Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes "Better Days"

I always laugh to myself when I see this---and I'll try not to pick on any one group here, as this scene exists across many, many demographic groups.

You see a person.  And they really stand out in the crowd.  Something about the way they dress screams "I'm an individual!"  Maybe it's a particular, unusual haircut or jewelry.  Or a hat.  Or just a way of wearing their pants.

They are making a bold, individualistic statement.

And then you see them join a group of friends, and the friends are all dressed the same.

Like, you saw the first guy and he was wearing a vest and you thought, hmm, you don't see to many dudes wearing vests these days. and then you look at his friends and they're ALL wearing vests.

That's what trends in music can be like.  At first, you hear a band that is doing something different.  Then suddenly, 10 bands who are doing the same thing show up.

I've already written a bit about the Mumford And Sons burnout that many listeners are crabbing about.

And they are a part of this larger trend we're caught in the middle of right now.

Some friends have referred to it as "the group singing thing" but I'm otherwise not sure if it has a name.

But aren't there suddenly a dozen bands that give off a quasi-messianic vibe, thunderously strum their acoustic instruments and have the whole band join in to sing the chorus?

The Head And The Heart are a great example of this sound.

And let me say, It's a really great sound.  On the one hand, I totally love this trend.  Because I appreciate the sincerity of the singing, the democratic feel of the group-ness, the uplifting nature of it all.

But as a programming . . . yeesh, there's a lot of it.  Just to name a few:

The Lumineers
The Lone Bellow
The Kopecky Family
The David Wax Museum
Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeroes
The Low Anthem
Hey Marseilles
Fleet Foxes

I have to say, there isn't a stinker in the bunch.  I think these are all solid, respectable bands.  Real musicians with real passion.

But, as a programmer, you just can't play them all.

There are many parts to what we do.  MVY has some classic rock.  We play some jazz-influenced artists.  Harder rock.  Folkies.  Some Blues.  And R&B/Soul stuff.  But the recipe calls for a little of each.

When the new music pile skews heavily to one side, unfortunately, some good bands don't make the cut in deference to the overall sound.

The Edward Sharpe track (in the video below) was the most added song to radio stations across the country, when the numbers came out Monday.  But MVY probably won't add it.  Why?  We've got a lot of stuff on the air that is similar.

And following the Jack White corollary, there's no sense hopping in bed with a band unless we think we're going to follow them for years and albums to come.

So while "Better Days" is likely to go on to do well across the country, it won't be in the MVY mix.

Because seriously, we can't all wear vests to the party.


Hear the song on Youtube.

The Head And The Heart "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?"

This is a song that makes it's way to the playlist on New Year's Eve.

Which really doesn't make any sense.  Because if you are going to ask someone out for New Year's Eve, you should do it before New Year's Eve.

So I'm posting it the day before New Year's Eve, to remind you to ask that special someone out, NOW!

Enjoy this recently released version of the classic tune, from the Holidays Rule compilation.


Hear the song on Youtube.

My Morning Jacket "When The Bells Start Ringing"

After wowing folks/freaking people out with their most adventurous album yet, My Morning Jacket ends the year by going in the other direction: Traditional.

They are putting out a 7 song, iTunes-only EP of Christmas songs, recorded during a 14-hour studio session between tour dates in Europe.

This track is one of two that features collaboration with The Head & The Heart, and you can get it for free right now at iTunes!

Get the download.

And here's the other song the two bands collaborate on . . .


Hear it on Youtube.

The Head And The Heart "Lost In My Mind"

A really great pop songwriter’s gift, is creating a piece of instantly memorable ear candy. Something that lodges in your brain after one listen, and remains a pleasure to hear to over and over.

I’m thinking of songs like “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” or “Mamma Mia” or “Mmm Bop” or “Hey Ya.”

A song that can sound simple, and sometimes even stupid, is actually incredibly hard to make. Or at least to make well.

There’s a deeper, less celebrated kind of great pop songwriting that I think is even harder to achieve, but is sometimes more rewarding.

Neil Finn of Crowded House does it. So does Glen Phillips of Toad The Wet Sprocket. Aimee Mann too.

They have this gift of being able to create these beautiful, wonderful, sturdy melodies, that don’t necessarily reveal their power on the first listen, but in the end are as (or are more) durable than the Ear Candy songs.

20 years later, you can still hear “Don’t Dream It’s Over” or “Walk On The Ocean” or “That’s Just What You Are” and the songs feel fresh and they even seem to (politely) beg you to sing along.

Their power is subtler. It doesn’t hit you over the head with its own cleverness.

That’s what I like about this song from The Head And The Heart.

I heard it a bunch of times and liked it well enough, but I can’t say the song immediately distinguished itself among the 100 or so songs I was listening to for possible adds to mvyradio.

But I liked it, and when I found out that they were on the bill for Newport Folk this year, I decided to get behind the tune, knowing that we’d likely be airing their set and/or interviewing the band.

Now that I’ve heard it on mvyradio a bunch of times, it has suddenly become one of my favorite new songs on the station.

It’s such a strong song, with a memorable melody and a nice steady build.

If you’re not familiar with the song, check it out. And if it doesn’t knock your socks off on the first listen, that’s okay. Enjoy the fact that it will reveal its beauty and power, over time.


See the video on Youtube.