Hatchet reporter Patrick Rochelle shares his latest musical obsessions.
Okay everyone, settle down. Gather around. Jimmy, stop talking. Listen, I got some good news and I got some bad news. Bad news first: summer is over and school starts today. Go ahead and put those short shorts and flip-flops away. There won’t be any need for them this fall. But wait, there’s good news too! The good news: Sufjan is back. “Back?” you ask. Precisely. The indie sage just announced plans to release a new album called “The Age of Adz” Oct. 12. Now isn’t that better? The fall doesn’t look so bleak after all.
Best Coast: “When I’m With You”
If you asked me a week ago about Best Coast, I would have given you a blank stare. I had never heard of them. Like most good things, however, this song starts slow. Slow guitar riff, steady beat and soft, almost lethargic vocals. But the L.A. band surprises your ears in the second verse. The tempo immediately jumps into a fast paced whirlwind of sound that makes you want to rip off your shirt and dance while lead singer Bethany Cosentino shouts the chorus, “Because when I’m with you I have fun.” That’s right, go crazy!
The Weepies: “Please Speak Well of Me”
For some time I steered clear of the Weepies, seeing them as a histrionic and intentionally melancholy group. But all that changed when I heard this song. Aside from the rather simple melody and guitar part, lyrically this song entrances me. The line “Did I ever know love? Could I ever have been blinder?” stands out as something very true. For me, they are no longer simply a band trying to write sad songs just because they can. Clearly, Ms. Talan tapped into a raw human emotion here about regret, one that struck a chord. The Weepies new album “Be My Thrill” drops Aug. 31. Check it out. Maybe they’ll strike something raw in you too.
