Too Young To Burn – Sonny And The Sunsets – I think I got the metaphor right (finally) for these surf pop bands from the West Coast. They are like a day on the beach, but a cool day where you have to wear a sweater and the sky is cloudy and dark. This is a melodic monotone plus handclaps.
Burning Hell – Tom Jones – A more than credible cover of the John Lee Hooker -Tom Jones sounds quite a bit like Tom Jones and what that proves is whether it is sex or salvation, he pulls from the same deep roots.
Stuck Like Glue – Sugarland – This is so good, sweet hooky, sticky. It is sticky and it sticks like glue. But jeez -the chick singer is awful. She sounds like a wind whistling through a tin piple. Ugh.
Falling In Love The Old fashioned Way – Solege Radio – I am the definition of ambivalent about this, and I previcate. Love the playing, love the sound, no probles with their indie alt boy band sound. The song isn’t quite there.
Our Deal – Best Coast – Imagine a girl group from the early 60s stranded at the beach on a late Sunday afternoon and the tide is coming in. It’s not that good but it’s close. SONG OF THE WEEK.
Ya Hear Me – T.I. – Third song off the upcoming album and it is easily the best, coupla killer lines as well, and really, T.I. is a great rapper. But what makes it great is an awesome backing track and a rap that bounces against the track and on what sounds like a real drummer.
CheaterCheaterBestFriendEater – NeverShoutNever – I kinda love the way Ingles slips up into his falsetto and I love himplaying the cuckold with quite a bit of humor. Here and there he sounds like he’s from the deep south (actually, Missouri). Altogether, and whatever mary thinks notwithstand, this is an act of enormoud self-deprecation and it works fine with me.
Barricade – Interpol – Never liked these po faced jerks and this sure does nothing to change my impression.
Angel Dance – Robert Plant – I couldn’t be more indifferent to Plant if he was, I dunno, Ace Freehy. I saw him once with Jimmy Page and thought he was great but raising Sand bored me to death. This new song is better than his usual overplayed, over wrought and over hear stuff: instead of overplayed country rock it is overplayed glam. Killer banjo riff by the way.
Rock N Roll Mountain Trail – Miniature Tigers – These, er, cats are from Phoenix but they play a well wrought, Ukish pub rock.
G.R.I.N.D. – Asher Roth – Oh no, not sincerity. Please not sincerity.
Nightmare – Avenged Sevenfold – Exist so Ozzy can say how much he influenced modern rock.
Scarred – Nomi – Electronic soul by the Hercules and Love Affair (also at Summerstage a week today and Jessica 6. She has a smokey, sexy voice. Not mad keen on the song.
I Don’t Know – The Bewitched Hands On The Top Of Our heads – This French quintet (and I know I’ve said this for the past three tracks) are real good, and real french. In an interview with reviewsic.com they listed their influences as Indie Rock before 1995, Punk, Sixties pop, French variety of the eighties, Italo Disco, New Wave…” Actually the French comment sticks and the sound is way more arranged than your usual indie rock. But the song… not so much.
Little Brown Haired Girls – Frankie Rose And The Outs – I am something in the nature of nine months late on this one. Frankie Rose has hit skin for Vivian Girls, Girls,and Dum Dum Girls. Pitchfork say she is a soundalike. With her own band Frankie plays guitar amd here for one , she doesn’t sound like any of those bands. This is a guitar orchestrated wash of sound and very, very good.