Robert O'Connor - Real Good Fight (Skynem GT Remix)

I've discussed this song previously and talked about how it's probably one of my favorite tracks due to the nature of the content. It's positive and it's uplifting and it reminds us that we have to fight as hard as we can because life is worth it. It's a song about putting trust in yourself and knowing that things will work out through perseverance and drive. Robert is a pretty ingenious writer as he works primarily off inspiration and belief in himself going for what he feels is right in his gut when it comes to lyrical composition and so far, it's not betrayed him. He's a man that has a dream and stories that need to be told and through music, he has an outlet to reach a broad audience. I think he's pretty brilliant and not only do I enjoy his vocals, his themes are universal and everyone can benefit from what he's putting out in the world.

So when he decided to give this song a bit of a facelift, he turned to social media and put out a call to producers, remixers and other audiophiles to do their best with the song with the winner being named as the official remix of the song. Receiving numerous entries in the contest, Skynem GT, aka Peruvian producer Jordan Arteaga, was a clear winner with his tropical transformation of the track, reminiscent of EDM acts such as Kygo. This remix breathes a whole new life into the song while maintaining the integrity of the original track. Where the original work was intense and had a full low end, this remix lightens it up while focusing energy on Robert's lyrical content; highlighting areas and making them sound much more hopeful. It takes skill and a mastery of your instrument to not overshadow the original work and Skynem GT has done just that. It's a much easier interpretation to the track all the while building and swelling into a hopeful anthem that just makes you feel good. Music has a way of reaching those parts of you that you didn't know you needed to be touched until it happens and Robert is doing a damn good job at that. I highly recommend checking out his full catalog of works.

While relatively new to the music scene, Robert is building a legacy for himself based on his own personal experiences and creating music that means something to him. The single acts as a trailer for the “Real Good Fight” Remix EP which also contains remixes from Crucethus, Aiyi, Michele Pezone and L.E.G.I.O.N X LFLN, the latter three also entries in the contest. Explaining the thought process behind the release, Robert said: “As an independent artist I have to find new ways to reach people – that might mean going out and playing the song unplugged with my live band, or releasing an experimental house remix that can be played in a nightclub – it’s about expanding my audience and my appeal, and I also happen to be having fun and growing as an artist while doing it!” He's an amazingly hard working artist that's doing what he can to live this dream and I feel lucky to get to share in his experiences as he's releasing new tracks.

Make sure you support independent artists as they're out there putting their heart and soul into these releases and most of the time, doing it on their own dime with no backing from a record label.

Justin Utley - Survivors (Orchestra Version)

What do you say when one of your best friends gets to release a new video for a passion project he's been working on since 2017? What do you say when that friend continues to grow and become the man you know that he's meant to be? I've had the honor and the privilege to watch Justin work on this song and hear how it's grown into what it is today. I know how much this song means to him and I damn sure know that it's going to mean to the millions of people that get to hear it. I know what it means to pick yourself up off the ground, one more time and dust yourself off and keep on fighting. I know that it means to hear those thoughts and emotions being expressed in music and lyrics. I know just how important this song is going to be and how it's already made an indelible mark on my life.

Justin was selected as a vocalist for the 2018 Eurovision contest and unfortunately it wasn't selected which I absolutely hated for him but it allowed him to get access to the song and have the ability to manipulate it and make it even more his own and he's been working with new producers and has been digging around in the crates of his creativity had found even more tools to give the song depth and more meaning. When I first wrote about this song back in 2017, I talked about how this was an "ode to overcoming obstacles" and while that's true, the obstacles are much more personal with this release. Justin is a very outspoken advocate in the war against conversion therapy which he experienced two years of at the hands of the Mormon church. It's a vile and barbaric practice and it needs to be done away with. With this song, he's hoping to shed light on what's still happening in the gay community in not just Utah but all over the country still.

Music is a universal interpreter of our experiences and emotions. While this song means something very specific to Justin; we, as the audience, have the ability to infer our own ideals onto the words he's singing. In this orchestral version of the song with a gorgeous video to go with it, we see a little girl running through school being haunted by the taunts of her classmates and she winds up seeking solace in the auditorium where she finds Justin. I feel like the video is shot in a way that Justin can be seen as a guide, telling her not to give up. To find it within herself to keep fighting, no matter what. I adore this video. The message it sends. The cinematography. This is more than just a music video. It's a work of art. When the orchestra comes in, it doesn't matter how many times I've watched it; I get chills. It's quite literally one of the best videos I've seen in a very long time and it's not lavish. It's not over the top and it does nothing to detract what the message is. It's what we need in the world today.

