Song of the Day

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aobTFetvO0 My Commentary: This is a really catchy song. The piano part is really upbeat and moving and Aliotta, Haynes, & Jeremiah have voices which really compliment the piano. While I really wish this song were about Lake Shore Drive in Chicago, I cannot shake the feeling they are describing a trip on LSD. While their use of narcotics and the usage of that in their music is up for debate, the feeling that this is a driving song is not. I can imagine myself driving through the countryside listening to this music. And if that is its' main purpose, I would be okay with that. 

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX5HP0aYo98 My Commentary: This is quintessential Maher. The lyrics are incredibly relatable. It has a little bit of an edge too, which is pretty fascinating, especially for Christian Contemporary Music. I really like the paradoxes Maher utilizes when he says "You called and you shouted, broke through my deafness." It's lyrics like that which show the power of the message Maher is proclaiming. 

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7dTBoW5H9k My Commentary: From the very start, this is a toe tapping song. It is hard not to groove to it. It also has a little bit of oomph from the matching guitar and bass parts. All in all, Mr. Blue Sky is a very catchy song. The electric orchestra is evident throughout the song as well, if you listen carefully. This song seems very intentional, there are not a lot of theatrics that overtake the lighthearted tune. At the end, there is a cool ending where it slows down. It makes it feel like a rhapsody of some sort, even though it isn't. Regardless, Electric Light Orchestra did a fine job with this one. 

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OUQY6n2e1o My Commentary: Fox on the Run, what a song. It is very true to its time period-released in the 1970's it has just enough edge to call it a rock song, but enough electro to make me question that ruling. The harmonizing throughout the chorus really draws me in and adds to the entire experience. I don't know how to process this song. During the verses, it sounds like the guy is shouting and then switches to singing at the chorus. It's certainly a song to groove to.   

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wl_eNu4NUVI My Commentary: Brandi Carlile outdoes herself with this one. A deeply reflective song, it seems to me to be a reflection of holding too tightly to love. The harmonies present throughout the song are hauntingly beautiful and only add to the reflective tone. Carlile was already a staple in singer/songwriter circles, but The Eye and the rest of the songs of the Firewatcher's Daughter only add to her already impressive resume. This is a song you will not want to forget. 

Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xz6brNjdEY My Commentary: One of reasons Needtobreathe is so skilled at songwriting is their ability to find inner struggles and make it connect with a wider audience. In Happy If You Could, the chorus asks "Why don't people get along?" A seemingly honest question. It is followed by an admission of guilt: "I have anger in my blood." Happy If You Could is featured on the Cercas Blancas EP, released in 2013, but its lyrics still resonate strong today. This stripped down work of art is one of their finest.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOBdFVhP4QE My Commentary: This is one of my favorite guitar songs ever. Freddie's tone is unreal. The lyrics are nice and easy to listen to, and they compliment the guitar really well. I think this song shows how blues music has evolved from the days of Robert Johnson and Mississippi delta blues, while still retaining the simplistic style. There is nothing over the top in this song, everything fits just right.

Link to Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiF09D9TIls My Commentary: In honor of Swithfoot's summer tour, Looking For Summer, beginning today, I Won't Let You Go is the song of the day. Told from the perspective of God, this song is a refreshing look at the relationship between God and man. It speaks of struggles of pain, trust, and belief. The lyrics are complimented by lead singer Jon Foreman's honest, stripped voice. It is a song that forces the listener to reflect on their own relationship with God.

Link to song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoXu6QmxpJE My Commentary: I first heard this song when I sang a choral version of it for a pops concert in high school. I hated it and thought it was a really stupid song. As I move on from that concert, I begin to see this song as it is. A song that I can't help but tap my feet to. It is a ridiculously fun song that deserves belongs in the annals of history as one of those end-of-sporting-event-songs that are easy to sing to and groove along to.