This track from
The Unraveling, the new collection of social commentary by Mike Cooley, Patterson Hood and company, has a strong Neil Young vibe - a bit ironic, perhaps, since the band is from Alabama. The song is a description of Anytown USA, with its chain stores, its citizens working hard for too little pay, and their hopes for what Joe Hill called "pie in the sky when you die." On the LP, the Truckers decry gun culture, drug addiction and "Babies in Cages" in blunt lyrics. "I didn’t want to disguise it in flowery, poetic language,” Hood says. “It’s not a poetic time.”
The new album
Thin Mind marks a return to the Montreal-based band's original lineup of guitarist Dan Boeckner, keyboardist Spencer Krug and drummer Arlen Thompson.
NowToronto writes that "the group have downsized their sound accordingly, largely excising the displays of proggy sprawl that have always been a feature of their records in favour of a more immediate, pop-focused attack." The review calls this track "urgent and exhilarating, like an early-80s Cars hit recast as a fiery protest song decrying the conversion of woodlands into condos on 'stolen land.'”
Grace Potter: Back To Me (feat. Lucius)
The phrase "slow burner" certainly applies to this track from the late-2019 release,
Daylight. From a quiet hum, it builds up to a '70s-soul climax as Potter's powerful vocal is backed by Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig of Lucius.
Paste writes, "Potter’s voice alone should be reason enough to pay attention to her ... that raspy force shines on every single note." On this song, "she holds her voice back before letting it totally take control."
The three-piece indie-pop outfit from Chester, England, is new to us but has been gaining attention with performances at festivals and on the BBC. This bouncy single, which would mix well with anything from the catalogs of The Go-Gos and The Bangles, reflects the trio's love of Japanese pop culture. Band member Jess says she wrote the song "to remind myself that with every act of kindness and every crime, we affect the future, and that those choices go on to shape others, and our beautiful planet, long after we're gone. The word ‘Kaizen’ is a Japanese word that literally translates to ‘change for the good’, and that’s what we're hoping for.”
This Toronto-based, Saskatchewan-raised musician writes short stories in the form of songs, with wryly humorous lyrics delivered in an off-handed, conversational style. His new release,
The Neon Skyline, is a concept album that tells a simple tale: Boy who lost girl goes out for drinks with friends; boy is still thinking about girl; girl shows up at the bar, they banter but don't reconnect. At the end of this song, boy is coming to grips: "Somewhere between drunkenness and honesty / I make a silent toast to the things I do and don't miss."
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