I've talked about how much more music means when it has a message and a meaning. What Justin represents, where he's been and what he stands for means so much to so many people. He's creating a musical legacy that not only documents his experience and his journey but that of many LGBTQ+ people around the world. He crafts art that has a profound impact on those around him and it is a gorgeous legacy.

BLOOD SUGAR - Had With Me

 

Guitar Solos. Can we talk about them and how music isn't music without them. This song has a killer one and it harkens back to a time when every song had one and it makes me damn happy. UK Indie Pop group, Blood Sugar have released a new single that's a gorgeous, melodic indie pop forward take on a break up and I'm here for it. There's an amazing breakdown going into the chorus that treats a drum machine like the star player it is. There are beautifully, emotionally tinged vocals that just make you feel all the nostalgic, angsty, break up feels that you've experienced. And there's a gorgeous guitar solo. This song has everything a break up song needs and yet you walk away from it not feeling destroyed and sad but resolved and resolute.

Lead singer Jack Saturn delivers this song in a manner that's gorgeously done and makes you want to know more about him and what he stands for. He creates this world where he's not mad and he's not angry about the break up. From the beginning of the song he knows that something isn't right but he knows that he's got to do the proper thing. He's hopeful that they'll find something better. Someone that they can be more themselves with because for what ever reason, it's not him. To have someone as level headed as he is during a break up, it almost makes you want to question your motives for breaking up in the first place.

This is an amazing song and I want to hear so much more from BLOOD SUGAR. I feel like I've only scratched the surface of what they have to offer with this track and I know that as a first outing, it's a damn good one.

Alus - Fuck Nudes, Send Me Your Playlist

So I adore this song for a ton of reasons. First and foremost....the idea behind it. Connecting on a level that means so much more than just physicality. A body is a body is a body. Some are more attractive than others. Some are more unique than others but once you've seen one naked person, there are only a few variations on the base model. Now, a playlist....you can learn a ton about a person based on what they're listening to. I mean, come on. You're sitting here on a blog about music...of course you're going to get a definite opinion about a song about music.

New Jersey born Alus, is a musical legacy herself as her grandmother played violin with Frank Sinatra's Rat Pack so music and creativity is in her blood and you can hear it in her sultry vocal styling. She reminds me so much of 90s soul and R&B and that's an amazing achievement because there was so much great music during that time period for female vocalists. She's putting a new spin on dating with this track as she's telling you to skip over all the small talk and get into the nitty gritty. It's a smooth, soulful track that is sexy as hell and it's gonna get a lot of people's attention. I dig her for being bold and just letting it all hang out. It takes a strong, powerful woman to tell you exactly what she wants and needs and I think that it's a conversation that needs to happen much more frequently.

Stepping back into her original tracks catalog shows so much depth and power to her voice and I think she has so much more to her than just being a flash in the pan or releasing a song like this strictly for shock value. She's got an incredible breathless quality to her voice that a lot of people could potentially compare to Ariana Grande but there's so much more to her than that and she shouldn't be immediately be pigeonholed into a category like that. I think she's incredible and I want to see and hear much more from her.

Palm Ghosts - The Golden Age

 

 

"Some days were sunlight, some were rain"

Joe Lekkas can do no wrong in my ears. His voice is like honey. Warm, nostalgic, familiar, honey. Palm Ghosts are that amazing group that I wouldn't have fully understood as an angsty teen in the nineties but I would have been wholly into them but as an adult, I would have looked back and gone...."Damn, I get it now" but as an angsty adult, I don't have to go through all that. Their particular brand of shoegaze, dream pop, new new romantic new wave or whatever you want to classify it as makes me so damn happy. This is the music that I want to just put on repeat and get lost in my own world to. It's everything I need it to be and then some. It's warm and it's a hug from an old friend and it's got the exact right amount of synth in it to tap into all those pleasure centers that make me feel like we've been on this long journey together listening to Bauhaus and Echo and the Bunnymen and we've finally come to the end of the trip and our road trip of a movie has come to fruition.

