Jerry's Pick: "What Went Wrong"

"WHAT WENT WRONG"-UNTIL JUNE

I like this track.  I'll admit, it took a few plays.  Probably because I was, at first, listening intently to only the lyrics. Once I took a couple steps back, it began to coalesce.

There's a brief 3-2-1 keyboard countdown and then the band immediately launches into a Coldplay-like jangly guitar barrage, backing off just in time to hear a heartbreaking plea: "Will you wait for me, when I come for you?"

The band is Until June, a Phoenix trio featuring ASU brothers Josh (vocals/keyboards) and Dan Ballard (guitar) with drummer Daniel Dempsey. Josh plays the part perfectly.  You can hear the hurt in his falsetto as he reflects on a relationship that meant the world to him.

"What Went Wrong" is the first single off of the band's second album, Young & Foolish.  According to Josh, “We decided that the most artistic way to present the songs on Young & Foolish was not just about how the melodies or chord progressions were constructed, but also the way my vocals came across. We didn’t want to have them right in your face like typical pop tracks, but rather tucked underneath.”

Side note: Until June has been around since 2000, but after five-years of struggling to make it in the music biz the band set a deadline saying that they would keep working hard "until June" of 2005 to score a record deal or they would call it quits.  Not only did they sign with a label, but they got a meaningful group name out of it as well.

New Music "Picks of the Week!"

Folk, rock, alternative too.  Well, this week I discovered a handful of tunes that represent a few of the colorful bands of that wonderful rock and roll rainbow.  Just click on the links below to hear the songs.

Check 'em all out... see which ones you like!


 "YOU'LL BE MINE"-THE PIERCES

Is there such a thing as female adult alternative folk-pop?  If not, there is now.  Meet the Pierces, comprised of Birmingham-born sisters (Catherine and Allison) who possess identical pitch-perfect voices that harmonize so well together they sound as if one person was double-tracked in the recording studio.  I liked the studio version of "You'll Be Mine" immediately but found a greater appreciation for this very personal composition after listening to Catherine explain how they came to write the ballad (which is followed by an acoustic performance of the song).  I think you'll like it as quick as... one, two, three.




 "NOT YOUR FAULT"-AWOLNATION

There's no way in hell that AWOLNATION will ever top last year's "Sail." That synth-laden track is still freakin' awesome and so unique!  But I had to give props to the band-in-all-capital's latest single from Megalithic Symphony which is a much more uptempo, just as synthesized, track called "Not Your Fault."  After just a couple of listens you'll be singing along with the hook.  If not, then it is your fault.





"DIFFERENT"-XIMENA SARINANA

Finally, let me introduce you to Ximena Sariñana (hi-MEN-a sa-rin-YAH-na), a 20-something Mexican-born actress, singer-songwriter who falls into the category of "adorable."  Although the majority of her previous recordings have been in Spanish, there's hope that "Different" will more than cross-over to the American pop charts. (I just now heard part of this song used in a Pop Tart TV commercial!  Mmmm, Pop Tarts!) Take a listen to her matter-of-fact delivery on "Different" and see if you agree that it's sort of in the same style of that 1987 hit song "Breakout."  (Okay, besides me, who remembers Swing Out Sister? Anyone...?)

Here are three other new tracks worth checking out:

"PARADISE"-COLDPLAY 

"STEREO"-IAMDYNAMITE

"THE LADY IS A TRAMP"-TONY BENNETT and LADY GAGA  

New Music "Picks of the Week!"

Came across four new singles this last week that you just may want to audition...

"NOT ENOUGH"-STACY CLARK

For me, Tori Amos and Ani DiFranco come to mind when listening to "Not Enough," a track from singer-songwriter-guitarist Stacy Clark.  The disjointed piano intro makes this Adult Alternative ballad one of the more interesting tracks of the month.




"JUNK OF THE HEART (HAPPY)"-THE KOOKS

The first time I heard of the band the Kooks was through a song that was included on the 2009 charity album "War Child Presents Heroes" where they covered the Kinks classic "Victoria."  The band's new single "Junk of the Heart (Happy)" is a lightweight cut from their album of the same name (set for release this September).




"JET LAG"-SIMPLE PLAN

Simple Plan has been known as a Canadian punk-pop band, but their latest single "Jet Lag" is a lot less punk and a whole lot more pop.  I guess that's unavoidable when Natasha Bedingfield is the guest vocalist.  Take a listen.  Who knows, you may like it.




"MAJOR MINUS"-COLDPLAY

Lastly, another U2ish sounding rocker from Coldplay's latest project.  According to Chris Martin, "Major Minus" is about people who "express themselves in negative environments" and cited the White Rose Movement (a group of German children who printed anti-Nazi flyers during World War II) as inspirartion.