Songs You May Have Missed #521

31 Jan 2015 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

guster

Guster: “Kid Dreams” (2015)

We’ve previously extolled Guster’s penchant for cheerful melody and their 2015 release, Evermotion, overflows with more feel-good tunefulness.

At times the band also demonstrates an ability to reach a deeper place with a lyric, as is the case with the poignant “Kid Dreams”:

So there I was, fifteen, stuck in
High school was no prom king
Zoned out in a daydream of a
Pretty girl, my own beauty queen
I was too shy to talk
I was round and soft
All the kids would drawl, “You got some beady eyes, boy”

Then I’d start to shrink
Became too hard to see
They got what they need
I got the beady eyes
You can get what you want
Make a plea to the dark
Not as hard as it seems, kid dreams

What did I want?
What did I need?
I got three squares a day, I got a bed for sleep
I couldn’t shake a deep belief in a
Pretty girl who would save me
And then sure enough, they would call my bluff
They’d jab and trip me up
Hit right between the eyes, boy

Fill my cuts with salt
Slowly I’d dissolve
That was all they saw, the boy with beady eyes
You can get what you want
Make a plea to the dark
Not as hard as it seems, kid dreams

Oh God now here she comes
My perfect lady luck
I never did give up, I never did give up
The once and future king
The best it’s ever been
If only they could see, see with my beady eyes, boy

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2013/03/17/songs-you-may-have-missed-364/

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2019/03/23/songs-you-may-have-missed-633/

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2012/03/01/recommended-albums-9/

Songs You May Have Missed #520

22 Jan 2015 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

asgeir

Ásgeir: “King and Cross” (2013)

asgeir pic

At 21 years of age, Ásgeir Trausti Einarsson released his resoundingly popular debut, an album now owned by an estimated 10% of the population of his native Iceland.

With American songwriter John Grant assisting in the translation of lyrics mostly penned by Ásgeir’s 72-year-old retired school principal father, these gorgeous harmonies and ethereal melodies receive wider release in the English-language version of that debut, titled In the Silence.

The record features mostly soulful vocals and a combination of acoustic and electronic instruments which alternately evoke bands like Kings of Convenience or Midlake (with whom Grant also collaborated) but “King and Cross” stands out with its gentle faux-disco vibe.

Songs You May Have Missed #519

16 Jan 2015 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

bronx

Mariachi El Bronx: “Everything Twice” (2014)

Band name that references NYC? Check. Sombreros? Check. Cheerful, ear-tugging melodies? Yup. Mariachi El Bronx have everything you’d expect from a hardcore punk band from L.A.

That’s what The Bronx have been for the better part of their existence. But since 2006 they’ve put out three albums of the punchiest, most party-friendly mariachi music this side of…wherever you’d usually go to hear mariachi music. “Everything Twice” is not quite typical of their mariachi sound, owing more to the Tex-Mex style of Texas Tornados. But it’s as catchy a tune as anything these guys have come up with.

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2019/04/19/songs-you-may-have-missed-635/

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2025/03/01/recommended-albums-94/

bronx

Songs You May Have Missed #518

15 Nov 2014 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

price

Kate Price: “Rathdrum Faire” (2009)

Kate Price, former backup singer to Kenny Loggins, takes Mick Fitzgerald’s “Rathdrum Faire” into haunting Loreena Mckennitt territory. Her 2009 retrospective album takes its title from the area of the Renaissance festival where she once performed and debuted much of her own material.

Songs You May Have Missed #517

08 Nov 2014 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

dan

Dan Wilson: “Love Without Fear” (2014)

Semisonic front man and main songwriter Dan Wilson’s creative and commercial peak may be a couple decades in the rear view at this point, but he can still turn an appealing melody and lyric phrase. Actually, his writing always seemed a bit “mature” for the grunge-influenced era of Semisonic’s peak anyway, so it fits nicely into the AOR slot which will inevitably be the market for his latest solo LP.

His too-infrequent releases always find welcome where melodic, coherent and heartfelt music is still appreciated.

Do check out the other recommendations below. Semisonic’s Great Divide is truly one of the most unjustly overlooked albums of the 1990’s.

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2013/08/09/songs-you-may-have-missed-457/

See also: https://edcyphers.com/2013/06/23/recommended-albums-50/

Songs You May Have Missed #516

07 Nov 2014 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

phoenix

Phoenix: “If I Ever Feel Better” (2000)

Although French synth/soul band Phoenix share roots with Daft Punk (keyboardist/guitarist Laurent Brancowitz was formerly with short-lived band Darlin, as were both Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo of the more famous EDM band) on their debut they established more of a breezy sound reminiscent of 70’s California pop and FM “Yacht Rock”.

Though this band will never make footprints as large as, say, Steely Dan, they can be appreciated by fans of such “lite rock” heavyweights.

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