This past September, I featured Argentine-born and now Los Angeles-based artist Vicious Rooster on this blog when I reviewed his darkly beautiful single “The Moon is Dancing”. The music project of singer-songwriter, musician and producer Juan Abella, Vicious Rooster draws inspiration from some of his favorite bands like The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Black Crowes, Guns’n’Roses and Alice in Chains to create his own unique style that’s a wonderful melding of classic and Southern rock, folk and grunge. Both his guitar playing style and vocals sound like he’s from Nashville or Austin, rather than Argentina. On November 25th, he released his follow-up single “Something Goin’ On“, delivering three raucous minutes of bluesy Southern rock goodness for our listening pleasure. The song was mixed by Mikal Reid, who’s worked with renowned artists such as Mick Jagger, Alice Cooper, Ben Harper, and Kenny Wayne Sheperd.
“Something Goin’ On” has a harder rock edge than “The Moon is Dancing” and I like it! Abella is a fine guitarist, and he lets er rip, slicing through the airwaves with an onslaught of layered gritty and bluesy guitars, punctuated by tasty little flourishes of distortion and highlighted by a scorching solo in the bridge. A throbbing bass line and explosive percussion keep the driving rhythm firmly on track. His fervent vocals keep pace with the intensity of the instrumentals as he exclaims to his love interest of the powerful effect she’s having on him: “Let me tell you baby, you’re breaking me in two. But there’s something goin’ on between me and you.”
If Vicious Rooster keeps putting out excellent records like these two singles and his previous album The Darkest Light, I’m confident he’ll have a long and successful career.
To learn more about Vicious Rooster, check out his website
The song at #6 on my list of 100 Best Songs of the 2010s is “Feel It Still” by alt-rock band Portugal. The Man. The second of their songs on this list (“Live in the Moment” is #66), “Feel It Still” is one of those songs that virtually everyone loves, thanks to an irresistibly catchy retro melody and driving bass line, that awesome little guitar riff, and lead singer John Gourley’s delightful falsetto. It was the second single from the band’s eighth album Woodstock.
Originally from Wasilla, Alaska and based in Portland, Oregon since 2004, the band’s quirky name has a simple back story. In a 2017 interview with USA Today, Gourley explained “A country is an individual in the world that represents a group of people, so I decided we would name our band after a country and Portugal happened to be the one that popped up. In hindsight, we should’ve named it something to do with Alaska. But you become so burnt out on beluga whales and huskies, you don’t appreciate it the same way.”
If listening to “Feel It Still” brings a ring of familiarity, it’s because the melody used in the chorus was inspired by The Marvelettes’ 1961 hit “Please Mr. Postman”. The band respectfully (and tactfully) included that song’s original writers in the songwriting credits for “Feel It Still”. The lyrics are filled with meaning, making reference to both personal and sociopolitical themes. For example, the line “In case my baby girl is in need” was inspired by Gourley’s young daughter, while “I been feeling it since 1966 now, Might be over now, but I feel it still” refers to a year of seismic societal and cultural changes, and “It’s time to give a little to the kids in the middle, but, oh until it falls won’t bother me” is a back-handed slap down of Trump’s call for a border wall. It’s a short track, only 2 minutes and 43 seconds long, but packs a real punch.
The song was a massive hit for Portugal. The Man, spending an astonishing 20 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Alternative Chart, as well as many weeks at #1 on the Adult Alternative and Adult Pop charts. It also peaked at #4 on the Hot 100. It’s a fantastic song and an instant classic.
Can’t keep my hands to myself Think I’ll dust ’em off, put ’em back up on the shelf In case my little baby girl is in need Am I coming out of left field?
Ooh woo, I’m a rebel just for kicks, now I been feeling it since 1966, now Might be over now, but I feel it still Ooh woo, I’m a rebel just for kicks, now Let me kick it like it’s 1986, now Might be over now, but I feel it still
Got another mouth to feed Leave it with a baby sitter, mama, call the grave digger Gone with the fallen leaves Am I coming out of left field?
Ooh woo, I’m a rebel just for kicks, now I been feeling it since 1966, now Might’ve had your fill, but you feel it still Ooh woo, I’m a rebel just for kicks, now Let me kick it like it’s 1986, now Might be over now, but I feel it still
We could fight a war for peace (Ooh woo, I’m a rebel just for kicks, now) Give in to that easy living Goodbye to my hopes and dreams Start flipping for my enemies We could wait until the walls come down (Ooh woo, I’m a rebel just for kicks, now) It’s time to give a little to the Kids in the middle, but, oh until it falls Won’t bother me
Is it coming? Is it coming? Is it coming? Is it coming? Is it coming? Is it coming back?
