Elbow Create a Monster Called “Balu”
Elbow (and lead singer Guy Garvey particularly) are a sort of underground national treasure in the United Kingdom. They play shows for royalty, but they appear to be the kind of band you’d want to spend the afternoon in the pub with. Garvey himself presents a popular and very enjoyable regular radio show. But his […]
Aedan Peterson’s “The End Did Come” and Thwarted Expectations
How often do we find ourselves saying, whether out loud or in our heads, Nothing came of it? In high school, I spent most of my free time playing tennis. I was decent, and thought that with enough practice, I might play in college. I still remember key matches that left me either exuberant or […]
Fleetwood Mac’s Secret Weapon Strikes Again on “You Make Loving Fun”
One of the well-documented wonders of Fleetwood Mac’s seminal album Rumours is how all the members of the band managed to devote themselves to making the best music they possibly could whilst simultaneously ripping each other apart emotionally. Some of the songs on the album understandably have bitter, heartbroken, or regret-laden lyrical content. But one […]
Ships Have Sailed Get Pensive on “Walking Into Walls”
California duo Ships Have Sailed have a new single called “Walking Into Walls.” It belongs in the closing credits of a major motion picture. Ships Have Sailed is the brainchild of vocalist and guitarist Will Carpenter, usually configured as a duo with drummer Art Andranikyan. Although most people consider the phrase “that ship has sailed” […]
Robby Hecht’s New Song, “Old Radio”
Bracing for nostalgia, I was surprised to find that Robby Hecht’s “Old Radio” is as much about the future as the past. The chorus may sound like something you’ve heard before. Some of it you have. Hecht rhymes “fly/high/cry” and “long ago/low/radio.” These sets of words are frequent co-workers in song. One could call them […]
Jon Foreman’s “In Bloom” is a Song for Spring
In Nashville, spring always surprises us. I think it’s because winters here are especially bleak. We get all the bad parts of winter – freezing temperatures, harsh winds, and a sun setting early in a sky that’s been gray for weeks. We rarely get snow, and when we do, it cripples the city for a […]
Donovan Woods is Back with “Rosemary”
“Well then, RosemaryIn your pretty eyes, darlin’I am always in the way of what you’re wanting” Donovan Woods self-deprecates like it’s an Olympic sport. Not one of the main ones, like swimming or track and field. I’m talking about one of those weirdly gravitating ones that you didn’t know someone could be so good at, […]
“So Long, Frank Lloyd Wright” is Simon and Garfunkel’s Break-up Song
On what turned out to be their last album together, Simon and Garfunkel created what some regard as a masterpiece. The album contains some iconic songs, not least the title track, “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Some of these are lodged in my marrow, songs that feel like I’ve known them forever that recall distant times, […]
Kinn’s “25 On 22nd Street” is as Intimate as It Gets
Imagine you’ve just walked into a club. You heard the music as you walked through the door, so you go past the bar and down the stairs, passing posters and objects that reflect little personal pockets of taste and cultural favorites. You walk into the small but spacious room to find three people singing the […]
Mon Rovîa Finds a Way Back with “Don’t Lose A Good Thing”
Change is the heart of Mon Rovîa’s “Don’t Lose a Good Thing.” The song pleads, “Change with me, baby.” Mon Rovîa sings the line with as much intensity as any more standard love song plaint, like “Kiss me” or “Don’t leave.” There’s room for those, too, sometimes you do have to beg. But acknowledging that […]
