Backlog- Friday, April 13th

So I’ve been busy at work and home for a while and have not had a chance to think. I’ve been listening to a lot of radio since we have added an Alexa to our office. I’ve mostly been listening to WXRT Chicago when I get the chance. I have to fight to prevent the Smooth Jazz crowd from taking over. It helps if I loudly announce the time and temp ala The Weather Channel.

On to the songs. Like I said, I haven’t really gotten a chance to think on what I’ve been hearing so this will be more free-form.

My notes look like this:

4/6 am 92.5

Dan Auerbach – shine on me

I think he’s trying to be Paul Simon in a weird and cheesy way. When are The Black Keys coming back?

Alabama Shakes- Hold On

Has an ease and comfort that is what I love about the new Southern Rock.

4/9 pm

Yellow Ledbetter – Pearl Jam 92.9 nostalgia with a side of sing along. Trying to do the zeppelin song title making no sense thing?

Adele-Rumor has it 95.7

Great beat, easy chorus, catchy as all hell with that feature voice Stays with you.

4/11 pm

92.5 Alice In Chains – no excuses

92.9 Third eye blind – Jumper

Office rock that sounds appropriate but might not be? When did it become acceptable background sounds? Does it take 20, 25 years to soften the edges on songs? With Alexa now in our office, do I need to hear good stuff I like or just something that doesn’t annoy me?

4/13 all day

93 WXRT great mix but especially cool today. ” The only band that matters” The Clash day!! Got me through the hectic day without strangling anyone so a definite plus!

What are your thoughts on my random brain droppings?

Wednesday, April 4th PM Commute

On the way in this morning I heard the most obvious choice of song for this day among white people, U2s “Pride (In the Name of Love). ” The (incorrect) reference the the morning of April 4th is how I imagine many people too young to have been alive for the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr remember the date. The song isn’t bad, the sentiment behind it is good but I’m sure the Civil Rights Movement has better songs to honor and remember Dr King.

Besides this tangent, let’s get into today’s commute.

Rihanna ft Drake – “Work” JAMN 94.5

I’m not really a fan of any parts of this song. Rihanna’s nasally and disinterested delivery, Drake’s mumbled verses and the lethargic feel don’t do much for me but something about the whole is better than the parts. I may be biased about this because my son used to love this song and would twerk to it before he could really walk. Freakin’ adorable memory for me has colored my judgement. I must recuse myself from further critique.

Toadies – “Possum Kingdom” – 100.3 WHEB

When I think of Texas, I like to think of Toadies and Pantera. I imagine it is a colorful Hellscape full of characters who sing about Jesus but to be fair, I have only been to Houston for 12 hours.

I saw Toadies a few years back at Lollapalooza and there were fantastic. They are the perfect blend of boozy bar band and professional oddballs. This has always been a great song, if you are cool with tales of murdering women and one of the great bass lines. The title of the song is the name of a lake near the Dallas/Fort Worth area. This combined with urban legends of a creepy dude in the area inspired the song. While I don’t want a creepy dude to kill me by a lake, I like the musical portion of the song and the fact that it is one of the few songs that gets me to sing about Jesus. Sorta.

The 90s were an awesome time for music. Formerly marginalized musical genres were finding a place in mainstream media. Alternative Rock, House, Rap and more were moved from the clubs and urban areas to the rest of the world. Radio made space for these genres due to demand. My favorite were Radio 104 out of Connecticut and Lazer 99.3 out of Northampton. They introduced me to The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Letters to Cleo, Toadies, Liz Phair, Toni Amos and more that I would have been hard pressed to find on my own at that time. This Toadies’ song brings me back to being 14 listening to these stations and expanding my musical tastes.

Verdict

Toadies rock, Rihanna makes songs toddlers can twerk to, U2 used to be so earnest and it’s all on the radio.

Thursday, March 29th AM/PM Commute & More.

Sorry it has been awhile since I last posted. It’s been a busy few days. I will share some tidbits from a few commutes, a new band I like and some general observations of the local stations’ programming.