Ooh woo, I’m a rebel just for kicks, yeah Your love is an abyss for my heart to eclipse, now Might be over now, but I feel it still
Ooh woo, I’m a rebel just for kicks, now I’ve been feeling it since 1966, now Might be over now, but I feel it still Ooh woo, I’m a rebel just for kicks, now Let me kick it like it’s 1986, now Might be over now, but I feel it still Might’ve had your fill, but I feel it still
The satirical and somewhat humorous video generated a bit of controversy upon its release. Directed by Ian Schwartz, it features Gourley walking through an auto-wrecking yard, along with scenes of a bar fight, a couple having sex in the back of a junked car, and a man setting fire to a newspaper labeled “Info Wars.” InfoWars is the controversial website of the detestable right-wing nut Alex Jones, who rants about bizarre conspiracy theories. Portugal. The Man are unabashed progressive liberals who often speak out publicly about social injustice and politics, and their pointed shot at Jones and his crazy followers predictably got them riled up into a tizzy.
The song at #7 on my list of 100 Best Songs of the 2010s is “Tear In My Heart” by twenty øne piløts. It’s one of six songs by them on this list, more than any other artist or band, and they’re my current favorite music act. Although the talented duo, consisting of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun, had been putting out music since 2009, it was this song that introduced me to them in April 2015. I instantly loved it and became a huge fan, bingeing on their back catalog of music, especially their brilliant album Vessel.
“Tear in my Heart” was the second single from their phenomenal fourth album Blurryface, which I think is one of the greatest albums of the decade, and also ranks among my all-time favorites. The song peaked at only #82 on the Billboard Hot 100, but reached #2 on the Alternative chart, where it also ended up as the #6 song of 2015. It spent four weeks at #1 on my Weekly Top 30, and was my favorite song of 2015.
The delightful song of love was inspired by Joseph’s marriage to his wife Jenna a month earlier. Not only do I adore the song’s unusual stop-start arrangement, lively melody, colorful instrumentation, and Joseph’s wonderfully quirky vocals, I also love the endearing lyrics about the contradictory emotions of joy and agony that often come from romantic love: “The songs on the radio are okay. But my taste in music is your face! And it takes a song to come around to show you how. She’s the tear in my heart. I’m alive. She’s the tear in my heart. I’m on fire. She’s the tear in my heart. Take me higher than I’ve ever been!”
The humorous video shows Joseph and Dun performing the song in L.A.’s Chinatown, with the people around him barely paying attention. Eventually, the surrounding buildings begin crumbling as Joseph notices Jenna in a group of people, and follows her down an alley and into a restaurant. She sings to him the opening lyrics of the song: “Sometimes you’ve got to bleed and know that you’re alive and have a soul“, to which he responds: “but it takes someone to come around to show you how“, whereupon she starts beating him until he’s bleeding. The video ends with them kissing.
The song at #8 on my list of 100 Best Songs of the 2010s needs no introduction. From the moment “Uptown Funk!“, by British music producer Mark Ronson and featuring vocals by Bruno Mars, was released in November 2014 with its terrific accompanying video, the feel-good ear worm went viral, becoming an international hit. It reached #1 in 18 countries ranging from Australia, Canada and France to Mexico, Israel and South Africa, and topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 14 weeks, where it was also named both the #1 song of 2015 and of the decade.
Written by Ronson, Mars, Phillip Lawrence and Jeff Bhasker, the exhilarating song incorporates elements of funk, soul, boogie and what is referred to as Minneapolis sound, a subgenre of funk rock pioneered by Prince. Accordingly, it seems to pay homage not only to Prince, but to the master of funk himself James Brown, as well as Rick James and Morris Day & The Time.
