Jerry's Pick: "Never Gonna See Me Cry"

"Never Gonna See Me Cry"-Good Old War

Now here's one smooth, gliding power-pop concoction that should have you singing along with its delightfully hooky chorus before this three-minute clip comes to a cold close with a "ha-ha-ha!"

The band is Philadelphia's Good Old War -- a group moniker Frankensteined from members Keith GOODwin, Tim ArnOLD and Daniel SchWARtz's surnames -- who have come up with their most radio-friendly track to date.

"Never Gonna See Me Cry" is fun and clean and genuine and full of lyrical metaphors.  And aside from being skillfully scored, what really stands-out is the song's smartly crafted harmonies.  You'll "Ahh" at their "Oohs."

This very good Good Old War song has been around since last year, but because the band's label is just now getting behind and promoting the trio's "new" single, I just had to give "Never Gonna See Me Cry" five :v) :v) :v) :v) :v)... and zero frowns.

I don't think the alt-indy guys have released an official music video* for "Never Gonna See Me Cry," yet... but you can stream the audio by clicking on the image below.  And, to give you an idea of how vocally talented these dudes are, be sure to audition their library acoustic version, too!  They're both right here!

(*They have! It's below.)

Jerry's Pick: "Wide Open"

"Wide Open"-Chemical Brothers

I found myself alone, on a passenger car linked-up far behind the locomotive where the steady, evenly spaced clicks of the steel wheels against the tracks below the floor put me into a six-minute semi-hypnotic-like trance.

Well, sort of.

At least those were a few of the first images that drifted around in my head while zoning-out to the latest Chemical Brothers creation "Wide Open."  But I must admit, this ultra-alternative track is not for everyone.

Twenty-years after becoming electronica pioneers, the duo released the album Born In The Echoes (rumored to be their last) which features "Wide Open," a simple four-chord recording supporting the song's mechanical yet floating, dreamy aura.  They told Rolling Stone, "We wanted to make a record that would fit alongside the other records we've made, and we both felt that there was another good Chemical Brothers album in us."

For vocals, the "Brothers" (Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons) wisely recruited Beck whose laid-back delivery didn't dominate, but instead softly complimented the duo's synth-laden backing track.  Beck's lines seem to be deep but empathetic, most likely to fans like me with more than a few decades under their belts.  "Slow me down, it's getting away from me.  It's getting away from me.  Getting away... from... me."

Aside from being the kings of EDM, the Chemical Brothers are also well known for their imaginative promotional music videos, most notably the visually trippy 1999 clip "Let Forever Be." 

Most likely inspired by last year's sci-fi film "Ex Machina," the recently released mini-music movie for "Wide Open" is just as fascinating and beautifully compliments the duo's Kraftwerkian creation giving the song yet another dimension.  Trust me... check it out below.  It's pretty cool.

Jerry's Pick: "South"

"South"-Hippo Campus

A couple of things I learned this week...

1. The hippocampus is the name of a small region of the brain that controls memory.

2. Hippo Campus is a Twin Cities-based indy-alternative band made up of four 20-year olds who just released their second collection of songs.

Guitarist Nathan Stocker explained to WRGW, “I was in psychology class one day and I was reading about the brain and was like 'Yo, that’s a cool word,' and split it up into two words and that’s a band name!"

And what-do-ya-know... after just a couple of listens to the new Hippo Campus track "South," my hippocampus had me humming the catchy tune during the days that followed.

A simple, easy-going, infectious opening guitar riff leads into a 30-word stanza that ends with, "Chest hum, a black gun and forty dollars." Huh?! Now, I haven't the slightest idea what they're singing about there, but I do kinda like how that curious line rolls off the tongue.  "Chest hum, a black gun and forty dollars." Righteous.

By the second verse, Jake Luppen's vocals turn raspy taking on an edgier feel while the lyrics become a little bit clearer, apparently coming-of-age lines from a bunch of coming-of-age guys.

'“South' is about growing up, and recognizing where you come from, and the environment that you’ve grown up in, and accepting that that was then... and this, now,” Stocker told The Current's Andrea Swensson.  “It’s about personal growth.”

The band's jangly-guitars may sound more West Coast than Upper Midwest but I also found some similarities to Two Door Cinema Club, Shout Out Louds, Vampire Weekend and maybe the Shins.

For a bunch of nerdy-guys just out of high school I must say they sure do sound like polished recording studio vets. But see what you think. Their music video clip is "South."