Aviya on “Grief Measure,” Emily Dickinson, and the Influence of Moscow and Israel
In her poem, I measure every Grief I meet, the late great poet Emily Dickinson muses on themes of grief and sadness, using a series of rhetorical questions to try to decode her feelings. Israel-based musician and composer Aviya Kopelman takes a few pages from Dickinson’s journal in her new song, “Grief Measure”— a modern […]
Guilt and Intimacy in Half Bath’s “Michigan”
Music carries a unique ability to remind us of our mutual humanity. Sure, the listening experience can be solitary—one riff can catalyze a mental chain reaction and bring us back to an intimate, personal past memory. But music is also an inherently communal experience. For when we listen to music, even if by ourselves, we […]
Covey’s Leap Into Vulnerability: “Cut On The Crease”
As he gears up for the release of his new album, folk-rock artist Covey, which is the project of British instrumentalist and songwriter Tom Freeman, proves yet again that he is a master of storytelling. His newest release, “Cut On The Crease” is a gritty confirmation of these narrative capabilities. This track is is the […]
“Wider Spaces” by Seafarers: A Relatable Musing
Songs can be an avenue to transcend time and space, using hooks to take us back to cherished memories or transporting us to a bygone era with an iconic guitar riff. However, they can also be immensely powerful reflections of our own feelings. It’s into this camp the luxurious jazz-folk track “Wider Spaces” falls. This […]
Einsam on “Pressing Matters”, His Home Cities, and How He Writes
When forced into relative solitude during a pandemic, what is it that we cling to? What is it that we long for? As expressed in “Pressing Matters,” the debut from Bristol-based producer and songwriter Sam Jackson’s new project Einsam, it is connection and contact for which he yearns. “Pressing Matters” is a fresh electro-pop track […]
Annsofie Salomon’s “Soft Dreams”: A Tale of New Beginnings
Copenhagen-based singer Annsofie Salomon’s debut single “Soft Dreams” is a beautiful story of self resurrection and reinvigoration. Described by Salomon as both a mix of “organic folk” and “surreal and electronic impressionism,” “Soft Dreams” not only conjures a sound that’s uniquely Annsofie Salomon’s but tells a tale that’s strikingly personal as well. The magic of […]
Martha Skye Murphy’s “Self Tape”: A Full-Body Experience
Listening to Martha Skye Murphy’s music isn’t a mindless activity where the sounds droning out of our earbuds get our half-attention or where the notes are confined to a state of perpetual existence as ‘background noise.’ Rather, her music is a full-body experience. Perhaps what’s most masterful about Murphy’s latest release “Self Tape,” is that […]
Andrey Azizov’s “Back of the Car”: Nostalgic Bedroom Pop
There’s something magical about bedroom pop. Not only is the prospect of turning DIY tracks into hits utterly inspiring, but the sound that’s created from these private ventures always feels refreshingly intimate. Usually comprised of layered synths and simple, danceable backbeats, bedroom pop tracks seem to consistently evoke nostalgia for a bygone era of teenage […]
“Conversations” by Orions Belte featuring Shikoswe: Stunning, Summery Groove
One of the gifts of music is its undeniable fluidity—melodies and lyrics unbounded by context except that which we apply to it. Thus exploring a new artist or track is very much a “choose your own adventure” scenario, in which every added sonic element presents a new turn in the narrative, a new association to […]
Helena Hallberg’s “Cause I Can”: Imagining Acceptance
In an era that limits escape and travel, save the fantastical journeys we can conjure inside of our heads, Helena Hallberg’s newest release, “Cause I Can,” is the perfect sonic accompaniment for imagined adventures. Hallberg, a Swiss/Swedish musician with an expansive linguistic and musical repertoire, described the song’s narrative to be “a dreamy story featuring […]
