Young the Giant Flashes Its Silvertongue With Authority

Like some bass to go with your dance ditties? Young the Giant can hook you up thanks to "Silvertongue", the kind of song that fills you up in a deep dish pizza sort of way. First you get Francois Comtois laying it down on drums, a nice little appetizer that juices up the main course devilishly. Then the aforementioned guitar, courtesy of Payam Doostzadeh whose also responsible for the synthesizer which adds plenty of sparkle. The Irvine based band comes to the danced armed for bear, hand clapping sweetness to beat the band. Lead vocalist Sameer Gadhia serves as a prime master of ceremonies, beckoning the masses forward with his winsome ways. His pipes serve the material well. This shindig gains traction thanks to Sameer. He elevates the material to a higher dimension entirely, one that's rich in fun vibes that get you away from whatever troubles might be brewing. The tempo doesn't run willy nilly all over the place, a ship lacking direction. The beat has a slinky edge bound to get party attendees rolling in the aisles...that is when their feet aren't shuffling across the floor in utter gaiety. Young the Giant has its craftsmanship down to a science and that fact helps the boys out along the way. If "Silvertongue" was a kind of wearable material I'd point to tight '80s era Spandex. The sound goes on seamlessly, not a stitch out of place. The video surely is catnip for all you folks who like stylish nuggets alongside your stein of beer.It is hypnotic above and beyond the call of duty. Jacob Tilley and Eric Cannata do double duty on guitar, with Jacob throwing in synthesizer and mellotron for good measure. Eric adds keyboards for good measure. So the bar has a fully stocked larder of aural goodies to throw in your face and the results resonate like nothing you've ever experienced before. During peak hours you can turn to "Silvertongue" and it can do a really fantastic number on your mojo. Young the Giant has brought a fantastic bit of ear candy to us without so much as one conditional for our affections. That bodes well for their immediate commercial future and rock chart durability. "Silvertongue" speaks volumes for the talent Young the Giant has on display.

Grouplove's Life Feeds Off of Schizophrenic Guitars and a Keen Sense of Warmth

It's a tale of two instruments which propels Grouplove's new single "Welcome To Your Life". On the one hand you've got drum fill accompanied synthesizers. Very loose and fluid hook line starting off the proceedings in an understated way. The chorus, on the other hand, resembles diving into a warm sauna rich in harmonious electrified guitar shape and texture. Very human personal feeling all the way around. The lyrics benefit from such an inviting template from which to dip into. It caresses the body and soul seamlessly as if you could practically sense an actual person assuaging your angst ridden demeanor Lyrically the point is girl thinks guy is a super hot mess, however, for whatever reason they're back in business regardless. The adage appears to be nothing ever happens without a change which, in society as we know it to be, appears to be rooted in truth. "Welcome to your life. It could be a fantasy, let it be your fantasy." Some fantasies are sort of rooted in grim undertones so, not all fantasies are best encouraged. What should be encouraged are the nerve ending appeasing chord progressions found in the main refrain. Your mind goes to unwind on impact and said impact is well worth indulging in. You don't suspect the brand of song you're going to get from the electronic opening. You'd be forgiven for blowing off "Welcome To Your Life" as a one trick pony with nothing much else to show for taking a peek under the hood. Then the ambiance shift occurs. You are treated to friendliness personified. Hannah Hooper fuses her breezy vocals nicely with Christian Hooper's ingratiating persona. The result surfaces as bubbly listener friendly alt rock that this band has forged a fine reputation for itself in singles past. Pace wise nobody moves at an overly fast clip. You watch the parade roll by but it doesn't leave you eating its pronounced dust. You can settle in, possibly newspaper in hand amply ruffled, and use the tune as endearing background noise as you're reading the classifieds, sports page or whatever else tickles your fancy. It's a likable gem that has the potential to grow on you upon repeated listening. Chance amounts to circumstance. Truer words were never spoken. Unplanned events often make up the bulk of our daily dealings. We make plans but, in the final analysis, many of our best laid ones don't exactly reach full flower, life getting in the way and whatnot. It's a game of chance, and one where winning depends on what you consider winning to entail. For some it's a night where the hubby isn't beating the wife to a pulp. For others it's a fourth quarter balance sheet where the profit margin trends upward. It's all in how you use your victory filter. Grouplove has cemented its winning ways via a song that wraps you up in its arms and carries off to an audio nirvana the likes of which you haven't known before and likely won't again anytime soon. Welcome to a sound that lingers on the eardrums satisfyingly and won't let go.

Green Day Gifts Us With a Breath of Fresh Air

Green Day's new effort comes packed full of great spark both from acoustic and electric guitar. "Still Breathing" has plenty of oxygen to spare and we're the prime benefactors of it all. The song opens armed for bear on a steady diet of prime acoustic strumming. We're not entirely sure what kind of highway we're about to journey on. Billie Joe Armstrong knows his way around the acoustic style. It's certainly showcased his friendly side, all sunshine and clear as a bell futures. As the song clicks into third gear we hear more high octane electric coupled with some high powered drumming from the illustrious one Tre Cool. He bangs away like a man possessed. He shows off his wild man chops during the chorus which features the sentiments: "Cause I'm still breathing on my own. My head's above the rain and roses making my way away, Talk about combining the bitter with the sweet. On the one hand you have the sweet smell off fresh cut roses, thorns and all. On the flip side there's the seemingly never ending rain beating down, a picture of well watered melancholy tended to by a constant, devoted gardener. It's a nice juxtaposition featuring light and dark and one combining the beauty of a spring afternoon with the solemnity of a dark life sapping winter evening. But...back to the song itself. The horsepower never ends. Even in the acoustic portion, Billie has team Green Day running on all cylinders. The pulse goes at a jaunty clip, inviting listeners along for the agreeable ride. When this tune gallops toward top speed at the electric guitar choral refrains, Tre is at his finest. His drum kit takes on a life of its own. The rat-a-tat intensity really complements Billie Joe's vocal pluck. The man sounds so happy to have weathered whatever storms life has pushed in his general direction. To be breathing on his own sends him to high levels of ecstasy that he becomes hard pressed to keep under wraps. The simple pleasure rolls of his tongue impeccably well. "Still Breathing" has wonderful harmony that holds up nicely throughout the whole song. You really like spending time with Billie Joe, Mike, and Tre, especially when the product they offer bubbles out of the champagne glass. We can relate to your child looking off on the horizon, Billie Joe. In a sense that's what we as a collective are doing, our group eye to the future, curious to discover what's coming up to surprise us around the next bend. These guys are well past the age of courting lost or regained childhood innocence but the desire for perceived simpler times remains hard to turn away from. "Still Breathing" stays crispy from first note to last. It reminds us how blissful the flow of oxygen can be especially if we've been taking it for granted way too long. Green Day truly put out a diaphragm full of impressive sentiment and sharp execution. We can all breathe a sigh of relief that Green Day's new song isn't one meant for the discard pile.