Songs from the last few commutes

Mazzy Star – “Fade Into You” 92.5 3/22 am commute

This is my favorite of the “typical 90s girl” songs. In the same way that my mom’s generation would stop for “Dancing Queen”, I will always stop to listen to this all the way through. I used to hear it on a few of the SiriusXM channels but it doesn’t come on very much on terrestrial radio so it is a treat for me. I like the high style moodiness and clear vocals with the slow build.

Van Halen – “Runnin’ with the Devil” 100.7 3/23 AM commute

Ahh… VH with David Lee Roth was the best. Roth may not be the best vocalist but he’s fun and a great performer. I don’t think this is news to anyone but I am just preemptively acknowledging the weird Van Hagar fans or the even weirder Van Cherone people. This song in particular is prime Van Halen for me.

Cheap Trick – “I Want You To Want Me” 97.9 3/23 AM commute

This song was played all the time on various stations when I lived in Chicago. Rick Nielsen is a permanent fixture in the Chicago music scene and beloved. Despite all the many spins, this is one of those songs that doesn’t get old.

An unnecessary amount of freakin Ja Rule/Ashanti songs 96.9. Wtf. I loved and consumed media in their heyday but I don’t think they were ever on the radio as much as they are now with all the throwback hip hop stations/shows. Is it because they are somehow back on tour together?

TLC – “Creep” – 96.9 3/26 AM commute

Another gem from 1994 that was the soundtrack to middle school sleepovers for me. This is one of the few songs featuring a trumpet that I like, outside of jazz. Before we could compare ourselves to the Sex and the City gals we could declare ourselves as one of the ‘crazy/sexy/cool’ girls from TLC. Also, the sweet jammies made the video literally a Meta girl’s sleepover.

Kings of Leon – “Around the World” -92.5 3/26 AM commute

It is on the tip of my tongue (?ear?) what this song is ripping off. I say it sounds like 100 other alt-rock mid-aught bands. The reviews from this album seem to agree that it is derivative and a let down. As our spirit animal, Rob from High Fidelity would say “I haven’t really absorbed that one yet.”

NEWish BAND ALERT

I’m sorta obsessing over the latest Led Zep knock off band, Greta Van Fleet. A few days ago I caught the tail end of their song “Highway Tune” and thought it was a newly released Led Zeppelin outtake. Straight outta Michigan, they look like a bunch of throwbacks. In one video interview, they are smirkingly naming influences that skirt the obvious. Then there is also a full video of them covering Zeppelin and Middle 8 builds a convincing case.

Whatever the case may be, I’m kinda digging it. A less obvious band that is reminiscent of the Zeppelin bombast is Royal Blood, especially live. Let me know what you think!

Tuesday, March 20th PM Commute

Today we have two different songs with men depicting women and relationships. One is well-rounded and one just wants a well-rounded woman. One from a Compton rapper and the other from an English rock band. I enjoy both songs for very different reasons.

Kendrick Lamar – “LOVE” – JAM’N 94.5

Kendrick Lamar has always struck me as the smarter, younger brother to Kanye with better lyrical content and a more down to earth appeal. This song in particular caught my ear a while back. The hook is a lovely, ethereal backdrop provided by co-writer/soul singer Zacari. Lamar’s lyrics flesh out a real life relationship in a way that incorporates his unreal lifestyle as a famous artist and some very relatable feelings of being in a long term relationship. While I find the delivery a little juvenile at times, on the whole, I like that this piece of ear candy depicts an adult, loving relationship. There is love, affection, honesty, attraction with some genuflecting. The rolling sound on the song is like a long term relationship with no drama, just mutual affection that holds steady. While this might not seem exciting to many people, I find it a refreshing take. With so many songs out there with either unrealistic expectations or misogyny, it is always cool to hear a counterpoint.