A cast of characters were ultimately involved in the song’s production; besides the people listed above, additional collaborators and musicians included Mars’ backup band The Hooligans, afrobeat band Antibalas, the horn section of The Dap-Kings, and sound engineer Charles Moniz, among others. And what’s mind-boggling to me is that the song involved recording sessions in Los Angeles, London, Memphis, New York, Toronto, and Vancouver! The stress over the recording and production of “Uptown Funk” was so intense that Ronson passed out during one session while trying to perfect the guitar part. Two days later in Toronto, he finally got what he was looking for after 82 takes! (Wikipedia)
The song received critical praise and garnered numerous accolades, including Brit, Grammy and American Music awards, but also generated some blowback by artists who accused the writers of plagiarism. Copyright infringement lawsuits were filed by The Gap Band, Collage, The Sequence and Zapp. The Collage and Zapp lawsuits were later dropped, but the one from The Gap Band resulted in the writers and producers of “Oops Up Side Your Head” being added as songwriters and awarded 17% of publishing royalties.
The entertaining official video, showing the infinitely cool Bruno Mars singing the song and dancing in the streets along with Ronson and their back-up singers, has been viewed more than four billion times.
One of my absolute favorite indie artists is The Frontier, the music project and brainchild of singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer Jake Mimikos. Based in Fairfax County, Virginia, Jake is a talented, gracious and funny guy who I’ve grown quite fond of, both as an artist and a human. Since 2015, he’s released a substantial amount of music both as a solo artist and as a band under The Frontier moniker, and we’ve been following each other on social media for nearly that long. As with many bands, the members and lineup of The Frontier have varied over the years, but for the time being, the act is now mostly a solo project.
Drawing upon elements of pop, folk, rock and electronica, his music is always pleasing and flawlessly crafted. I’ve featured him several times on this blog, most recently this past June when I reviewed his wonderful single “It’s You”. I love it so much, it spent five months on my Weekly Top 30, and turned out to be my most-streamed song of the year on Spotify. (You can read that and previous reviews by clicking on the links under ‘Related’ at the end of this post.) Now he’s back with a beautiful new single “Sleep“, and I already love it too! The track was recorded and produced by Austin Bello for Fearless Records.
Jake is an excellent guitarist, and here his layered strummed and chiming guitars are so stunning, they take my breath away. He’s also gotten quite adept at programming synths and keyboards to create lush, sparkling soundscapes, as well as layering his lovely, heartfelt vocals into a rich tapestry of harmonies. He plaintively sings of the pain and unease he feels over not knowing where he stands with another, and yearning for a little sleep to momentarily forget his troubles: “I lay awake, but I’m dreaming / I just can’t get my mind off of you / All of these stories keep repeating / I don’t know which voice to listen to / I’ve never been one to get what I want / I’m always trying too hard / It’s something that I’ve been working on / It’s always so close yet so far / But for now, til the answers are found / Got to quiet the sun to sleep.“
“Sleep” is a gorgeous and deeply stirring track that’s sure to be another hit.
In early October, I wrote a review of the outstanding debut album A Fantastic Way to Kill Some Time by Texas grunge pop-rock band Tough on Fridays. I knew the talented female-fronted band had a loyal and growing fan base, but I had no idea just how large and passionate it was. In just two and a half months, the review has received nearly 1,000 views, the most of any post I’ve written in 2020! Now the trio, consisting of Caleigh on vocals & guitar, Carly on bass & vocals, and Chris on drums, are back with a great new single “Undone“, which I’ve chosen as my New Song of the Week.
The song opens strong with Carly’s intricate moody bass riff and Caleigh’s cold, matter-of-fact vocals that perfectly convey the sadness and pain expressed in the biting lyrics addressing a selfish and miserable friend of her disappointment with them: “I wish you were special / I really wish you were special / No one was miserable like you.” Suddenly, we’re hit with a blast of her raging gnarly guitars and Chris’s smashing drumbeats as the song ramps up to a fast-paced punk-like tempo. Caleigh’s vocals turn more impassioned as she bitterly informs her friend that their relationship is broken beyond repair and finally come ‘undone’. It’s a banger, and I think it’s their best song yet.
I wish you were specialI really wish you were specialNo one was miserable like youNo, no one had it as bad as youOh latelyYou’ll always be temporarySo point blank and in your faceMaybe you’ll learn somedayMake sure I’m not a necessityRight before you dispose of meHate yourself and that’s okI want out of your fucked-up gameYou’re in miseryStay far from meI want out of your fucked-up gameYou never had anyoneYou never liked to have funI wasn’t just anyoneMade me come all undoneI was never really doneLie to me,Use meStay far awayCan’t use me up anymore
The song at #9 on my list of 100 Best Songs of the 2010s is “My Name is Human” by by American alternative rock band Highly Suspect. Originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts and now based in Brooklyn, New York, the band formed in 2009 as a three-piece consisting of Johnny Stevens (guitar, lead vocals) and twin brothers Rich (bass, backing vocals) and Ryan Meyer (drums, backing vocals). A fourth member Matt Kofos (guitar, synthesizer, backing vocals) joined the band in 2019. “My Name is Human” was released in September 2016 in advance of their superb second album The Boy Who Died Wolf, and peaked on the charts in early 2017. It spent eight weeks at #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, and reached #20 on the Alternative chart.
