Jerry's Pick: "Feel It Still"

"Feel It Still"-Portugal. The Man

Not only will Madison Avenue tap this song for a future television commercial but I have a feeling we may also soon be seeing "I'm a Rebel Just for Kicks Now" tees, hats, bumper stickers... protest signs.

What makes this brand-new track from the Portland-by-way-of-Alaska trio (who purposely placed a full-stop right-smack-dab in the middle of their moniker) Portugal. The Man so marketable is that the band's latest creation is extremely catchy. "Feel It Still" first entices with a soulful Shaft-ish hi-hat and bold bare-bones bassline before firmly hooking you with its funky falsetto and a heady horn section.

By approximately 30-seconds into the groove, your head and shoulders should slowly begin to engage in tempo with the beat. And, at only about two-and-a-half minutes in length, you get juuust enough to want more.

That's why -- after dozens of repeated listens -- I was able to deconstruct this P.tM addiction and tie it to bits of other songs that were bouncing around in my subconscious.

According to my brain, I came to the conclusion that "Feel It Still" is what happens when you combine equal parts "Mercy" (Duffy), "The Head I Hold" (Electric Guest) and "Please, Mr. Postman" (Marvelettes) in a big ol' blender after hitting the "Smoothie" setting.

Another point. I didn't hear it at first, but it turns out this Portugal. The Man single is a call to action. 

"I'm a rebel just for kicks now, I been feeling it since 1966 now. Might of had your fill, but you feel it still."

Lead vocalist John Gourley attributed part of the inspiration to a Woodstock ticket-stub that belonged to his dad. He said it reminded him that music -- as it did in the Sixties -- has an opportunity "to comment on societal and political unease" and say "something that mattered." The group's music video (below) takes that mission-statement one step further.

"Feel It Still" is just one of the songs-with-substance expected from a yet-to-be-released album aptly titled Woodstock.

Jerry's Pick: "Seventeen"

"Seventeen"-Sjowgren"

Jeannie Schumacher.

As of late, the iTunes selection stuck in that Steffen song-loop has been "Seventeen," an ultra-indy alternative track from a group of ambitious former San Francisco high school friends (Maija Sjogren, Don Steele and Sam Ahrendt) who dubbed themselves Sjowgren (pronounced "SHOW-grin").

"Seventeen" starts out unassuming with a couple of piano chords then slowly builds, first with a pulsing bassline followed by the introduction of the band's namesake. Her laidback, lazy lead and backing call-and-response vocals complete with handclaps and studio echo all seem to have been borrowed from the "Girl Groups" section of Phil Spector's Wall of Sound playbook.

Then, when you get to the track's rising "oooOOOH!," they hit the ground running! This is where I got hooked:

"If you want a second to breathe, I'll give you all of my love, I'll give you all that you need, ah. Don't worry. I'm not in a hurry. Not going nowhere, I'm not going nowhere..."

Part of the charm of "Seventeen" is that it sounds just a little bit unpolished, and there's a reason for that. The song began as "Three friends, making music for fun." According to their 2015 post, "About a year ago, we spent a weekend recording. Then a couple months back, on a whim, we posted those recordings to SoundCloud and it turns out... people like them."

Then, last Fall, Madison Avenue mad-men placed the Sjowgren track behind an AutoTrader television ad which supersized the song's clicks into the millions. And now, backed with record company support, "Seventeen" is finally starting to get the proper push it deserves.

While singing along in my motorized kareoke machine I realized the song's title -- noticeably absent from its lyrics -- was most likely used as a metaphor for the euphoric passion and innocence of young-love.

"We're puzzle pieces, we fit all adding up." 

 Remember your first high-school relationship?

Jerry's Pick: "You & I"

"You & I"-Colony House

Did the presidential election stress you out? Has the Trump presidency driven a political wedge between you and some of your friends or co-workers?

Well, if I'm interpreting the lyrics correctly, this Tennessee band may have tapped into the nation's political anxiety during that seemingly very long campaign. As lead vocalist Caleb Chapman laments in the new Colony House track "You & I," "Somehow, we're okay with all these differences leaving us blind..."

The band explained to Laura Craddock of Billboard, "Lyrically and musically this song pushed us out of what's comfortable to us. In a time in history that feels so fragile we feel like this song takes a different perspective. The lyric 'Maybe the world isn't crazy, maybe it's you and I' is our attempt to look at ourselves before we point a finger at someone else."

Aside from the efficient and effective lyrics, the tempo is a bit complex yet compelling. You'll notice "You & I" cruises along just fine between second and third gears until the middle-eight when there's a brief downshift (along with a operatic tip-of-the-hat to Freddie Mercury) before the band once again steps on the gas taking this driving Colony House joyride all the way to the finish line.

"Musically, we approached this song like a live show. We recorded it as one take with all of us playing our instruments in a room at the same time. That approach really helped us draw out the emotion and urgency that the song expresses."

Although the song doesn't start until about two-minutes into their hostile yet hysterical sibling rivalry-themed music video (below), I think "You & I" is a nice little rocker that's definitely worth the short wait.