Austin Leonard Jones – Demon Sands
Austin Leonard Jones has been quite a long serving Texan musician, with his discography arching way back to 2010 when he released the lo-fi Superstitions. In the past 12 years, Jones has done nothing but improve. The production is the best it has ever been on Dead Calm thanks to help from Jesse Woods, and […]
Bami’s “I Don’t Know How to Be Alone” & Melancholy Bops
What do you get when you mix Ariana Grande, Genshin Impact, Thom Yorke, BB King, and Nirvana? Right, well: a mess. Or, maybe – indie pop? Four-man South Korean band, Bami (바미), has released their most recent single, “I Don’t Know How to Be Alone”, a bass-line groovy, vocally wispy, and lyrically melancholy song about […]
Jessica Winter on “Choreograph” and Dancing in a Downpour
Some well-known reviewers are hailing Jessica Winter’s “Choreograph” as the best song and video of the year. I’d certainly put it in my Top 5 for 2022. The song is based on a universal truth: real love can’t be choreographed. And the video for the song is perhaps the best rain-soaked, umbrella-twirling performance since Gene […]
“Soak” by Blue Lupin is a Beautiful Lo-fi Love Letter
There seems to be a lot of songs about creative people. Songs about singers, artists and actors are a popular subject. Hey, I’ve done it more than once. Bands and singers love to honour their heroes in song. But the actual act of creativity seems a much rarer subject. Until I heard “Soak” by Blue […]
Soffee’s “Orange Maple” is Delightfully Bittersweet
Soffee’s music is a latte. It seems the autumnal-themed songs are rolling in with the turn of Fall, and Soffee‘s 8th single “Orange Maple” is no exception. While the titular maple tree is Fall-themed enough, I dare to make more parallels. Indeed – Soffee’s sound is not just the tree; it is itself like the […]
Feist Excavates Decaying Relationships on “The Bad in Each Other”
Met·tle /ˈmedl/NounA person’s ability to cope well with difficulties or to face a demanding situation in a spirited and resilient way. It’s early in 2011 and Feist, having just finished recording her fourth album, is happily considering the final strokes. In social and family circles, one of the most frequent questions she receives is “What […]
David Beck Throws Away the Rubble on “Miner’s Song”
“Miner’s Song” is the lead single of David Beck’s upcoming album Bloom and Fade, out September 30. Beck sings from the perspective of a prospector: “You can throw away the rubble, give me the gold.” The rough, definitive backbeats of the drums strike like a pickaxe through the course of the song, electric guitar chords […]
BADSOMA’s “Violet Hue” is Cryptic and Charming
California based musician BADSOMA has had a very busy 2022, dropping three singles in the space of 7 months (all by himself, too). Following this slew of fresh releases, BADSOMA unveiled his debut EP in September, Heat and Disorder. It features four tracks, all of which take inspiration from bands such as LCD Soundsystem, Tame […]
“Lightning Rider” Arrives on Wispy Clouds
Smooth vocals soaring over flute and guitar start “Lightning Rider” with a lilting “Do you want to be my…?”, repeated like the sing-song voices of children at play. Then the saw-like buzz of the cello enters, and similar vocals – an octave lower than the first – cut in with a more rugged earnestness. The […]
The Smoky Sounds of Jake Rozier’s “Cigarettes”
Spokane’s Jake Rozier has that easy familiarity with his guitar – and banjo, for that matter – which naturally emerges from years of that combination of love and steady practice that you know when you hear it. After you’ve heard those strings a while, there’s more. There’s a storyteller’s voice, singing phrases that are fresh […]