I get so damn hyped up when I hear them but it's not an off the chart level of excitement but something more subdued that just makes me know that everything will be ok. That all the shit that I sweat will fall away. It's just good and I know that I'm not the only person out there that's experiencing this rush of contentment when they listen to their music. I just read the lyrics of the song and I'll be damned if this track isn't describing everything I'm experiencing right this very minute as I listen to the song for the fifth or eighth time. The Golden Age in a relationship when everything is where it needs to be and everything has perfectly fallen into place through thick and thin. It's the good times and the bad that are necessary for you to fully understand and appreciate what you've got. It's the sour and the sweet that come together to balance  life. It's that person, those people, that experience that connect you to everything bigger than yourself and it's all wrapped up here in 5 minutes and 4 seconds.

I don't know if they know just how important they are in today's climate. I don't know if they realize the impact they are making on fans of a certain age and new fans alike. Palm Ghosts have become one of my favorite groups in a relatively short amount of time and it's not hard to understand why.

Palm Ghosts on the Web

Kit Taylor - Persephone

Writing about a songwriter is one of the more challenging aspects of this job than others because you have to totally ignore the vocal performance and judge the song strictly on the words alone. And when the vocal performance is as good as it is on this track, it's damn hard. So looking that this song from Hades perspective makes it a bit easier. If you know anything about Greek Mythology, you know that Hades abuducts Persephone and takes her to Hades (he's not only the lord of the underworld but it's also the name of the underworld) with him. Her mother, Demeter, is heartbroken and stops the crops growing and the people begin to starve so Zeus intervenes and tells Hades that Persephone can return to the surface during the spring and summer months the facilitate the harvest. History lesson over. So looking at this song from Hades perspective, it's a love song about the woman he adores and misses during the summer because she's out doing work.

The lyrics are great. The production is great. It's a damn fun song. It's a fantastic love song and it makes you smile (especially since he worked the word necromancer into it). Joey Diggs Jr. is a beautiful vocalist and he does an amazing job on this track. It makes me want to hear and artist like Ne-yo singing this in an animated movie. Not that I'm taking anything away from Joey at all but a lot of time, the studio vocalist is a stand in for bigger artists to hear what the song sounds like to determine whether or not they wanna go for it or not.

I've listened to a ton of Kit's work this morning as I've been investigating him and he's a damn talented songwriter. He has a way with stringing ideas together in a very cohesive manner and it's brilliant. Whether it's the gospel/soul "Strip It All Away" or the theatrical, "Be Still My Heart", Kit knows exactly how to write an amazing song that takes you exactly where you need to go. He's recently won several prestigious awards via the Great American Songwriting Contest as well as being inducted into the 2018 Hall of Fame and it's easy to see why. He's able to capture all these amazing emotions with his words and he's able to walk among so many different genres but it seems that he's at his very best when he's tapping into a story to tell. World building and painting environments with his words all make perfect sense under his pen. I think he'd do an absolutely amazing job being a book writer for a Broadway style musical and if you listen to a handful of the tracks in his catalog, it's easy to see one being created potentially without his knowing. Listen to the words he's penned along with the artists he's chosen to give his words life. He's doing amazing things.

Sour - Waiting for You

There are a few musical tropes that get me. Singing in staccato is one of those and when it's used properly it's as versatile as a punctuation mark. With both the track and Connar's vocals, they absolutely know how to properly utilize this from the sticky slap bass to the pre-chorus where Connar just drives the song forward note by note. Sour is creating pop music that isn't exactly right. It's a bit broken like most of us out there. It's flawed and a bit darkly emotive and I think it fits perfectly in today's musical climate. Connar's vocal stylings are very reminiscent of Marc Almond and Jimmy Somerville and whether he realizes it or not, just by being; he's paying homage to two of the greatest storytellers and vocalists of all time.

"Waiting for You" is a song that touches a place in our lives where we are in love with someone deeply and madly but we can't help them get to the place they need to be in order to be the proper partner. It's a rough lesson to learn when you realize you can't care about someone more than they care about themselves and you have to let them do it all on their own. Sure, we can be supportive and we can help be a guiding light through the darkness but someone never grows and learns unless they fight the fight on their own. We fall down so we can learn to get back up again. That's what this song means to me. That's what I pull from this. We want so desperately to be the person we know we can be to bring as much to the table as we can in a relationship but our partners have to do their part and we can't fight our battles while we are fighting theirs for them.

