Tag Archives: The Beths

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Favorite songs of 2020

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Ok a couple days late but its still the weekend so I’m going to slide my list of favorite songs of 2020 in and hope no one notices my tardiness…

2020 was a terrible year in so many ways but it was still a great year for new music finds. Here are 10 of my favorite discoveries this past year

10. The Chats – Pub Feed

I stumbled onto this band from someone’s blog earlier this year – sorry can’t remember who. The Chats are a self described pub-punk shed rock band from Queensland Australia who remind me of the Ramones with their straight head no nonsense punk sound. Their song deal with everyday concerns – getting a meal at the local pub, getting the clap, getting hassled by the police. Ok maybe not the everyday concerns of a 50 something white guy from the US East Coast, but great music nonetheless. Plus it keeps my streak alive of having at least one band from Down Under on the list the last number of years!

9. Tami Neilson – Call Your Mama

Tami Neilson is a R&B throwback to an earlier time. As Popdose describes here – ” If you’ve ever wanted to know what Wanda Jackson duking it out with Shirley Bassey in a alley while Rosanne Cash, Sharon Jones, and Amy Winehouse egged them on sounded like, look no further..” This put down on a cheating man cracked me up – A ring a ding ding!

8. Spanish Love Songs – Kick

This LA based rock band has been around since 2013 but I had never heard of them til this year. Their lead singer Dylan Slocum’s voice reminds me of another lead singer, but I can’t place it. Any ideas? Great guitar head cleansing rock

7. Brandy Clark – Who You Thought I Was

Brandy Clark has written a number of songs that have been hits for other country artists (Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgrave) but has also put out several albums on her own. I’m not a huge country fans, but do appreciate the roots/American branch, and I found this song gorgeous.

6. Okay Kaya – Psych Ward

I heard this song on a new music playlist early in the year and couldn’t get it out of my head for weeks. Then it seemed very topical as the year progressed as it felt like we were living in a psych ward what with the way our leaders were running our country. Favorite line – “I am a very patient patient” Video has alot of non song content so posting Spotify link instead

5. Best Coast – Everything Has Changed

One of my favorite bands is back after a 5 year hiatus and sounding as great as ever. Sounds like songwriter / vocalist Bethany Cosentino has found contentment and happiness as the songs are no long all about lost love and broken relationships

4. Marcus King – Beautiful Stranger

Marcus King is a 24 year old singer/guitarist from Greenville SC whose debut solo album El Dorado was produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys. The album is a fantastic combination of country, blues, R&B, and rock, anchored by King’s phenomenal voice. Featuring Beautiful Stranger here, but also check out the rest of the album, including The Well.

3. The Beths – Dying to Believe

Another of my favorite bands from Down Under whose album Jump Rope Gazers is great from top to bottom. I had tickets to see them in DC in May, which got postponed til the fall, which got postponed to …. actually I don’t know.. One of many huge disappointments this year. I really hope to see them in the States one day. But at least we got the new album. My buddy Mike posted I’m Not Getting Excited on his year end best of list (see it here), so here’s another keeper, Dying to Believe

2. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – Dreamiscle

Jason Isbell is one of those artists that I’ve been aware of for awhile but for whatever reason have never really checked out until recently – and geez what I’ve been missing. His 2020 album with the 400 Unit has a bunch of great songs on it that made it hard to choose just one, but this one was definitely my favorite. Great lyrics, great imagery, great chorus.

1. Bruce Springsteen – Ghosts

I hear the sound of your guitar
Comin’ from the mystic far
Stone and the gravel in your voice
Come in my dreams and I rejoice

I don’t think there could be a better song intro for me in the current year for me than this, as it signals that Bruce and the E St. Band is back, better than ever. Its been a while, what with his book, the Broadway show etc. Just a fantastic fantastic song, which for me ranks in my top 10 Bruce songs ever. As my co-blogger Mike says, the album Letter to You is easiest is best in 20 years. From Roy Bittan’s piano, Max Weinberg’s drumming, to Jake Clemons sax, you just know that this song is going to be a killer live – and its even got the count out towards the end of the song to tease you. A bright ray of hope to all the great live musical moments that awaits us on the other side of this pandemic.

Happy New Year everyone!!

blog, original content, Paul

Paul’s Favorites of 2019

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So here we are again at the end of another year.  While I have not been very active in the blogosphere this year, that doesn’t mean I haven’t been listening to music and taking notes!  So, just under the wire, here are my favorites of 2019.

