New songs for January 13th 2025

 Here they are!!

"Knockin' Heart" by Hamilton Leithauser:  Thus far, a lot of the songs that Hamilton Leithauser from The Walkmen has done as a solo artist sound more like folk-rock than they do garage rock. Hamilton's latest solo effort, "Knockin' Heart," might be an exception to the rule that takes his sound back to the Walkmen days! If the "Knockin'" in the title wasn't enough to convince that Hamilton has a bit of kick to his solo stuff, then listening to the song might do the trick! It even has a cool psychedelic-tinged guitar solo to boot! It's never made clear as to whether this song is a declaration of undying love or if it's a song where the intent is for Hamilton to get an ex-partner back into his life, but either way...this song slaps!

"Messy" by Lola Young:  Already a sensation on the adult alt airwaves for about a month or two, it took me finding out that the song has hit the regular alt airwaves as well to really get to listen to this song. I can see why this song is such a hit! It's a powerful, punchy song that grabs you by the throat and challenges you while at the same time sounding catchy! While Lola has largely been categorized as something of a neo-soul or neo-funk musician, "Messy" has some bite that fits more with the alt/indie crowd. In "Messy," Lola attempts to set her partner straight. Does he/she want Lola, or do they want the idea of her?! For those who don't like songs with aggressive lyrics, you might want to avoid this one, as there are not only a lot of swear words (esp. during the chorus), but even the parts without swearing are just so unabashedly bold (for instance, "You hate it when I cry unless it's that time of the month." Wowzer!) "Messy" IS a mess...but in the best way possible!

"Metaverse" by Cage the Elephant:  CTE at their most Strokes-y, "Metaverse" mixes psychedelic, garage rock, and post-punk into 2 minutes and 14 seconds of alt-rock bliss! The song's recurring guitar riff would not be out of place if Albert Hammond Jr. played it instead of Brad Shultz! In a world increasingly torn apart by various circumstances, "Metaverse" seems aimed towards disillusioned listeners who want to run from their problems but know deep inside that they just can't. The title is also unique, as I have not known any other song to use it so far, and the titular phrase is only used in the beginning of the song, not during the chorus. It makes me wonder why they called it "Metaverse." Perhaps they think life itself is a metaverse?!

"Night or Day" by Franz Ferdinand:  Franz Ferdinand are no strangers to the keyboard, but "Night or Day" doesn't have keyboards dominating the song that sound like a new wave or post-punk song as much as they do like a deliriously dark ragtime song (of all things)! The song sounds like it's about a relationship on the brink of disaster that Alex Kapranos just doesn't want to quit even though he knows it will probably harm him. As can be inferred from the song title, "Night or Day" has moments of both darkness and happiness. Though Kapranos is using the titular words in the chorus to describe when he looks forward to being with his partner, there could be more than one way to interpret the use of the phrase "Night or Day." It could also mean taking the good times with the bad times!

"Orlando in Love" by Japanese Breakfast:  Japanese Breakfast are known for being more of a modern-day synth-pop band with upbeat tunes, so "Orlando in Love" is a markedly different song for them for a few reasons! For starters, the song does not rely on synth as much as it does on acoustic guitars and string orchestra instruments, and there's no percussion in the song either. For another, it's a very sensitive, pull-at-the-heartstrings kind of song, so don't expect anything fun or dance-y here like "Be Sweet" was. Lyrically, the song reads more like a short poem that it does a pop song. No lyric in the song rhymes, which is rare for a modern-day pop or rock tune. It is also never mentioned who or what "Orlando" is, leaving it a mystery to its listeners. I have not heard a song this beautiful in such a long time! What a masterpiece this is!!

"Same Old Song" by The Lumineers:  No Lumineers song I've known so far is this...well...drum-y! The song starts off with pounding drums that sound like they came straight out of a marching band parade! Once the other instruments kick in, it DOES sound like (true to its title) the "Same Old Song" that The Lumineers usually do. Folk-rock that is simultaneously old-time-y and new-sounding. Of course, there's nothing wrong with this, and I think this makes them more true to their core sound than, say, Mumford and Sons, or Of Monsters & Men, both of whom went for a more "alternative" sound by their third albums. The Lumi's have stuck with the tried and true for a little over a decade now, and it gives them sort of a quirky yet folks-y charm. This sticking with the same sound could very well have been intentional on Westley Schultz's part, as that is part of what the song itself seems to be about. That is to say, trying to escape from success but knowing there's really not much he can do to change that. The song's lyric video abbreviates the title to "S.O.S." Again, I feel this was intentional. The song is literally Schultz crying out for help!

"What We Had" by Gillian Welch and David Rawlings:  Following up the success of her lonesome, desolate-sounding "Empty Trainload of Sky," Gillian's next single, "What We Had," has fuller instrumentation (violins and percussion, for instance), as well as a more bittersweet set of lyrics as opposed to the more forlorn lyrical tone of "Empty Trainload..." "What We Had" seems very inspired by groups like Buffalo Springfield, who also combined the rustic vibe of country-rock with lush string orchestration. The song is a very yearning tune, wanting to revisit yesteryear but knowing full well there's no way to feasibly do so. A real tearjerker of a tune!

"Wristwatch" by MJ Lenderman:  Our last entry of the week is also a bittersweet country-rock song, albeit with a bit more emphasis on the "rock" aspect this time around. "Wristwatch" sounds like one of the more jaded and ragged songs of the Wilco catalog, and it has a fair amount of Drive-by Truckers vibes as well. Having gotten to know MJ's first big song, "She's Leaving You," I can tell that MJ's typical lyrical stance is cynical and somewhat tongue-in-cheek. "Wristwatch" is another song that takes on that sense of both pessimism and self-deprecation. The titular wristwatch "tells him" that "he's on his own." In other words, he's left directionless and confused and doesn't know what life will bring about, but he also seems to begrudgingly accept his fate. The song concludes with a guitar solo that is at once drenched in fuzz yet still weepy enough to be country-rock.