In the same breath, while we are waiting on our partner we can sometimes be caught in the middle of their healing and growth and it can take a strong person to take the emotional roller coaster they can inflict on us. Suffering the slings and arrows and all that can lead to a lot of feelings we have to unpack. We can develop our own self destructive methods of coping with their healing all the while we keep telling them we'll wait, no matter what. Relationships can be hard. They shouldn't be. They shouldn't feel like work and a lot of times, if they are; then perhaps an evaluation is in order.

This is a pretty special song. Another in the list of songs that Sour have created that have resonated deeply with me. I think these men are important in the music they're creating and they're going to continue to grow an international fan base if they keep releasing songs like this.

Sour on the Web

Hessam - Getaway

Simplicity. There are more times than not that we don't even come close to that. There are times when we get so wrapped up in making sure there's a place for everything we forget to edit and we are left with something that simply overwhelms us. That's not what's happened with the newest single from Swedish-Persian singer, Hessam. In his new track, "Getaway", Hessam is supported by the most miniscule amount of synth and a guitar and it's brilliant. It's a beautiful love song about supporting that person that means the most to you. Even if you don't actually get to run away and hop on a boat to Mexico; the idea of it with that person sometimes makes the difference between a horrible day and a day that makes you smile.

The minimal production on the song is exactly the treatment it needs. It's simple and it's easy. And that's was a love song should be. Nothing too over the top. Nothing overwrought with production. It does harken back to a much simpler time in music where it didn't take an army of songwriters and producers to make an outstanding track. His voice is clear and it resonates. It carries the meaning of the song in a beautiful manner and it's pure and it's good. I want to hear much more from him because I think he's wonderful.

What you need to do is find you a person like Hessam. A person that supports you and loves you unconditionally and knows that even though the day has been complete rubbish that he's going to be there for you. He's going to grab his guitar and serenade you until you smile and laugh that laugh you do when you see the light in his eyes. This song fills me with hope and it makes me close my eyes and let myself get washed away in the images he's painting. I adore his voice and think it's incredible that you don't hear much in the way of audio clean up on the vocals. I want to hear more from him. I want to hear his perspective and his point of view because I feel like it's unique to his upbringing and the environment he was nurtured in.

Palm Ghosts - Better to Know

The New Romantic era of 80s New Wave is probably my most favorite time periods in music. Whether it's Echo and the Bunnymen or The Cure or The Cocteau Twins or to some extent singles by INXS or The B-52s, that whole time period was beautifully expressive and to hear a song in 2019 that immediately sweeps me back to that much more innocent time in my life makes me swoon with enviable delight. It absolutely amazes me when a band can so succinctly capture a feeling and an attitude of an entire era and put it in a time capsule the way that Nashville based, Palm Ghosts has on their new single, "Better to Know". I easily hear so many influences in this track and it makes me feel absolutely incredible to be transported through time for 4 minutes and 24 seconds. I hear nuances of Kate Pierson's delivery mixed with Michael Hutchence and Daniel Ash in Joespeh Lekkas' vocal performance.

Go here and listen to the track. You should absolutely hear it before you go further. Go on. I'll wait.

I've had to listen to "Better to Know" over and over because while I want to pay attention to the lyrics and hear what he's saying, I just keep getting swept up in the absolute utmost joy in the song. The way they structure the track so everything comes in one at a time and builds the space for Joseph's amazing vocals, the building of the instrumentation toward the chorus, the dreamy space they create where you just get lost and wrapped up in nostalgic bliss. The intro alone has been in the making for 35 years. Christ, this song is just making my Friday the best day I've had in a long time. Atmospheric doesn't begin to properly describe how this track just fills up all the space you give it. It just grows and grows to match exactly what you need it to be. To be fair, this song has made me so freaking giddy.

I feel like this song is really about how you interact with yourself.

"The slack-jawed mantra in merging the two / The overreach for harmony in lies / Is of you more telling"

The things we tell ourselves in order to make it from day to day. The ideals we build into our own dogma that helps us interact with those around us while trying to be as true to ourselves as possible can sometimes be the most difficult challenge we face. We have to learn to bend like reeds in the wind opposed to staying rigid and firm in the eye of the storm otherwise we will break and never grow. The idea of introspection and digging into ourselves as we become more fully realized versions of who we are meant to be is terrifying in the social media age where everything is so carefully curated. I feel that the juxtaposition of these thoughts and feelings against the landscape of such a New Romantic song where things weren't as "artificial" in terms of interpersonal relationships is an incredible dichotomy.

