New songs for April 20th 2026

 here they are:


"Chance to Bleed" by Kurt Vile:  Most of Kurt Vile's material could loosely be classified as folk-rock. His latest song, "Chance to Bleed," kind of is, but it has a more palpable rock "edge" to it. Seems slightly more evocative of the "slacker rock" sounds of Pavement, Guided by Voices, or Dinosaur Jr. Even the godfather of alt-rock himself, Lou Reed, seems like he influenced this song, since Kurt laconically "sing-speaks" during some of it. A clever rhyme of "old time, lo-fi, DIY, rock 'n' roll nights" caps off the chorus, and I feel like this more or less defines what the song is! It's a song meant to capture the spirit of what "indie" was originally meant to be, and it does so, both in sound and lyric!

"Going Gone" by Josiah and The Bonnevilles:  Yet another song in G sharp major with a slight "slacker" vibe, this song doesn't have the fuzzy distortion of the previous song, but it still sounds somewhat similar! This song, as can be inferred from the title, seems to be about a relationship that no longer serves the purpose it used to. Perhaps more than that, though, it might be about how Josiah felt deserted by his former flame ("You left me standin' in the dust/Now there's nothin' left of us.") 

"Good2B" by Goose:  With the similarly named Geese getting so much buzz lately, I can't help but feel like Goose has followed in Geese's alt-rock footsteps here! Goose are normally more of a Grateful Dead-style jam band, but on "Good2B," they sound more like Daft Punk with slightly more guitar! The lyrics of the song seem to be a "word salad," but it's still a fun tune, sounding like a cross between Aja-era Steely Dan and Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"!

"Heart Stop" by The Revivalists:  As much of a staple as The Revivalists have become on adult alt radio, I've had yet to hear them come out with an acoustic song. With "Heart Stop," they finally have! Unlike The Revivalists' typically jazzy "blue-eyed soul" sound, "Heart Stop" sounds more like roots-y country-rock, but they do well at it! "Heart Stop" might be more than just a clever metaphor in the title, by the way. Most people probably think of the phrase "heart stop" like falling in love, but here, it sounds like David Shaw is addressing drug addiction! The opening lyrics ("We played this game, it's bad for our health/Down in this hole we dug for ourselves") set the tone, but there are other lyrics in the song that make me think it's about addiction problems, such as "Cold sweats keep me up at night," and "I changed my mind at 17/I'm going back to kerosene." This tune will make YOUR heart stop...in a good way!


"House of I" by The Afghan Whigs:  The Afghan Whigs' peak was undoubtedly the early to mid '90s! Their themes of addiction ("What Jail is Like"), sexism ("Gentlemen"), vengeance ("My Enemy"), and cheating ("Debonair") were all heavy ones that fit right into the decade, and their grungy, tortured sound fit into it too! Have the Whigs still got it?! Yes, they do! Greg Dulli's gritty guitar playing and wounded singing continue to pop up in "House of I," their first tune to get noticed in decades! The title of the song is somewhat enigmatic since it's never mentioned in the lyrics. The lyrics are raw, in typical Afghan Whigs fashion, and standouts including "I'm awake, an animal/At the wrong end of your past," "What is lost is never found," "Time to see and say your witchy ways," and the somewhat scathing ending line of "Watch the doggy take the bone/'Til another comes along." Still angry after all these years!