My Most Played Albums - February '13

My most played albums of February 2013 (via Last.fm)

Songs Of The Week #29: TCDroogsma

(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY)

Mount Moriah, Jamie Lidell, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Beach Fossils, & Gloss...

Well hello again, mp3 junkies! Welcome to Songs Of The Week #29!

For those of you who don't know quite what you're looking at, here's the story. Each week we ask two of our contributors to download and listen to the songs given away via The Current's Song Of The Day podcast. As always, we highly suggest that you head over to The Current's website and subscribe to the podcast yourself. Free music is free music.

Once they've given the songs a thorough listen we have them write a review of the songs and given them a rating of 1-5. As always, you can have your say in which song was the best by voting in the poll on the right side of the page.

Sadly, as has been the case for a month now, only one of our contributors has had the time to indulge in these songs. So yet again, all we have to offer you is TCDroogsma's thoughts on the songs. Considering his social life, its pretty much a lock that he'll always be free to throw his thoughts out there.

So, Droogsy, thoughts?

01. Mount Moriah – Bright Light (from the album Miracle Temple)

TCDroogsma:

     There's a lot to like about "Bright Light."  Mount Moriah works up a nice country-fried groove and lead singer Heather McEntire does a fine job doing her best Neko Case impression.  The problem with "Bright Light" is that it never escapes average.  Honestly, it's difficult to work up an opinion one way or another about this one.  It's solid, I suppose.  I certainly don't dislike it, but if I never heard it again I wouldn't be sad.  And if I ever do hear it again I probably won't even notice.

Final Score: 2.5/5

02. Jamie Lidell – What A Shame (from the album Jamie Lidell)

TCDroogsma:

     So, full disclosure here:  I only have a loose idea of what dubstep is supposed to sound like.  I feel like I should apologize for that, but I'm not going to.  I'm 31 years old for Christ's sake!  If I was being paid to write about music I'd take the time to figure it out.  Since I have to spend 40 hours a week stocking shelves I'm just not devoting the time to it.

     Why do I bring this up?  Because in my ill-informed mind, "What A Shame" sounds like an artist trying to turn dubstep into pop.  As mentioned above, it's possible that I'm completely off base on this whole this.  More to the point, I don't particularly like this song.  Lidell certainly sings it like he means it, but the racket going on behind him never develops into any sort of groove.  If this is just an exercise in genre-hopping for Mr. Lidell then I hope he cashes in.  If I'm wrong about this being dubstep-ish and this is a wholly originally creation by Lidell then... yipes.

Final Score: 1.5/5

03. Unknown Mortal Orchestra – So Good At Being In Trouble (from the album II)

TCDroogsma:

     Before I get into this song, take the four minutes it takes and listen to the song.  Seriously, give it a go.  I'll wait.

     (Waiting... waiting... waiting...)

     Pretty great, right?  Now, listen to it again and try to imagine what it would sound like if it was sped up, given a horn part, and maybe a couple backup singers.  You know what this song sounds like to me?  It sounds like a great, lost Motown classic!  Add in those things I mentioned (and some ballin' matching light blue suits) and you're listening to a Temptations song.  Hell, UMO even fades it out instead of giving it a full stop just like the classics.  I genuinely couldn't enjoy this song more.  The band does a fine job of taking Berry Gordy's rules for writing hit songs and giving them a white boy, indie twist.

Final Score: 4/5

04. Beach Fossils – Generational Synthetic (from the album Clash The Truth)

TCDroogsma:

     This is the third time in four weeks that The Current has laid a scratchy, lo-fi jam at my feet.  First it was Parquet Courts (fuzzy, post-punky, awesome), then it was Broncho (fuzzy, indie-punky, pretty awesome) and now Beach Fossils (fuzzy, stoney, pretty good).