As I've sat here for the greater part of a day, digesting this song, it's clear to see that if no where else, I need this message in my own life. To strip away all the attempts to be socially perfect and white glove test approved and just be myself because in the end of the day, it's me; the real me that matters and the people in my life are there because I am that person. They're in my life for the same reason because I love them and not the idea of them. Not the Stepford version but the version where all the imperfections, the bumps and bruises make them who they are. Not the color corrected, over filtered selfie version and I think we all need to remember that on even our worst days. It's not who we perceive ourselves to be that matters but who we truly are and what we represent.

I can't wait to get to know these guys and gals more because I think their musical point of view is sorely missing from today's pop landscape.

Click here to preorder the single today!!

Thailah - Joy

First let's talk about this beat. It's very reminiscent of tribal percussion that pull you in and keeps you right where you need to be. It's the perfect vehicle for Thailah (pronounced Ty-la) to float over top of with vocal stylings very similar to Lily Allen or Cher Lloyd and those are two of my favorite young British artists. I like that her voice has swagger and an edge to it. I think aside from her accent sliding out every so often, that's what I like the most, the fact that there's a raw edge to her voice. And I'll continue to say it over and over, there has to be something interesting and new to a voice in order to cut through the noise of ALL the other artists out there wanting attention and Thailah has it. She has it in spades.

Listening to the lyrics on this track makes me think about my own life. Makes me think about people being careless with my time and my emotions because they can. Makes me realize more about me than this afro-tinged bop would when you take a surface look at it. You start thinking about how people use you to make them feel better about themselves and that doesn't lead to anything positive or good. It generally leaves you used and abused in an emotional heap on the floor but there of us out there that do it over and over because in the long run, we kind of have to be there for those people because no one else will.

Finding her has added another set of songs to add to my summer bangers. It doesn't matter if it's this song or her other singles; "Sweet", "Bad Manners", or "Glitch" because this Londoner has created a life long fan in me. The production is slick for the style of pop music she's creating. It's like an overcast day when you're outside and you don't realize that you need sunscreen. It's drinking fruity alcoholic beverages and getting hooked on the sweet before you realize you're already knees deep in a bender. It's that feeling of being delivered a message before you know what's hit you. It's coming back on listen four or five and honing in on those lyrics and relating to the music more deeply than you thought you would.

Liquid Diet - Looking for Love

Subversive, sexy, sultry. This song is so much more than a sexy romp through anonymous sex. This song is about connection on a much deeper level but it's disguised as something super sexy and slick. Liquid Diet has always been one of my favorite groups because they don't play by anyone's rules but their own. "Looking for Love" is a new single off their remix EP, Double Life: Sloppy Seconds and you can get it anywhere but you should click here to go get it. Billy's voice is so suited for this as it goes down just like syrup...it's warm, it's sweet and it's sticky and I LIVE for it.  The most telling portion of this song...the part that takes this from a one night stand to friends with benefits is when he says,

"Blindfold me / Scold me / Don't try to hold me / That was the old me

Pursue me / Subdue me / Just use me til you find the new me"

 

This is the connection that I'm talking about. This is what elevates this song. It's the meaning behind these words. It's seeing yourself in a manner in which you're growing and learning and needing to be part of something bigger than yourself and you're willing to move from one experience to another as you grow and be part of it all. Even if that means wading through a myriad of Mr and Misses Right Nows. I think we do that a lot. We long for that touch. That electricity that makes us feel alive and in a culture of ordering up exactly what you need via app, it makes it easier and easier to stave off the long, lonely nights at times. We all have an intrinsic need to be part of it all and rendezvous after rendezvous is a way in which we can do that. Sexual liberation is needed more today than ever and in a world of pansexual polyamory, there's no better time than today than to learn as much as you can about yourself.

 

I don't know if the production design was done this way on purpose but the colors in the video make me think of the bisexual pride flag shifting from reds to purples and I think it's incredible. I like the darkness he uses with the bearded dancer. I think there is a color study in what it means to be sexually fluid and if this wasn't the purpose, then maybe they can take credit for it. We don't live in a binary world anymore and it's so important for that to be represented across the board. Billy is a beautiful soul and this video makes me adore him that much more. The visuals are amazing. From being seduced by his female costar to the bevy of beautiful boys he dances with. I like the spanking bit as I think exploration needs to be normalized much more and the fact that he shares that with both partners makes me smile a lot. I think this is probably one of my favorite tracks by Liquid Diet and if this is the quality of content they're going to put out, I NEED more music from Billy, Jonny, and Georgia. Shit the world ALWAYS needs more Georgia Haege. I damn sure know I do.

