Pete Gardiner: “Bourbon and the Truth” (2020)
And right before I wrote a song that mattered
The industry turned into glass and shattered
Songs You May Have Missed #659
28 Mar 2020 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: bourbon and the truth, pete gardiner
Songs You May Have Missed #658
23 Mar 2020 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: the marshall tucker band, this ol' cowboy
The Marshall Tucker Band: “This Ol’ Cowboy” (1974)
Though Marshall Tucker Band were usually categorized as southern rock, at their best–and they’re at their best here–they weren’t easily pigeonholed.
Tasty Toy Caldwell guitar licks, jazzy chords and a breezy vibe complement a philosophical, carefree lyric on a song that deftly straddles genres. A radio edit of “This O’ Cowboy” charted at #78 in early 1975.
Where We All Belong was a double album, with one record of new material and another featuring smoking live performance cuts.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/04/21/songs-you-may-have-missed-87/
Songs You May Have Missed #657
15 Mar 2020 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: here's the thing, sports team
Sports Team: “Here’s the Thing” (2020)
First: This song literally took twenty seconds to become my latest infatuation.
Second: I sent it to my Gen Z son, who responded thusly, and I quote: “The lyrics are basically the panicked cry of my generation tbh”
Third: Realizing what I thought was just a fun song may actually be a generational anthem, I searched for band bio info to discover:
Sports Team have been playing huge headlining tours in England, selling out venues such as Electric Ballroom and Kentish Town Forum, were named Elle Magazine’s ‘Band to Watch’ in their March issue, had front man Alex Rice featured in British Vogue’s Top Boys, and had Annie Mac feature this particular tune on BBC Radio 1 as her Hottest Record in the World.
Folks, this is all prior to releasing their debut album, which is due next month.
And here I’ll repeat my rant/lament that so much great music receives airplay in Europe but finds no place on American pop radio, dominated as it is by mumble rap, bro country and EDM. Occasionally something fresh breaks through the gridlock of the sound-alikes, but not often enough if we’re missing out on stuff like this.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2025/07/06/songs-you-may-have-missed-786/
Songs You May Have Missed #656
14 Mar 2020 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: donnie iris, sweet merilee
Donnie Iris: “Sweet Merilee” (1981)
Donnie Iris had four Top 40 singles in his career, including one as front man of one-hit wonders the Jaggerz (1970 chestnut “The Rapper”).
Although “Sweet Merilee” was not one of those Top 40 singles (stalling at #80) in this writer’s opinion there weren’t many tunes of its era that top it.
This song has everything. Bumpin’ bassline, great harmonies, a top notch guitar solo, and fiery vocals by one of pop’s underrated belters.
In Pittsburgh Donnie Iris is a god. And while I’m not typically taken by the hype when it comes to local acts, he’s the exception. Iris’ first two solo albums, 1980’s Back On the Streets and King Cool, its follow-up in ’81, deserve wider recognition. Both albums are crammed with earworm pop rock co-written by Iris and keyboardist Mark Avsec.
Iris unfortunately failed to hang on to a major label deal, perhaps due to his breaking into the youth-dominated New Wave era as a guy of relatively advanced age. And the Iris-Avsec writing partnership cooled off too. But for a span of two years and two albums, few produced better pop rock.
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/11/09/cellarful-of-noise-samantha/
Songs You May Have Missed #655
06 Mar 2020 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: saint motel, van horn
Saint Motel: “Van Horn” (2019)
Saint Motel’s third LP, The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, is being released initially as three EP’s. from the first of which comes “Van Horn” and a chorus that makes for a pretty enjoyable sing-along:
Well, tell me do you hate me
Or do you wanna date me?
It’s kinda hard to tell
‘Cause your eyes are looking crazy
So why you coming over,
Anything but sober?
Looking like it’s time tonight
For fight or flight
In Van Horn
See also: https://edcyphers.com/2021/11/11/songs-you-may-have-missed-715/
Songs You May Have Missed #654
22 Feb 2020 Leave a comment
in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: brian eno, david byrne, life is long
David Byrne & Brian Eno: “Life is Long” (2008)
“Folk-electronic-gospel” is how David Byrne and Brian Eno refer to their 2008 transatlantic collaboration, their first since 1981’s My Life in the Bush of Ghosts.
Eno says his longtime love of gospel music was initiated by Byrne and his work with Talking Heads–remember, “Take Me to the River” was an Al Green cover–and the horn charts here certainly wouldn’t be out of place on one of Green’s tunes.
Every Moment Has A Song 