     As you can see, the trajectory of awesomeness is on the downswing.  Beach Fossils may be from Brooklyn, but the first shared vibe that comes to mind is Wavves.  The stoner vibe that runs throughout the song definitely gives it a lazy swagger.  Whereas Parquet Courts & Broncho are clearly putting all their energy into being a cohesive unit, "Generational Synthetic" sounds like its authors could genuinely give a fuck less what anybody thinks of the song.  And that attitude, ironically, makes it more likable.

Final Score: 3/5

05. Gloss – Ian's Dream (from the 7” Front Porch)

TCDroogsma:

     I can't remember the last time I was as excited about a local band as I am about Gloss.  Back in November we reviewed "Front Porch," the A-side from this 7".  If memory serves, both MinneSarah & I compared the guitar work to vintage Johnny Marr (though I think I decided that was too much praise and settled on really great Peter Buck).

     Well here we are in February and we're presented with "Ian's Dream," the B-side.  If Gloss had just hit on the vintage-Marr guitar work again I would have been thrilled.  Instead, what we're treated to here, is a less urgent song that immediately calls to mind Minus The Bear.  The rhythm section is tight, the vocals are understated yet catchy, and the guitar.... oh, that guitar.  Perhaps referencing Peter Buck was selling these guys short.  Everything about "Ian's Dream" comes together perfectly.  A pop gem that could have come from 1987 or 2007.

Final Score: 4/5

There you have it, folks! Another week's worth of songs downloaded, reviewed, and filed away.

As always, neither Newest Industry nor its contributors is in any way affiliated with the artists reviewed, The Current, or MPR. We're just music fans with laptops and little too much time on our hands.

For more TCDroogsma, be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma). He can also be found right here on Newest Industry hosting our free weekly podcast Flatbasset Radio.

For more Newest Industry, be sure to give us a follow on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors. More importantly, we have a Facebook page here. Trivial as it seems stopping by and giving us a “Like” is a free & legitimate way to support the blog.

Newest Industry Presents: Flatbasset Radio - Episode #13

(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY)

Gimme the loot, gimme the loot!

Well hello again, music junkies! Welcome to the 13^th episode of our podcast Flatbasset Radio!

For those of you who don't know quite what you're looking at, here's the story. Each week TCDroogsma reviews songs for our Songs Of The Week column. Since he's usually down on those songs we asked him to start recording a weekly podcast for us to show us that, yes, he is actually a music fan and deserves to keep his post.

This week is Membership Drive week here at Newest Industry! TCDroogsma (and Newest Industry) implore all of our listeners/readers to make a donation. Remember, with every donation we'll send you a bumper sticker that says, “I Make Newest Industry Happen.” Put it on your car's bumper that way you can drive around and show off to everybody just how smart, hip, and culturally aware you are! Plus, you know everybody hates just walking around and thinking, “Boy, that's fine car, but I'd just like to know more about that person. What do they believe in? How do they spend their money? How can I acquire this information without actually talking to them?” Be part of the solution, not part of the problem.

In this week's episode TCDroogsma shamelessly whores out for donations, laments the breakup of the only prog-rock band he ever liked, plays us his new personal theme song, questions whether any good music has come out since 1998, struggles to explain his “renowned” big things/little things theory, and plays us one of his favorite love songs.

Click here to download the podcast for free or click the player below to give it a listen.

Here's how it breaks down:

01. The Mars Volta – Son Et Lumiere/Intertiatic E.S.P.

02. The Roots – Don't Feel Right

03. The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Can't Stop

04. Notorious B.I.G. - Gimme The Loot

05. My Bloody Valentine – New You

06. Paper Tiger – Rides

07. Lifter Puller – Manpark

08. Kool A.D. - Bering Sea Gold

09. John Vanderslice – White Dove

10. Lil' Wayne – Sorry 4 The Wait

11. Graham Wright – Medicine Hat

There you have it! We accept cash, check, money order, foreign money, beer, sandwiches, brandy, & compliments! Become a sustaining member today!

For more TCDroogsma, be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma). He's usually rambling on about something or other.