10. Vampire Weekend – This Life

The type of song that can  make you feel like the suns shining and the bird are singing, even if you’re in the middle of a cold foggy rainstorm.

 

9.  Nilufer Yanya – In Your Head

Heard this song on a new music playlist and it grabbed me from the first riff.  Can’t really tell what’s going on in her head, but the song kicks ass.

 

8. Bruce Springsteen – Stones

It took me a while to warm up to Bruce’s latest release, Western Stars, as it was so different from what I would have expected.  But its filled with gorgeous melodies and grand arrangements, and as we have come to expect from Bruce, brilliant characters.  This was one of my favorites from it.

 

7. Amanda Palmer – The Ride

A perfect song for a Sunday morning – a tour de force performance that tells you everything you need to know about this ride called life.  Favorite lyric:

Everyone’s trying to stay on the side where the water’s just boiling more slowly
Frogs in a pot, well that’s one thing I’ve got
At least some of the frogs in here know me

 

6. Better Oblivion Community Center – Dylan Thomas

This out of the blue paring between Conor Oberst and Phoebe Bridgers is the perfect example of a collaboration that you hope isn’t just a one off.

 

5. Leonard Cohen – Happens to the Heart

I didn’t get into Leonard Cohen til towards the end of his life.  After his death, went back and listened to his catalog and wished I had paid more attention earlier.  This posthumous release is one last gift from this master songwriter.

 

4. The Beths – You Wouldn’t Like Me

I raved about this song back in Feburary, and the feeling never faded.  A great song from a great album which hits one of my wheelhouses – guitar power pop with a female singer.  And for some reason, the Southern Hemisphere (in this case New Zealand) seems to have more than its fair share.

 

3. Martha – Love Keeps Kicking

One of my favorite guitar riffs of the year from England’s punk pop masters Martha.  And the video is a hoot to boot!

 

2. Alex Lahey – Don’t Be So Hard on Yourself

You know what I said a bit earlier about guitar pop, female singer, and the Southern Hemisphere?  Exhibit B from Australia.  I could put this song on an extended replay loop and not get tired of it.

 

1. Little Steven – Superfly Terraplane

It was a great year for one of my favorite artists.  Springsteen’s extended break from E St. Bnd projects has allowed many of the band members the opportunity to pursue their own projects, and Little Steven has taken full advantage.  Releasing his first album of all new material in decades, he also toured extensively with the Disciples of Soul and continued to kill it live – definitely one of my concert highlights this year.

If I was king of the universe, this song would be a massive #1 hit worldwide.  Alas, I’m not but its still my song of the year.

 

Wishing everyone worldwide a Happy New Year!  Looking forward to more great music discovery in 2020!

original content, Paul

New Music Discoveries

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The Beths – You Wouldn’t Like Me

When multiple bloggers I trust start recommending the same band, its time to pay attention.  When I’m in love with a song about 5 seconds into it, time to stop what I’m doing to check them out.  This is what happened with New Zealand band The Beths.  While I missed when their debut album dropped last year, fellow bloggers Steve for the Deaf and Aphoristical both featured them in just the past couple weeks.  Rather than go on too much about them, here are links to Steve and Aphoristical’s posts, which are much more fun to read and erudite than I could ever be.  Just suffice it to say these catchy power pop gems (think Weezer, or Best Coast)will be on serious rotation the rest of the year on my listening device.  There’s not a bad song on the album, so here’s a random cut.

 

Spielbergs – Five On it

I heard this song on a new music playlist and immediately loved the loud, somewhat fuzzy big guitar sound.  And then fellow blogger The Soul of a Clown also featured them recently.  Spielbergs reminds me of bands like Japandroids or Cloud Nothings.  They’re are a three piece indie rock band from Oslo Norway who put out a debut EP last year – this song is from their debut album, This is Not the End, which came out last week.  From the feedback squeals at the beginning and end, this song is two and half minutes of guitar bliss.

 

Tancred – Queen of New York

Ok I’m detecting a theme for this installment of New Music Discoveries – guitar, guitar, guitar!  And fellow blogger recs!  Tancred is the stage name of Jess Abbott, who writes great guitar pop songs like this one.  As with The Beths, this came out last year so not super new (but who cares) – I was alerted to it The Soul of a Clown, who posted this great review of Tancred’s album Nightstand a few days ago.  I’m a complete sucker for these types of bands!