Led Zeppelin – “Black Dog” – 100.3 WHEB

This song is a whole other thing. While I can not defend the lyrics as anything other than straight up sexist, the music is awesome. Seriously, I have no defense on the lyrical front but it just sounds so good that I can’t quit it. The winding bass line, great timing, the drumming and build with a call and response style was deceptively simplistic. To me, this song is a joyful romp in the mud.

I have heard two versions of what this song is about. There is the “official” version about an old, horny black lab that couldn’t do much other than go see the female dog down the street from where the band recorded and rehearsed. I’m not sure you can argue though with Robert Plant’s version.

Robert Plant explained in an interview with Cameron Crowe: “Not all my stuff is meant to be scrutinized. Things like ‘Black Dog’ are blatant, let’s-do-it-in-the-bath type things, but they make their point just the same.”

Regardless of the cognitive dissonance, I still love this song for it’s musical attributes.

Verdict

I have to admit that I am a hypocrite. I am able to overlook misogyny and sexist lyrics if the song sounds good enough but obviously it is better to have both sound and lyrics at 100. I know I like songs where the lyrics have no meaning or are just so stupid that they mind as well not be there.

Have you ever found yourself trying to sing a chorus to a song so stupid that it makes you blush? I have a brief moment of “WTF. Why do I like this again” but then I hear the whole song and remember. What songs are so stupid lyrically but you love musically? Also what songs do you like that depict realistic relationships AND sound good?

Friday, March 16th am/pm Commute

Did a decent amount of driving today but somehow hit almost all talk or commercials. I’ll also admit to stopping on sports talk radio to check up on free agency signings, Kylie and Al, & my brackets. I also tried to stop on the iheartradio stations to hear if they mentioned the bankruptcy. (They did not during my commutes.)

Madness – “Our House” – WROR 105.7

This happy little tune is a great morning song. It feels like something Ferris Bueller plays while getting ready for school (or whatever.) If black and white checkered pants were a song, this would be it. I love the ska cross over into 80s pop. For some of us young punk/ska/new wave fans in the 80s, this was an unthreatening tidbit we could access. I know it was my introduction. I saw the video on MTV long before Sioux Falls, SD radio played it. I loved the video with the middle class family which, even to toddler me, felt more authentic than Madonna rolling around.

It feels like a song to set the stage and kick something off. I like it in the morning because it has pep without being PEP!!! That’s not to say it is the only time of day to play it but it just sounds like a morning song to me.

Migos – “Stir Fry” – JAM’N 94.5

If “Our House” is a morning song, “Stir Fry” is a song for the period of time between when you get out of school and go out for the evening. It bumps, has a silly/repetitive chorus, and has a great sample.

It doesn’t really sound like the rest of the group’s songs because the music was actually for a 2008 T.I. song. It bops along like a lot of the songs from the mid aughts, which is probably why it has grown on me.

Today was not the first time I’ve heard it. I hear at least part of it almost every day now, on SNL, it was also all over NBA All-Star Weekend. It isn’t quite danceable, which I classify as night music. It is for the anticipation of a night out or something fun. I think I’m on the same thought-wave since the video builds to Migos confronting their Hong Kong rival.

Verdict

I don’t think I’m the only one that associates pieces of music with certain times of the day. I always think about songs in context of where and when they fit in to be played. It’s kind of fun the soundtrack/program your day. That’s not to say it’s a rigid formula that I follow. For the purposes of this blog, I am obviously at the mercy of the PDs for the stations in my market.

Do you soundtrack your day?

Thursday, March 15th midday commute

Finally writing again after we had a couple of nor’easters blow through. There were a few dicey days with no power and no driving so I wasn’t listening much to the radio. There is one music related  note before I get to what I heard today.

In playing Classic Rock Trivial Pursuit, I learned that for some reason they classify many performers that I think of as pop in with Classic Rock. Cyndi Lauper, Whitney Houston, a lot of Rod Stewart and a few others that had me scratching my head. Not sure if it is an idiosyncrasy of the game or if this is a general classification that I missed. The theme today is, Am I out of touch?

