Jerry's Pick: "You're Alive" & "Go Go Go"

"YOU'RE ALIVE"-PANIC IS PERFECT
"GO GO GO"-PANIC IS PERFECT 

I should have written about this band the very first time I heard one of their songs, but I got lazy.  The tune was "Go Go Go" (something I lacked at the time) and was one of my favorite alternative picks from earlier this year.

Well, the group behind "Go Go Go" released another single last month and thus gives me a redeeming opportunity to shine my little spotlight on the San Francisco indie-band known as Panic is Perfect.

This five-member group of guys was founded by multi-instrumentalists Jeremy Belzer and Mike Hoffman both of whom had a chance to absorb different musical influences while traveling the world from America to Asia to Africa, an experience which provided that key touch of uniqueness when finally settling down to record in California.  (It's probably the reason why the lyrics to "Go Go Go" are part English, part French.)  But as far as Stateside inspiration, they cite several acts including Passion Pit, Phoenix, Two Door Cinema Club and -- one that was immediately very obvious to me -- Vampire Weekend.  (Allow me to add A Silent Film and Keene.)

Like "Go Go Go," the track "You're Alive" is a relationship-inspired composition and -- although lyrically more linear -- is a mini-tale of a Paula and Jimmy and their need to escape told over a well-crafted uptempo and very catchy backbeat.

In an recent interview with StairwayToNirvana, the band pointed out that in this on-line obsessed world, music has the redemptive and healing power to bring people together again.  Panic is Perfect seems to be doing their part by producing a pair of positively-titled pop songs that will definitely contribute additional energy to your iTunes library and (quite possibly) your day, too.

As of this posting, the band does not have a music video for "You're Alive," but you can click here to audition the audio track.  But first, check out the awesome vibes in this Panic is Perfect clip for "Go Go Go!"

So... what are you waiting for?!  "Va Va Va!"

Jerry's Pick: "Do You Remember"

"DO YOU REMEMBER"-JARRYD JAMES

Jarryd James has already found an audience in his native Australia where "Do You Remember" has topped the charts and he's now hoping for similar success in the States where this track was recorded.

James says he wrote this bleak post-breakup song in Los Angeles with his producer Joel Little, the New Zealander who had already racked up success working with Lorde, Elliphant and Broods.

It's not your typical break-up song.  This one comes across extremely personal and a little bit dark.

Jarryd explained to journalist Grant Smithies, "It's a kind of romantic, nostalgic song, about things in your life that you can't get back... and a lot of people know that feeling."

The steady, driving beat of Jarryd's music plays a perfect match with his emotionally-tinged, at times distressed, falsetto vocals.  "Do You Remember" is a perfect example of the less-is-more songwriting formula.

According to James, the basic track was recorded in a house his producer rented in Los Angeles.  He told freelance journalist Kasimiira Kontio, “When we recorded ‘Do You Remember,’ we had to do it in a spare room because we could not access a studio. When I was putting the track together, I had to use whatever stuff we could use as instruments. We used stuff like a nutcracker and a ukulele but we didn’t really want to come up with some weird shit so we disguised some of the instruments that we used."

The lyrics are powerful, especially coming out of the middle-eight ("When you find out that there ain't no other love, no other love for you") when the song's heart briefly skips a beat... then immediately revived with its pleading chorus ("Oh, don't be scared about it/Don't forget it was real").

James told Chris Danks of hillydilly.com, "I’ve always wanted to make moving music, and all these experiences that I’ve been through just add to all the emotions that I feel when I play and write music."

"Do You Remember" is part of a just-released five-song, eponymously-titled EP.

Jerry's Picks: The Top-10 Tracks of 2014

As some of you may know, I listen to all of the new single releases from record companies each and every week and pick-out the few that I feel are solid enough overall songs to withstand repeated plays.  It's like a durability test for the ears.

Today I reviewed all of my picks from the last 12-months and have selected ten of my favorite tracks that still sound just as amazing as the first time they caused my tympanic membrane to vibrate happily.

I've included each of the song's videos but the focus should remain solely on the music itself.  Check 'em all out.  I hope there's something here you can take with you into 2015!

"MOTHER + FATHER"-BROODS
This brother and sister outfit from New Zealand imported a winner with this sentimental yet optimistic ballad featuring an irresistible hook.



"TEMPLE"-KINGS OF LEON
Am I the only person in the world who still thinks this awesome rocker was inspired by the book “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”?



"JACKIE KENNEDY"-INGRID OLAVA
I fell in love immediately with this Norwegian vocalist’s delicate handling of lyrics which are chock full of beautiful imagery.



"CAN'T BREAK ME DOWN"-BILLY IDOL
I was a doubter, but that 80s dude with the beached-hair, fist-pump and toothy-snarl has still got it!



"WAVES"-SLEEPER AGENT
A wonderful up-tempo song to close-out the year and say “Goodbye” to all of the assholes who held you back.



"EX'S & OH'S"-ELLE KING
I still think some NFL network should use Elle's (she’s comedian Rob Schneider’s daughter) sassy yet bluesy creation in one of their promos.



