Judes - Game Over, Ovèr
- English (US)
Think of this: after a long day at work, all you wish to do is rush back home, shower, and snuggle with your cats while some selected songs from your playlist add to the atmosphere. Game Over, Ovèr by Judes is exactly the kind of song that fits the scene.
Derby Hill - Derby Hill
- English (US)
In just 18 minutes, Derby Hill offers a listening experience that feels expansive, nostalgic, and quietly profound.
Kevin Honold - Honey
- English (US)
It is a new morning. You woke up fresh today. Everything seems to fit in its place. You pick up a pen and jot down all the tasks you need to finish today. A song plays in your earphones: Honey by Kevin Honold.
Small Island Big Song-Our Island
Small Island Big Song is one of the most important music collectives you’ve never heard of. It was founded by Taiwanese producer BaoBao Chen and Australian music producer and filmmaker Tim Cole in 2015.The two have been recording and filming with over a hundred musicians in nature across 16 island nations of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Extending their scope beyond music, they’ve made a feature film, and a live concert series. Traveling globally, thinking universally. Small Island Big Song is the result of cultural integration with humanity as a scale. The scope? The globe. Our Island is the name of the album. Singing in their tongue, these native musicians create music with their vernacular instruments. Marasudj is the opening track in their album. What can truly be described as world music, the language seems to be the only disconnect. The sentiment is of unity, peace and togetherness. Themes we speak too much of, but do too little about. The backdrop unites the listener with the musician in a sense, while the harmony stands out. So many artists and one united theme creates a fascinating mosaic of brimming positivity. Understanding via energy Listwar Zanset is a bopping dance style number. The beat stands out as a solid entity, as collaborating artists add highlights. Almost a melodic praise for the gifts of the world, the song is as emotional as it is catchy. The harmonics do a great deal in uniting these artists’ unique vocal approaches. Ta’u Tama has been popular amongst listeners. It’s reggae sound creates a relaxing pool of sound that you gaze into the lush verdant of the jungle on. Purpose unknown, we still struggle to come to equal terms with nature. SIBS repurposes their energy into making art, that serves a greater purpose than them. Without witnessing Small Island Big Song in action, I can feel an energy that is uncommon. It is of the collective good, something beyond self-preservation. Reaching the depths of nature’s sound to sing her songs. Listening to what music she has given us and displaying gratitude. No visual, but the magnetic force of honest music that is beyond the artist and us. Pinasanga has the appeal and approach of a slow burn visual, slowly building like the nature of waves. The slow beats add to the tempo, but the rhythm is already established with the melody section. Which is what makes this natural approach to making music so much more interesting. It is more to do with tuning into the Earth’s frequency, not creating your own. The radio of the Earth Festival of The Living Ocean is what pure dreams are made of. With a fascinating tempo section aided by scintillating vocals, it has the capacity and purpose to make you move. Moreover, the sound of the ocean keeps you in sync with the rhythm the waves produce. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) is a whole other spectrum of sound. Using simple stringed instruments, it makes for a Western sound, yet rooted in the fever of nature. Madjadjumak is a enchanting tale, with visuals being created with verses and instruments. Each of these tracks tell a tale much larger than that you would picture with this rat race mindset we live in. Here the tracks are about freedom from all things that bind. This is where emotional tracks like Hiro’a make waves. The language is indecipherable, but the progression is complex enough to imbibe a strong sense of responsibility. Sarbon uses harmonics and the power of sand to create a funky rhythm. Each collaboration gives birth to an unexpected source of music, with a spectrum that can only be felt and is way more complex to understand. Aoka goes the other way from the previous track. Having a steady beat, it also shows us the instrumental proficiency of musicians we wouldn’t expect to visualize when we talk about a musician. Bridging the sound Ata Renga Koe has a spine of the vernacular sound, but uses Western instruments. The slow blending in creates a symbiotic understanding of sorts, a rich complex web of sound. The album ends with the emotional track Lament For A Dying Ocean. It really puts things to perspective, the album as a whole. Something that has been so much within our control but we have let spiral. There is no other planet, so alternatives belong here, with and from us. This collaboration means so much more than we could put together. These are islanders and musicians of different cultures coming together for a cause greater than them. There is nothing I could endorse more than a hopeful future and creations that acknowledge what the Earth has done for us. I'd love to see this song being used in one of the Madagascar animated movie series as it perfectly fits the vibe of some of the scenes of the movie series in my opinion. Check out the Movie review here - https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/madagascar
Mishkin Fitzgerald & The Chemical Perils-Legs Broken
There is an otherworldly drama Mishkin Fitzgerald & The Chemical Perils can create with their music. Using lie instruments that rile up a rich image of theatre and emotions, they let it all out in their latest single called Legs Broken. This mix of country, klezmer and folk is a cocktail that is irresistible as it is interesting. Let’s see what their debut track consists of. The mélange of strings, accordion and vocals with the minimal percussion is its own feel. It is a waltz of emotions and parallel realities, especially imagined in dramas like The Addams Family. Here, the avant-garde edge of their sound is especially highlighted in the way they conduct their music, like an orchestra. Mishkin Fitzgerald & The Chemical Perils create a dynamic so unique and tailor made to this story, any other character would feel off in the narrative. With just their debut, they have managed to create a thematic sound that is so essential to the folk swing that people used to fall in love with. Mishkin has the unique ability to polarize her voice for the modulation the lyrics need, and sometimes that is what forms this well crafted necklace of sound. In this particular scene, you can almost feel the Guy Ritchie scene unfold as the chaotic drama reels out as the direction plays. Scenes from Snatch play with this being the contrast, making it a superbly intersecting drama with multiple stories overlapping. The duet in vocals is something that understandably promotes the dynamic, the lows and highs battling out for the raconteurs pulpit. Enjoy the dramatic creativity of this band’s fresh tone!