Today, I had to ride up to Wells, Maine so there was more listening than usual.

Grouplove – “Tongue Tied” – 92.5 The River

Nice little fluff to sing along to without thinking too much. Pretty solid summer song from a few years back. In Sean Ross’ discussion on best top of the hour songs I think this could qualify at many alternative stations. It has energy and kicks off an hour well. That whole discussion fascinates me in how something like the first song played at the top of the hour dictates the feel for a station. I’m not sure how true it is today, but the concept interests me. While this was the 2nd song played in the hour, i thought it was stronger than the 1st played, U2 “Get Out of Your Own Way.”

Rise Against – “House on Fire” – ALT 92.9

As soon as this song began, I knew it was Rise Against. That’s not a bad thing, in my opinion but I haven’t really heard a progression in their style or delivery over the course of the 10 years or so I’ve been listening. I guess if something works for you and expresses what you need to say then there is no real reason to change it? Regardless, I cranked it for the duration of the song and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Foo Fighters – “Everlong” – 100.3 WHEB

Pretty sure this is their best song. I always sing along to this one and it is a staple for most Rock radio for good reason. This is a band that has stood the test of time and is still enjoyable to me. This is their “Whole Lotta Love” or “Satisfaction” so far. They also do a good job managing the imagery with their music. Is there anyone who hears this and doesn’t think of the punk party and oversized fists from the video? There are alot of bands that take themselves too seriously but I’m glad this is a band that does not. One of my top Lollapalooza memories was seeing them in the rain and mud with 100000 of my closest friends.

Drake – “God’s Plan” – JAM’N 94.5

Ugh, I can not escape this mess of a song. How is someone able to mumble their way to a number one song that includes lines as dumb as:

She said, “Do you love me?” I tell her, “Only partly”
I only love my bed and my momma, I’m sorry

On an hour long ride I heard pieces of this 4 times. It is inescapable and I’m not sure why this is popular. I don’t think it’s because I’m old (I am) but I can’t get over how stupid Jimmy from Degrassi can mumble his way to number one with lyrics like that.

Verdict

I’m old. I also heard a bunch of songs multiple times like “Eye of the Tiger”? “Carry On Wayward Son”? “Africa”?!!! What is going on? Are the last three enjoyed ironically or ?

Wednesday, March 7th PM Commute

Despite driving home on roads that hadn’t been salted yet, today’s commute home was fun. It was a sing along day! Anyone who knows me will attest to my aversion to singing in front of live, people which is why days like today are awesome. The songs I heard are not really favorites of mine but I knew the words and didn’t care enough about the song to worry that I was ruining it for myself.

Death Cab for Cutie – “Crooked Teeth” – 92.5 The River

Before I get into it, I have a side note about the tagline interludes this station runs.  As I’ve said before, I really enjoy this station, the playlist, and it’s general vibe. The one thing that takes away from it, other than the commercials, are these taglines. They are all along the lines of “In a world full of chains, we are the cool local place.” It feels a bit like a hammer over the head. –end rant

Anyways, moving on to the song. It’s not a banger by any means but it has a nice groove to it. It came out in 2006 after I had moved from Florida, but it reminds me of Florida. “There were churches, theme parks and malls but there was nothing there all along” I was at the University of Florida in Gainesville, which is not what you think as typically Florida. Before that, I had a short stint living in South Florida which is exactly what this song is about. The stagnant air once you head inland, the lack of culture, and the heat/humidity all make you feel lethargic. “And you can’t find nothing at all if there was nothing there all along” is perfect.

Why does this make me happy? I got to leave work, turn off my brain, and just sing along. Tinnitus be damned.

Green Day – “When I Come Around” – Rock 101

Have you watched the Netflix series Everything Sucks yet? It is set in an Oregon high school in 1996. I watched it last week as that was my brief high school era. I mostly wanted to see if the music, style, and feel were in line with what I remembered from that time.  I can say now, after finishing the season, that they were right on the money with the music. It’s not that long of a show and the storyline was ok. If you have some time to kill and you were in high school in the mid to late nineties, give it a shot.

