5 Songs to Get You Through the Week #22

5 Songs to Get You Through the Week is a feature I run on Young Ears, Fresh Perspective on Sundays/early hours of Monday morning where I pick out 5 tunes that I think are notable and tell you a bit about them. The point is to give you some rocking music to help you deal with your weekday blues. You can either listen to one each day, listen to them all at once, or any other combination that you feel. As long as you can get through the week without the man getting you down, that's all I care about. Without further ado, here are the 5 tracks I've picked out for this week:

1.  Pills, by The New York Dolls

In 1973 famed glam rock/proto-punk band The New York Dolls put out their self-titlted debut album New York Dolls. It featured a slew of great tunes; one of which was a cover of a Bo Diddley tune called Pills. This fun jogging tune has some absolutely wailing harmonica in it. The funny thing about Pills is while it sounds upbeat and cheery the lyrical subject matter is actually pretty dark. Be that as it may, it's still a great bluesy jam that will up your spirits.

2. Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1-5), by Pink Floyd

If you like music that exceeds the boundaries of typical pop format and explores strange new worlds, then this extended Pink Floyd masterpiece is for you. Clocking in at 13:40 this song actually kicks off the Wish You Were Here album. It features some rich synthesizer, emotional guitar, soulful saxophone, and powerful lyrics. There are layers upon layers upon layers. If you put this on through headphones it makes the experience that much more rich and vibrant. You can feel the music coursing through your body, making your arm hairs stand up.

3. Street of Dreams, by Guns N' Roses

Anything GN'R post-Slash and the original line-up can't POSSIBLY be any good right? WRONG. Street of Dreams is a piano driven ballad that shows that Axl Rose is still just as prolific and powerful of a song writer and vocalist as he ever was. Plus, the newer members show off their respectable chops as well throughout the song. It might not be what many would really consider a Guns N' Roses song, but if you remove any pre-existing bias and just listen to the music for what it is I think you may actually find yourself enjoying it. It is emotion packed, honest, and rocking.

4. Meet Me in the City, by Junior Kimbrough

If you want something a little less intense or mildly pretentious then here is some simple straight up blues for you. Junior Kimbrough was a Mississippi based blues musician who had a noticeably raw and repetitive style. Meet Me in the City reflects this quite well. It's a laid back kind of walking down the street kind of song. Kimbrough's vocals are quite smooth and rich. The shuffle rhythm is easy to move along to. Blues really does not get a whole lot more authentic than this.

5. I'm Just Having Such a Hard Time Loving You Right Now, by Wake Up the Neighborhood

Yes, I'm shamelessly self-promoting my own work. This is my blog. Deal. Anyway, if you like jazzy lounge music type music then I'm Just Having Such a Hard Time Loving You Right Now is right up your alley. It's the new single we just put out for our upcoming demo. It's (if I do say so myself) a fantastic blend of laid back jazz and amped up swingy rock jams. Stephany West puts a great deal of power and soul into her vocals. You can tell she means every last word she is singing. Plus, the guitar work is quite snazzy (again, if I do say so myself). Check it out.