NewYearsDayProject | a song a day blog

Following up a Grammy-winning record is a daunting task.  Kacey Musgraves ' fourth record Golden Hour was just a collection of simple pop songs with a twinge of country. For her fifth record, Musgraves attempted a concept record, chronicling her divorce and healing process on  star-crossed . But fans and critics have responded to the record with mixed reviews. In his review of star- crossed in Pitchfork , Sam Sodomsky writes:  " While Kacey Musgraves ’ fourth album intends to guide you from the early stages of a marriage through the aftermath of a divorce, the East Texas songwriter barely mentions the other person at the heart of her story, and her narrator doesn’t seem all that surprised when things start heading south." KICK IT AT THE MALL LIKE THERE'S NOTHING WRONG.  While star-crossed may have missed the mark as the next great American divorce record, the songs on the album capture glimpses of what a divorce feels like. However, not every song is specifically a...

We've been through several emanations of  Lady Gaga . Her debut album,  The Fame ,  was both a satire and a full embrace of the decadence of pop music. Critics were quick to draw comparisons to  Madonna --though Gaga despises this comparison--: both singers celebrate female sexuality and both artists are of Catholic Italian-American families which cause several similarities in themes throughout their discographies, and hence, both singers faced a hell of a lot of controversy. But just when critics said "enough" to Gaga's avant-garde  Artpop ,  the singer switched things up. She recorded a Country-inspired album  Joanne .  She recorded with musical legend  Tony Bennett , singing mid-twentieth century standards. She won an Oscar for the song " Shallow " from the movie she also received a nomination for her acting,  A Star Is Born . I LOST MY LOVE AND NO ONE CARED.  Lady Gaga's 2020 record,  Chromatica ,  was originally plann...

New Order  formed in 1980 after the three remaining members of the post-punk band  Joy Division  lost their lead singer  Ian Curtis  to suicide. Success wasn't instant for New Order with the start of the new band. New Order's sound was distinct from Joy Division's with the inclusion of keyboardist  Gillian Gilbert  and a growing penchant for synthesizers and electronic dance music. The band's breakthrough success came prior to the release of their second record,  Power, Lies & Corruption   with the release of their long-play (12") single " Blue Monday ," which took dance clubs around the world by storm, and even helped to fund the band's own dance club in Manchester called The Haçienda, a dance club named after the word for a Spanish plantation.   I SEE A SHIP IN THE HARBOUR.  New Order spent time in the clubs in New York listening to the latest disco prior to recording their sophomore album  Power, Lies & Corrupti...

With fans’ hearts freshly broken from the whirlwind year of 2014– when  Anberlin  announced their disbandment,  final album , and last world tour—lead singer  Stephen Christian  certainly wasn't walking away from music. First settling down in Nashville, he began exclusively writing songs for other artists. But in mid-2015 he released two  Anchor & Braille  tracks, " Detroit Stab " and " Fatal Flaw ." In February of 2016, Anchor & Braille released  Songs for the Late Night Drive Home , the third full-length project with the lead single, " Watch You Burn " and a lyric video proceeding the album's release. I WANNA WATCH YOU CATCH FIRE.  In interviews Stephen Christian has stated that Anchor & Braille projects usually reflect the style of music he's currently listening to. For the third installment, Christian talks about listening to  Washed Out  and  M83 , which can be heard in the chill, "late-night" synth sounds of t...

One of the often forgotten  RadioU  minor groups,  Furthermore   was another group that only released two records, 1999's  Fluorescent Jellyfish   and 2003's  She and I .  Furthermore was a trio consisting of vocalists Daniel Fisher and Lee Jester and DJ Jason Jester . The group arrived on  the  precipice of Tooth & Nail Records '  golden age and left the roster shortly after releasing She and I. Fisher went on to play in several bands, and apparently released several other projects under Furthermore after the group's Tooth & Nail run, including a single in 2020 and several singles earlier this year.   BEFORE YOU SAY GOODBYE.  Furthermore is a vestige of when Tooth & Nail signed artists without thinking about the financial consequences. Christian Rap was a burgeoning market for Christian audiences, but rock, punk, and hard music eventually became much of the label's focus. Christian Rap tended to be more evan...

  2017's  After Laughter   is arguably the best  Paramore  record both lyrically and musically. Musically, it's a pop album borrowing synths from the '80s, interesting drum arrangement, and some pensive guitars here and there. And although most songs are in major keys, lead singer and lyricist  Haley Williams  masterfully disguises some of the band's darkest lyrics with smiles and summertime vibes.  The name of the album itself is telling. Haley Williams explains that the meaning is the expression the faces of a room full of people stop laughing. Smiles start to fade, maybe some tears are wiped away. While you may debate whether this band fits into their emo punk rock sound, the lyrics are an unadulterated emotional roller coaster. I CAN'T CALL YOU A STRANGER, BUT I CAN'T CALL YOU.   Winter days are the time for last tracks of the album. Cold days indoors with instrumentals make you reflect on life and relationships. As a piano ballad, "...

I've talked about " Shout " and " Head over Heels ," but neither of those massive hits is the most remembered song from the post-punk band Tears for Fears . You're unlikely to hear a track from their follow-up to Songs from the Big Chair  in the grocery store, not the album's title track that is subtly about ejaculation, " Sowing the Seeds of Love ." Nor would you hear the later Gary Jules - covered " Mad World " for the film Donnie Darko and featured on every nighttime drama from Tears for Fears' first album. " Everybody Wants to Rule the World " is Tears for Fears' biggest song, yet the lyrics seem to contradict the easy melody of the song, making it slightly misunderstood.    ONE HEADLINE, WHY BELIEVE IT?  The syncopated guitar riff, the airy keys, and the somewhat chill vocals of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" act as a siren song, distracting listeners from the truly sinister theme of the song. L...