Hello
friends!
Sorry
for the lack of reviews over the last several months. I just entered a bit of a
non-motivated slump what with the holidays, a health issue, family stuff and
things, basically, life got in the way. That being said, I think any reviews
going forward will be posted on more of an occasional basis instead of the
twice a month schedule I used to maintain.
But don’t
despair, I didn’t totally abandon my musical pursuits… during the autumn and
winter, I enjoyed a few new songs that I feel are quite share-worthy with loyal
readers of the Dial.
So, tonight,
the Dial will transmit two of those songs to you, and then another two in an
upcoming article. A two-part special episode of Kyle’s Radio Dial, if you will.
So without further ado, let the cartoon begin!
“Never-ending days, never-ending nights…
everything I say, I know I can’t get right.”
Yes,
we start this article with a little Beck, and his latest single, “Uneventful Days”, which has the
highest profile of the four songs I will be covering. It currently sits at #33 on
the US Alternative charts.
A song
that speaks to modern day depression,
Beck’s lyrics could point to it being either a simple breakup song with the
singer bemoaning the loss of a romantic relationship, or perhaps (in a deeper
interpretation), a lament that the world has changed dramatically leaving the
singer in unfamiliar and uncomfortable territory. And don’t we all feel like
that from time to time, especially in recent years?
Even though “Uneventful
Days” has a modern “alternative meets folk meets synth-pop” thing going on,
something about Beck’s latest offering reminds me of rocker Bob Welch,
specifically his 1978 classic hit “Sentimental
Lady”. The first time I heard “Uneventful”, I was reminded of Welch’s hit. Both
songs have a similar relaxed vibe, but where “Lady” is a poetic love song,
“Uneventful” has a sadder focus dealing with emotional desperation and
confusion.
Beck was one of those
artists that I really only knew through his radio hits, “Where It’s At”, “Devil’s
Haircut”, “New Pollution”, and of
course, his slacker ode “Loser”… but
I never really followed his work. Based on “Uneventful”, I may need to delve
deeper into his discography, and certainly will give his latest LP, 2019’s “Hyperspace” (of which “Uneventful” is
extracted) a spin.
Now, onto our second spotlighted track, in
which we’ll take a listen to Los Angeles’ Doe Paoro and her newest single, “Midnight Choir”.
“And we’ll sing… a song of beginnings, a song
of beginnings… and we’ll sing of sweet never endings cause we’re never-ending…”
Doe’s smooth pop entry carries a timeless, soulful
vibe, and possesses an exotic quality, which is unsurprising, given her background
in Tibetan folk music.
As the song begins, Doe implores a friend to
meet her in a garden that is “overgrown and disregarded” for what I believe to
be some sort of spiritual healing or emotional centering. Perhaps it is simply meditation,
or perhaps it’s just the rejuvenation of being surrounded by nature, “as stars
dangle above”. The remainder of the song continues on with this imagery. Sounds delightfully peaceful to me, Doe, I’ll join you tonight.
Musically, I hear multiple influences from
various female singers and songwriters (and “singer/songwriters”) all over Paoro’s
style. Most prominently, her expressive lyrics echo that of Aimee
Mann’s late 80’s work with her former band ‘Til Tuesday, specifically “The Other End (of the Telescope)”, and “J for Jules”. I also detected a bit of
Sheryl Crow in her phrasing and the way she holds certain notes, and an occasional
trill to her voice that recalled both Stevie Nicks and Belinda Carlisle.
“Midnight Choir” was released as a single in
the summer of 2019, and is not yet attached to a full length LP. Her prior
album was 2018’s Soft Power. Now that
Doe is on my radar, I’ll be checking out more of her angelic and inspiring
music.
So I hope you enjoyed these two new songs
that I’ve been enjoying, and please stay tuned for the second half of this special
Kyle’s Radio Dial entry, in which I will spotlight a classic honky-tonk style country
flirter, and an indie rock tune about music unlocking your hidden memories that
borrows quite a bit from the pages of Tom Petty.
All this… and MORE, coming up on Kyle’s
Radio Dial!
Eventually. 
