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The Chills – Blue October – Justin has a trick, and it is a good trick, a sort of soft loud axis against a ravished vocal. And here he even writes a hook on the bridge. Also, Helen tells me the song references other BO tracks, which is always fun for initiated. And suggest there is a seriousness to their usual doom and gloom romancing. Indeed, the lyric reminds me of the Cure in its own overwhelming way. But the song isn't quite good enough, it is weighted but he actual melody can't handle the burden. Though the hook might…
Ocean Floor – Bunny The Bear – Another member of the overwrought club, they toggle between hardcore and power rock.
Far Away (feat Busta Rhymes) – Giving the word pointless worlds of meaning, Busta adds a rap to a pretty good song.
You're Only Lonely – J.D. Souther – Downbeat and downcast, like the end of a Raymond Chandler novel, and pretty in a tepidly loving sort of way.
Leaving Home – Yo La Tengo – Like Mark Knopfler, an underachieving Knopfler.
If You Wanna – The Vaccines – This Brit rock popper is so good, it may well have handled this inebriated bouncy band a career. TRACK OF THE WEEK
Brotherhood Of Man – Daniel Radcliffe – Potter's voice is a little light but it is a fun, snarky song from the Broadway musical How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. I've given it a miss because I saw it with Matthew Broderick in the 1990s and I didn't think Dan could really compare. Still, his performance here is charming enough to make me reconsider.
Donald Trump – Mac Miller – Finally, Trump gets exactly what he deserves: a singularly atrocious rap. This is so bad it reflects poorly on friend Wiz Khalifa. And isn't it a little too soon to be stealing off "Fuck You" -that's what the "ain't that some shit" at the end of the chorus amounts to.
Speed Of Darkness – Flogging Molly – Unlistenable hard rocker from the Boss's buddy. And ps? It ain't close to the speed of anything.
International Love (feat Chris Brown) – Pitbull – The rap is good, the idea is smarter than heck, the beats fast and the hook addictive. The best of the newbies so far.
Without You – Eddie Vedder – Whenever Eddie sings soft he sounds as though he is straining his voice: like he wants to raise it an octave or two and is being forced to keep it under control. But this song is so pretty it has slowly grown on me, which leaves him at 1 for 2.
Stay Young, No Dancing – Death Cab for Cuties – Wow, this sucks. It is like when your cynical best friend falls in love for the first time. It is like being choked by a daisy. Awful.