When this came on the radio today, I felt like I was 14 again. I played Dookie on my Discman until it wore out. At 13 or 14, this song felt so poignant that the lyrics are burned into my brain now. “You may find out that your self-doubt/Means nothing was ever there/You can’t go forcing something/If it’s just not right” just felt like something then. I wasn’t entirely sure but I felt certain it was something. I recall thinking that I’d feel that way once I was older. It doesn’t have the same effect on me now but it was a joy to belt out on the way home today.

Verdict

It is a strange feeling being an adult with a memory. There is no switch that flipped inside to let me know when (if?) I became an adult. You wake up, do your thing, and stop every now and again to see that the scenery has changed but you are still the same. At least for me, I’ll catch myself doing something like filing my taxes while eating Honeycomb. I guess I’m adulting but I don’t feel differently. It is insidious how it sneaks up on you. If I’m honest with myself, this probably determines about 75% of the food/music/TV/movies/clothing I like. I’m allowed arrested development in my consumption of culture to counteract the rest of my adult life. I’m not sure if it is the same way for everyone but it always catches me by surprise when I reflect on an earlier time in my life. It is simultaneously long ago and a blink of the eye.

Ok, enough pretentious, meandering ruminations on my youth and so-called adulthood. I’d be interested to know what songs catch your ear in a similar fashion and why. What do you love to sing along to?

Thursday, March 1st midday/PM Commute

Yesterday I was running all over for work so I got to listen to more music than usual. The only problem is that with my inner ear infection, I have tinnitus. Fun stuff. The ringing in my ears can get so bad that it wakes me up. It also addles my brain so I will just put the best of what I heard, a note on the song. Cool? Cool.

David Bowie – “Modern Love” – 106.3

Love this song and the entire album really. I’m usually not a fan of the use of saxophone in 80s rock but it works for me here. There is something cool about the vocals here with the mix of cool and earnest.

Led Zeppelin-“What Is and What Should Never Be”-107.3 WAAF

As I’ve stated before, I love Led Zeppelin. I remember asking my uncle Nelson if he had the tape with the “quiet and loud song” on it when I was about 8. I was, of course referring to this song. It is a great example of the blend of Plant’s delicate sound with the bombast and how it could be partnered with the power of Page and Bonham to achieve just the right tone. Knowing now that it was a song about Plant having to let go of an affair with his sister-in-law, it is a perfect expression.

As an 8 year old, I didn’t know this. All I knew was it sounded cool, especially with the channel switches at the end with the guitar. If I listened to it on my Walkman (yes, I’m old), it sounded even cooler switching from one ear to the other. Unfortunately, in the car yesterday with my ears ringing, I could only turn it up and hear some of what makes this song awesome.

Jimi Hendrix-“Foxey Lady”-101.1

Love Jimi, who doesn’t? I had a great T-shirt in high school that was tie dyed with Hendrix on the front and the sheet music to this song on the back. I loved the shirt, not because I thought I was foxy but because I thought it was cool that the actual music could be shared that way. For those that could read music, it was all there on my back.

It never fails to bring back memories of Sara McMullin pulling old man glasses out of the lost and found to do the Garth dance from Wayne’s World. This song is happy and simple although my favorite is still “Little Wing”.

Stone Temple Pilots-“Big Empty”-100.7

Another great one from a band that didn’t quite have it. Don’t get me wrong, they were great live… the first two times I saw them. It was a rapid decline later. Scott Weiland is a showman but not the best singer. He didn’t help matters with his antics and drug use later on. I remember reading an article where the singer from Filter said that the fans enabled Weiland’s drug use and bad behavior. A lot of fans were angered by this but I think it is a fair point. I saw this first hand in the mid 2000s. We went to see STP at Northerly Island in Chicago. It was a warm day in July I think, so it was a little weird when Weiland came out dressed in the black Spy vs Spy outfit complete with the wide brimmed hat. He kind of shuffled around in his spazzy little dance then forgot the lyrics. He mumbled some stuff about ‘Merry Christmas’ and the crowd cheered him on. It made me sad to see and I couldn’t join in. I had seen him a year or two prior when he toured with Velvet Revolver and he was great. It was hard for me to look at him that day, let alone cheer.

