New Good Song: Day Four by Bloc Party

Here's a new good song -- "Day Four" by Bloc Party

Somewhere in the space where The Cure meets the Smashing Pumpkins and maybe The Killers exists Bloc Party, and a very nice little ditty here called "Day Four." This isn't a game changing song, but it's very nicely produced and quirky enough to be interesting even though it's subdued. Give it a listen.

Enjoy!

New Good Song -- Circles Around The Sun by Dispatch

Here's a new good song -- "Circles Around The Sun" by Dispatch

Sometimes songs with strange storylines flop, and sometimes they soar. One critical achivement of a successful "story" song is that the tone of the story needs to match the tone of the music. That's why "Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm" by Crash Test Dummies is such a success. The music and stories are both a little melancholy and quirky. The music is downright gorgeous, in fact, and I think it's musically one of the most underrated songs of the '90s. For some reason in the 2010s, it's dismissed as some novelty song, when it's certainly not. I digress.

Here, in "Circles Around The Sun," we get the story of a nearly weightless boy who "cannot speak or walk" who appears to have been launched into space for the purposes of scientific research. It's told with humor and a spirit of adventure, and the music is poppy, high energy and full of unexpected chord changes, which mirror both the unexpected twists in the lyrical story, as well as the unexpected twists the protagonist would likely face on his space journey. The whole thing works pretty well together.

Enjoy!

New Good Song: Distance by Christina Perri f/ Jason Mraz

Here's a new good song -- "Distance" by Christina Perri f/ Jason Mraz

"Distance" is a sadder echo of another good Jason Mraz duet, "Lucky," featuring Colbie Callait. Mraz is doing quite well with his output in general, coming off the very nice "I Won't Give Up" earlier this year.

Perri's previous work hasn't exactly aligned with my tastes. She's clearly very talented, but "Jar Of Hearts" and "A Thousand Years" were over the top in vocal delivery and production while being underwhelming in their lyrical content. If as a singer you want to shoot for wringing out emotion, the bar is higher for lyrics. They need to be mature. Perhaps this a double standard. At 25, Perri is younger than, say, Carly Rae Jepsen, who is 26. But my expectations for Jepsen are different because she sings in a more juvenile way and is shooting for a younger target audience. The production of "Call Me Maybe" is poppy and cute, but it works with the delivery, the lyrics, and even Jepsen's clothes. Perri seems to want to be taken more "seriously," which is to say appreciated by adults, so when she's practically shouting at us about a metaphorical jar of hearts, some (i.e., women who are nurturing the wounds of a breakup) may cry, but others (like me) will roll their eyes. Perri co-wrote "Jar Of Hearts" and "A Thousand Years," so perhaps she is destined to be restrained by mediocre material as long as she insists on helping compose it.

These double standards for women go back a long way. Take Britney Spears than Christina Aguilera, who are basically the same age. Spears is cute and a nice performer, but seemed perpetually 13; her vocal delivery and production make it OK to sing about liking boys and being in clubs. Aguilera, on the other hand, has a huge voice and is wildly more talented, so the bar is higher for her output -- we want her to act like a woman, since she sings like one, and to sing songs that have some meaning and impact. I do not think Aguilera's body of work has risen to people's expectations, given her talent. Expectations for Spears, meanwhile, are low. We're just happy when she is not going insane before our eyes.

On "Distance," Perri seems to have elevated the content of the lyrics and relaxed a little with the production and delivery, and the result is emotional impact that to me was missing in her previous songs. She seems more comfortable here and, thus, mature. Mraz's harmonies are a nice addition. If Perri can channel her talent into work that seems more sincere, I think she can be the engine behind many future good songs.

Enjoy!

New Good Song: Save Me by Gotye

Here's a new good song -- "Save Me" by Gotye

I think Gotye may be this generation's Peter Gabriel, and that's just about as high a praise as I can offer. "So," the first album I ever owned, is still one of the best I have ever heard. Gabriel has a way of being experimental and genre-less while still producing gorgeous and catchy music that can be appreciated by young and old listeners who like rock, pop, soul or alternative. I suspect Gotye would cite Gabriel as an inspiration although I have never read anything to that effect.

