"I'm Only Joking" by KONGOS

Contrary to the title of this song, I seriously like iTunes' efforts this week. Not one, nor two, but three free singles available for download before tomorrow. Now, they're not all winners - I think I can rule out Latin heavy rock as a genre of interest - but each of this week's songs has something that makes it valuable.

iTunes is pushing out these Latin free singles, and the exposure to music that isn't in English is really cool. Thanks to De La Tierra, I'm listening to Latin rock for the first time (I don't like it, but hey, nothing ventured). Simone Felice's "Running Through My Head" is a heartfelt song that takes the latter half of a cheesy pick-up line and turns it into the lyrical basis for a beautiful chorus. The featured free single, "I'm Only Joking", is essentially an introduction to a whole new kind of rock n' roll. When you consider that the genre has been around for six decades, it's quite the accomplishment.

The band to achieve this feat is KONGOS, a group of four very talented brothers. They're the sons of one-hit wonder, John Kongos, best known for "He's Gonna Step On You Again" which reached the Top 10 in 1971. If you compare these two singles, you can hear where KONGOS gets their musical influence from.

Their music is strange for us as Americans to listen to. It sounds vaguely like Southern rock with the use of accordions and occasional fiddles, but that isn't the right label. The grim chords, reverberating vocals and distorted guitar sound like grunge music, but they're not really comparable to groups like Nirvana. If you listen to the other tracks on their album, Lunatic, you'll hear reggae, you'll hear trance rock, you'll hear alternative vibes that allude to The Killers or CAKE. All of this is to say that KONGOS barely fits within the burgeoning "alternative rock" genre, especially because of their distinctly African tribal influence.

Yep, you read that right. The brothers of KONGOS, and their father, are from Johannesburg, South Africa, and it really influences their music. One reviewer called it "rock-tribal", especially applicable to this week's single. But enough talking about the music - let's listen to it.

"Believer" by American Authors

This week we have another band from the east coast delivering our free music. You may recognize American Authors from their recent radio hit, "Best Day of My Life", which rose to platinum status after being featured in a handful of commercials and a summer movie trailer. That single was integrated into their first full album, Oh, What a Life, released this March.

Unlike some of the indie trash we've been listening to, the American Authors have a solid pedigree. Its members - Zac Barnett (lead vocals), James Adam Shelley (guitar, banjo), Dave Rublin (bass) and Matt Sanchez (drums) - met while studying at the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston. They graduated in 2006 and went on to form a band called The Blue Pages. In 2012, the band moved to Brooklyn and reinvented itself into the group we know today, American Authors.

Their alternative rock sound is peppered with full-bodied choruses, Shelley's folksy banjo accents, and background vocal work that is infectiously easy to sing along to and provides beautiful harmonies. This first album is convincingly energetic and passionate thanks to Barnett's vocals. Either there's something in the water at Berlee, or they really are teaching them something. Our free single, "Believer", is the first track on the album, so without any further ado, we'll dive into it.

"High Heel Leather Boots," by Baby Bee

I would love to say that I have a clever witticism for incorporating high heel leather boots into a personal anecdote, but I can't think of anything that wouldn't end as extremely graphic. Alas, somethings are just not meant to be. But my semester is wrapping up here quickly, I've thoroughly enjoyed this little foray into music critiquing. I fancy I may continue reviewing singles over the summer, so stick around.

This past week's single is a rocking single that comes to us from the swamps of Louisiana. Joe and David Stark formed their gritty family band, Baby Bee, in 2011, and are gearing up for the release of their first full length album later this year. To bide the time, they've produced an EP - The Shaker - to accrue a name on iTunes. They had a recent boost in popularity when one of their songs, "Love Bug," was featured on AMC's hit series, The Walking Dead. Their wailin' rock songs are infused with a distinct southern beat that would make any of their songs a pleasant fit in the zombie-infested American South. This week's single, "High Heel Leather Boots," is a great example of the style that the Stark brothers bring to their music.

"The Clock," by The View

I relish in the ticking of the clock on my wall. I find it calming, almost meditative, listening to it tick and tock as the seconds pass. It helps me focus when I'm working and fall asleep when I'm resting (and reinforces my impeccable sense of rhythm).

For others, though, the ticking of a clock is torturous. It can be a constant reminder of one's own mortality. After all, life is fleeting. Our insignificant lives are but a blemish on the face of the universe waiting to be erased. As our cells battle to replicate at a rate faster than they die off, we inch closer and closer to the grave and the clock ticks on uncaring, as if it is waiting for us to perish. Though I relish in the clock, perhaps time itself is waiting for me to die, and when I do the grand cosmos will snicker at the insignificance of my life. It will keep spinning on as if I never was or will be again.

The View on tour in Japan, courtesy of their website.

Ahem. My apologies. That came from a dark place. But whether you feel life is fleeting or rich and full of purpose, we can agree that the best way to spend it is with great music, and this week's second track is just that!

The View is a Scottish indie band that has been around the block a few times since their conception as a cover band back in 2005. I imagine their thick Sco'ish accents made the cover band gig an impossibility, and they released their first original single, "Wasted Little DJ's," in 2006 and their first album followed a year later. Having listened to a smattering of their work from the past couple years, I can tell you that this group is very eclectic, embracing a lot of punk and pop influences infused with a folksy vibe. Their fourth album, Cheeky for a Reason, was released last year, but we're just now seeing it in North America, and along with it a track from that album, "The Clock," released for free download.

"Just a Ride," by The Virginmarys

So I'm giving this blog some direction, and what better way to do so than with one of my passions: music. The new goal is to educate people on one of the best kept secrets of iTunes. Often overlooked, but oh-so-valuable, are the weekly free downloads, released each and every Tuesday on the iTunes Store. Now, Apple also releases trailers, television previews, books, apps, and all sorts of other goodies every week, but for the purpose of this blog, I only care about the indie tracks they put up for glorious free download.

Without further ado...


This week's free download is a package deal: a heavy, rockin' single and a stripped down interpretation of the same. The song is "Just a Ride" by The Virginmarys, a three-piece rock outfit hailing from jolly ol' England.