The Williams Brothers Band-Queen of the Honky Tonk
The Williams Brothers Band really needs no introduction. They’ve been spreading blues, rock and country joy ever since, and even before they formed. Positioning themselves as a stellar live band, their music is full of soul, emotion and references. This is their 2018 single, Queen of the Honky Tonk. Slide guitar, drawling vocals and a warm, familiar saloon setting are the atmosphere of this song. Not only does the track set itself to a comfortable tempo, it has some great slide guitar work to focus on while listening. The audio is especially great with this kind of visual, a dusty pub where eyes fall on a beautiful damsel. The tones of each of the guitars is easily heard and understood, mastered with purpose. It brings a smooth setting of country vibes, while the blues attack is felt as well. After the George Jones reference, we go into a cool solo that kicks the spice up in this track by more than a notch. Spotlight shining, the song has dynamic edges that aren’t familiar with every band. These extremes come from experience-and the brawl in the pub withstanding. You could picture this in Crazy Heart, Urban Cowboy or any scene with a true, American country pub featured in it. Not only is the narrative interesting to hear, it is essential to hear the attention to detail and sound with this kind of music. The Williams Brothers Band has kept up since then, releasing Outlaw Country and Keep Us Fed. We’re sure they’ll be back for more bluesy, country goodness, so make sure you subscribe!
Martyn Scott-Lazy Days and Lullabies
Sometimes, you miss those natural poets like McCartney and Petty. Martyn Scott makes you hopeful for the next generation of melodic poets. There are songs that require layers via musicality, and some that have it due to honest writing. This particular track has the heart inking its soul. His latest release is called Lazy Days and Lullabies. This song is a part of the triple A side, with this being the title track. Simple melodies flow into each other, arpeggios that sing. What populates the thought is Martyn Scott’s enchanting vocals, just a man with a guitar. Whether you hear this track live or not, you know that the message is rooted in honesty. You are enamoured by this romantic, who knows the equal balance of instrumental or lyrical brilliance to showcase. A memorable track is often shaped by the memorable tune with that Venn Diagram of well crafted lyrics. A few lines in, you’ll realize a song like this has all those elements and more. Reaching the chorus, you’re always taken aback with what that minor chord transition does and how powerful a projection it makes. Though I hadn’t taken a look at his Spotify page, I did eventually and saw how much The Beatles had shaped his perspective on music. The McCartney comparison came full circle. Though most of the music on Yesterday was reprised versions of The Beatles, the sentiment is still projected with a song like this. This and Captain Fantastic are two movies where I could see this song work effortlessly for the scenes. His 2021 album Maybe Just Maybe is a great listen, and the 2 singles he released before this one. Make sure you follow Martyn Scott for soulful, honest music!
