rock nyc Top Songs 8-19-16 8-25-16
Cody’s Theme – AJJ – Pop punk memory song, about the schizophrenia and worry of childhood where what you daydream yourself is in conflict with who you are really and how it implodes on you. It is hard to remember the ritual humiliation of childhood, “I had to talk to my teacher, she talked to my Mom, we had a real long talk.” and “the visions stopped”. Slice of life for a teenager.
Sonnet 116 – Annabelle Lord-Patey – The love is not love when alters when it alters finds Shakespeare sonnet, while “It ain’t me babe” plays on the radio, and Annabelle is left in limbo between the alter and the not to alter.
Mary – Bayside – A terrific little rocker, as Bayside try to make it out of Bayside as a Queens bound born to run away from the suffocating middle class conclave. The hook is terrific, the solo sparkling, and the New York elsewhere dream of life, ending in a break-up. This is the one Bayside have been promising.
Drawn – De La Soul – Neither rap as such, nor pop as such, more in the nature of a soul, experimental oriental ding dang of a song, that haunts you in and keeps you under its spell. Where’s the rap? Five minutes into a five and a half minute song.
Self Control – Frank Ocean – Lo fi, acoustic guitar song about love and how it comes across and then downfalls, slow and dreamy and sad, and minimal. Maybe the best song there, “sometimes you dance with tears in your eyes…” Sad stuff.
Hardwired – Metallica – This is one of my faves of, at the very least, the week. Not just the drumming but specifically the drumming, but also how dispassionate and yet powerful Hetfield is, he doesn’t scream, he spits the words at you. I can’t wait to see em next month.
Rebecca Casanova – Slow Club – Absolutely gorgeous, the introduction sounds like melodic scales for children but then it pays it off, on this little heartbreaker. It builds very nicely and the middle eight is a 80s synth band dream.
