Songs I Dig - 10

Here it is! At long last, here is the much anticipated "Songs I Dig" blog I intended to write in July but which I never got around to it. All of the songs you see in this particular edition have been on the radio for a few months now and you might just be sick of hearing them by now. I know one such song is always on the radio to this day! Apparently the listeners haven't gotten tired of it yet. But we'll get to that song momentarily. Most of the artists featured in this edition are new to the SID blog. That doesn't mean they haven't been around for long; it's just that my blog hasn't been around for long! Anyways, without further ado, here are the songs I am digging!

"Viva La Vida" by Coldplay - Ah yes, it's the Coldplay juggernaut. What a brilliant piece of work this song is; complete with the title which never gets mentioned in any of the lyrics to the song and the fabulous use of orchastry throughout. When I first heard it, I loved it instantly and still do to this day. This was the song I mentioned in the opening paragraph of this blog as a song that gets plenty of radio airplay to this day. It's no wonder the song has already reached number one here in the United States and in many countries throughout the world. Coldplay is no stranger to the music industry. The band first met in 1996 and basically played locally in and around London, England. They released their first album independently in 1998 - releasing only 500 copies. Soon afterwards, they signed with a record company in the U.K. Ever since then, Coldplay has been known for a number of giant hits such as "Yellow," "Trouble," "Clocks," "In My Place," "Speed of Sound," and "Fix You." Their latest album, "Vida La Vida," is one that moves the band in a different direction from their previous albums. Chris Martin, the lead vocalist of Coldplay, also says he uses much less falsetto than in previous songs. Definitely big changes for a group that has already experienced tremendous success.

"Come on Get Higher" by Matt Nathanson - This song is about as catchy as it gets; and it's sweet, soulful beat is just as enjoyable. I know I became a fan of this tune almost instantly. I think the lyrics are what I found to me most intriguing, especially the chorus. "So come on, get higher; loosen my lips ... faith and desire, and the swing of your hips ... just pull me down hard; and drown me in love ... These lyrics are repeated quite often throughout the duration of the song; so as you can see, it's pretty easy to see how catchy the song can be. "I miss" is used quite often throughout the song, so I am lead to believe that this is a song about a break-up and the individual "singing" the lyrics is fondly remembering the person the song is about. Obviously it's a male singing about a female, so essentially, he'd "walk on water" and do eveything he could to have what he once had. At least that is the message that comes across as I contemplate the lyrics. You may be familiar with Matt's other tune he released from his most recent album titled "Car Crash." It was a song with a faster pace but it probably didn't make as big of a splash as "Come on Get Higher" has. Also, for the fans of the movie franchise "American Pie," Matt's cover of the James band tune "Laid" was used in the "American Wedding" and "American Pie Presents: Band Camp" soundtracks.

"Bottle it Up" by Sara Bareilles - Here is another soulful, sassy, and fun-loving tune by an up-and-coming artist. Bareilles burst on the scene with her 2007 hit song "Love Song" and has experienced a tremendous swing in popularity as a result. In fact, "Love Song" hit number one on the Billboard Pop 100 chart. She grew up in Eureka, California and music has been a big part of her life ever since appearing in high school musical productions and choir. She moved on to college where she attended UCLA and participated in an a cappella musical group there. Sara has opened and toured with a variety of musical groups since, including Rocco DeLuca and the Burden, Guster, Jon McLaughlin, Mika, Maroon 5, Paolo Nutini, and James Blunt. In fact, she's probably more familiar with Maroon 5 than most, considering they were both based out of California. Her first major studio voice titled "Little Voice" released in 2007 has thus far been certified gold, while "Love Song" has been established as a double platinum tune. "Love Song" and Bottle it Up" have been the first two songs released from the album, and expect "Love on the Rocks" to come up fairly soon. As I mentioned, "Bottle it Up" is a fun, catchy, and sassy little song. It's one of many reasons why it's a song I've enjoyed listening to.

"9 in the Afternoon" by Panic at the Disco - Another fun; yet rather strange song here; at least if you go by the title. It's a complete contradiction in of itself: a time of nine o'clock simply is not possible in the afternoon. Morning, yes. Evening, yes. Afternoon, no. But I think that is one of the reasons that makes this song unique. The lyrics itself appear to be one big rambling as there doesn't to be one simple subject. I get the sense that it's a song about youth and possibly love, too. The people written into the song are experiencing many different things and I sense immaturity as well as a sense of adventure. It's definitely a song about more than two people; although a couple (male & female) is mentioned, "...feeling as good as lovers can, you know..." Maybe I have lost the true meaning of the song and it's gone way over my head; but whatever the case, I still find it enjoyable. I'm not always perfect at interpretting a songs meaning, I'll admit that. Panic at the Disco, which used to be more famous for the exclamation mark after the word "Panic" in their name, has been around since 2004 and their debut album "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out," has sold over 2.2 million. Their most recent album, "Pretty. Odd." debuted at #2 in the U.S.

"If I Never See Your Face Again" by Maroon 5 & Rihanna - Last but not least in this edition of "The Songs I Dig" is a fun, quirky kind of song. Essentially the song is about two people that simply cannot get enough of each other, no matter how hard they try to break away. I envision a lusty affair between a man and a woman and they both know how wrong it is to do what they are doing. However, the immense passion they feel for each other draws them back time and time again. I don't consider it a true love song and it's definitely not a ballad. It's got a fun beat to it and it's something you can dance quite briskly to. This song was performed by Maroon 5 on the seventh season of American Idol without Rihanna. In fact, the re-release of their current album "It Won't Be Soon Before Long" features this duet version with Rihanna. She is also going to include the single as part of a re-release of her current album "Good Girl Gone Bad." Maroon 5 broke onto the scene back in 2003-2004 with their hugely popular "Songs About Jane" album. Hit tunes from that album include "Harder to Breathe," "This Love," "She Will Be Loved," and "Sunday Morning." Their current album includes the popular tunes "Makes Me Wonder," "Wake Up Call," and "Won't Go Home Without You."

So there you have it; the latest "Songs I Dig;" well, the songs I found quite enjoyable back in July (are we into late September already??!). It was certainly well over-due, but I am glad I have finally been able to present them to you. The songs basically speak for themselves and considering they continue to get a tremendous amount of airplay to this day; you're looking at quite possibly a few of the bigger songs from 2008. I already have half of the newest list of the songs I dig and am looking for just a couple more. It won't be long before you see the 11th edition of this specific subject blog posted. Stay tuned for it in the next few weeks!