The brilliant song is truly mind-blowing, featuring some of the most unusual instrumentals of any song on this list. The thunderous gravelly bass riff at the opening immediately sends shivers down my spine, then spooky guitars, crunchy percussion and piercing, otherworldly synths ensue along with Johnny Stevens’ intense, breathtaking vocals that go from coldly seductive to passionate wailing, adding goosebumps to the ones already covering my body. The track is perfection from start to finish.
The song’s surreal video was released in February 2017 on the Vanity Fair website, and shows a female robot, portrayed by actress Chloe Bridges, being built by robots and then given finishing touches by Stevens. It’s a little creepy, yet stylish and riveting. Stevens commented to Vanity Fair about the song’s meaning: “A lot of people think the song is about being a human. I believe some of us aren’t human at all. Or at least not completely, but that is still our name. At some point in the last couple hundred years something changed. The androids, the aliens…They aren’t coming. We are here.”
Okay
I’m feeling the way that I’m feeling myself Fuck everyone else Gotta remember that nobody is better than anyone else, here (Do you need some time to think it over?) Look what they do to you Look what they do to me Must be joking if you think that either one is free, here
Get up off your knees, girl Stand face to face with your God And find out what you are (Hello, my name is human) Hello, my name is human And I came down from the stars (Hello, my name is human)
I’m ready for love and I’m ready for war But I’m ready for more I know that nobody’s ever been this fucking ready before, hey (Do you need some time to think it over?) So figure it out or don’t figure it out I figured it out The bigger the river (the bigger the river) The bigger the drought (the bigger the drought)
Get up off your knees, boy Stand face to face with your God And find out what you are (Hello, my name is human) Hello, my name is human And I came down from the stars (Hello, my name is human)
Fire world, I love you Fire world
I’m up off my knees, girl I’m face to face with myself And I know who I am (Hello, my name is human) I stole the power from the sun I’m more than just a man (No longer disillusioned)
(I’m not asking questions) (‘Cause questions have answers) (And I don’t want answers) I came down from the stars (so I’ll take my chances) (And what are the chances) (That I could advance) (On my own circumstances) (Said “what are the chances?”) Hello, my name is human (and what are the chances?) (I don’t want your answers) (I’m not asking questions) (So you keep your answers) And I know who I am (so you keep your answers) (I’m not asking questions) (I’m taking my chances)
We’ve finally reached the final ten of my list of 100 Best Songs of the 2010s, and the song at #10 is “I See You” by MISSIO. It’s not often that I love an entire album at first listen, but that was the case with the spectacular The Darker the Weather // The Better the Man by the Austin, Texas-based duo. Comprised of singer-songwriter and producer Matthew Brue and songwriter/producer and instrumentalist David Butler, MISSIO’s unique, eclectic sound is a glorious mashup of alternative electronic rock, hip hop and dream pop. In 2017, they released their outstanding debut album Loner, which generated several singles, including “Middle Fingers” and the mesmerizing “Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea”, both of which received significant play on AltNation radio and made me a big fan of theirs.
“I See You” was the third single from The Darker the Weather // The Better the Man, and my favorite song of 2019. This was further confirmed by my Spotify Wrapped report, which identified it as my most-streamed song of 2019. And what a gorgeous song it is, at once sad yet hopeful, and brimming with emotional intensity. The lush, sweeping instrumentals, highlighted by beautiful piano, a deep bass groove, shimmery synths and crisp percussion create a stunning soundscape for Brue’s stirring falsetto vocals. I love his beautiful and distinctive singing voice that never fails to bring tears to my eyes and a lump in my throat as he sings the poignant lyrics that can be interpreted as being directed either to a loved one or to oneself, reassuring the intended that they are understood, supported and loved despite their shortcomings.
Brue and Butler are great guys who frequently engage with their fans and followers, sometimes sharing their deeply personal feelings and thoughts on social media. I reviewedThe Darker the Weather // The Better the Man a few months after its release, and was blown away when they not only retweeted and thanked me for my review, adding that mine was the best they’d seen of their album, but also followed me on both Twitter and Instagram! Needless to say, it made me love them even more. That review is also the 7th most-viewed post of the more than 1,200 I’ve written.