Support this group. They're important. They make important music. It's potentially easy to write them off as a gimmick but they are far more than that. Music and art challenges us. It makes us feel and that's exactly what they do. They evoke thoughts, feelings and emotions in us that we may not have thought of. The world is in dire need of more free thinking creative at the helm and it's damn time they release more music.

Iris - Wait

 

Beautiful vocals with minimal production. What could be better? I've already become smitten with Iris' vocal delivery and how she makes you feel like you've been friends forever and then you throw in some killer harmonies on the chorus and I'm done. She's honestly got one of the biggest voices I've heard in music in a long time. There's a very old soul quality to her that grabs you and pulls you close. I've talked about her previous release, "Crazy" and said many of the same things and I think that speaks volumes about the consistency between her performance and the production. When an artist has natural talent, there isn't need for a ton of post production work and I'm gonna bet there's very little if any clean up after the fact.

"Nothing you can say when you love and you lose / Telling me to leave when I can't even move / No one I can choose when I let go of you / What you want me to do / Stop telling me to

 

I wish you would stay just to stand in my shoes / It's a little hard just to swallow the truth / No one I can choose when I let go of you / What you want me to do / Stop telling me to wait"

 

That pre-chorus is pretty devastating when you actually pay attention to what she's saying. When you've put your everything into a relationship and it's crumbled down around you and all you can do is watch it fall apart; that's just about the worst feeling ever. You've invested so much time and energy and you're being placated. You're being told to wait. It's heartbreaking and it sucks. Iris has done an amazingly beautiful job of capturing those emotions and feelings in a manner that we all can relate to and while it can be difficult to hear those emotions manifested, it's one of the best steps toward healing. You have to take the good with the bad so that when the good comes back around, you're able to know just how important it is.
 

I adore this woman. I adore her production team. They aren't letting her take a single misstep. Her voice is gorgeous. The way they cradle her performance and hold it with the utmost care shows a group of people that know exactly what they're doing and how to best showcase her talent. I want her to be a household name because she's worth every minute of it.

Iris on the Web

Son of Cabe - Lynwood

The official video for "Lynwood" by Son of Cabe has dropped and the oversaturated live performance video is exactly what this song needed. Nothing over the top. Nothing too flashy. Just a live performance of the track in which all the colors being hyper stylized that brings a storybook vibe to the video that echo the washed out feelings of not being able to say you're sorry because you've done something you know you need to apologize for. The indie feel of the video suits Son of Cabe's bedroom production style as well. It's perfectly suited for what he's creating and I think it's genius. If you want to read what I've said about the song previously, you can do so here. This young artist has an innate ability to put meaning and message into his words that's relatable and familiar because we've all been there; at some point in our lives we've felt what he's talking about. We've been faced with similar emotions and hearing them makes it easier to process.

Megan Vice - Super Delicious EP

"I like my man like I like my underwear..... mother fucker, I don't need you at all"

There's something very special about Megan Vice. Something that someone recognized early on and know just how to make the best out of what she has to offer. Her performance quality is nothing but unadulterated start power wrapped up in a pop princess. She's been paired with a production team that knows exactly, and I mean exactly, how to best utilize her talents. There is not a single on this EP that doesn't just coming out banging. She's fun. She's playful. She's not relying on a gimmick. She's doing everything perfectly right and I'm damn glad to be living in a world where she is releasing music. Long Island native, Megan has been enamored with music all her life and would literally perform for anyone that would stand still long enough. And once she started formulating her own lyrics, there was nothing to stop her. She's had some pretty powerful musical comparisons and it's easy to see how people could compare her to the likes of Chromeo, early Janet Jackson, or even Sofi Tukker.

 

When you listen to her music, you hear an amalgamation of all these styles and influences and it would be easy for an unpolished artist to get lost in the crush of genres. You get a bit of late 80s, big haired freestyle in the vein of Sweet Sensation or Debbie Deb. You get a bit of Minneapolis in the form of Prince and Janet Jackson. You get a bit Joan Jett with her take no prisoners attitude. You get all of these different artists and styles packaged in what I feel is one of the absolute best albums of 2019. Probably in my top 5 of the year right now. I spend a lot of time talking about emotions and mental health on this blog. I talk about how music affects us and how artists are able to pull from all our deepest, darkest places and how much it's important for music to serve a purpose. And I feel that Super Delicious EP does exactly what it sets out to do. It makes you forget all the small stuff that's been getting you down and lets you relax and enjoy a musical journey in 30 minutes or less.

