95 North. . . The Newspaper

"Hello in There" by John Prine John Prine: he's everybody's uncle who writes as mind bending, imaginative songs as anyone on the planet.  Prine is so easy going and conversational, even with his acoustic guitar, that the heaviness and depth of his lyrics creep up on you to powerful effect. His songs are like long drama films that finish in three minutes, and say plenty. Here, let his trusty, midwestern voice sit right next to you for a minute. His tales will stick with you even longer. "Crawling Back to You" Tom Petty Petty is solid, the PB&J of rock. He won't disappoint. He seems to get weird for a second with a flute in the beginning of this one, but eventually he settles into a tight, minor key groove that deals with emotional landscapes from California to Tuscon. For Petty, this song is a bit more sprawl that grit, and that is a-ok. "Wild Ones" Flo Rida Ah, the forgotten pop tunes from the summer of 2012. Obama and Rom...

1. Everlong (acoustic): Foo Fighters Dave Grohl is as likable as he is talented. The former Nirvana drummer throws his acoustic into "drop D" tuning here and delivers a perfect, melodic and moving tune that has become an alternative rock touchstone, moving everyone from David Letterman to Miley Cyrus. 2. A Little at a Time: Magnolia Electric Co The sparse midwest, freight trains, dim lit bars, and regret fill up Magnolia Electric Co's songs. Lead singer, the late Jason Molina, was originally a bass player and thus had an interesting and incredibly unique style in playing the guitar. Random notes seem to fit together like a spray painted boxcar rolling through an Indiana night, as Molina's trademark wind-wandering voice drives asks plenty of questions. 3. They Thought I was Asleep: Paul Kelly Paul Kelly is a clever, emotive, and efficient songwriter. His voice fits every chord he plays with his steady hands. Here, the Australian masters a few turns of phra...

Time for a new installment of "Shuffle" (a review of 5 random songs). First installment of "shuffle" is  here. See the list below: "Beach Comber": Real Estate Sit back in your beach chair, kick away the styrofoam cups at your feet and listen to this melodic, wandering guitar-rock band seep into your consciousness. Most of the songs from Real Estate sound relatively similar, and the vibe is all suburban, mischievous, and relaxed. "When I Look at the World": U2 A fuzzy, warm guitar introduces us to this emotional tune from U2 and never lets go, only inviting some well placed keys and a steady, fizzy beat along for the ride. As expected, the song does reach an emotional high point as Bono laments that "I tried to be like you/ try to feel it like you do/ But without you it's no use/ I don't see what you see". This song is big on emotions and shallow on the details, and the instrumentation is heavily pop-influenced. ...

I opened up my Spotify library and shuffled everything: all of it, the comedy, the guilty pleasures, the tracks that were interesting at some point for some reason, and the Bob Dylan. What came out? Here, I review the first five songs that show up, no matter what they are: 1. "Bands With Managers": Pedro the Lion I really like this song, as it perfectly encapsulates that sad-core minor-key-electric-guitar-Seattle- rainy-type sound of the early 2000's. Pedro the Lion was the moniker for songwriter David Bazan, who at the time still identified as a Christian artist, although his work would slowly move away from spiritual themes, as they do here. The lyrics don't really provide any sort of transcendence, rather, they cast a critical eye towards popular music culture as Dave Bazan deals with the reality that his career path just might not work out. The songs reaches a emotional high point as Bazan falsettos the bridge home: "You don't believe when I say/ th...