I see you when you’re down and depressed, just a mess I see you when you cry, when you’re shy, when you wanna die I see you when you smile, it takes a while, least you’re here I see you, yes, I see you
I’m alone with you, you’re alone with me
I see you when you hide, and when you lie it’s no surprise I see you when you run from the lie within your eyes I see you when you think that I don’t notice all those scars I see you, yes, I see you
I’m alone with you, you’re alone with me What a mess you made of everything I’m alone with you, you’re alone with me And I’m hoping that you will see yourself
Like I see you Yes, I see you I see you Yes, I see you (I’m alone with you, you’re alone with me)
I see you when you chase all the dreams inside your head I see you when you laugh and when you love to the bitter end (I see you) In the dark, at the dawn of something new I see you, yes, I see you
I’m alone with you, you’re alone with me And I’m hoping that you will see yourself
Like I see you Yes, I see you I see you Yes, I see you
Even when you cry and even when you’re shy You mean everything to me Even when you lie and even when you hide You mean everything to me I see you (I see you, I see you, I see you) Yes, I see you (I see you, I see you, I see you) I see you Even when you cry and even when you shine Yes, I see you (I see you, I see you, I see you)
I’m alone with you, you’re alone with me And I’m hoping that you will see yourself
The poignant video, directed by Ben Fee, filmed by Kai Saul, and produced by Sascha Fix, shows a hairy creature, played by Veda Carmine-Ritchie, hidden by an oversize freaky mask, feeling alone and lost, alternately trying to either hide or be noticed by others, and fit in with a crowd of people who seem to be ignoring them. MISSIO is shown quietly standing in the background.
Here’s a stripped-down live performance that provides further proof of not only what a beautiful song this is, but also how wonderful they are:
ImageBeatZ is the latest music project of British composer and producer Justin Stephens. Based in the historic town of Ipswich in the eastern English county of Suffolk, the prolific musician has recorded and produced an impressive amount of electronic music since early 2016, both as a solo artist and in collaboration with other artists. He’s covered a wide range of styles, including Deep House, Chill House, Chill Step, Trap, Trip Hop and Lounge, though his preferred style is Deep House.
His first music project was called Infected Sun, and I reviewed one of his mini-EPs “Summer Nights” in 2018. He created his second music project AudioBytes in early 2020, and continued to release a tremendous output of music, including a terrific 18-track album Hold Me Tonight in September. He also hosts Friday Night House Sessions, a two-hour Deep House show he runs every other week on Facebook Live at 7:30 pm GMT, where he’s often joined by other special guest DJs. It’s an enjoyable show, so check it out if you’re into House music. He’s amassed more than a quarter million streams under that name. Now he’s created yet another new project ImageBeatz, which he’ll launch on New Year’s Day 2021 with his first single “Now or Never“.
With his latest project ImageBeatZ, Stephens blends Deephouse with NuDisco and pop to create a more upbeat and accessible sound. His first single “Now or Never” is an infectiously catchy dance song that aims straight for the hips. The lyrics speak to taking a chance on something or someone new. Starting with a thumping Deephouse EDM bass groove, he layers crisp percussive beats and sultry synths, then tops it off with a deliciously funky Nile Rodgers-style guitar riff. His use of a more prominent guitar is something new for Stephens, and I like the extra textural dynamic it adds to the track.
The lovely vocals are provided by a singer who, for reasons that both Stephens and I cannot fathom, does not wish to be named. She sings to someone to whom she’s attracted, wanting to be more than just friends: “I believe we can find what we’re looking to find / Someone to make us whole again / Doesn’t take very much to look around and see us, maybe we can be more than friends / You know we’ll make it feel right / We can turn this night into something new to relive again / So take my hand, take a chance / Let’s not let this night end, again / Now or never, let’s take a chance and do what we would never do.”
“Now or Never” will be available for streaming on Spotify and for purchase (if you would like to support the artist) at Beatport.com on 01/01/2021.
Stephens also hosts the Friday Night House Sessions, a two-hour Deep House show he runs every two weeks on Facebook Live at 7:30 pm GMT. He’s often joined by other special guest DJs like DJ JerryS and DJ Embrace. It’s an enjoyable show, so check it out if you’re into House music.
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 