Some more rockin’ tunes this week.
“Satellite” – The Get Up Kids. This band might be the most successful to come out of the Kansas City/Lawrence music scene of the late 90s/early 00s. I run into people all the time who love them. But I was never a huge fan; emo just never was my bag. But this song hits me in the right spots, a fun little raver that makes me want to jump around.
“You’re Not Always On My Mind” – Quivers. I should have thrown this in last week’s list as this is yet another Aussie band. And yet another band that, as soon as you hear them, you know they are from Down Under. This is some top notch jangle pop.
“The One Who Breaks Your Heart” – SONTALK. After a dazzling EP debut last summer, Joseph LeMay dropped his first full album today. I first heard this song earlier this week and it blew me away. I’ve read some of the story behind it and, sadly, LeMay seems to be one of those artists I feel guilty about liking his music. He has struggled with his mental health for several years, often controlling his moods by disappearing into his studio for days and writing/recording music, ignoring his friends and family in the process. This song came out of one of those episodes, when LeMay decided to write a “What If” song, the question being how he would react if his wife asked him for a divorce. It’s a gorgeous song, all big and bright, but knowing that back story gives me pause these days.
“Darkness” – Pinegrove. I totally missed that Pinegrove released their second album late last year. I think some of that was because there was some controversy around band leader Evan Stephens Hall and some allegations made against him by a woman. No details ever emerged, but the band went on a hiatus and announced they were shelving the album until everything got resolved. They self-released the album on Bandcamp with all proceeds going to charity, and finally physically released it a month ago. The songs are good. I wish I knew more about what was going on with Hall so I knew whether it was ok to like his music again.
“Coaches Who Cry” – Wild Pink. It is March, so perhaps this song is about Roy Williams? From a new EP featuring remixes and some extra tracks from last year’s excellent Yolk in the Fur album.
“I Can See Clearly Now” – Johnny Nash. One of this week’s The Number Ones entries was this classic from 1972. Go read the summary, it’s great. Even better is this amazing video. Johnny just chilling in a park in DC singing for, well, no one it appears.