Terry Blade-Ethos: Son of a Sharecropper
Terry Blade is changing history, one present at a time. The genre hopping, highly decorated musician is back with a new album, and that’s always a pleasant surprise. With a discography that revisits music to making songs that are inspired and aim to inspire, this well-rounded polymath goes down the dusty trail once again. You’ll hear folk and country roots from a contemporary with an edge. This is his latest album, Ethos:Son of a Sharecropper. Let the magic lie in the details. That is the joy and reason, the rhyme and time in country/folk music. Terry Blade opens with an emotional track, Come Home. The poetry is in his baritone, and the lyrics. As the balance is met with the slide guitar, you are transported to another time, another place. This album already seems like home, with this one track. The second is a single that has become Terry Blade’s most popular. From his King like deep voice to that catchy bluesy riff, the tempo is a marching soliloquy. It touches on the sentiment, dwells on it then recedes. Like any brilliantly written song, the depth is in the exploration itself. As you naturally transition into Rigor Mortis, you see the range of styles within a genre that Terry Blade explores. With a much darker and sober lyrical mass, the finger style guitar contrasts it with gutting imagery. You flow into Rainbow Child, the mastery in composition clearly being heard. Though the transitions are common, it’s the timing and originality in bringing his own execution to the table that makes it unique. Terry Blade isn’t your typical country artist. He might be the cornerstone of what is next to come. As the sun sets Talk About It changes the energy, yet places all the gravitas on the lyrics. As the accompanying guitar walks beside, the sun rays are on the protagonist with the voice. It is almost humbling, to hear this kind of music with such poignant lyrics after a long time. Drawing up a unique picture, it braces you for the journey. With an interlude called Fiddle and Banjo, you are given a respite from the emotional words that have been. The banjo and slide converse, with a monologue featuring in between. Wasn’t Mine has the warmth of a Johnny Cash track to it. From the opening guitars to the tempo and flow, it fits like a velvet glove. The harmonics give another level of balance to this track, and Terry Blade continues to add layers and texture to a cross-section that had formed its own template. In Grandma’s Kitchen explores another tale of the South, through melody. With a quicker, snappier tempo, acapella engages you till the banjo brings it. Jimmy James has the sorrow of George Jones with the retro core you’d expect. His vocals really shine through, on a song like this. In My House might close this album, but places a bookmark. As the layers of piano, slide and Terry Blade’s mesmerizing vocals draw you in, it takes a moment to admire the book you read, in a way. This might be autobiographical, but has a raconteur energy I’ve never felt before. It is the fulfilling of a prophecy, and the making of a legacy. You cannot oversell Terry Blade. You can only experience him for the powerful presence he is.
Marcus Valance- You're Not Alone
Marcus Valance is a British-based Indie-folk singer who has no problem passing the boundaries of genres. You’re Not Alone by Marcus Valance is a modern-day pop ballad. The song begins with a soft piano melody, building up to a soaring chorus with a huge soundscape of drums, synths and strings. His voice has a very charming and powerful Bryan Addams touch to it. The track showcases his powerhouse of a vocal range. The emotional delivery of the lyrics moves you. He says “There’s a light when that darkness falls. There’s a light, from the furthest shore.” making you think how much of life is hoping and waiting. He addresses themes of loneliness and the need for human connection. Marcus Valance’s voice is rich and full of passion, giving the song a heartfelt quality. The production is polished and radio-ready. It has a catchy hook that will stay in your head long after the song ends. The song is reminiscent of hopeful numbers that played in the background when characters meet after being separated. For example in Benji when Carter reunites with Benji (dog). The film is a wholesome watch. It’s the rescue of the dog and the connection between Benji and Carter that has you sold. It shows how animals help in more ways than one during hard times. The song and the film are reminiscent of hope in all shapes and forms. You’re Not Alone is a well-crafted number. Marcus Valance’s musical talent appeals to a wide audience. It’s A song That provides comfort and Hope, reminding listeners that they are not alone in their struggles. He has many such meaningful numbers
The Reveal-Shadows Dancin
Consider yourself at a drama of life. When you part the curtains, it is an amalgam of the unique and brave. That is what The Reveal sound like. The name, fortunately, is apt as well. From a Southern blues tinge enveloping a funk dipped in country, this invented treasure can’t be replicated, and shouldn’t be. Talk about a fingerprint that changes the constitution. This is their latest single, Shadows Dancin. The country essence is brought to notice with the opening. Kudos to the sound design for making it sound like such an immersive experience. If the band has given it their all, the sound engineers have doubled down to make it sound straight from the golden vaults of dust and grime. The bluegrass touch is the verse section, where you bop your head along to the rhythm. If you were waiting for something to swing to, it comes almost immediately, with some really fun melodic curves. This is the kind of song that can define a scene, not the other way. The kind of stuff that inspires Tarantino to write a scene that is incomplete without this song. There is a joy in knowing the pattern of bluegrass songs, but not knowing the direction The Reveal will take. The rap verses somehow have the gumption to feel like an extension of the song, creating a fusion I wouldn’t have even dreamed of. I instantly imagined moments from The Harder They Fall, with the kind of execution this band has put through. You can never even ballpark the kind of song that is going to be the result of their rabid experimentation. This is one place going rogue is fun. Listen to their other popular tracks like She’s Bad and their latest EP Down South for some unpredictable magic. Like all magic should be.
