Chico Harpo’s “He’s In The News Again” Is Rocking, Well-Placed Anger
Before the virus shut down much of the world, it seemed like every few weeks there would be news of another school shooting. I remember as a student, sitting silently next to my classmates in the dark during drills, shoulders tensing every time an announcement came over the intercom: will this be the day? Too […]
“Weird Dreams” by Mae Powell: Dreamy, Clever Songwriting
If you’re like me, and waking up early on a Saturday morning with the entire day ahead of you is the highlight of your week, and even if mornings aren’t your cup of tea, you will love Mae Powell’s new single “Weird Dreams”. “Weird Dreams” stays true to its title, and in both lyrics and […]
The Intimacy of “House Red” by Phillinois
Phillinois’ “House Red” off the album Blue Haze has a way of surprising you. The beginning of the song seems like a polite, inquisitive folk tune infused with electronics, a mix between Breakout and Ben Folds. As Phil Gerigscott’s lyrics go on, or possibly, as another glass of house red is served, a slight chanting […]
Alyson McNamara’s “Waiting”: To Want and Not Have
“The feelings that hurt most,” opined the famed Portuguese poet Fernando Pessoa regarding the dilemma of unrequited love, are those that are “absurd” and “create in us a painful landscape, an eternal sunset of what we are.” About ill-fated and one-sided romantic affairs, Virginia Woolf similarly stated in the modernist classic To the Lighthouse that […]
Lem Jay and Charlyne Yi on “Stroll,” Voice Acting, and Heart-Shaped Baby Grand Pianos
“Stroll,” a new song by musician and songwriter Lem Jay alongside actress and singer Charlyne Yi (you may know her from House M.D. or her extensive voice acting career), is a song that hearkens back to the ramshackle roots of twee pop. Nowadays, the term is used to describe groups like Alvvays or She and […]
Mia Porter’s “daisies”: Dreamy, Existential Pop
Time is money. Time waits for no one. Time heals everything. We drop these idioms into casual conversation. We snap watches over our wrists. We set appointments, celebrate birthdays, and count down the seconds until the next rite of passage. Our world is ruled by time—but how can we make sense of this abstract, passing […]
“Most of the Time” by Jocelyn Jayne: Strong Songwriting from the Heart
In “Most of the Time,” singer-songwriter Jocelyn Jayne shares complex lyrics set to keyboard, speaking of the pain it feels to care for someone who is emotionally and mentally unavailable. “I keep a cold eye ready for you to wake up And I take you, you would be mine I won’t remember you ever being […]
Erin Ash Sullivan’s “Take It From There” is a Warm-Hearted Reassurance
As the cliched adage affectively reminds us: “home is where the heart is.” And from the long list of hackneyed five-and-dime maxims, one could certainly pull out the equally cloying and superficial “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Yet, for Massachusetts-based singer-songwriter Erin Ash Sullivan, no matter how trite or archaic these truisms might seem, they’re […]
Ingrid Serban is Turning Over New “Leaves”
In only one hundred and six words, Ingrid Serban lays out an entire story of transformation parallel to the seasons changing. Bound in simplicity, leaves shift from falling off the tree and growing back in a brighter color is inevitable. It happens despite the external forces. The process may be painful, but it happens anyway. […]
“Cold” by Greg Dallas and Catey Esler: After a Crisis, Life Goes On
Songwriter/composer Greg Dallas released the alternative rock album The Storm on May 1st, 2021, featuring vocals from Catey Esler as heard on the song “Cold”. The album as a whole seems to encompass a heartbreak. The song “Cold” zooms in on the loneliness felt after a difficult decision or a situational crisis, possibly involving the […]