For more Newest Industry, be sure to give us a follow on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) to stay up on all the work being done by our regular contributors. More importantly, we have a Facebook page here. Trivial as it may seem, stopping by and giving us a “Like” is a free & legitimate way to support the blog.

Songs Of The Week #28: TCDroogsma

(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY)

Cheatahs, Jenny O., Pillowfight, Broncho, & Usonia...

Well hello again, MP3 junkies! Welcome to Songs Of The Week #28!

For those of you who don't know quite what you're looking at, here's the deal: Each week we ask two of our regular contributors to to download the free songs given away via The Current's Song Of The Day podcast. After spending some time with them they write up a review and give them a score of 1-5.

As always, we highly encourage you to head over to The Current's website and subscribe to the podcast yourself. Playing along at home is fun for the whole family!

To that end, we've posted a poll to the right-hand side of the page. Please take a second to vote for whichever of this week's songs was your favorite. At the end of the voting period, the winning artist will receive the validation of winning an anonymous internet vote against a bunch of their fellow artists.

Unfortunately, as has been the case for the past few installments, we've been unable to find a second person to review the week's songs. Not surprisingly, though, TCDroogsma was still readily available to fly solo this week.

So, Droogsy... thoughts?

01. Cheatahs – The Swan (from the album Extended Plays)

TCDroogsma:

      I'll be honest, it took me about 20 seconds of “The Swan” to make up my mind about Cheatahs. This kicks ass. Maybe it's just the fact that The Current has set my expectations so low for these songs that even the first hint of an electric guitar is all it takes to get my pulse going, but I don't think that's the case.

Cheatahs aren't reinventing the wheel by any means. In fact, if I was The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart I'd be drawing up a copyright lawsuit as we speak, but that doesn't really matter. The combination of late 90's emo-pop guitars (more Jawbreaker than Braid) and shoegazing vocals aims right for the sweet spot of my 31 year old brain. I've listened to "The Swan half a dozen times now and I still have no idea what the song is about (I'm guessing not a swan). Regardless, it's been better each time I've listened to it.

Final Score: 4/5

02. Jenny O. - Good Love (from the album Automechanic)

TCDroogsma:

      “Good Love” starts off with a bit of a space-country-funk vibe that suggests Phantogram drinking moonshine. Unfortunately, that energy quickly gives way to a rather mundane alt-pop song the leans a little too heavily on its country side and abandons its space-out side. Which is a shame.

      On its surface, it seems like there is a lot of stuff going on in “Good Love.” After a few listens, however, the indie affectations are revealed to be just that, affectations give a bit of color to a rather black & white song..

Final Score: 2/5

03. Pillowfight – In The Afternoon (from the album Pillowfight)

TCDroogsma:

      I'm sure this gets brought up in every review of Pillowfight (Dan The Automator & Emily Wells), so I hate to bring it up, but here goes: Ever since Amy Winehouse & Mark Ronson cracked the code of sultry-soul & hip-hop drums there have been no shortage of artists ready to take a shot at the throne. The most obvious comparison to Pillowfight is that Bitter:Sweet album from a couple years ago. I enjoyed that record much like I enjoy “In The Afternoon.”

      Sadly, what sinks Automator & Wells here (and what sank Bitter:Sweet) is the one thing that nobody wants to acknowledge about Winehouse: Namely that a large chunk of her success was based on a cult of personality that is nearly impossible to replicate. Admittedly, there is something thrilling about the sensual moans that dot the chorus of “In The Afternoon.” However, that chorus consists of the lines, “In the afternoon I get sentimental, I know that ain't right, the fun we have should be criminal...” Which, when you think about it, just sounds like your insane girlfriend going through mood swings in the middle of the day.

