All Categories - Ears Like a Hawke

HAIM - "Want You Back"

7/5/2017

Does anyone out there read my Geekade monthyl new release articles? Because songs like this are why I enjoy doing them so much.

HAIM is back with music that I think has only gotten better. It's a perfect tone-setter for a nostalgic summer and thought and whimsy somehow successfully blended. This first track out of the box has me flat out excited to drive on Friday to Indy and (hopefully) listen to the whole thing through.

Anywhos, I think YOU should give it a shot too.

And I had a fear of forgiveness
(Said it from the beginning)
I was too proud to say I was wrong
(Said you’d always see me through)
All that time is gone, no more fearing control
I’m ready for the both of us now

Katy Perry - "Firework"

7/4/2017

Say what you want about the music video, this song is still a hell of an empowerment anthem. It's said that it's Katy's favorite song from the album, and I'd bet that's the case for many others.

All the pop and glitz and necessary fun on this one. And if you're any kind of fan of the song, you're throwing aside the mocking comments anyway. The burn and the fun is what counts.

Hope you all are out somewhere feeling good tonight too.

You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July

DEVO - "Whip It"

1/25/2017

Sometimes you need a good dance-y throwback for a Wednesday. I never got what makes this so damn catchy, but it's such a classing that no one can get over. Call it a nostalgia thing for the 80s, or call it something that just gets obnoxiously stuck in your head - this one's stood the test of time.

Lauren Alaina - "Three"

1/24/2017

I get more excited about Lauren Alaina's new music every time I hear a new song from it. She has got such a good selection of topics and a great way of telling the stories. It's just been wonderful.

This latest treasure is a story about giving so much up to achieve dreams. And what in incredible line: "six years of missing home for three minutes on the radio." You might say that stars have no right to complain, but any of us could relate somehow to sacrifice, and it certainly does exist.

Train - "You Better Believe"

1/23/2017

I have a love hate relationship with Train, mostly due to long-ago bad associations with "Drops of Jupiter." But they got the pull-on-the-heartstrings thing right on this one. It's got this sad longing tone to it, with lyrics that I suppose should be uplifting, but there's some underlying truth of pain:

I wish that I had all the answers
And I could walk you down your road
For all the times those times you feel like you don't matter
There's just one thing you gotta know

You better believe, you better believe
Like my father said to me
"Just give it some time, look for a sign
And you'll be just fine"

Yeah. Just fine.

The Maine - "Bad Behavior"

1/22/2017

If you've ever heard the song "Bad" by The Cab, you may understand the appeal of this song. There's something wickedly lovely about someone a little bad that can bring out the fun side of you that only that special person deserves to see - they're the only one you want to see that. You get to self indulge, you get to live out the wild-er side. Or, you get to watch them live it out and just have a good time along on the ride. Girls like bad(ish) boys after all, right?

Joshua Radin - "Enough For You"

1/21/2017

I don't normally embed a Spotify player in my posts (Apple gives me an affiliate fee to include them if I get clicks - on that note, click more often...) but apparently you can't find this on Apple? Oh well.

In this very soft, gentle rendering of a song, it answers the desire to tell someone you'll be there no matter what, even if that's literally all you have to give - yourself. And hopefully, no matter what, all you can give will always be enough.

John Mayer - "Changing'

1/20/2017

I am a little conflicted about using this song. I don't hate it, but I don't love it. We had a pretty lengthy discussion about it at work today, and I've come to a few opinion conclusions on it.

One, the vocals feel very one John Mayer. There isn't a hardness to the vocals, and the range is lighter and higher. For folks that loved "Continuum" this is probably going to be right up your alley.

It also strikes me as a much more pop-based song than I like to hear from him. I feel like Ryan Tedder could have had a hand in the songwriting process. That said, for me that's a little different than previous Mayer music.

Overall opinion is that I like that John Mayer can change up thigns just a little bit, and much like the song says, continue to grow and change as a musician.

The Jayhawks - 'Pretty Roses In Your Hair"

1/19/2017

This one, admittedly, has a similar sound to yesterday's SOTD, but maybe keeping a theme isn't the worst, ya know? Again, we have a really old sounding recording - by which I mean that I feel like this would fit better on a vinyl than my computer speakers are allowing for it. Or maybe they are also a contributing factor.

Regardless, there's a great more unique sound that will have you slightly in awe of the fact that it just came out last year!

SKATERS - "Head On To Nowhere"

1/18/2017

I love getting recommendations from my friends. Luckily, some of the ones that have the best musical taste made 2016 reflection lists chock full of good stuff to hear (I'm looking at you Ashley and Colleen!). Including this one. Super old school recording sound, steady beat to kick back to - everything I want in a song tonight.