Once again, it’s ”drop the needle” time on some songs that have made the cut to this week’s ”Single Play.” Some weeks, it’s feast and some weeks it’s a famine in terms of music I’m connecting with. This week, it’s more of a feast, so off we go to see what’s being served at the buffet.
The Stone Foxes, ”Everybody Knows.” Their new album is out on 2/12/13, but this single has been floating around since last year. If you hear the Black Keys in their style, you’re not alone. The band opened for the Black Keys while on tour and they certainly consider them musical brothers in arms. But what I really like is that the members of the band are a San Francisco band, and went to my alma mater! Okay, that’s sort of true, but not the whole story. What’s easy to love about ”Everybody Knows” is that it’s a solid, well-crafted rock song. Just a couple of listens and you’ll quickly hear that this tune is destined to be in high rotation on alternative rock stations very soon.
Picture Atlantic, ”Regina” Another Bay Area band! Picture Atlantic have a touch of The Killers in them, but what struck me about the group is their dedication to recreating their studio recordings when they perform live. I heard an interview with Nik Bartunek of Picture Atlantic where he went on a tear about the ubiquity of Auto-Tune among bands today. It’s not just pop singers who rely on that bit of software, but indie bands as well. It impressed me that they were not trying to pull a fast one on people who come to their shows (i.e., sucking live), but rather show their audience that even in an age when the most mediocre singer can sound great in the studio, there are only a handful of bands who have the talent and integrity to push themselves to deliver a quality show night after night.
Dean and Britta, ” Come On, Come On (featuring Britta Phillips)” When it comes to films, I’m not one to run out for the latest romantic drama. Case in point, I have never seen The Vow, and probably never will. But this remix of ”Come On, Come On” by Dean and Britta hooked me from the first listen. It’s dreamy, it’s layered with atmospherics, and it sounds great with headphones on. Clocking in at over seven minutes, this is a great song for a long drive down a lightly trafficked highway…the kind where you can daydream and see the world as if it’s a slow moving movie montage.
Foxtails Brigade, ”Don’t Look Down” An odd, but very catchy song penned by lead singer and guitarist, Laura Weinbach. The symphonic, or maybe polyphonic, nature of ”Don’t Look Down” reminds me of less melodic ”Blood Makes Noise” by Suzanne Vega. I can’t say that I’ve warmed up to the Foxtails Brigade’s entire catalogue, but this tune is hypnotic and quirky enough that I’ve been coming back to it again and again.
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