Don't you just love the word nugget? I do. It makes me smile. Every time I hear it. In the right context, it even makes me giggle. What exactly is a nugget? The dictionary defines it as "a lump of gold or precious metal," "a bite size piece of fish or chicken," or "an Australian slang term for a strong, thickset man."(that's a new one for me, I must admit). But I define it as "an especially good song from a relatively unknown band or artist."
No matter how you define it, nuggets are awesome. And today I have 5 such nuggets that are precious as gold, tasty as fish and/or chicken, and..... strong... and, er.... thickset?
Never mind. Here are 5 nuggets you NEED to hear:
1. Terminal - Jon Foreman. This guy is a genius. Period. End of discussion. I'm not wrong. As the brains behind Switchfoot Foreman has already forever secured himself as a tour de force in songwriting, production, musicianship, and boundless creativity. He is constantly reinventing himself and that's one of my favorite things about him. He never lets his fans get lazy. You have to keep up with him. This song is from a brand new set of solo EPs he has just released that chronicle a day in his life. I think this one falls around 11:00 AM or something... Whatever. It's just plain great.
Hey... P.S. There is a great video of Foreman performing this song with just an acoustic guitar and his voice worth looking up. But I wanted you all to hear the studio recording of the song first.
2. Take It Back - The Temperance Movement. Ah, Temperance Movement, to what shall I compare thee? The Stooges? MC5? The Black Crowes on steroids maybe? Make sure you are alone when you listen to this song the first time, because you are going to start dancing or singing or playing air guitar or grooving in some visibly awkward way (especially if you're rhythmically challenged. You know who you are). People are going to stare at you and either think you are weird or that you are listening to some great nugget of rock and roll they wish they knew about. Watch and see. It will go down exactly like I said. And, guess what.... yep. You're welcome.
3. Keep On Pushing - Mason Jar Music & Friends (feat. Emily Elbert). I am so excited to share this discovery with you. Mason Jar Music is a collective of musicians and creative types out of Brooklyn, NY. Every year they have a tradition of getting together and recording a series of covers chosen around a particular theme. One year they did a collection of R&B songs featuring brilliant covers by the likes of Bill Withers, Koko Taylor, and Curtis Mayfield. This particular song is from that collection and features an amazing vocal from Emily Elbert. The playing is nothing less than spot-on. This is a cover of the original by the Impressions. And as great as this track is, every other track on that record is just as good. It's free on Noisetrade here, so you have no excuse whatsoever not to add this to your collection immediately.
4. Running for Cover - Ivan & Alyosha. I think I found this one on Spotify one day while following the trail of related artists from artists I already knew and liked. That, BTW, is an excellent way to discover new bands and great songs. Too bad they don't make any money off Spotify, but I did go buy their record so it wasn't a total loss.
The guys are not actually named Ivan & Alyosha (they are actually called Tim, Ryan, Pete, & Tim); they took the band name from the brothers in Dostoevsky's classic The Brothers Karamazov. Ivan & Alyosha represent two clashing worldviews about life, God, right, wrong, etc. This song wrestles with similar tensions but in a much shorter and far more catchy way.
5. Hey Homies! - The Aquabats. OK, this is a bit of a guilty pleasure. The Aquabats are a cross between Devo, comic books, and Pee Wee Herman. But this song is undeniably awesome. If there were any justice in the world this would be the number one song in every country, And if it were, we would see a lot less war, hate, bigotry, racism, violence, crime, etc. Ya wanna know why? Because we would all be too busy hugging each other! "We don't need no thugs unless those thugs was givin' out hugs!"
Warning: This song requires that you stop pretending to be a stuck-up musical snob who thinks he knows it all and just enjoy something fun. Think you can do that? Huh? OK, then....
Nuggets. Each and every one. Different sizes, shapes, colors, and flavors, but each one a nugget in its own right. Now it's your turn: listen, buy, support, and share your favorite nuggets with someone you love. Spread the nugget love.
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