 

So let's get into this EP.

 

 

Super Delicious

Easily and quite simply my bop for the summer. This song is light and airy and full of funk potential (and it lives up to every bit of it). It's crazy how a song about making the same mistake over and over can be so damn danceable. The way the chorus rises up to meet Megan's voice is one of the most incredible things I've heard in a long time. I wrote a whole piece about this single over here so go read it after you finish here.

 

Hold Up (Be My Lady)

If you're in the mood for a bit of 90s R&B realness, a bit of Xscape or Jade then you're in for a damn treat on this slow-ish jam  with one of the coolest raps in the middle eight that I've heard in a long time. It shows the incredible versatility Megan has and how much swag she's leaning on and it's pretty bad ass. It's a song with a bass line that slaps hard and a groove that hits harder. Her voice is so sultry and full on this track about being hollered at and I'm here for every minute of it. Again, her producers know EXACTLY how to work with her and it's never more evident than it is on this track.

 

2 Good 4 Me

Again, we're rocking the funk groove here but we're going to step back a bit further in time with a disco inspired track that will make you dance. She's got some falsetto happening and it's an amazing contrast to her smoky voice. The bass is so sticky and funky on this that it makes all the polyester in your closet come to life and pull a John Travolta stroll down the block. This song is nostalgic and it's current at the same time. It's the best of all the influences she's pulled from and I guarantee that this sounds MASSIVE in a dance club.

 

Dressed to Kill

Here's my take....Megan is chilling in Ibiza and Kylie Minogue comes in and blesses her with all the pop power she ever needs and this song comes out. This is full on danceable gorgeousness and it makes me think of the most amazing up tempo tracks that Kylie has released. And that's not biting her style, in my ears it's a beautiful homage to a pop star with longevity and a proven formula for success. We're not straying away from what works the best with Megan's vocal stylings. We're kicking the funky grooves and beats and giving all her best friends an amazing track to dance to.

 

Nobody Freakin'

Let's drop back into that slow-ish R&B/funk vibe with this track. It's got one of the best uses of synth on the album and it has a tip of the hat to one Ms. Jackson...if you're nasty and it's great. She's got a way of creating lyrics that hit you and you go....damn..... When she says, "Never ever fuck for the fame".... I was like....Wig, snatched. Acne, cleared. Debts, paid. And I LIVE for it.

 

This is a heavy contender for my album of the year. I want her to have all the fame possible. I want her to be a household name but I also am super protective of her because of how much I connect with her music. She's incredible and I know she's got an incredible career ahead of her. As long as she's taken care of by her producers, she's going to go a long way and we need more of her music out there in the world. That's for damn sure.
 

Megan Vice on the Web

Kris Kelly - Cracked Porcelain

 

Psychedelica. It's got champions in artists like Tame Impala, King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard, Animal Collective and many others. It's pretty amazing to hear an artist that identifies as queer making his mark in the genre. There's not enough representation and we are sorely underserved in this corner of the musical universe but to have Kris Kelly creating music for queer people by queer people in this genre is magical.

"Cracked Porcelain" is a sonically gorgeous landscape in which our artist gets to create a world of love and sex and unconventional experiences. In Kris' words the song is, "the story of two gay men who find freedom in defining their relationship in an unconventional way, but who end up getting lost in the revelry and ultimately drive each other apart. I think the LGBTQ community has a unique opportunity to redefine our relationship with sex within our partnerships. Not having the traditional ways of defining a healthy partnership forced onto us grants us freedom to discover it for ourselves; but it also comes with great responsibility, and I think we often fail. In the song, the two men fulfill all of their personal desires, and get lost with the help of alcohol and drugs, but forget to care about each other, neglecting the needs of their relationship. In that seductive lifestyle, it’s easy for them to use sex, drugs, and alcohol to cover up the issues they just don’t want to deal with. It feels like ‘freedom’ but are they really in control? What are the boundaries that protect the relationship? A careful balance is required in order to nurture both carnal desires and spiritual connection with another human being (if that’s something that you value). When things are out of balance, suffering is inevitable. That’s what happens in “Cracked Porcelain”."

