Quick Hits, Vol. 277 (Pile o' Singles!)

Damn.  Can people just release their lame pandemic albums already?  I'm struggling to find new music around here.  So, here is another pile of singles that I've collected over time (and am tired of listening to, so I'm writing about them so that I can either save them or delete them forever).  I will say that I have exciting personal news, in that my gigantic mop of hair is going to get dealt with this afternoon now that Austin has shifted down into Stage 3.  I am very much looking forward to less hair.

Also, just saw on Spotify that my boy is listening to Stone Temple Pilots from 25 years ago and my soul is so very pleased with the world.  I made out in the driveway of my girlfriend's house to that song a million years ago.  🎜🎜"All my life's a circle, sunrise annnnnndd sundown!" 🎜🎜

• Lil Nas X - Holiday.  I gotta give this guy credit for making catchy shit.  You can roll your eyes at "Old Town Road" all you want, but it is 100% fact that the guy came out of no where and captured the nation's ears in a way people rarely do anymore.  This one leans on a very basic beat, but the "don, don, don" thing he says to start the chorus sticks in my ears after every listen.  As does the dorky ass "hee hee, I'm bad as Michael Jackson" that comes right before it.  Pretty solid.
• Run the Jewels featuring Royal Blood - the ground below.  I know, I need to relax about RTJ, but this mash of two of my favorite musical groups from the past few years is freaking great.  I was walking to the car the other day, hearing this in my head, and had to jump and kind of punch at the ground at the same time, which my wife saw, which was unfortunate for the tiny shred of cool factor I still bring to my marriage.  It's not terribly different from the album version of this song, just a little rawer.
• System of a Down - Protect the Land.  Preachy track about using a gun to protect the earth, but the plodding riffage sounds like classic SOAD.
• System of a Down - Genocidal Humanoidz.  Ahhhh, there we go - here is the speed metal riffage and freaky gypsy carnival sideshow barker vocals that I needed.  Chunky and good.  Way better than the other one.
• Jade Bird - Headstart.  Dig the Jade Bird action.  This one starts light, and then gets full throated.  Catchy and singable - good stuff.
• Brittany Howard - You'll Never Walk Alone.  Showcases her powerful pipes on a classic track done by loads of other singers.  Every time I listen, I'm shocked at how quickly it ends.  I'd do a longer version in a heartbeat.
• Greta Van Fleet - Age of Machine.  I know, I know.  I'm a lame dad for digging this stuff, but whatever.  You probably love the Telletubbies theme song or something, jerk.  More classic rock fetishism for the olds to raise their lighters to.  There are moments when I'm not so sure about the Golden God-esque wailing, but honestly the tunes wouldn't be the same without it.
• Greta Van Fleet - My Way, Soon.  I mentioned something about this one the other day, that is very much sounds like a Pearl Jam song from the Vitology or Vs. era - the guitar work and the whole sound of the opening and the chorus.  Just need Eddie Vedder warbling over the top instead of fake Robert Plant and you'd have a good b-side.  This is the better of these two tracks on this single.
• Black Crowes - Charming Mess.  Classic.  Sounds like it could have been recorded at the sessions for "Hard to Handle."  Huh, I just read about it, and this really did get recorded as part of the Shake Your Money Maker sessions, and according to the website I just read, was supposed to be the first single off that album, but then ended up being left off entirely.  Weird!  Great track.
• Brandi Carlisle w/ Soundgarden - Black Hole Sun.  Hell yeah.  Carlisle's voice is killer for this track (even more so for the next one) that was made for a Record Store Day promotion.  Sounds great.
• Brandi Carlisle w/ Soundgarden - Searching (With My Good Eye Closed).  But this deeper cut is even better.  Fucking roll me up in this and smoke me when I die.  The pure grunge of the riffage, the hammering drums, and Carlisle's range just sliding right in there perfectly.  if that doesn't make you want to push out your lower jaw and bob your head, then I can't help you with your malfunction.
• Kings of Leon - The Bandit.  I get that a lot of people are sick of these guys because of that dumb ass "Sex on Fire" song, but I freaking dig this track and most of their music.  Very distinctive sound, kinda jangly rock with that nasal, a little slurred vocal delivery, and a beat that grooves all day.  Aha Shake Heartbreak and Because of the Times are classics for me, so I'll buy what they're selling.  Bring the album on boys!
• Lana Del Rey - Chemtrails Over The Country Club.  Meh?  Lana has grown on me some - that last album had some really nice songs, but this one is kinda boring and forgettable.  Very pretty, kind of a swishing ballgown of a song.
• Royal Blood - Typhoons.  This one is highly disappointing to me, and even worse, it has started to grow on me.  The whole thing about Royal Blood was the crushing badassery of the band just being drums and electric bass (making guitar sounds) and ramming those two things down your gullet.  Now this one adds in a drum machine and hand claps?  Is this disco?  And then I hear it on the radio or it sneaks back into my Spotify and I find myself grooving my ass off to it.  Dammit.  That build that starts at 2:30 kinda rules if you want to do an Axl Rose serpentine dance and get funky with yourself.
• Royal Blood - Trouble's Coming.  A little more traditional, but the drums still sound a little too clean, and the little synth strings or whatever make me bummed out.  UNTIL they get to the chorus and my body absolutely must twitch and do some sweet old man shoulder raises.  Catchy rock and roll business.  I'll give these guys the benefit of the doubt and see about the new disc.  I'm a little worried but their old albums are so great I'll wait and see.
• Eric Church - Heart on Fire.  Always chasing "Springsteen" with this guy, and he always disappoints.  That was his apex for sure.  This one likens the way his truck shook on a gravel road to the way Elvis moved while singing "All Shook Up."  I do not enjoy this.