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“All the Way Down” |
| Tiny Animals | ||
| Tiny Animals manage to capture the Killers, Silversun Pickups, and Weezer all in one anthemic song. Build up, break down, repeat. | ||
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-Claire Tiller
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“Around the Bend” | |
| The Asteroids Galaxy Tour | ||
| Thanks to an iTouch commercial, this will be cemented into the minds of Americans as “another catchy song from an Apple commercial.” Those who know better, though, give credit where credit is due. Not only does “Around the Bend” excite the senses with simple lyrics and a danceable beat, but it includes a whole horn section. A horn section, people. Enough said. | ||
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-Julie Gong
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“Feel It All Around” | |
| Washed Out | ||
| Washed Out slows down Gary Low’s “I Want You” and keeps the listener asleep aboard a comfortable airliner or adrift in calming ocean waters — depending on your particular interpretation, of course. The song is indicative of both the artist’s title and the song’s as there is a tingly cleansing feeling experienced as the song progresses, never going anywhere in particular and never needing to. | ||
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-Andy DeLoach
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“Lady Luck” | |
| Richard Swift | ||
| Richard Swift’s fuzzed out falsetto over a steady bass and tambourine retro-groove make you wonder why Lady Luck wouldn’t want to spend time with him. | ||
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-Claire Tiller
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“Boy Boy” | |
| Lissy Trullie | ||
| This single from the former New York model/DJ’s debut EP — a labor of love a few years in the making — proves that she has plenty of substance to go with her style. | ||
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-Jon Kjarsgaard
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“I’ve Got Friends” | |
| Manchester Orchestra | ||
| “I’ve Got Friends” sums up The Aughts pretty well — computer blips and whirrs, wounded emo lyrics, and Andy Hull’s Bright Eyes-meets-Silversun Pickups delivery. | ||
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-Claire Tiller
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“To Lose My Life” | |
| White Lies | ||
| Cruising along in the car while listening to a song called “To Lose My Life” proves oddly life-enhancing when it’s this track from the young British trio. | ||
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-Jon Kjarsgaard
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“Repeaterbeater” | |
| Mew | ||
| The beginning of “Repeaterbeater” smacks you off your chair before launching into a slick prog-rock song with a churning guitar undercurrent and an arena-ready chorus. | ||
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-Claire Tiller
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“Walking on a Dream” | |
| Empire of the Sun | ||
| This is silky smooth electro-pop at its finest. The beat is soft and inspiring, and the song creates an atmosphere that draws parallels to blissful moments in life where time slows down and you feel love. Bless your vocal chords if you can hit those high notes in the chorus. | ||
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-Chad Helminak
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“Crying Lightning” | |
| Arctic Monkeys | ||
| In “Crying Lightning,” the driving rhythm section sends us marching towards that girl from whom we should stay away. That evil, black magic woman countless generations of music warned us about is exactly the type of girl the Arctic Monkeys’ are into — and this song is a moody, grooving, tribute to her. | ||
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-Andy DeLoach
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“Finish Line” | |
| Fanfarlo | ||
| Glorious xylophone-assisted pop from the London-based five-piece. You’d call it twee if it weren’t so heart-melting and inviting. | ||
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-Jon Kjarsgaard
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“The Fear” | |
| Lily Allen | ||
| Lily Allen walks a tightrope between clever satire and utter irony in a dreamy dance-pop song that fluctuates between stark intimacy (or honesty?) and little girl lost in a synth-thick chorus. Hypocrisy never sounded so palpable, or so palatable. | ||
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-Claire Tiller
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“Fables” | |
| The Dodos | ||
| This San Francisco band treat their acoustics like electrics and that’s the type of thinking that makes “Fables” suitable for rock venues, not just coffeehouse open-mics. Thank goodness, too, because this chorus sings like an anthem larger than both venues. | ||
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-Andy DeLoach
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“Brackett, WI” | |
| Bon Iver | ||
| Released as part of a compilation, this stands tall with the most revered tracks from Bon Iver’s critically acclaimed debut For Emma, Forever Ago. Justin Vernon’s penchant for layered vocals and a slow-building intensity is present and mesmerizing on this track, and it constantly keeps you hanging in anticipation for the next lyric. | ||
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-Chad Helminak
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“All the King’s Men” | |
| Wild Beasts | ||
| Galloping drum beats, haunting falsetto background vocals, shimmering guitar licks, and a driving melodic pulse all lend this track a regal quality, befitting of the title and the song’s seeming content: a king who like his concubines. However, Wild Beasts are able to supply a nuanced punch that makes it more poignant than the catchy hooks would suggest it was capable of. It’s about using primal desires to mask a deeper yearning for child-like maternal guidance. And somehow Wild Beasts make that subject matter incredibly fun. | ||
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-Peter Truby
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I adore your blog! So many songs and descriptions I couldn't agree with more. So many great finds.
I just wanted you to know that you're helping me get through my first summer with a day job.
Also, I'm posting a song a day for a year. If you want you can check out the latest on my blog: http://www.threepears.blogspot.com