Eliza Mary Doyle-Pretty Strange
Eliza Mary Doyle can give you a taste of bluegrass that you’d have never accrued before. Her music has a country taste to it that has been aged like fine whiskey. If you’re not a fan of spirits, something about this music can make you drunk in love. She is back with an album after 7 years, and that’s quality time for the kind of aged spirit quality you’ll experience now. This is her album, Pretty Strange. That album title is also a nice way of describing the past 3 years. Opening with 7 Dude Ranch, she gives you a good scoop of what her music might sound like. Her vocals have a unique tang to it, sweet and salty. The rhythm is a smooth, fine collection of notes. The flourishes and added notes create a powerful punch-something that belongs. Acting Strange has a melancholy around the composition, though the lyrics are meditative. Eliza Mary Doyle describes the imagery with a lightness, which also details the emotional drive and tonality. Ain’t No Tellin’ creates the angelic bluegrass tone that you remember from all the scenes in movies and albums. The flavour of the banjo is truly felt, an instrument that can twist from joyous to sad in a snap. The technicality of the instrument looks complex, but Eliza employs it in the simplest of stories. Another Round is one such song where the quick tempo might rattle you, but the story is observational yet strife with learning. Through different times Fight the War is a subliminal power chant, with the genre powering the message. The layers create a background unlike another, the harmonics almost giving you goosebumps for the waves they make. I’ll always be in love with the simplicities of country music, yet the deep impact they leave, Red Dress creates that aura, with a narrative so simple, it seems unfair. It is the amount of specific scenarios that create this feeling. Runnin’ created this feeling too, however the shift in tempos creates a radical impact to what is felt and experienced. Eliza Mary Doyle is a powerful raconteur with a voice of gold. Them Boys has a boisterous energy to it, and the tempo makes you want to dance. Her approach to music is rooted in cultural sensitivity, yet shifts through time to become immortal in a sense. Unfortunately depicts this perfectly-as a song and her ability as a songwriter. As she closes with a special version of Water into Wine, she has created a lake of sound that is rejuvenated by her abilities alone. From a composer to a performer, she has created something that will continue as her powerful legacy. O Brother, Where Art Thou was the obvious movie that came to mind, but I’d like to create one with her own music and detailed characters to fall in place. You can listen to her 2016 album It Ain’t What It Seems for the contrast and progress in her tone since then. Follow her for more spectacular bluegrass music!
Kimo Shabi-Art as Necessity
Kimo Shabi can create a world, a haven of sorts, with his music. There is a resounding meaning of the theme and the story in his work. As a singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer, there is always something exciting and tantalizing from this musician's work. An example of seeing it from a fresh, complex perspective that tells a story with new morals. We explore many movements with this album, Art as Necessity. This is a genius theme to explore in itself. The music, is as exploratory as the art form was to its time. Kimo Shabi has his own view on what would generate a type of music, something that wouldn’t usually be heard. For example, his opening track, Vincent van Gogh is nothing like Don McLean’s appearance of the same. As an indie musician, Kimo merges electronic elements with vocals that aren’t of the time, but speak of it. The horror and suspense of Edvard Munch’s world is opened with the second track. The booming, resounding bass and strings create the necessary, mystery bound auras. There is a merging of sounds that creates a dichotomy of confusion and comprehension. Using ambient textures is another highlight from Kimo Shabi, where a grinding halt of the train on the tracks opens the next song. Filippo Tommaso Marinetti is next, and the absurdity is heard. In some way or the other, there is a depiction unlike any other for his art. The futurism is heard as much as it is felt. Art talking to art You almost yearn to understand the meaning behind Marcel Duchamps work. In no way traditional, he was stretching the conversation on art itself. The harrowing bassline is the question behind it, some elements from his art creating sounds as well. This is where Kimo Shabi uses his knowledge to understand these movements. With Pablo Picasso, there is a refreshing change in the acoustic sound that comes around. The percussion is unique as well, the cubism felt in the thumping notes. In that way, you’re in for the surrealism of Salvador Dali’s work. They take you places, the chords themselves transporting you. It is an acoustic delight, a folkish touch to the whole thing. Vasilij Kandinskij colour palette is explored with this sci-fi like sound. The bassline guides the listener, while superb audio production inspires. There is a percussive heartbeat to his art, which is replicated in some form, with the music. Kimo Shabi chooses to close with the elusive and highly debated work of Jackson Pollock. To some it is art, to some rubbish. I think there is a joy in ending in that question, something that has been discussed and questioned for so long. The drips and splatters are perceived layer after layer, just like viewing one of his art pieces. From At Eternity’s Gate for van Gogh, Pollock for the closing track, Edvard Munch for the biography movie-these instrumentals would be perfect. Often using songs designed otherwise, the understanding of the art is felt with this artist’s work. It is a genius attempt and executed with precision as much as perfection. Listen to his 2018 album Music with Elements as well, to change into a new world. There is a lot to explore, and he brings the world to your ears.