Singles Roundup: Mary Spender, Guns N Roses, Twin Temple, & John Popper

To say this week's collection of songs is eclectic might be an understatement.

Mary Spender - You Can Have Chicago

Prominent YouTube personality Mary Spender is getting ready to release her first proper album. Blending her fingerstyle acoustic guitar playing and sultry vocals with some shimmering electrics and a slow driving beat, she paints a picture of a relationship crumbling like the edifices of a city block ignored by time. Time is the key here, as Mary's lyrics tell of needing time away from the end of a situation to heal and grow, letting her return a better and stronger person later on. Likewise, the acoustic solo turns electric in the song's outro, showing how she is steeling herself and becoming more powerful by realizing sometimes loss can be a gift.

The singer/songwriter sometimes feels like a relic of the past, but it's a timeless fusion of art and artist. Mary is well on her way, in that regard.

Guns N Roses - Perhaps

It feels weird to say, but I was not excited at all about the prospect of a new Guns N Roses song. Between how infrequent they come along, and how lackluster the previous couple have been, I was not looking forward to hearing yet another outtake from "Chinese Democracy" jazzed up with Slash's playing. I will say, though, that this is the most interesting of the songs they have put out since the 'reunion', even though it still isn't a real, honest-to-goodness new Guns song.

What baffles me about everything from the "Chinese Democracy" sessions is the inversion of Axl's writing. This song, like most of that album, features a dynamic and interesting verse, and then descends into a bland and forgettable chorus. Somewhere along the way, Axl lost his ability to write and place a hook in a song. The piano line is memorable, and Axl's melody in the verse is a winding bit that has a nice hook to it. But then that chorus... ugh. Axl has never been good at backing vocals, and his low tones sound awful leading into his piercing cries. It's not good at all, and Slash must have thought the same, as he puts in one of his weakest solos.

I keep thinking none of us should care about the band until they actually write a new song together. Then this comes along and gives me just enough hope there's something good in the vaults. I'm not sure what to think now.

Twin Temple - Burn Your Bible

Satanic doo-wop shouldn't be a thing, but it is. There's something about this band's style and sound that is delightfully silly, even if they play it deadly serious. The subversion of sunny olden pop leads us to some interesting places, as it makes us question that old idea about what is and isn't 'the devil's music'. Look, I'm not going to tell you this is the greatest thing, or that I would want to sit down and listen to this record time and time again, but when I do hear Twin Temple, they give me a bit of a wry smile. That's good enough to make this a winner.

John Popper & Jono Manson - Cabin Fever

The record this song comes from will be released on a special day for me, and John Popper is one of my earliest musical favorites, but yet I think this is going to be a hard pass for me. Steeped in backwoods Americana, this song is a slow bluesy folk tune that recycles the cliches of melody that keeps me from liking so much of those styles of music. I'm missing the charm and personality that has kept me a fan all these years. There isn't any joy in this song for me as a listener, and I guess I'm just not interested in sitting through a dour experience anymore. An entire record of this style is going to try my patience, so I might have to skip it. That's a shame, but I have to prioritize myself.