New songs for January 20th, 2025

 here they are:

"Ankles" by Lucy Dacus:  Lucy Dacus has tried her hand at all sorts of areas of indie, ranging from indie-pop to indie-folk to some power pop, but I've never heard her attempt the "chamber pop" sound until now, and she's good at it! There are orchestral instruments in this song such as cello and what sounds like a harpsichord that can't be easily found in her other material, which makes it stand out from her other stuff. Equally remarkable is her video for the song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcW_-uxy6dQ) which takes place at a museum (with Lucy as the painting) and stars another LGTBQ Lucy, Lucy Liu, as the curator. Anything to help out diverse communities during a time when the world just doesn't seem as open-minded as it used to be!

"Bovine Excision" by Samia:  For a song with such a weird title, Samia's "Bovine Excision" has a surprisingly chill indie-folk sound (with gradual electro-pop elements added in midway through)! Lines like "I wanna be untouchable" and "I wanna be impossible" show Samia's desire to be "deep" in this song. Between the song's yearning sound and equally yearning lyrics, this song is sure to be a winner among people who seek sensitive sounds! Still dunno why she opted for such a disturbing title, though!

"Bury Me" by Jason Isbell:  For the first 25 seconds of country-rocker Jason Isbell's latest song, "Bury Me," it's just Jason's vocals! The lonesome, stark acoustic guitars don't kick in until afterwards, and the song still feels very unpolished after that. Jason is not a guy who polishes his material up, though. He tells it like it is, which is part of what draws me to his music! Some of the song feels like standard country stuff with its talk of cowboys and outlaws, but most of it feels sincere. Though Jason Isbell is currently in his mid 40's, "Bury Me" already feels like an elegy of sorts!

"Defense" by Panda Bear:  Many indie fans seem to love Animal Collective, but I was never one to really catch on to their material. Until now, that is (kinda). Panda Bear is one of the members of Animal Collective (ironically, the only member with an "animal" nickname), and his song, "Defense," is his first notable solo effort. Animal Collective are often noted for their psychedelic sound and weird stage imagery, and "Defense" does have a lightly psychedelic sound similar to groups like Tame Impala (I swear, that is not supposed to be an animal pun!) Animal Collective have often been lauded as the Grateful Dead of the post-millennial indie crowd, and with the guitar noodling in this song, I can see why (though the guitarist here is actually Cindy Lee who is not an Animal Collective member)! "Defense" is certainly more electronica-influenced than The Dead, but their simultaneous mellowness and trippiness is comparable to them. 

"First Came the Thunder" by Chuck Prophet:  Roots-rocker Chuck Prophet shows off his inner Los Lobos in his latest song, "First Came the Thunder"! Though Prophet is Californian, he has long been fascinated with Latin rock, and it really shows here! The song is not too far off in sound from Lobos classics like "Kiko and the Lavender Moon." The song is similarly seductive to that one with its combination of breezy acoustic, sizzling electric, crackling rhythm, and roots-y accordions. Lyrically, it is a brokenhearted love song that uses nature-related imagery such as thunder and rain to convey its story.

"Rushmere" by Mumford and Sons:  First Bon Iver went back to their folk-rock roots with "S P E Y S I D E," and now Mumford and Sons have done the same thing for the first time since 2012?! What a lucky day this is for me as a major Mumford fan! By the time the group reached their peak of popularity in 2012, people were already writing off some of their songs for "sounding the same." While many of M & S's songs do use similar rhythm and instrumentation, I still love how their songs sound! I mean are "Little Lion Man," "The Cave," and "I Will Wait" really "the same"?! I don't think so! To me they're each unique little treasures with similar vibes, and such is the case with "Rushmere"! The original Irish/Celtic-influenced Mumford folk-rock charm is back here, and to boot, it's also in the key of D sharp, which I don't think they've ever done before! Welcome back, boys! I missed ya!

"Season of Charade" by Birdtalker:  If George Harrison were alive today, I'd be curious to know what he'd think of this song! Birdtalker's "Season of Charade" is basically Harrison's "Isn't it a Pity?" in the key of C instead of G. It even uses some of the same "sighing" guitar techniques as Harrison. Would the late Beatle have hated this song or loved it?! Hard to say, but Harrison's fans will probably think either one way or the other of this wistful country-rock tune. Even lyrically, it seems to be "Isn't it a Pity?" for the post-millennial generation, with both songs expressing concerns about being misunderstood, albeit in slightly different ways in each song. 

"Shouldn't Be" by Lilly Hiatt:  Like father, like daughter! Legendary songwriter John Hiatt's daughter, Lilly, proves she has just as much musical talent as her dad here and with a similar sound to her dad as well! Her song "Shouldn't Be" is a fun, rowdy country-rock tune! It's not a light, breezy country-rock song either. "Shouldn't Be" is country-rock with attitude, even throwing an F-bomb in the middle of the song, not to mention a wicked awesome guitar solo! The lyrics to the song seem cheeky, too, talking about all the things Lilly "shouldn't be" doing, but she does 'em anyway!

"Shovel" by Deep Sea Diver:  Someone in Deep Sea Diver must be a fan of groups like New Order and Depeche Mode, 'cause DSD's latest tune, "Shovel," sounds a lot like those bands! In particular, the New Order song "Blue Monday" comes to mind, with its dark minor-key synths and propulsive "rat-a-tat-a-tat!" rhythm! Not surprisingly, one of the actual musical influences of the song is goth rock master, Nick Cave, and musicians who are equal parts alluring and dark such as Kate Bush also had a hand in influencing "Shovel." The reason this song sounds both frightening and beautiful is because of how lead singer Jessica Dobson seeks to find beauty in dark times!

"T&A" by Blondshell:  Not exactly the most family-friendly song title in the world, is it?! The titular phrase is sung only one time in the song, uncensored, as lead singer Sabrina wearily recounts that her partner said those two parts "didn't really hurt." The song appears to be about engaging in...a certain act that ends with the letter "X"...for the first time. I have an audience largely of adults here so I'm pretty sure you all know what I'm referring to, but I still prefer keeping my reviews family-friendly so I'm not going to say what it is. Sabrina seems to be talking about both the beauty and the pain implied in said act. 

"Time Waited" by My Morning Jacket:  Last but certainly not least, with a whopping 11 songs on this week's blog, My Morning Jacket assures us through a tender piano ballad that our time has not been wasted...but waited! Well, actually, what Jim James means is that time (personified, apparently) "waited" for "you and me." He seems to be addressing the subject of his song by saying that anything worthwhile is worth waiting for. Jim James reminds me of another Jim...Henson (whom Jim James is a big fan of, coincidentally). Both have the "bearded hippie" persona, have clever humor, and are advocates of spreading the word of peace on Earth in the most authentic way they can! The time we've waited for a My Morning Jacket song this good was a long time (over 20 years in the making), but as they say, good things come to those who wait!