Break from Blog Hiatus Part 1 - November 20th, 2024 songs left over from two weeks ago

 Hi everyone! I'm so sorry if I left anyone behind these past three weeks! I was going through a lot and I just didn't feel up to doing new music blogs during that time. Luckily, I took the time to heal myself emotionally, and I feel better now! That being said, I missed out on a lot of new music during those weeks, but I'm finally ready to catch up. So here goes:


"Afterlife" by Sharon Van Etten:  One of the more synth-heavy Sharon Van Etten songs, "Afterlife" has a rather strange but alluring appeal. Ordinarly, SVE has a sound closer to folk-rock and indie, but in the past few years, she's gotten a bit more of a techno influence. Sharon's ethereal, cathartic nature remains in this song, though. In a time of uncertainty in the world at large, her sentiments on "Afterlife" speak volumes! The entire song centers around uncertainty, and specifically spiritual and supernatural uncertainty. Sharon's eerie yet buoyant vibes, both instrumentally and vocally, bring you into her own possible notion into an afterlife in this song!

"Condensation" by Sports Team:  This song really makes Sports Team feel like...well...a sports team! It's anthemic, rockin', and fun! The video for the song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IG71A5yiv0) finds the group experiment with glam rock costumes in a song that sounds vaguely glam-y, albeit with a more modern indie-pop twist. I'm not exactly sure what this song is about, but sure is fun!

"Like a Woman" by Lady Blackbird:  Marley Munroe, better known as Lady Blackbird, makes her debut with a song called "Like a Woman." Much like her song's title (and her stage name) indicates, gender is an important issue to Lady Blackbird. Her ambiguity in terms of her appearance has earned comparisons to legendary gender-bender, Grace Jones, and her mishmash of genres could also be compared to Grace. Although she lacks the punk/new wave influence Grace had, Lady Blackbird does seem to be a great blend of soul, jazz, and pop that's very uplifting, healing, and almost spiritual! The song's title comes from how she wants to love her lover "like a woman." It's left to interpretation as to what exactly that means, but perhaps it refers to nurturing and trustworthy qualities. Perhaps it is also meant as confirmation of how she views herself, as opposed to how the rest of the world might view her. Lady Blackbird is not confined to one race, gender, or orientation. She is her own person!

"Magnetic" by Tunde Adebimpe (TV on the Radio):  TV on the Radio have been around ever since I graduated high school (I'm currently in my mid 30's), but it's only been now that their lead singer has taken a stab at solo material. His first song without his band sounds remarkably like a TV on the Radio song! Whatever band Tunde has behind him now has probably listened to TVOTR. It retains the spacey yet aggressive blend of funk, neo-psychedelia, and post-punk that TVOTR are known for. His debut solo song, "Magnetic," is only two and a half minutes long, but it packs a powerful punch within such a short amount of time! The song's atmosphere and lyrics seem to linger somewhere between outer space and the apocalypse...and it makes both seem super cool somehow!

"Magpie" by Peach Pit:  I'm not that familiar with Peach Pit, but their latest song, "Magpie," feels like listening to an old friend! Its sound resembles a lot of the British "K bands" from the mid-'00s whose sound was halfway between Britpop, folk-rock, and post-punk, such as The Kooks and Kaiser Chiefs (I guess Kings of Leon also kinda fit there even though they're not British). The song does contain a rather explosive guitar solo that could probably only be compared to Kings of Leon of the three bands I mentioned. "Magpie" here does not refer to the bird, but rather to a guy that the band members seem to consider a lowlife, if the lyrics are anything to go by. 

"Never Be You" by Tom Petty:  Over 10 years after Petty's absence, I don't think any of us expected another posthumous track by him to be released any time soon. Well...this actually isn't his song. I'm not just referring to the fact that he can no longer release his own material due to being deceased. I'm also referring to how he didn't even write it! It was actually written by country-rocker Maria McKee in 1983, and covered two years later by Johnny Cash's daughter, Rosanne. Petty's interpretation fits the country-rock vibe of the original. The song is bittersweet, fitting to a rock star many of us have missed the presence. I don't know if the original version is about someone who is no longer alive or if it's about a relationship that didn't work out, but either way, the tearjerker vibes are strong on this one!

"Rockman" by Mk.gee:  If you thought Gotye and Magic! were Police-esque, wait 'til you hear this song! Mk.gee's "Rockman" seems to channel the spirit of Andy Summers' guitar playing, right down to the distortion pedal! Mk.gee's voice also seems rather Sting-ish, albeit without the faux-Jamaican inflections he often went for in his Police days. The drumming is not near as powerful or staccato as Stewart Copeland's, or as jazzy, but the song overall still feels like a time machine into the early '80s! Even the title of this song is a near-rhyme for one of The Police's biggest hits, "Roxanne"! The title of this song is not mentioned anywhere in the lyrics, so I wonder how Mk.gee came up with it?!

"Rodeo Clown" by Flipturn:  There have been a surprisingly large amount of guitar songs (and electric guitar songs, at that) in this week's list! But Flipturn's breakthrough song, "Rodeo Clown," is synth-heavy, without a hint of guitar until maybe sometime in the chorus (and even at that, only a faint hint of it). Astonishingly, it does have a good guitar solo in the middle! Flipturn use their synths to great effect to achieve a sound that is as icy as it is sweet. "Rodeo Clown" is a yearning song, but also a self-deprecating one, the title coming from how insignificant and off-to-the-side the lead singer seems to feel about himself and possibly about his relationship.

"She Wants to Go Dancing" by Mt. Joy: Thus far, Mt. Joy have taken stabs at folk-rock, psychedelic rock, and even country-rock, but I've had yet to see them take on disco. "She Wants to Go Dancing," as can be inferred from the title alone, is their version of disco! It's not something I would have expected from Mt. Joy, but it is enjoyable. The song really emphasizes the "Joy" in "Mt. Joy"! It's a goofy song with an equally goofy video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7dnn2LP5fs), and the lyrics just focus on romance. Nothing angst-y or doubtful here. It's just pure fun!

"Your House" by Inhaler:  We end part one of this week's list with a song that is both synth- and guitar-heavy, with a good amount of bass mixed in as well. "Your House," the latest song from Irish indie-rockers, Inhaler, is a light and buoyant song with bouncy synths and enough attitude from the bass to prevent it from sounding too light and airy. The song seems to be about the desire to escape from the hardships of life and going to a partner's house to forget about the downsides of life.