of the song, as if mocking the demands other people have given to her in a robotic vocal delivery, while the chorus seems to tell what she thinks people view her as - a "Big Time Nothing." She doesn't make it entirely clear what she means by this, but more than likely, it means she feels like people view her as someone with little to no value. Perhaps people in her personal life feel this way about her, but her fans certainly don't!

"Death Valley High" by Orville Peck (featuring Beck):  I don't know Orville Peck's work that well, but I certainly know Beck's, and this totally seems like a genre-bending Beck song to me! It's new wave, flamenco, techno, hip-hop, jazz, and rock all in one, with a tasty flavor resulting from it! The title seems like it could be metaphorical, as both the song and its video are themed more around Las Vegas than they are Death Valley. The song's summery, upbeat vibes seem perfect for Vegas, too, don't ya think?!

"Like I Say (I Runaway)" by Nilufer Yanya:  Not quite sure how to pronounce her name, but I've definitely heard of Nilufer Yanya. That being said, this is the first time I've really heard one of her songs. Much like her name, Nilufer Yanya's breakthrough song, "Like I Say (I Runaway)" is very different!! The song starts out with a somewhat exotic Middle Eastern influence that comes off in such a way that it could still loosely be interpreted as pop or rock. Drop D is a common tuning for grunge-y songs, but this appears to be in Drop C! Yet another striking feature of this song that not a lot of other songs share! The song appears to be pretty light and almost meditative until its rather hard-hitting, fuzzy chorus! Gotta say, I'm impressed by this one! Highly recommended!

"Orion's Belt" by The Avett Brothers:  Sometimes The Avett Brothers lean more towards country, and other times more towards rock. Their latest song, "Orion's Belt," seems to be a great mix of both! It has a good rock beat and electric guitar distortion (and a cool rockin' solo in the middle to boot), while it also boasts a fine fiddle solo and acoustic rhythm guitar before each verse and after each chorus. The song's celestial title and overall theme seem to come from how sometimes what you want might seem out of reach. 

"Save it for Later" by Eddie Vedder: A cover of the English Beat song of the same name, "Save it for Later" is probably the Beat's best-known song and has been covered countless times before, perhaps most notably by Pete Townshend from The Who. Where Pete maintained the original version's energy, Eddie's take on the song seems rather somber in comparison. Though the original message of the song has a title rooted in cheeky innuendo, Vedder's version seems to drain the song of its fun, upbeat nature, thus (possibly) changing the meaning of the song. As per the original version, we're never told what "it" is. Chances are, it refers to something sexual, but no one seems to know what specifically it is. Turning a tongue-in-cheek coming of age story into a cautionary tale seems like an iffy move, but his changing the song's message from perverse to poignant does seem to work here!

"Sunshine Getaway" by JD McPherson:  For a guy who started with Little Richard-esque tunes, JD seems to be inching closer and closer with each record he releases to sounding like a one-man Black Keys! (More so than the Keys themselves, at this point) JD's latest song, "Sunshine Getaway," takes the rhythm and guitar fuzz of T. Rex's "Bang a Gong (Get it On)" and translates it into material more palpable for a 21st-century audience. "Sunshine Getaway" is yet another 2020's song that took shape due to the pandemic, and how isolated and out of sorts JD felt as it went on.

"Supersad" by Suki Waterhouse:  This song may have a "sad" title, but its sound is an upbeat, summery surf sound soaked in shoegaze distortion. Only Suki's vocals seem to convey sadness in this song, if anything. The title seems almost to be designed to trick the listener, as even the chorus says there's "no point in being supersad." The song's fun, frivolous vibes were partly inspired by movies like Clueless and Legally Blonde. Suki's so-called "supersad" song will save your soul this summer!

"Teenage Summer" by Crowded House:  Our last song of the week is yet another with summery vibes, but this time in a more bittersweet way. "Teenage Summer" recalls many of Crowded House's late '80s/early '90s output where they cultivated a harmonious folk-rock sound similar to The Beatles and The Byrds. Crowded House are far from being teenage now, but "Teenage Summer" offers them a chance both to reminisce and regret. It isn't even about being a teenager, really, as the song's title is asked as a question ("Are we going to have a teenage summer?") Seems to be about a couple on the verge of a breakup, but it could also be about a relationship one of the members had a long time ago that they want to rekindle. Whatever the subject, "Teenage Summer" is a heartbreakingly sweet song that fans of the "B Bands" (Beatles, Byrds, Beach Boys) are likely to enjoy.