The Enchanting Vulnerability of Von Grey’s “Plans”
My captivation with the Atlanta-based alternative rock group made up of sisters Kathryn, Annika, and Fiona von Grey, began over two years ago, with the release of their provocative single, “Forever Bound.” Haunting in tone, the lyrics lay bare the darkness of devotion and paint a blurred portrait of heartbreak and surrender. I was initially […]
Nimbus Cloud – The Story of “If Things Were Different”
Don’t you ever wish things were different? One of my personal hangups in life is a stupid amount of worry over whether people like me. Like, I’ll have a routine interaction, and then spend way too much energy over-analyzing it to find out if the thing I said sounded weird to the other person. If […]
The Glorious Take On Nostalgia and Football on “The Last Game of the Season”
Football and poetry—a strange and surprising pair to write a song about. But that’s exactly what The Glorious did on “The Last Game of the Season.” The track off of their new album Kings is a moody and nostalgic acoustic rock song that uses football season as a symbol for young love. On their Youtube […]
The Literary Brilliance Of The Cure’s “How Beautiful You Are”
Try not to panic, but we’re going to talk a little bit about classic poetry. I know, I know, you left all that behind in high school for a reason, and the last thing you want to do today is pore over dusty old texts trying to find that elusive unstressed vowel. I promise you […]
The Daytimers’ DIY Charm Shines Through on Pat’s Song
Deep down, everyone is kind of a hipster. Not that many would admit to it voluntarily, but the truth is that most people have some serious hipster qualities. We all want to be the friend that introduces other friends to what’s fresh and cool, whether that’s a new sushi place or a little-known dive bar […]
Cautious Clay’s Okay with Being Different on “Call Me”
Soundcloud can be a hit or miss platform. Mixed into its diverse multitude of creators are professional producers, podcast hosts, underground superstars, kids in their garages, high school choirs, artists who are unsigned for a reason, and artists who are unsigned because they don’t need a label—they’re good enough on their own. Fortunately for Cautious […]
The Emotion of Zach Kleisinger’s “Feeling Like This”
I cried after the first two lines of Zach Kleisinger’s ballad “Feeling Like This.” Not weepy tears. Torrential tears, the kind of flowing tears Elliott Smith used to bring to my eyes in my teens. Yet, these tears weren’t the melancholy “woe is me,” Smith tears. They were hopeful tears. I’ve had a tough year. […]
How Maren Morris’ Vocals Make “The Middle”
Sometimes the context of a performance makes all the difference. Hitting a homerun in professional baseball is cool, but hitting a leadoff homerun in the first game after one of your teammates died and sobbing as you round the bases? Chills. Whitney Huston’s performance of the Star Spangled Banner at Super Bowl 25 was great, […]
Corey Kilgannon – The Story of “Soft Gentle Brilliant II”
Corey Kilgannon showed up in my Spotify Discover Weekly a couple of years ago with the beautiful, troubled poetry of “The Rhine.” I’m really glad he did. Because I (and probably you, too) need more good poetry in my life. Like most good poets, Corey has the gift of articulating things in ways that simultaneously […]
The War and Treaty – The Story of Healing Tide
Following the highly anticipated release of Healing Tide, the lead single and title track from The War and Treaty’s first full length LP, produced by Nashville legend Buddy Miller, I had the chance to sit down and talk with Tanya and Michael Trotter, Jr. about life on the road, their philosophy on love and hope […]