"Save Me" is another simple but thoughtful piece of melancholy brilliance, following "Easy Way Out." Even when Gotye tries to be upbeat on "I Feel Better," there's still a sad undertone, as there's an implication the singer was not feeling well before.
Enjoy!

New Good Song: We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together by Taylor Swift

Here's a new good song -- "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" by Taylor Swift

I think Taylor Swift is very talented, but much of her output sounds the same. With her new release, she's going in a poppier direction, channeling Avril Lavigne a bit. But it's very cute and catchy. Juvenile, to be sure, but a nice offering for the summer.

Enjoy!

New Good Song: Blood Brothers by Ingrid Michaelson

Here's a new good song: "Blood Brothers" by Ingrid Michaelson

I was mildly irritated earlier this year when VH1 counted down the 100 Greatest Women in Music, and Ingrid Michaelson was #86, while Lisa Loeb was not even on the list. Loeb's output is broader and better, and at the time Michaelson seemed only to have had the one song, "The Way I Am," which I found too cutesy/quirky and seemed like a one-hit wonder to me. But now Michaelson has released a very nice song, "Blood Brothers," which is fuller and more upbeat and has a nice way of casting a tried-and-true "we're all connected" message. Nice video too.

Enjoy!

New Good Song: Home by Phillip Phillips

Here's a new good song -- "Home" by Phillip Phillips

This is not a special discovery by any means, as this song is quite popular and by an "American Idol" winner, but I did want to acknowledge that after several weeks of resistance and skepticism, I do think this is a good song. It would be better coming from a different source, and by that I mean nothing against Mr. Phillips himself as a musician or vocalist. I have never watched "American Idol," but I wouldn't be so snobby as to presume that he is anything less than very talented. But I the output that comes out of the series' "coronation songs" has tended to be a bit corny and overblown.

So this song comes as something of a surprise. If it had been by an unknown artist, and I had discovered it instead of having it pushed to me, I think I would have been quicker to like it. But I'm not an elitist person when it comes to music, by any means. Lots of popular songs are good. And in the case of "Home," the fact it is popular is a bit of a head-scratcher to me, as it doesn't fit the 2012 Top 40 mold at all.

Enjoy!

New Good Song: Champion by The Chevin

Here's a new good song -- "Champion" by The Chevin

Appropriate for the end of the Olympics, here's a high-energy song with a sort of New Order/U2/Coldplay feel. The instrumental break after the bridge (2:42) is particularly stunning.

It's been a bit of a slow time for new good songs, I must say. Perhaps I'm raising the bar too high and thus becoming too picky. But it seems that there was a New Good Song peak about 3 months ago, and that it's been relatively quiet since.

Enjoy!

New Good Song: Triumphant by Mariah Carey featuring Rick Ross and Meek Mill

Here's a new good song -- "Triumphant" by Mariah Carey f/ Rick Ross and Meek Mill

OK. I have made no secret of the fact that, while I am a song-specific fan and thus not artist-loyal, I am interested in Mariah Carey and her output because I have observed 22 years of high quality. She has written, sung, produced and released good song after good song. Sure, there have been a couple clunkers, but the good has outweighed the bad.

So I was eager in anticipation upon learning -- through Facebook -- that her new single was released to radio last Thursday, and to iTunes yesterday. I sought it out as soon as it became available Thursday and was a bit disappointed, because the song so heavily features the "guest" rappers, and rap does a good song not tend to make. But upon repeated listens, I have grown to like it more, and although this is surely not her best output, it is good relative to what else is out there.

She has released a "Vintage Throwback Remix," not yet available on iTunes, that contains no rap and instead includes verses by Carey. This should mean a greater level of goodness, although the production (and specifically the pace of the production) are weaker than the original. So it's not a winning tradeoff.

I am looking forward to seeing the subsequent output from Carey's latest album.

New Good Song: Adorn by Miguel

Here's a new good song -- "Adorn" by Miguel.

If "Sexual Healing" by Marvin Gaye and "Climax" by Usher had a baby, and then gave that baby a totally fascinating bassline, that baby would be "Adorn." This is a weird little gem, especially with headphones, and it gets better on repeated listens.

Enjoy!