New Good Song: "Miracle," Kimbra 8.9.14

Here's a new good song: "Miracle" by Kimbra. This woman creates such great music: "Somebody That I Used To Know" with Gotye, "Warrior" with Mark Foster and A-Trak, "Two Way Street," "Come Into My Head," "Nobody But You," and now this. Always fresh and original, but familiar. Alternatively edgy, but accessible. Charming but not cheesy. Just great, nearly every time. (One exception: Didn't care for the lead single off "Golden Echo," "90s Music."

New Good Song: "Prove It To You," Kris Allen f/ Lenachka 8.9.14

Here's a new good song: "Prove It To You" by Kris Allen f/ Lenachka. This tune harkens back to simple hits like "When Can I See You" by Babyface and "Babylon" by David Gray. A very nice blend of harmonies makes this an easy listen that grows catchier with each repeated listen.

New Good Song: "Runaway," sElf 8.1.14

Here's a new good song: "Runaway" by sElf, an '80s-influenced head-bobber and toe-tapper.

New Good Song: "Ghosts," Big Wreck 8.1.14

Here's a new good song: "Ghosts" by Big Wreck.

This is a melodious rock song with a bit of '90s grit in its production. The album version is too long (6 minutes 10 seconds), but the edited mix in the clip below is only 4 minutes 35 seconds. This shorter take is not available on iTunes as of this writing.

New Good Song: "Don't Kill The Magic," Magic! 8.1.14

Here's a new good song: "Don't Kill The Magic" by Magic! (also stylized as MAGIC!). This group currently has the No. 1 song in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, "Rude." I discovered "Rude" in December 2013 when it was lingering on the lower part of the U.K. singles chart, and think it is one of 2014's best songs. "Don't Kill The Magic" is a follow-up, which at first I found pleasant and nicely written but not particularly special. But it has grown on me very much over the past two months.

As I have mentioned several times, I believe that the beginnings and endings of songs are essential to their goodness or badness, and in modern music the introductions and conclusions are often given short shrift. Especially endings, which are often disappointingly abrupt (example, "The Only Ones" by Deluka, featured in the previous post -- an absolutely excellent song with a very poorly thought-out, sudden ending). Great endings offer some element of surprise and closure, perhaps an interpolation of what came before, a twist on the lyrics, an un-foreshadowed major-to-minor key change, etc.

My favorite aspect of "Don't Kill The Magic" is the ending -- the final 22 seconds or so (from 3:09 to 3:31 in the clip below) where the song breaks down to its percussion and piano foundation and background-vocal hook and tenderly fades away. A great ending like this leaves you feeling more moved by a song, sorry to hear it end. I wish more acts

 

New Good Song: "The Only Ones," Deluka 8.1.14

Here's a new good song: "The Only Ones," by Deluka. It harkens to attitude-driven female-vocalized pop/rock music from the '80s and '90s, or more recently, great songs by The Naked and Famous such as "Hearts Like Ours." If you have difficulty with the Spotify embed below, you can listen to "The Only Ones" on their website and purchase on iTunes. The song is not, as of this writing, on YouTube or Soundcloud.
 

New Good Song: "Don't Look Back," Matrix & Futurebound f/ Tanya Lacey 8.1.14

Here's a new good song: "Don't Look Back" by Matrix & Futurebound f/ Tanya Lacey. It's a shiny, upbeat dance/running tune, similar in many ways to one of the best songs of 2014 so far, "All Of You" by Peter Thomas f/ Betty Who.