"GIRLS CHASE BOYS"-INGRID MICHAELSON
Cute and bouncy, this charming single gives hope to the broken-hearted and lots of poppy-joy to the rest of us.



"I'M WITH YOU"-GROUPLOVE
It may start out with a meandering keyboard but the chorus will have you “ah’ing” and “oh’ing” in a matter of no time!



"CRAZY"-KAT DAHLIA
I love this Cuban-American vocalist’s name almost as much as I love her rapid-fire delivery of the lyrics of this fun song.



"I'M CALLIN'"-TENNIS
It’s the light, carefree vocals of Alaina Moore (wife) and funky guitar-work of Patrick Riley (husband) that had me callin’ back for more.

New Music "Picks of the Week!"

It's a new year and everyone is making resolutions to eat less and exercise more.  I, on the other hand, promise to try and get these blogs out in a timely fashion because I've been slacking as-of-late.  So, how about updates once a week? Okay, that ain't gonna happen... so, let's make that once a month.  Deal.

Since my previous post, which was last October, I've discovered a handful of great tunes.  But, by now, you've probably heard of some of them.  If not, you gotta check them out.  And, I pledge to update this page with more shiny-new pop songs often, and... eat less and exercise more.


 "LONELY BOY"-THE BLACK KEYS

What's not to like about this track?  "Lonely Boy" has several layers of hook from the bluesy guitar to the motivating back-beat and a obsessive chorus that will have you singing along after your first listen.  ("Oh, OH, oh-oh... I got a love that keeps me waiting...")  The parent album El Camino was only released last month and has quickly been added to many critic's favorites lists of 2011, including mine.  The song was co-written and produced by Danger Mouse.




 "SOMEBODY THAT I USED TO KNOW"-GOTYE

I'm usually attracted to something that stands out from all of the others, a song that is definitely uniquely unique. This post-relationship point/counter-point set-of-lyrics starts out delicate but builds to an emotional climax with lyrics about broken promises and how to move on after an emotional break-up.  The roles are played perfectly by Gotye (Australia's Wouter De Backer) and Kimbra (New Zealand's Kimbra Agiejew). Love... this... song!!!




 "TONIGHT"-SEETHER

You don't have to be into post-grunge/alternative metal to dig this single from the South African band Seether.  "Tonight," which is part of their album Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray, is heavy but melodic and romantically uplifting as well.  It is by far the best cut from their new album and has already hit the top of several rock charts in North America.  Remember, it'll sound better at "11."

After you add the above three suggestions to your music library, here are a few others I've been playing on my iPod since Thanksgiving that you might want to get to know too!

"THESE DAYS"-FOO FIGHTERS

"TOMORROW"-CRANBERRIES

"UNDERNEATH THE SYCAMORE"-DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

"PARTY IN MY HEAD"-SEPTEMBER

"GET BURNED"-SLEEPER AGENT

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!"

I caught a bit of Kid Rock's performance on television during the nationally televised Green Bay Packers home-opener pre-game festivities at Lambeau Field last week and had to give another listen to his latest single "Care."  Every AC station in the country is probably playing the ballad right now and I came close to recommending it this week.  It's a solid song, especially the version with Martina McBride, but after a couple weeks I found myself already skipping past it whenever it pops up on the Pod.  It became a quick burn-out for me... but check it out for yourself.  See if you Care.

But moving on... there were two stand-out tracks that I've been giving quite a bit of repeated play lately.  Oh, by-the-way, this week's picks are brought to you by the letter "W."


 "I MIGHT"-WILCO

The new Wilco album The Whole Love is supposed to be available toward the end of this month but the band advance-released the track "I Might" which I've already listened to well over 30-times.  Partly because it's so catchy-cool and partly because I've been (unsuccessfully) trying to decipher the lyrics that lead-vocalist Jeff Tweedy is singing.  ("Slim Jim..." what?)  But what makes the song extra special are the xylophone accents throughout the tune and a very catchy keyboard riff à la ? and the Mysterians.




"HANG ON"-WEEZER

The second single from the latest Weezer album Hurley (yeah, that's that "Lost" dude on the cover) is finally getting some notice. Check out "Hang On" which is so hooky I'm sure that when the band performs the tune live, the title will easily become an audience-participatory fist-pumping chant. Here's something curious about the track: "Hang On" features actor Michael Cera ("Superbad," "Juno") on backing vocals, mandolin and hurdy gurdy.

That's it for now.  More to come!  Right now I'm heading to Google to find out what the hell a hurdy gurdy is.

New Music "Picks of the Week!"

Of all the music I've added over the past several weeks, I think I've been playing the tracks "Get It Daddy" (Sleeper Agent) and "When I'm Alone" (Lissie) the most.  They pass my stringent "repeated listens" test.  On the other hand, I did once recommend Santana's cover of "Photograph."  Well, that got old really quick.  Sorry about that.  Anyway...


