New songs for July 29th, 2024

 here they are:


"Dance With a Stranger" by Lake Street Dive:  While Lake Street Dive's sound is normally influenced by '60s and '70s soul music, they sometimes reach for vibes evocative of other times. Their latest song, "Dance With a Stranger," seems more like '80s funk and R & B a la Chaka Khan, Prince, and perhaps even Michael Jackson. Shimmering synths layer the song's shiny atmosphere along with the funky bass bubbling underneath. The song's lyrics, however, would not have been out of place in a song from the '60s, with its themes of unity. The title of the song, as well as the song itself, are just about having the freedom to do what you want when you want!

"Sanctuary" by Wild Feathers:  Now a little over a decade old, Tennessee country-rockers Wild Feathers are still releasing songs to this day! Their latest effort, "Sanctuary," continues in the country-rock direction they debuted with. While the music is nothing new for Wild Feathers, the message behind the song is an interesting one. Lead singer and guitarist, Ricky Young, sings during the chorus that he doesn't want to be anyone's "sanctuary." What he means by this is that he doesn't want to be anyone's punching bag in a relationship. It is important to stand up for yourself during times like that, so I get the song's message.

"The Other Side" by Michael Marcagi:  One of the most surprising success stories in music so far this year has been that of Michael Marcagi, who scored a much bigger hit solo with "Scared to Start" than he did with his band, The Heavy Hours. Like "Scared to Start," "The Other Side" is a sensitive, vulnerable folk-rock song that clocks in at just a little over 2 and a half minutes. The song's key of C sharp minor is interesting in comparison to "Scared to Start"'s more conventional key of G major. "The Other Side" of what, you may ask, as you listen to this plaintive song. The other side of life itself, from what I can gather from the lyrics! The song seems to be about facing your own mortality, being tired of what life has to offer because of all of its hardships, and wanting to escape from it all!

"Up All Night" by James Bay (featuring The Lumineers and Noah Kahan):  A triple neo-folk-rock collaboration, "Up All Night" might just be the ultimate "stomp and holler" song of the 2020's so far! The folk/rock subgenre, "stomp and holler," probably got its name from the Hard Working Americans song, "Stomp and Holler" (which, ironically, is more upbeat blues-rock than it is the genre it was named after). "Stomp and holler" is more descriptive of groups like The Lumineers, The Avett Brothers, Mumford and Sons, and more recently, Noah Kahan. That The Lumineers AND Noah are featured on a single song (along with fellow stomp-and-holler-er, James Bay) is something that one can only imagine will end up being a country-rock powerhouse, and that's exactly what it ends up being! Americana isn't often known for being catchy, per se, but "Up All Night" manages to be just that! As its title promises, this song will keep you up all night!