Safer Space - Forever Emerald

Safer Space - Forever Emerald

3:56

Safer Space, 2019

Written by Forever Emerald?

This song is from a California-based power pop-punk group.  It appears to be describe a fiery relationship that is in the throes of what might be a breakup or a revelation.  The narrator comes off as aloof and jaded, but is deeply invested in the lover. "But I'm critical, and I'm cynical / You're the cure to my disdain / I might be livid / But I'm still listening."  The emo lyrics, driving drums, and Devin Papadol's pure but powerful and confident female vocals remind me of another young pop-punk group I enjoy, Meet Me @ the Altar.

Sparky's Dream - Teenage Fanclub

Sparky's Dream - Teenage Fanclub

3:17

Grand Prix, 1995

Written by Gerard Love

I don't know much about this band, but I read that this song, written and sung by the bassist, is considered among their best.  It's pure power pop, perfectly pleasant but to me nothing very special.  The lyrics are a far-out blend of imagery evoking nostalgia and lost love.  "I take a wrong direction / From a shooting star / In the love dimension / Fading fast from taking this too far."  Why, this could be the Byrds in the 1960s!  While it's a fine song, and the sort of thing I maybe ought to like, it doesn't do much for me.

Shit Kickin' - Indigo Girls

Shit Kickin' - Indigo Girls

3:53

Look Long, 2020

Written by Amy Ray

This track is presented like a memoir of Ray's rural tomboy days: riding horses and motorcycles, heading down to the ol' fishing hole, swaggering past the men loitering at Dean Brown’s gas store. "Get a load of that tomboy, kid." But it’s no misty ballad of the halcyon days; the song comes with grit. There’s a touch of Steve Earle's piss-and-vinegar defiance, wrapped in a moody echo that gives the whole thing a slightly darker edge. Musically, it rides a steady, earthy groove: twangy guitars, unfussy drums, and just enough atmosphere to keep it from sounding nostalgic or quaint.

Satyagraha - 7 Seconds

Satyagraha - 7 Seconds
3:09

Soulforce Revolution, 1989

Written by Kevin Seconds

With powerful drumming and layered guitars, this is still a powerful punk track, but Seconds' smooth anthem-ready vocals and a sing-along chorus of "na na na hey" make this a more accessible, melodic punk.  So what's that title?  Well, Satyagraha is a philosophy of determined but nonviolent resistance developed by Mahatma Gandhi, meaning "insistence on truth."  The song is a cry of despair at the state of the world and calling for divergence from the destruction.  "I wash my hands of this hate / I won't embrace this thing so blind."

Hit Or Miss - Odetta

Hit Or Miss - Odetta

3:54

Odetta Sings, 1970

Written by Odetta Gordon

A rousing, soulful track celebrating positivity and self-acceptance.  "Oh you see / I gotta be me / Ain’t nobody / Just like this."  It's a simple lyric and repetitive, but Odetta's rich, earthy voice rides confidently over a tight, funky band laying down an irresistible groove of snapping drums, punchy horns, and deep-pocket bass. What could feel slight in another singer's repertoire becomes a declaration of independence here, a joyous shout of selfhood that's both personal and universal.

Have Another Drink - The Kinks

Have Another Drink - The Kinks

2:42

Soap Opera, 1975

Written by Ray Davies

The album this song comes from is a concept album about a rock star who changes places with an ordinary bloke, settling down with the wife, working his 9 to 5 job, and drinking with mates in the pub.  The song enumerates various social ills ("Terrorist bombers on the left / Fascist plots on the right / Mass destruction and homicide"), and then the tedium of office life ("Facts and figures / Filling out forms"), ending with the chorus which tells us that only one thing cure your worries: having another drink.  It's got a country tinge to the pop, and while it's a bit repetitive with a simple message, it's enjoyable enough.

Hots On For Nowhere - Led Zeppelin

Hots On For Nowhere - Led Zeppelin

4:44

Presence, 1976

Written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant

This is a really pleasant surprise from the small batch of Zep songs I'm not familiar with!  It's a funky Zep track!  Of course the lads always experimented with a fusion of styles, from Middle Eastern to blues, but this song. I think, stands out as unlike almost all their word.  It's a stuttering, lurching track with start-stop rhythms, a great guitar solo with whammy work.  Bonham's drums start relatively restrained, but keep building in muscle and momentum.  The lyrics are reportedly about the anger Plant felt at the time about  drug use affecting the band's ascendance, and they reflect the starry-eyed poet he was: "As the moon and the stars call the order / Inside my tides dance the ebb and sway / The sun in my soul's sinking lower / While the hope in my hands turns to clay."

Harp [live] - Stiff Little Fingers

Harp - Stiff Little Fingers

3:40

Wasted Life, 2007 [recorded ????]

Written by Jake Burns, 1994

This is a mostly acoustic punk number from the Irish screamers.  It was originally released in 1994 on Get a Life, but I much prefer this live version.  Directed at England, the song points out how the country has treated Irish immigrants and now turns its attention on the new wave of immigrants, such as Pakistanis, who succumb to crime and crack in the face of a crumbling safety net.  "Don't pity this poor immigrant / My eyes were open when I caught the boat / All I wanted was your shelter, and maybe just a little hope / But you turned your anger on me for the courage that you lack / I don't want your half-assed freedom / You can have the whole deal back."  The lines are delivered with righteous outrage, but I didn't know "Harp" was a slur against Irish people.  But of course it is!

Have You Heard the News Today? - Earth To Eve

Have You Heard the News Today? - Earth To Eve

3:33

single, 2025

Written by Earth to Eve

A beautiful voice and a message that we mustn't give up on, although the fascists are doing their best to silence even the whispers of dissent of their evil hypocritical nanny-state fear-mongering agenda.  Ornate, lush pop with brains, and more importantly, a heart.  This "review" should just be the lyrics.  "Empathy becomes partisan / When rights get framed as politics / And born-again republicans / Start ditching what their scripture says / Oh Hate thy neighbor! Turn 'em in! / And burn amendments five and ten / The faithful bent the cross to fit / But heavy is the crown that sits / Atop his empty head / He'll only pledge allegiance / To self interest."  We should all burn with rage.

Glory And the Grace - Luke Bell

Glory And the Grace - Luke Bell

2:21

Luke Bell, 2016

Written by Luke Bell

I'd never heard of this artist, and upon hearing his music, I assumed he was active maybe around the 1950s.  But it turns out he released music in the 2000s, and died tragically young at 32.  This song is pure high spirited honky-tonk.  It's a modern day hobo's song.  There's a nod to Roger Miller's "King Of the Road" in one line ("I like the sidewalks / And the streets and the lights from the pawn shops / And the windows and the doors when they ain't locked"), and "Big Rock Candy Mountain" in another ("cigarette trees is what we need").  It's a paean to country life, trucking, pool halls, drinking too much, played with joy and delivered with a wink.