New Music Monday

Well, it's that time again.  Time to start a new week.  Time to shake off the weekend and put the old nose back to the grindstone.  And more importantly, time to check out some new tunes!  I have some good stuff for you this week (mixed in with the stinkers, of course):

"Let's Go" - Madi Diaz - Far From Things That We Know
First up is "Let's Go" by Madi Diaz.  She was recommended to me by Micah after he played a show with her a week or so ago.  Normally, I'm not a huge fan of female singers (I can't explain why...don't judge me), so I was a little afraid, but I was very pleasantly surprised.  I went to her website (see the link above) and checked out what she had there to listen to.  This song is available as a free download from her website (lucky you...and me!!) and it is really good!  I have been wearing this song out all week, she has such a pretty voice and the percussion on this song - gah - I'm hooked!!  Even more exciting, she has a new album coming out January 24th (yes, that's tomorrow!!).  After you go listen to this song and love it, you can pre-order Plastic Moon right now on iTunes.

"Velvet Arms" - Jay Loftus
I was sent a link to this song on youtube as an example of Jay Loftus' work, but I'm not sure it's a fair representation.  Personally, I think this song sounds like a perfectly good radio hit.  It is peppy, hooky and sugary sweet...everything you could ask for in a pop song.  I see no reason it won't be hugely popular.  That being said, I think this guy is better than this song.  If you want to hear what he really sounds like, check out his cover of Train's "Marry Me" which is really, really good, or any of his other acoustic performances. I think the processed sound of "Velvet Arms" will appeal to the masses and result in hordes of screaming girls outside every venue he plays, but I also feel like he has more actual talent than is displayed in this song.

"The Draft Dodger" - Sick Friend - Draft Dodger
This song has a background sound of static or feedback or something.  Whatever it is, I don't find it very pleasant to listen to.  The singer is going way too fast, I can almost not follow him and what's with the big exaggerated breathes every so often?  I don't really feel any melody in this one either.  I guess what I'm saying is that, overall, it's just not my thing.

"Ramona" - Night Beds - Country Sleep
I think I might really like this song if it was half as long as it is.  It has a little bit of a groove to it, I don't find the vocal unpleasant, it's ok.  But then it drags on for over 4 minutes.  Completely unnecessary.  And at one point, they fake you into thinking it's almost over, but it's not.  I just do not understand why artists feel like songs need to be this long.  They don't.  Unless they're really good (of course, I suppose Night Beds consider this to be a really good song).  If I need more minutes of a song, I'm more than happy to just listen to it twice.

"Tuck the Darkness In" - Bowerbirds - The Clearing
Apparently this song is about the lose of a close friend and the process of getting your shit back together after something like that.  I can respect that.  However, this song is almost 5 minutes long and that, I cannot get behind.  It's slow and dreamy and I assume if you were high it would be just wonderful to float along on this song for 5 minutes.  But I'm not high and after about 3 minutes of this song, I'm totally done with it.