“Garden” by Mini Trees: A Story of Unrequited Love
Somebody once asked me, “Why do you like music so much?” To which I replied, “It’s the closest thing to real-life magic.” I’ve always held the belief that songs are like portals (yes, like the ones in your favorite fantasy novels or Sci-Fi movies). To me, a successful song is one that opens a portal […]
The 10 Best Songs of 2020 (So Far)
Looking back on December 31, 2019, I truly don’t think any of us could have ever expected what was to come. While live entertainment has been one of the biggest areas of our lives impacted this year, the creative process of songwriting has thrived for most in this scenario. Throughout the year so far, it’s […]
Madeleine McQueen’s “Family Song”: A Daughter’s Love
My mother likes to talk about a meeting with her guidance counselor in high school. With a condescending smile, the guidance counselor told my mom that she just wasn’t cut out for college, and that she should focus her attention on finding a husband to provide for her. My mom, indignant and newly motivated, set […]
Grace Joyner’s “Hung the Moon”: Love, Warmth, and Growth
From the opening pentatonic motif of Grace Joyner’s “Hung the Moon” off her recently released sophomore album Settle In, you’re sucked into a luminescent landscape. On this third collaboration with producer and engineer Wolfgang Zimmerman (Band of Horses, Brave Baby, Susto), Joyner furthers her musical journey into discovering herself and her musical essence – and […]
“In Your Eyes I Look Bigger” by Liebeskid: Eerie Music for the Coming Storm
I talk a lot about music that sounds colorful, music that uses a lot of instrumentation and textures to create a big, brilliant burst of joy and beauty. But there’s something to be said for music that strips it all back, as well. Some songwriters favor sounds that are stark, minimalist, and haunting, using little […]
J Chrysanthemum’s “Selling My Blood”: Chillwave for an Un-Chill Time
We all have our own nostalgic weak spots. We have songs or musicians or genres that are tied so strongly to a certain time and place that the mere act of listening to it feels like an anachronism; the music may not be bad, but it’s so of its time that you can carbon-date it […]
Examining Fear and Uncertainty through NUJA’s “The Others”
As a chronic overthinker with more than my fair share of anxiety, songs that delve into the more dark and emotional aspects of life have always been a personal safe haven. From the first time that I got hold of a laptop and a good pair of headphones, I discovered that there is nothing so […]
“Too Happy” by Similar Kind: Tackling Mental Illness with Honesty and Hooks
We’re approaching four months in quarantine, and if you want to be very optimistic you can say it’s been a learning experience. For better or worse, I’ve learned a lot of things, some major, some minor. For instance, I’ve discovered that I can go for weeks at a time without wearing socks. I’ve discovered that […]
Yasmin de Laine on “Hope Forest”, True Crime, and Australian Gothic
To Americans, the stereotypical view of Australia is rife with the sort of imagery you might find in an Outback Steakhouse commercial: kangaroos, Vegemite, friendly men with big hats and Crocodile Dundee accents. But Australia is a country with a rich culture of its own, and that culture often has shades of the Gothic and […]
The Sunflower Thieves Play a Heavenly Game of “Hide and Seek”
There is nothing that feels safer than falling asleep in the back of a car. You may not be in bed, you may not be lying down, you may not even know where you’re being driven to, but you’ve put your trust in whoever’s driving, and you let the soothing monotony of a long road […]
