Bad Veins - Gold And Warm

When executed properly, duos can be amazing.  Duos such as The Kills, The Raveonettes, She & Him, and The White Stripes all make unique music. Bad Veins is another pair that manages to succeed at the duo game.  They released their self-titled album last summer.  It consists of solid alternative rock tunes, with a dance rock twist.

"Gold And Warm" starts off with a mystical intro filled with harps and strings, but this doesn't last long.  The drum beat kicks in, and then the fuzzy guitars.  While the song gets distorted, the harp and strings can still be heard along the track.  They give the song a gentle sweeping feeling.  A great chorus is always welcome. Apparently, Bad Veins got the memo, because this chorus is no exception, it's great.  It's the type of chorus that will have you humming for quite a while after you hear it.

The band definitely has alternative rock radio material with "Gold And Warm".  If you like The Killers, The Bravery, and similar alternative bands with dance-synth elements, then you'll probably love this song.  The song is very similar to the big named bands of the genre, yet it isn't quite as polished.  Bad Veins will have a great future ahead of them if they keep this up.

Janelle Monáe - Cold War

Janelle Monae has a unique style. Her debut album, Metropolis: The Chase Suite, had an intergalactic theme.  Monae created an alter ego for her EP.  Cindi Mayweather, as she was known as, sings a strange concept in the set of songs.  Her android image only added to her amazing sense of musicianship  On her sophomore album, the Grammy nominated artist is back with even more energy than before.

"Cold War" is one of the singles from the upcoming album.  The song is fresh, upbeat, and the vocals are great.  This track is definitely radio hit material.  Monae has such a distinctive tone to her voice.  Add this to the energy and passion she puts into the lyrics, and you have a standout track.  Towards the end out the track, there's an impressive guitar solo.  The instrumental matches Janelle's vibe perfectly.

Her album, The ArchAndroid, will be released May 18th.  Until then, you can check out "Cold War" and the other pre-release single, "Tightrope", which features Big Boi.  I prefer "Cold War" over "Tightrope".  The song has much more star power.  If the album is as unique as the two singles, then listeners are in for a treat.  I see Janelle Monae as an artist on the verge of major success.

Train - Hey, Soul Sister

All the way back in 2001, Train released their biggest hit, "Drops Of Jupiter".  This song was the band's breakthrough single.  The track was everywhere at the time, it even won two Grammy awards.  After the success of "Drops Of Jupiter", the band never returned to their position at the top of the charts.  With "Hey, Soul Sister", the band has updated their sound, and it paid off.

While the song has been incredibly successful, it seems a bit generic.  Not long ago, Jason Mraz's song, "I'm Yours" was a happy and fun hit.  I feel that Train is trying to copy this move.  They've created a song with cute lyrics and a bouncy ukelele.  It sounds like it's been done before.  Recycled songs generally aren't something you enjoy.

If you do enjoy the song, it can be found on Train's fifth studio album, Save Me San Francisco.  "Hey, Soul Sister" isn't a milestone in pop music.  It's very "sing-along" sounding, a novelty.  The band may have struck gold with the single, but if they want to stay around, they'll need something more original.

Leave a comment, do you think "Hey, Soul Sister" is too similar to other acoustic pop songs. Maybe you love the song. Let me know.

She & Him - In The Sun

Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward are the indie pop duo, She & Him.  The two create jingly pop songs in a style that you don't find nowadays.  Most of their songs are happy and cute.  Deschanel plays the piano while Ward primarily plays the guitar.  Although "She" takes on the position of lead vocalist, you can still hear some backup vocals from "Him".  The duo's unique style of music came to the attention of music critics everywhere when they released their debut effort, Volume One.  From the sound of this single, Volume Two will be just as enjoyable.

"In The Sun" is driven by a classic sounding piano riff.  Underneath the riff is the sound of a muted guitar.  The combination of the two, together, creates a great pace for the track.  The steady verses then lead into the chorus.  The chorus is so much bigger than the verses.  Deschanel soothes, "It's alright, it's okay...", to create the uplifting energy of the song.  The single is short and sweet, at just under three minutes.  The length adds to the peppy aroma that the song has captured.

If you need a "pick-me-up" song, then download "In The Sun".  It's especially fitting for the spring into summer time of the year.  The full album, Volume Two, is released on March 23.  I would look forward to it if you enjoy pop music, but not along the lines of Lady Gaga or Taylor Swift.  She & Him is pop music that the young and old alike can enjoy.

Flobots - White Flag Warrior

The Beastie Boys have done it before, but not quite in the same way. Flobots is a band that mixes alternative rock and rap to make something a little different from your usual rap-rock. Along with the Beastie Boys... Linkin Park and Rage Against The Machine could be seen as influences.  All of these bands have, in some way, brought some hip-hop to the distorted rock genre.

I first heard of Flobots when they released their most successful single, "Handlebars".  "Handlebars" received plenty of airplay on both hip-hop and rock radio stations, I hope "White Flag Warrior" is given the same attention.  The band's music is very unique.  The presence of their violist, Mackenzie Roberts, is definitely a strong point.  To have a viola in rock or rap music is unusual.

The track features Tim McIlrath, of the punk band, Rise Against.  His vocals come in during the song's chorus.  As a fan of Rise Against, his vocals on the record are great.  The chorus is very fitting to the rest of "White Flag Warrior".  It's one of the standout moments.

Flobots' sophomore album, Survival Story, just came out this week.  If you liked the band's previous work, then you should definitely check out the album.  The band is bringing something new to the table by breaking the standard genre molds.