Anyway, despite Weiland, this song is a moody meander that I’ve always enjoyed.

Verdict

Tinnitus sucks. Also, radio in the middle of the day is better. There is less banter and more music. Ok, back to my ringing.

Wednesday, February 28th AM Commute

Game ops, record label execs, local fans or the artists: who decides the anthems playing in the stadium? I had two this morning on my way in to work. I’m not gonna lie, I turned the radio up.

AC/DC – “Thunderstruck” – 100.7 WZLX

A banger from the first screech, it is easy to see how this is a pump up song. I’ve heard this song at almost every single sporting event, heard it in sport movies, and played it for myself at the gym. Is it because the song itself is good or do we just associate it with sport/aggression/psyching yourself up through the context it is played?

For most AC/DC, I’m on the side of it having intrinsic value but I can readily admit to maybe a small amount of it being the connotations. Music has always been about connections and memories made with the song. When I hear this song I think about the scene from Varsity Blues when the guys are hungover at football practice or sitting on the hot, metal benches at the old Foxboro Stadium waiting for a Patriot’s preseason game to start. I’d argue that these associations make the song resonate just as much as the actual lyrics/sound/song structure.

Queen – “We Will Rock You/We are the Champions” – 106.3 WFNQ

Who doesn’t love Queen? They have the theatrical vocals of Freddie Mercury, the guitar power of Brian May and the songs. While these aren’t my favorite Queen songs (“Crazy Little Thing Called Love” & “Under Pressure” if you were wondering), it is hard not to feel a thrill when this comes on. Despite how often this is played at arenas, stadiums and events there is something that catches your ear. The two songs, designed to go together, capture the highs and lows that sports give us. It is the sonic representation of athletic competition.

Verdict

Whether these songs and the other Jock Jams are the work of stadium game ops guys, the marketing prowess of Tommy Boy Records, radio station program directors or whatever; you can’t deny the power they have to evoke a feeling. It put a little pep on my step this morning.

Tuesday, February 27th AM Commute

What song gets people of certain ages “in the mood?” I think the two songs I heard this morning would qualify for this category which is both icky and hilarious to me.

Bob Seeger – “Night Moves” – 95.7 WZID

The Baby Boomer Baby Maker. This song evokes the nostalgia of high school hook ups before they were called hook ups. I imagine that this is the song old guys put on to set the mood at the 55+ community. I keep waiting for the Viagra-knock off to have this song in their commercial.

By today’s standards it is pretty tame with it’s euphemisms and allusions to “getting their share.” It is a make out song for a generation. I’m not a Seger fan and I never related to this song. It may be generational but it always seemed like it wasn’t for me. It was for a very specific type of person and time.

Genuwine-“Pony”-HOT 96.9

I guess this is the evolution of the “setting the mood” song to the late Generation Xers. 1996 had a different set of more explicit allusions to hook ups. Apparently we were cool with “Pony” since it hit #1 and is still pretty popular thanks to Magic Mike. I heard this song hundreds of times in high school and college. I didn’t think much of it other than it amused me that it was somehow supposed to be sexy. I listen now and it’s even funnier.

Verdict

Was something lost or gained? ” Pony” is a wink and slightly naughty nudge vs “Night Moves” with its nostalgia and backseats. I’m not a fan of either and can point to other songs of each era that were racier. Are these songs time capsules of what was garden variety, adolescent, hook up songs for Boomers and Xers? Do people still listen to either of them as they did when they were younger? Will “Pony” play in the Viagra ads in 25 years? I don’t have the answers but for humor’s sake, I hope so.