Category: Songs

‘Fall to Pieces’ – New Matt and Kim Track Builds Strong Sense of Camaraderie

I flipped through the pages of SPIN magazine’s September 2010 issue and noticed a photo that made me smile.

The photo showed Kim Schifino of Matt and Kim standing on a drum throne holding her drumstick proudly in the air before crowd of thousands at New York’s Coney Island in August 2010.

With bandmate Matt Johnson sitting nearby at his keyboard, Schifino made her signature move to pump the crowd up.

Those guys look like fun, I thought. I need to check out one of their shows.

Later that month, I noticed Matt and Kim had a show scheduled at Detroit’s Majestic Theater. I bought tickets to the show without even knowing what their music sounded like.

I had a gut feeling they wouldn’t let me down, and I was right.

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‘Moth to the Flame’ – Chairlift Attracts Ann Arbor, Mich. Crowd with Spellbinding April 4 Live Show

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Chairlift performs at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, Mich. on April 4.

I quickly glanced down and typed the words, “Get Real,” into my cell phone.

Not long after I finished, I felt instant pressure being applied to the back of my phone.

“What the …?” I thought to myself.

I looked up and saw the clear heel of Caroline Polachek’s white plastic boot tapping my phone.

The Chairlift frontwoman nonverbally scolded me for being in the phone zone and not watching her band’s performance of “Get Real” on Monday at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor, Mich. I was standing at the front right corner of the stage, so I should’ve known I wasn’t anonymous.

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‘High Hopes’ – Pink Floyd’s ‘Division Bell’ Tune Rings Promising Future

The division bell chimes to signal the start of a new era.

It’s an era filled with promise, wisdom and hope for a fruitful life that unravels new adventures.

In those adventures, I highly anticipate the gatherings, experiences, concerts and music that will fill my life with joy.

One could say I have “High Hopes” for the fourth decade of my life, which will arrive in a matter of weeks and encourage me to reflect back on who I’ve become.

At this point, nothing sums it up better than Pink Floyd’s 1994 ode to what’s been lost and gained in life, “High Hopes,” from “The Division Bell.”

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‘Painkillers’ – Brian Fallon’s Title Track Gives Small Dose of Escapement

It only takes a small needle to make the pain go away.

No, I’m not talking about a hypodermic needle, but a record needle. There’s a calm sense of euphoria that washes over me when I hear a needle drop delicately on a vinyl record.

At that moment, I can leave the present day and escape briefly into a new world the artist has personally created with his music and lyrics.

In a sense, I’m taking a quick journey into the mind of someone I’ve never met and imagining life through his eyes. It’s akin to personifying the emotions of Joy, Fear and Sadness in the 2015 Pixar animated film, “Inside Out.”

I can picture all three emotions running through Brian Fallon’s head when he sings “Painkillers,” the title track off The Gaslight Anthem frontman’s new solo album, which dropped March 11.

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‘Everlong’ – Foo Fighters Release Humorous Video to Squash Breakup Rumors

Despite the rumors, Foo Fighters are in it for the “Everlong” haul.

David Grohl and his bandmates released a witty seven-minute “Official Band Announcement” video yesterday poking fun at breakup rumors, which surfaced after Grohl gave an acoustic solo performance of The Beatles’ “Blackbird” during Sunday’s Academy Awards.

Leave it to the Foos to play the media for a fool and develop such a clever response. It’s hard not to respect a bunch of musicians who inject some much needed humor after the music press wrongfully speculated the band’s demise.

The humorous video opens with recent headlines promoting the Foos’ pending breakup and shifts to footage of drummer Taylor Hawkins admitting the band needs a break.

As the Hawkins footage fades out, the camera focuses on a painted portrait of Grohl wearing a white ascot with an orange coat while holding a wine goblet and a cigarette.

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‘Your Own Special Way’ – Genesis Ballad Brings Sense of Personal Triumph, Renewal

Welcome back, Phil.

I quickly glanced down at my phone to scour the daily music headlines on Facebook Wednesday morning. I came across a Rolling Stone article, “Phil Collins Plotting Comeback: ‘I Am No Longer Retired.’”

Instantly, my jaw dropped when I read the headline. I did a double take. Was it true? Or, am I just reading this in my exhausted work haze?

No, it was true. I quickly scanned the article, and saw his quote in Rolling Stone, “The horse is out of the stable, and I’m raring to go.”

Phil, I’m there to hold the door open when you’re ready to prance back into the music scene. I’ll be in line with thousands of fans worldwide who are eager for your comeback.

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‘Midnight City’ – M83’s Signature Single Pays Homage to Night People, City Life

Editor’s Note: I’d like to thank Soundtrack Alley’s “Plunge Into Oblivion” post for inspiring the latest song I’ve added to The Stratton Setlist.

M83’s “Midnight City” reminds me why I love being a night person.

In my mind, Anthony Gonzalez’s signature song conjures up images of crowded concerts, booming city streets and urban adventures.

It beckons me to visit the city, catch a show at a small club and seek refuge from my daily life.

One of the song’s iconic lyrics, “The city is my church/It wraps me in its binding twilight,” sums up my love of night life.

Each night, I experience a sense of renewal after 8 p.m. It’s the time of day when routines retire, creativity flares and thoughts soar toward future possibilities.

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Into the Groove — Berninger Embraces Funky Side with EL VY’s ‘Return to the Moon’

I quickly grabbed a pen and scribbled down “The National” on a piece of scrap paper in my grape purple music room.

I looked at the name with a quizzical expression and said to my brother, “Who are they?”

“You just need to check them out. They’re an awesome band,” he said.

Five years ago, my brother affectionately dubbed me his musical “Padawan” since he was a “Jedi Master” teaching me in the ways of indie music.

It was part of his mission to convert me to an indie music fan, and it was working. After three Bonnaroos and two Lollapaloozas, I was getting closer to becoming an indie music “Jedi Master.”

My musical curiosity grew exponentially in 2010, and that’s when I first picked up The National’s “High Violet” album. With the songs, “Bloodbuzz Ohio,” “Terrible Love,” “Anyone’s Ghost” and “Afraid of Everyone,” the album quickly became one of my favorites.

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‘Frozen Love’ Crystallizes Longstanding Buckingham Nicks Partnership

Back in 1988, my mom brought home a coveted copy of the 1973 “Buckingham Nicks” self-titled album. She found the copy at a Detroit area record show and proudly brought it home to me.

As a budding Fleetwood Mac fan, I was awestruck. I had read about this commercially unsuccessful, but critically acclaimed album in Rolling Stone, Creem and other rock magazines as a kid.

For me, it was the crown jewel in my Fleetwood Mac vinyl album collection. I couldn’t wait to hear what Lindsey Buckingham’s and Stevie Nicks’ material sounded like before they joined my favorite band.

The album felt like a preview to Fleetwood Mac’s 1975 white album, especially because it features “Crystal.” I loved the folky, ethereal groove the album carried throughout its 10 tracks, but there was one track that stayed with me and still does today – “Frozen Love.”

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