Let it Rock: I’m Back For More

By Sues

Ooh, the anticipation! Some of my most-liked bands are back with new releases this week.  And considering I’m already a fan of them, they all have a lot to live up to. So, will they make me remember why I love them so much or will they crush my hopes?

Well, a little bit of both actually.

I’m the kind of person who is good at finding the good in everything; and I found a lot of good in each of my selections this week. Each also had a little bit of not so hot, but in case you were wondering, I’m not even close to deleting any of them off my iTunes. None of them were my absolute favorite albums the artists have put out, but I’m loving them nonetheless.

Gomez- A New Tide

Gomez’s albums never fail to excite me. Sometimes they take a listen or two for me to get into, but once I’m in, I’m fully in. And A New Tide is no different. Though the album is a bit less experimental and a bit more mainstream sounding than I usually expect to hear from Gomez, I still found myself hitting repeat constantly. One of my favorite things about Gomez is that all of their songs sound so incredibly different from one another, while still sounding exactly how you’d expect Gomez to sound. This is due partly in part to the fact that they share vocal duties and partly just due to their amazing versatility. I’m still trying to figure out why more people aren’t Gomez fans, but I think it might have something to do with their struggle to remain unique, but also gain mainstream appeal. And I could definitely hear the struggle in this album. But it wasn’t apparent enough to stop me from really enjoying it.

I’m especially a fan of “Natural Reaction” probably because it reminds me a lot of the Gomez of the past and because the lyrics really pull me in. “I get so nervous waiting for a natural reaction/I can’t stop thinking you’ll explode/Leave me a nervous wreck.” If you didn’t know Gomez and you were to listen to that and then to “Win Park Slope,” another of my favorites, you might not even realize it’s the same band. “Win Park Slope” is filled with a Deep South blues-y, but exotic sound. I’m pretty sure this album won’t launch Gomez into mainstream popularity and it might make long-time fans a little empty, but I’m pretty happy with it. Give them a chance and maybe you will be too.

Gavin DeGraw- Free

First of all, I am a lover of Gavin DeGraw and everything he does. I’ve always enjoyed his smooth, versatile voice and I’m thrilled to hear it again on Free. While I really enjoyed a portion of the album, I wasn’t overly-excited by the rest. I absolutely love that he starts the album off with a cover of Chris Whitley’s “Indian Summer.” But then I was expecting the rest of the album to have a country-pop, twangy feel; and it didn’t. But I was a fan of the single “Stay” from the second I heard it. Once again, Gavin’s lyrics are pure poetry that anyone can relate to and he sings them with his powerful voice: “You don’t have to be part of the problem/I just need a second chance….I need your love/But it never hurt this much.” I thought “Why Do the Men Stray” was going to be really touching, but with lyrics like “Why do the birds sing” it felt cheesy more than anything. And yes, “We Belong Together” was cheesy too; but in a completely beautiful way.

I was probably mostly disappointed because Gavin’s album was only 9 songs. Really? He didn’t have 3 more that were worthy of making it on there? I can imagine it’s hard when you come out with such a hit like “I Don’t Want to Be,” but this album definitely doesn’t reach the level of Chariot, which also had amazing songs like “Follow Through” and “(Nice to Meet You) Anyway.” However, I’m still listening to Free, because Gavin’s voice really does something to me.

Peter Bjorn and John- Living Thing

The first time I learned of Peter Bjorn and John was when I saw them on The Tonight Show performing “Young Folks” with Victoria Bergsman. Honestly, at first I thought there was something wrong with them. It would be hard to find two more awkward people than John and Victoria, standing there with blank stares whistling along to the music. But after I realized they were actual legit singers, the song got stuck in my head for weeks.  So I was psyched to hear about their new album Living Thing. And yes, some of it is incredibly weird and some of it I’m not quite sure if I like or not; but I think Peter Bjorn and John could do anything and I’d just attribute it to their quirkiness and end up enjoying it.  The first single on the album,“Nothing to Worry About” ties nicely into “Amsterdam” from Writer’s Block. Kind of. But then I kept thinking, “Why does ‘Amsterdam’ keep playing in my head??” and whistling where the whistling was absent. It’s almost like the children’s tranced out version of “Amsterdam.” Listen and you’ll see what I mean. But like “Amsterdam” and “Young Folks,” it’s addictive.

I was a little skeptical at the start of the album’s title track and its deep-voiced creepy, “living thing it’s a living thing,” but by the end, I found myself dancing along. Another song perfect for Peter Bjorn and John is “I Want You!” though the exclamation point made me think it was going to be a lot more fun than it was. The bottom line is that Peter Bjorn and John do more of their thing on Living Thing, but there’s nothing quite as awesome as “Young Folks,” which means this album just can’t be as good as their first.