“Get Out” – CHVRCHES. First single off their next album, and it sounds as shiny and glorious as their songs from the past.
“The Louder I Call, The Faster It Runs” – Wye Oak. Another first single from an up-coming album. It looks like Wye Oak will be sticking with the more electronic sound they adopted for their last album, and which Jenn Wasner uses in her side project Flock of Dimes. This is a decent song, but knowing the band, there will be a couple classics somewhere on the new record.
“American Love” – Fast Romantics. Since Fast Romantics are Canadian, I’m not sure if this song is an insult or a compliment. I think their lead singer, Matthew Angus, and the whole band in fact, sounds a lot like Eric Bachmann and his band Crooked Fingers.
“Given to Fly” – Pearl Jam. This week was the 20th anniversary of the release of PJ’s Yield album. It is widely considered PJ’s poppiest album, and likely its most accessible. After pulling back further and further from the public, Yield was the point where the band made peace with themselves and their place in the music world. They would never again be as big as they had been just four years earlier. But this is also the happiest the band ever sounded. I’ve always loved that album – I was unemployed when it came out and listened to it roughly 10 times a day while I was reading want ads and sending out resumés – and it’s one I go back to often. This song was a reminder that the band could still make the massive songs that pulled everyone in the crowd – from front row to last – along with them for the ride.
“Do The Evolution” – Pearl Jam. Might as well do two songs from Yield. This was Pearl Jam’s first video since “Jeremy”. It was a bit of a kick in the ass. In a good way. Also this song fucking rocks. “It’s evolution, baby!”