Final Score: 2.5/5

04. Broncho – Try Me Out Sometime (from the album Can't Get Past The Lips)

TCDroogsma:

      “Try Me Out Sometime” lives in the same space that the Parquet Courts song from a couple weeks back inhabits. It's fuzzed out vocals and stuttering, adrenaline-fuled guitar work comes squarely from post-punk/no-wave forefathers like Minutemen & Husker Du. Is that a band thing? Not at all. In fact, it's refreshing to see the pendulum of indie rock swing back away from polished (i..e. Grizzly Bear, TV On The Radio) and back toward the scrappy.

      To that end, “Try Me Out Sometime” is fighting the same fight lyrically and musically. The music isn't the most instantly memorable (or most easily digestible). Lyrics like, “look me over when you're done,” and “gotten straighten me up, gotta get me straight..” may be directed toward a potential lover, but can just as easily be a plea to take 10 minutes and give Broncho a good listen. Take them up on the offer, it's well worth the effort.

Final Score: 3.5/5

05. Usonia – How Does It Feel (from the album What's Fresh)

TCDroogsma:

      Oh damn! This makes me want to dance! And almost nothing makes me want to dance! Let's be honest, all it takes is 8 bars of that keyboard to know exactly where this song is going to go. They're the anti-Broncho in that regard. But that's kind of the point

      Looking at the title of this song (and the title of the album), one thing is immediately apparent: Usonia hates question marks. Listening to “How Does It Feel” drives that home. This is not music designed to be listened to while sitting in your bedroom, headphones on, parsing the tracks for meaning. This is music designed to make your girlfriend grab your hand and drag you to the dancefloor before the first verse has even begun.

      (And super props to Usonia's bass player. Somewhere Alex James is smiling.)

Final Score: 4/5

So there you have it, everybody. Another week's worth of songs downloaded, reviewed, and filed away.

As always, please remember that neither Newest Industry nor its contributors is in any way affiliated with the artists reviewed, The Current, or Minnesota Public Radio. We're just music fans with laptops and a little bit too much time on our hands.

For more TCDroogsma, be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma). He can also be found right here on Newest Industry hosting our weekly podcast Flatbasset Radio.

For more Newest Industry, be sure to give us a follow on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) to stay up on the work being done by all of our regular contributors. More importantly we have a Facebook page here. Trivial as it may seem, stopping by and giving us a “Like” is a free & legitimate way to support the blog.

Songs Of The Week #27: TCDroogsma

(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY)

Night Beds, Adam Green & Binki Shapiro, Thao With The Get Down, Stay Down, Eels, & Aby Wolf...

 

Well hello again, MP3 junkies! Welcome to Songs Of The Week #27!

For those of you who remain unfamiliar with the column, here's how it works. Each week we ask two of our regular contributors to download the songs given away via The Current's Song Of The Day podcast. They spend a few days with the songs and then give us their takes. Each song is then given a score from 0-5.

As always, we strongly recommend that you click here and subscribe to the podcast yourself. It's free music and playing along at home is fun for the whole family!

To that end, we've posted a poll to the right side of the page. Please vote for whichever was your favorite song. At the end of the week we tally up the votes and the winner is rewarded with the sense of validation that can only come from anonymous internet polls, which his the highest civilian honor America can give out.

As has been the case for the last few weeks (and remains the case this week), TCDroogsma will be tackling these songs solo dolo. Unfortunately we still haven't been able to find a cohort. If only their were more judgmental music fans who like seeing their name on the internet out there...

So, now that that's out of the way, let's get into it. Droogsy, thoughts?

01. Night Beds – Ramona (from the album Country Sleep)

TCDroogsma:

     Remember that Ryan Adams album Gold?  Night Beds sure do!

    
     "Ramona" isn't a bad song, but there is absolutely nothing new going on here.  If you enjoy alt-country, you will like this song.  If you don't, "Ramona" is background music.  As someone who likes Ryan Adams and is on speaking terms with alt-country, I can't say this song does anything for me.

