“Lately” by Eimhin: Well-Crafted Indie Rock
Indie songwriter Eimhin has always taken time with his music. The songs he writes are deeply personal, and reflect his upbringing, his culture, and his life. This is all on display in “Lately”, the newest single from him. The song is passionate, but not just in one faucet: vocals, melody, and instrumentation all feel precise, […]
Danie on “Summer,” Singing like Patsy, and Her New Brunswick Roots
Many of the singers on TV shows like The Voice are desperately trying to sound like Whitney Houston or Mariah Carey, attempting trills and tremeloes to impress the judges. But in real life, we sometimes stumble on iconic voices that are absolutely stunning and original, no frills required. Singers like k.d. lang and Christine (from […]
Jeanes on “Simple Jayne”, Naturalism, and Folk Influences
You’ve heard the stories of the well-known naturalists. Henry David Thoreau, Chris McCandless, and so forth. The artist Jeanes has a philosophy that truly reminds me of these past figures. In his music, he aims to produce not just a song, but an atmosphere. He believes in the importance of escaping manmade factors and embracing […]
Skylet Gunner on “Real Wild Child,” Nancy Sinatra and the Seductive California Desert
Some artists have a “brand.” Others rely on brilliance. Skylet Gunner has both, in abundance. Her new video “Real Wild Child” is a cover of a 1986 Iggy Pop song, but it would have fit nicely in mid-Sixties’ biker movies where soon-to-be-superstars like Al Kooper and Stephen Stills cut loose on the soundtrack. Skylet’s vocal […]
daena on “Oversharing,” Outfunking Prince, and Raising a Beautiful Flag
Photo by Oceanna Colgan Nashville indie artist daena identifies as queer and has written perhaps the best Pride song ever. But she’s also written some amazing rock and R&B songs that are among this decade’s finest. daena’s new single “Oversharing” has arguably the best Killer Chorus of the summer, even better than the rousing chorus […]
“Park Song” by Bee Hall: An Ode to a Neighborhood Runs Deep
“Park Song” by Bee Hall is smooth and soft: the melody is calm, and nothing shouts out at you. The song is deceptively simple, relaxed and slow. You can hear the whistle of the winds and the screeching sounds of the city’s subway breaks. “Park Song” is supposedly an ode to Prospect Park in Brooklyn, […]
Retrospective Review: Ben Howard’s “The End of the Affair”
It’s 2013 and Ben Howard is bathing in light. Not necessarily the sunlight that falls like a warm blanket over his seaside town of Devon, England, but in light nonetheless. His first full-length offering, Every Kingdom (Island Records, 2011), has exceeded expectations across the industry, delighting critics, his label, awards panels, and most importantly, Howard […]
“The Great American Dusk” by Jeremy Ratib: Dreamy, Surreal Alt-Country
The music of Jeremy Ratib is hard to describe – I wasn’t familiar with their songs before listening to “The Great American Dusk.” The lyrics of all the songs on We, Sacred are a bit tough to parse, increasingly so from the leading song “Salt of a Dream”, but “The Great American Dusk” descends into […]
“Not Alone” by Emily Elbert: Sweet, Poetic Indie Music
With three albums under her belt, Emily Elbert is no stranger to the music industry. The folk singer has shared her music across the world, doing shows from Peru, all the way to Palestine. No stage fright here, as she has even played in bands accompanying artists such as Lorde, Gwen Stefani, and Sara Bareilles. […]
Francis Karel on “Small Talk,” Jakarta-to-L.A., and Song-Stitching
I never thought I’d utter the following words: Thank God for TikTok. But the platform is indeed helping many worthy artists catapult to fame that might otherwise elude them. One such artist is Indonesian-born, L.A.-based Francis Karel, whose new single “Small Talk” is an extraordinary song. “Small Talk” is a textbook example of an impeccably […]
