Today’s song is “Good Love” by Rival Empires. This song is off the band’s self-titled album out now. This Chicago group is an interesting ensemble. They have repurposed lyrics and minor compositional melodies from Phil Collins, Fleetwood Mac, Michael Jackson, Ronald Reagan, and Christie Brinkley (all while respecting section 107 of the Copyright Act) to create biting commentary and social criticism within the framework of modern, original pop music.
The Rival Empire is an idea, born out of randomness and captured in the moment. The album came from the most simple of beginnings. Two old college buddies, lets call them Matt & Steve, were hanging out one summer night when Matt said, “Hey, let write some songs.” Steve’s response, “For sure.” A few months down the road our two old friends met a new gentlemen along the way, lets call him Tim, and said “Hey Tim, we’re writing some tunes”. Tim’s response, “I’m in.” And so there were three, and so they wrote…
Their album is an amalgam of various different genres, everything from reggae, electronica, and rock. The band has said their record was not necessarily meant to be about genre chaos either, but instead free from the more familiar structures of the “mainstream” album. What they have done is create an captivating mix of many popular musical styles. Their principal theme here is an introspective and often satirical look into oneself, society, and pop/mainstream culture. They have done this quite well.
Listen below and for more information check out their official website, Facebook, and Twitter page.