Final Score: 2/5

02. Adam Green & Binki Shapiro – Just To Make Me Feel Good (from the album Adam Green & Binki Shapiro)

TCDroogsma:

     While I'm not (and never was) a Moldy Peaches fan, it was pretty clear with that group that their appeal was rooted in Kimya Dawson's charm and their ramshackle performance/recording style.  I don't say that to diminish Adam Green's contributions to the group.  For all know he was the brains behind the whole operation.  Frankly, I never cared enough to dig deeper.

     With "Just To Make Me Feel Good," we find Adam Green returning to the boy/girl format of The Moldy Peaches, but without either of those two calling cards.  Green does a pretty fine job of channeling his inner Stephen Merritt, remaining mostly deadpan while Binki Shapiro gives the song color.  Still, much like Night Beds up above, the song lacks any trait that stands out.

     "Just To Make Me Feel Good" does redeem itself with its lyrics.  Green's come a long way from the nursey-rhymed ridiculousness of the Peaches albums, asking Shapiro (or the significant other she represents) to, "Ask me things with no warning."  The song lives in the the little moments of relationships that make them worthwhile, not an easy terrain to navigate.  They do it admirably here.

Final Score: 3/5

03. Thao With The Get Down, Stay Down – We The Common (For Valerie Bolden (from the album We The Common)

TCDroogsma:

     Two questions:

     Have you ever been sitting at the bar chatting with an oppressively foxy woman and feeling good about your chances, but, as the night presses on, she keeps saying more and more ridiculous and/or insane things that eventually you just say, "Fuck it, she's hot, but I can't do this any longer?"

      

     Remember back in December when I reviewed Thao's "Holy Roller?"  I tried to explain that I couldn't accurately judge any Thao & The Get Down, Stay Down song because I was blindingly smitten with Thao herself?  It's not that I only liked the songs because Thao is so damn sexy, it's that I couldn't separate the songs from the sexy.

     (In case you forgot why I feel that way, watch this video. That song is classic.)

     I think you can see where I'm going here.  "We The Common" if finally the last call vodka tonic that pushes Thao from the, "OK, she's a little loopy, but she's still sexy" to, "That's enough, I can't do this."  It wouldn't matter if the Get Down, Stay Down consisted of Lucy Liu, Natalie Portman, & Ryan Gosling backing Thao, "We The Common" is bad enough that it overwhelms all the charm exuded by the frontwoman.  

     If I had never heard a song with that stupid guitar style, pointless strings, boot-stomping percussion, and a brutally quirky wordless-hook then maybe this would be tolerable, but The Current's been shoving shit like this down our throat for years.  I'm drawing the line right here. 

Final Score: 0.5/5

04. Eels – New Alphabet (from the album Wonderful, Glorious)

TCDroogsma:

     "New Alphabet" is not necessarily new ground for Eels.  It lives in the same, "I don't feel so good, what the fuck's going on?" world that has made Eels famous.  Most of those songs, however, are either living in the moment of not feeling good or looking back on that moment from a time well into the future.

    
     It may just be me, but I really like "New Alphabet" because it lives in that moment between those two points.  "I'm in a good mood today, I'm so glad that it's not yesterday" implies that E is still coping with whatever happened and "New Alphabet" finds him squarely in the "Lashing out" phase of coping.  As someone who's been know to lash a bit, this song really speaks to me.

     What E's done here, is give us his take on the pop music narrative of "I did it my way."  Obviously, that's coming from Sinatra, but the line runs through all strains of music.  The first time I listened to this song, the fist song that came to mind was P.O.S. "Purexed" (one of the the great songs of my lifetime).  There's very little difference, "Yeah, we do our own damn thing, we don't blink at what tomorrow might bring at all," and "When the world stops making sense, I make a new alphabet."

