New songs for June 8th 2026

 here they are


"Charlie Sheen Reaches Out to the Feds" by The Mountain Goats:  Today on "Really Really Impossibly Long and Oddly Specific Song Titles," we're featuring The Mountain Goats! One of the more rockin' numbers from The Mountain Goats, "Charlie Sheen Reaches Out to the Feds" is told from the perspective of Charlie himself via John Darnielle's vocals. Lyrically, it's almost like a Randy Newman song, both for its "narrator" aspect and for its satirical lyrics! In only the second line of the song, the satirical lyrics, "Who among my brethren is more beautiful than I?" appear. The song is literally a hypothetical conversation between Charlie Sheen and law enforcement agents. Towards the end of the song, we get, "Gentlemen! The camera doesn't lie! How many more innocent women must die?" How did we get here again?! This song is a unique one that delivers both angst and humor over steady electric guitar pulses and low horn punctuation.

"I Can Take the Sun Out of the Sky" by Brigitte Calls Me Baby:  Like many BCMB songs, there is '80s post-punk/new wave influence all over this song! It's not just the song, though. The video for the song also features references to synth-pop groups, particularly Duran Duran, as the members of BCMB pose as though they are the central band featured in some fictitious teen magazine from the '80s and literally sing and dance from inside the magazine! Though the song has garnered a lot of comparisons to groups like Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet, there's a bit too much focus on the guitar here for me to simply refer to it as "synth-pop." It really has more of a glitzy post-punk vibe, almost like an '80s-era Bowie song. The lyrics of the song seem like an "I want you" type of love song, but phrases like "I can take the sun right out of the sky on an average Saturday" make it far more poetic than the average love song!

"Love of the Song" by Jobi Riccio:  I'm still reeling from how I got to see Jobi live last November with an audience of around 20 to 40 people! This song is now her second adult alt radio single, so she's probably been playing at bigger venues since I last saw her. Her previous single, "Buzzkill," was one of the highlights of her concert - catchy, self-deprecating, and just the right amount of rock sound and energy for an alt/indie tune! "Love of the Song" is noticeably slower, owing more to her folk/country roots than "Buzzkill" did, but with a drier and distinctly indie/alt flavor that a typical folk/country musician just wouldn't have, and with just enough rock "muscle" with its electric-guitar-and-drums center. Jobi already sounds weary in the opening of "Love of the Song," and by the time we get to the chorus, she reveals that she "hasn't been doing as well as she's been letting on" and that she isn't "drinking for the taste or singing for the love of the song." In other words, she's been miserable, but she's trying her best to pretend like things have been fine. I can relate! The song concludes with her saying that her friends want her to go to a show, and she reluctantly replies, "I think I'll go." 


"Pictures of You" by Buffalo Traffic Jam:  Buffalo Traffic Jam had one of the most unlikely alt radio hit singles this year with the Mumford-and-Sons-meets-Caamp vibes of "Fool's Gold." Come summer of this year, they're at it again with "Pictures of You" (not to be confused with the Cure song of the same name). The song starts off with an arpeggiated banjo riff that wouldn't sound out of place in a Gillian Welch song, but by the chorus, it builds up to adding light percussion that almost makes it sound like "Hey Brother" by Avicii but without the subtle techno/dance influences or horn breaks. Unlike the Cure song of the same title, this "Pictures of You" is not about yearning so much as it is about heartbreak. Frankie Cassidy claims shortly into the song that he's been "baptized, cheated on, married twice" and that he "doesn't even know where to go." Obviously, he's been let down, and he turns to alcohol and reminiscing over old photographs to help him with his discomfort.

"We Should Talk" by Bleachers:  For a mostly synth-y band, Bleachers have a surprising amount of classic rock influences! The Springsteen influence is obvious in songs like "How Dare You Want More" and "Modern Girl," and the Boss himself even appears on "Chinatown." Now, another classic rock act joins their ranks as a significant influence, and that band is Fleetwood Mac! Though "We Should Talk" has a synth pulsating underneath that dominates the verses, the guitar in the song shines through with a Buckingham-ish sheen! Perhaps the song owes something lyrically to Fleetwood Mac as well, as this song is essentially a kiss-off song disguised as a melodic, bittersweet soft rock tune, but this time, the target isn't an ex-lover. Instead it's at least one ex-friend, one of whom is strongly suspected to be Nate Ruess. This is particularly evident in the second verse when Jack Antonoff sings, "We shared a brain in 2012/'Fore everybody had a hot take from hell/You changed it all and then burned it in a flash/And you held my hand until I took it back," and after a near-repeat of the last line, the wham line comes:  "And then the world turned on you, I won't forgive them for that." 2012 was the year of fun.'s most successful songs - "We Are Young," "Some Nights," and "Carry On" - and they also never reached that height of success again. I'm not sure what drama went on behind the scenes as fun. was no longer having "fun," but something must have. Bleachers went on to have six albums to date, while fun. has only had two, with just one of those truly having an impact (although Nate Ruess did have a successful solo song with "Just Give Me a Reason," his duet with pop sensation, P!nk). The song also contains a reference to The Mountain Goats' "This Year" in the third verse:  "Like J.D. called it, 'twin high maintenance machines.'" That lyric has always been enigmatic for me, but given the largely cynical nature of "This Year" overall, it probably isn't a good thing.