Comment: Kiss Me is a beautiful ballad that made Christian alternative rock band Sixpence None The Richer famous not only across the United States but also around the world. It peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one in the Australian and Canadian charts. It was all well-deserved because this sweet song is quite a gem. Enjoy this week’s #ThrowbackThursday entry.
The Camel City Blackouts were featured here back in May with their single Another Night and now they’re back with a new EP, Wild Card, featuring three brand new tunes. Swing or Sway is the one that kicks things up with three minutes of this fine blend of energetic #punkrock music and #alternativerock. The vocals are also pretty enjoyable, which is not something you can say about most songs within the same genre. I should give a special mention as well to the second track: Memory, which got a great chorus as well.
The bottom line is that if you like punk-influenced music, you should give this band from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a chance. They won’t disappoint.
Comment: I didn’t mention it on that entry, but The New Twenty’s I Can’t Afford Her reminded me a bit of the style of American Hi-Fi, at least that of their self-titled debut album from 2001. Now, if you only know one song from this still-active band led by Stacy Jones (also known for being the drummer in Veruca Salt and Letters To Cleo), it is likely to be Flavor of the Weak, which is their one big hit and a great rock song on its own. That being said, I’ve always had a soft spot for the lesser known Another Perfect Day, which is why I decided to feature that tune instead as this week’s #ThrowbackThursday entry. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Comment: Southern California-based duo Casual Vice is formed by two musicians who cut their teeth with other bands before forming this new act last year. Instead was released as a single back in January and then included in the EP Joie De Vivre in February. It is a great indie rock track with a chorus you won’t be able to get out of your head before December. Check it out!
Comment: boy blush is the stage name of Dylan Stone, someone who always dreamed to release music but didn’t dare to do so until the pandemic arrived and some friends heard this tune and gave him a little push. I’m glad they did because if you told me that Hell With You was written by a seasoned songwriter with multiple hits under her name and recorded at a famous studio with a well-known producer, I could totally believe you. I really hope Dylan keeps releasing music.
Comment: This band is formed by three brothers who honed their craft at night after long days working in the family farm. They started to get noticed about 2 years ago and are planning to release an EP soon. I See Sparks is just a taster of what’s to come and it is one of those songs that get stuck in your head. A total #earworm.
Comment: This song is a classic from 21 years ago. Even though they were never able to replicate the success of this hit, they do have quite a few good songs. They took a long hiatus but got back together in 2016. Maybe they’ll surprise us with another hit in the future. Meanwhile, enjoy this #ThrowbackThursday!
I’m at least a couple of months late to Michigander’s party. This song has been in my backlog for a good while now but for one reason or another, it didn’t make it here until now. That is a shame though because Let Down is an extremely catchy song that certainly deserved to be featured here. It even peaked at #8 on the Billboard Adult Alternative chart, which is something. The song, which talks about the dichotomy of feeling excited about meeting a potential love interest and the fear of being let down by it, is part of Everything Will Be OK Eventually, the band’s latest EP released earlier this year. I say band here but the truth is more complicated than that. Michigander is mainly the work of Jason Singer, but he does have a band helping him out, which includes Aaron Senor, who should be familiar to you now after being featured here twice (here and here).
This EP was reviewed back in March by our friend Jeff (Eclectic Music Lover), and as usual, it was a superb review. I’m well aware Michigander is pretty well known around the Michigan area, but I frankly don’t know how he isn’t a mainstream artist already. His songs are refreshingly good, the production is always top-notch and his band is full of outstanding musicians. The rest of the world might need to wait a bit longer before getting acquainted with Michigander‘s work, but you can start right here, right now.
CNTRDCTNS sounds great. Period. But when you are told that it is just the second single The Hisunz have ever released, then you can’t help but feel blown away. Well, I guess it helps a lot to have the guidance of another band that has been around for a long time now: The Ting Tings, who co-wrote and produced some of their songs. The Hisunz were formed in East London but both of their members, Emma Barber and Alex Roman, come from Spain. In fact, they’re currently in that country preparing their debut album.
The Hisunz cite The XX as one of their influences and you can definitely sense that in CNTRDCTNS, which mixes layered guitars and atmospheric electronic sounds with dreamy vocal melodies. It’s a mesmerizing indie rock song that you will want to put on repeat. Highly recommended!
Remember The Dangerous Summer? In case you don’t, they were featured here almost one year ago (it feels like yesterday though). Well, Broken Glowsticks is the alter ego of AJ Perdomo, TDS’ frontman, who created this alternative side project as an outlet to showcase a different side to his songwriting. He has released two songs so far as BG, with Funeral Song being the most recent one. A hauntingly beautiful stripped down track that will hit you hard with its heartfelt lyrics.
AJ Perdomo is a great songwriter and the fact that he now has more ways for getting his songs to our ears is nothing but good news to all of us. As much as I like The Dangerous Summer, with lyrics such as “What if we all die before we win” and “I’m drowning in the words I wanna sing”, we can’t help but fall in love with Broken Glowsticks as well. Enjoy!