Final Score: 4/5

05. Aby Wolf – Brave Boy (from the album Wolf Lords)

TCDroogsma:

     I'll be honest, I'm kind of losing the plot with Aby Wolf.  The first time I saw her she was playing at the 331 Club and had a coffeehouse hippy vibe going.  Next I heard from her was the still-brilliant single "What U Waitin' 4?" which was in the hip-hop world, but sported a earworm hook that sound like it was flown over from the world of indie rock.  Her contribution to BK-One's Radio Do Canibal album was a low-key highlight, wrapping her pretty voice around some sampled Brazilian guitar work.  Outside of her work with Dessa, the last thing I heard was a SOTD track from the A Wolf & Her Claws project, "All This Time," which was a fine song, but found Wolf venturing further from the hooks and leaning on her voice/glitchy noise to prop the song up.

    
     Which brings me to "Brave Boy," a collaboration with Grant Cutler, the man who provided the music for Lookbook.  "Brave Boy" features the same warped-instrumentation of A Wolf And Her Claws and Lookbook with one exception: it doesn't go anywhere.  Where those projects had the ability get hips shaking, the music of "Brave Boy" doesn't make me want to do anything.  That would be OK if Wolf were able to find a hook to propel the song forward.  Unfortunately, the progression I detailed above has reached it's obvious end: Wolf relying solely on her voice to carry the song.  Frankly, it just doesn't work.

Final Score: 1.5/5

There you have it, folks! Another week's worth of songs downloaded, pondered upon, reviewed, and filed away.

As always, please remember that neither Newest Industry nor its contributors is in any way affiliated with the artists above, The Current, or MPR. We're just music fans with word processors and little bit too much time on our hands.

For more TCDroogsma, be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma). He can also be found right here on Newest Industry hosting our weekly podcast, Flatbasset Radio, or ranting like a lunatic on his personal blog Flatbasset.

For more Newest Industry, be sure to follow us on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors. More importantly, we have a Facebook page here. Stopping by and giving us a “Like” is a free & legitimate way to support the blog.

Songs Of The Week #26: TCDroogsma

(THIS POST ORIGINALLY APPEARS ON THE TWIN CITIES BLOG NEWEST INDUSTRY)

Whitehorse, Wake Owl, Amor De Dias, & Carroll...

Well hello again, MP3 junkies! Welcome to Songs Of The Week #26!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Songs Of The Week, here's the scoop. Each week we ask two of our regular contributors to download and review the songs given away via The Current's Song Of The Day podcast. As always, we strongly suggest that you click here to subscribe to the podcast yourself. Playing along at home is fun for the whole family! Assuming, of course, that your family likes middling indie rock.

As you may have noticed last week (and will notice again this week), we're still down to one reviewer. TCDroogsma will continue to fly solo here at SOTW until one of our other contributors is available to play along. Until then, sorry everybody, you're stuck with TCDroogsma.

As always, there is a poll to the righthand side of the page. Feel free to vote for your favorite of this week's tracks. The artist with the most votes receives the honor of validation by strangers on the internet, arguably the highest honor a musician can receive.

So, let's get into this one. Droogsy, thoughts on this week's songs?

01. Whitehorse – Devil's Got A Gun (from the album The Fate Of The World Depends On This Kiss)

TCDroogsma:

      There's a pretty short list of things an indie rock song can do that will immediately make me like it. First off, hooks-on-hooks-on-hooks. Ya'll know where my heart lies. The second: boy/girl vocals. I have no idea why I have such a soft spot for the multi-sex vocal approach, but I do (and it allows me to use terms like, “multi-sex vocal approach." Win/win!)

      Whitehorse does a masterful job using western-sounding guitars and bongos to build up the verse before busting out a go-for-broke hook on the chorus. Beef up the guitars & keyboards and replace the boy/girl vocals with some suffocatingly over-acted British vocals and this is a Muse b-side. I don't know if Whitehorse is aiming for anthems, but they come awfully close with “Devil's Got A Gun.”