"SWIM"-SURFER BLOOD

I found a couple tunes which are definitely not your typical pop songs, but they're good!  The first is from a Scottish band called Surfer Blood.  Okay... they're not from Scotland... or even Britain.  Try West Palm Beach, Florida.  Still don't believe it.  They could be singing "In A Big Country" for God's sake.  Anyway, check out the accent on this rocker they dubbed "Swim."




"CAN'T KEEP JOHNNY DOWN"-THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS

The music from They Might Be Giants is an acquired taste, one I first discovered after hearing "Ana Ng," the band's second most familiar track.  (The first has to be "Boss of Me," the theme song to the TV comedy "Malcolm in the Middle.")  The nasally lead-vocals emanate from the beak of John Flansburgh who may or may not be the subject of the two-minute ditty "Can't Keep Johnny Down."




"JACK IN THE BOX"-PAULINE

Finally, a song so new and so obscure the track isn't yet available on iTunes and the only YouTube link has just a thousand hits.  Be the first on your block to add "Jack in the Box" from Pauline, a Swedish vocalist who seems to borrow a bit from Amy Winehouse, Gwen Stefani, Supremes and even Dinah Washington! (All in front of a Fats Domino-styled riff.)  I took a liking to this jazzy number after the first listen!

New Music "Pick of the Week!"

"THE ADVENTURES OF RAIN DANCE MAGGIE"-RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS

Not a whole lot of happiness for my ears this week.  If fact, I'm recommending a track I first heard last month.  It just took several listens before I really began to like it.

The song is "The Adventures of Rain Dance Maggie", a funky little jam from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the band's first new single in almost four-years.  (The parent album I'm With You should be out at the very end of this month.)  Chili Peppers' lead vocalist Anthony Kiedis explained, "It's just a collection of memories and people along the way that had maybe left my consciousness until I heard that music, and then they kind of came dancing back into my consciousness, and out the old pen onto the paper."

I think you'll discover that this bass-laden groove has just the right amount of cow bell.

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.

New Music "Picks of the Week!"

"MOUNTAIN TOP"-BEDOUIN SOUNDCLASH

I always get excited when I hear something new but drastically different from everything else that's aired on most radio stations in the country.  A couple of tracks I heard last week fit the bill.  The first is from Bedouin Soundclash, a Totonto rock-reggae outfit that had a top-10 hit in their native Canada in 2007 but is still hoping to place one on the charts in the USA.  Jay Malinowski may not have a perfect singing voice, but his crackling lead vocals are perfect for "Mountain Top," a cut from Light the Horizon which came out late last year.




"SOMEONE'S GONNA BREAK YOUR HEART"-FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE

The other band is Fountains of Wayne who happen to feature one of the best songwriters of any decade.  (Trivia: The band's bassist Adam Schlesinger wrote the catchy title track for the Sixties period-piece pop-music film "That Thing You Do!")  FoW's latest is "Someone's Gonna Break Your Heart." It may take, at least, a couple of listens... but I think you'll eventually find it worthy.  Enjoy!  More to come!

Previous New Music "Picks of the Week!"

Here are a few previous picks from the first half of 2011 that you may want to check out! 

• Brighter Than the Sun - Colbie Caillat
• Don't Gotta Work It Out - Fitz and the Tantrums
• Get It Daddy - Sleeper Agent
• God In Training - Breaking Laces
• Excuse - The Ettes
• Walk - Foo Fighters
• Who Says - Selena Gomez and the Scene
• The Limelight - Steffen (click then scroll down to the track: "The Limelight")
• Heartbreak Down - P!nk
• Heart Skips a Beat - Lenka
• (It) Feels So Good - Steven Tyler
• Blowin' My Mind - BoDeans
• Driven By Their Beating Hearts - A Silent Film
• When I'm Alone - Lissie
• Long Time - CAKE
• You and Me - Elizabeth and the Catapult
• The Ballad of Mona Lisa - Panic! at the Disco
• Sun of a Gun - Oh Land
• Green Grass - I Am Arrows
• 1000 Ships - Rachel Platten
• Undisclosed Desires - Muse
• My My - Liz Phiar
• You Are a Tourist - Death Cab for Cutie
• Whirring - The Joy Formidable
• Architechs and Engineers - Guster
• Rill Rill - Sleigh Bells
• Mine Smells Like Honey - REM
• Melancholy Astronautic Man - Allie Moss
• MoneyGrabber - Fitz and the Tantrums
• Crash Years - The New Pornographers
• Rolling in the Deep - Adele
• Kick Drum Heart - The Avett Brothers
• The Story of Us - Taylor Swift
• I Want the World to Stop - Belle and Sebastian
• Sad Song - The Cars
• I Do - Colbie Caillat
• She's Enough - Atmosphere
• Sail - AWOLNATION
• Young Blood - The Naked and Famous
• Your Surrender - Neon Trees
• What the Hell - Avril Lavigne
• Tell Me I'm a Wreck - Every Avenue
• Closer to the Edge - Thirty Seconds to Mars
• Never Gonna Leave This Bed - Maroon 5
• Hello - Martin Sloveig
• Drug - White Denim