Final Score: 3.5/5

02. Wake Owl – Wild Country (from the EP Wild Country)

TCDroogsma:

      On Twitter yesterday Andrea Swensson (@LocalCurrent) went on a bit of a mini-rant because somebody had referred to the state of folk music today as the #Luminera (brutal hastag, I know). She proceeded to say the this era of platinum-selling folk artists (Mumford, Lumineers, etc...) had been around for years already and that it was stupid to call “right now” the Luminera. She punctuated a couple of tweets with the question “What's next?”

      Now, you all know that I pretty much loathe all Americana/folk music. Like any genre, it has its bright spots (Bon Iver, the new Jim Ruiz album, maybe half a dozen Mason Jennings songs), but for the most part it just makes me angry/sleepy. I bring all this up because The Current's obsession with “What's next?” is disgusting. First of all, they are pretty much responsible for this wretched “Luminera” since, as Swensson mentions, they were playing Mumford & Sons four years ago. So, thanks for that, MPR. Act like you weren't circle jerking all over that first Fleet Foxes album. Second, in the ceaseless search for “What's next?” they risk dismissing songs like “Wild Country” out of hand, which is a shame.

      As I mentioned, whatever “folk music” is defined as, it's typically not my cup of tea. However, it seems that Wake Owl has cracked the code of making this music tolerable to me. If you were to look at my list of all-time favorite songs they would all have one thing in common: hooks. To that end, the bridge/chorus of “Wild Country” hits the sweet spot. I could do without the flatline melody of the verses and my anti-fiddle stance dates back nearly 20 years. But that chorus... the questions asked by the bridge (“maybe this is my heart/maybe it's yours”) are answered quickly and brutally in the chorus (“If I want to leave, I will/Stand on my feet, I do...”). A rare moments of lyrics with a spine and an earworm of a hook in a “folk” song. Dismiss “Wild Country” at your own risk.

Final Score: 3/5

03. Amor De Dias – Jean's Waving (from the album The House At Sea)

TCDroogsma:

      There's a lot of 90's to be found in “Jean's Waving,” which, of course, means I'm immediately attracted to it. The guitar shares the same bouncy quality as something like “Brimful Of Asha” and the vocals never sound forced or intentionally quirky. Basically, Amor De Dias seems to realize that they've written a gem of a song and, instead of drowning it in bells and whistles, they should just play it and let it work its magic.

      Maybe its just the Midwesterner in me, but the fact that the song stays modest with its charm appeals to me. Some female vocals in the chorus & a few plunked keyboard notes are all the song needs to sound perfectly complete. Amor De Dias never goes over the top to sell the song and they reap the rewards of the old “less is more” approach. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Final Score: 3.5/5

04. Carroll – Lead Balloon (from the EP Needs)

TCDroogsma:

      There's a lot going on in “Lead Balloon.” Noodling guitars, swooshing guitars, a keyboard that drops in and out of the mix, lyrics that, at times, are literally about balloons...

      All things considered, “Lead Balloon” is a charming, if somewhat forgettable song. Carroll sounds like they're trying to be everything to everyone (and, admittedly, they come closer to pulling it off than most bands), but it leaves them sounding like they're pretty good at most things, but not excellent at any one thing.

Final Score: 2.5/5

There you have it, music fans! Another week's worth of songs downloaded, reviewed, and filed away.

Please remember, neither this blog nor its contributors is in any way affiliated with the artists reviewed, The Current, or Minnesota Public Radio. We're just music fans with keyboards and too much time on our hands.

For more TCDroogsma be sure to give him a follow on Twitter (@TCDroogsma). He can also be found right here on Newest Industry hosting our weekly podcast Flatbasset Radio. His podcast was recently described as “sarcasm... brilliance mixed with non-sense.” We couldn't describe it better ourselves.

For more Newest Industry be sure to follow us on Twitter (@NewestIndustry1) to stay up on the work being done by all of our contributors. More importantly we have a Facebook page here. Stopping by and giving us a “Like” is a free & legitimate way to support the blog.

Most Played Albums: January '13

via Last.fm