I think that as someone that identifies as gay, this song means a lot more to me than a lot of other tracks I've run across lately because of the implications and experiences it creates and just how easily it is for me to identify with the antagonists in the song. I've been there. I've been swept up in the rush of endorphins and serotonin that's created when you get to get entangled in someone else, especially after so many years of being repressed due to social anxiety, mores, and the overwhelming need to fly under the radar....but when that time comes and you're wrapped up in someone else; bodies exploring, hearts beating together and you give yourself permission to experience all those things - it's intoxicating. It, in itself, becomes addictive and you NEED more and when you can't chase that rush anymore then you find substitutes for those feelings and those wants. It's a slippery slope and we as LGBTQ+ people don't have the most positive role models for helping us navigate those beginning relationships and tend to make all the wrong decisions when we are first encountering choices. But the beauty is that they are our mistakes to make and as long as we have the wherewithal to learn from them they subtly turn from mistakes to growth opportunities.

Kris Kelly has a beautiful voice. He's got a hypnotic quality about him that is perfectly suited for this genre and it's an incredible match. I don't want to hear him singing any other type of music because the Technicolor rainbow of imagery he paints with his voice and artistry is brilliant. His music is the soundtrack to my dreams and it takes me to places I've never been before and I think he's just about one of the most important artists I've had the pleasure of getting to hear in a very long time.

Kris Kelly on the Web

X Ambassadors - Hold You Down

It was either "Renegades" or "Unsteady" that I heard first and then I saw the special video they created for "Unsteady' and I immediately fell in love with this band. They have a sound that's got a whole lot more soul infused in it than your typical alternative music and I think a lot of it comes from the fact Sam Harris and Casey Harris are brothers. You can feel the connection between the two of them in their music and it's never more evident than it is in their newest single, "Hold You Down" from the upcoming LP, Orion. This is the third single off the album and they brothers say it's about brotherhood and their relationship. The video is an amazing trip through the history of the Harris boys as you get the opportunity to see their lives growing up through family home movies.

I have two older brothers and I know what that bond is like. We don't get the opportunity to share it much anymore but I can honestly thank them both for a lot of how my personality developed and the man that I am today. I remember hearing Duran Duran or reading comic books for the first time thanks to my brothers. Playing video games and getting into general mischief with them as we were growing up was part of a right of passage that you can only experience with a brother so I can feel how genuine Sam is when he's singing this song knowing it's an ode to those times when the relationships are all that's important.

"We'll be the last ones dancing when the lights go out / when there's no one to hold you / I'll still hold you down"

It's that bond. It's that love for your sibling that can't be duplicated though any other relationship you'll ever have in your life. It's unconditional. It's the support and care that you can only get from someone that's been there with you since day one. It's the acceptance of all our faults, our flaws, our successes that dive us to be more than what we feel we can be and it's good and it's honest. This song means a whole lot more to me than I thought it initially would because I don't have that closeness with my brothers anymore and I miss it. It's absolutely amazing to see how the brothers interact on stage. How Sam never once let's Casey falter as they're walking on stage together. And it's that love and support that Sam has that's incredible. Casey never once wanted his blindness to affect who he was as a person. He saw it as what it was, a small obstacle that would prevent him from doing certain sighted things but never would stop him from playing piano once he learned and he's an incredible musician.

This song is incredible. I enjoy it immensely and hope that it means a lot for other people as well. Especially those that may be estranged from their siblings. Orion will be released on June 14th and it's going to be a huge record. I love what these guys stand for and love the music they create. It's important and means something to the collective music fan base at large.

Alba - Heartbeat

The guitar in this song immediately drew me in and made me need more of it and to see that it's Alba, herself, killing it on the guitar makes the song so much better. We don't have a lot of female lead singers that also play an instrument and it's a shame. I think there's something very special about doing double duty like that in a song and she's got definite star quality that makes her stand out from other singers. I'd love to hear her on tour with Haim or Joss Stone because I think they have complimentary styles that would play off each other well and strong, independent women are the coolest when it comes to music makers.

London-based singer/songwriter Alba has released a new single, "Heartbeat" and she says, "Heartbeat was inspired by the feeling of synchronicity of a crowd with the beat of the music during live concerts, when everyone's heart seems to beat to the rhythm of the kick drum, and also takes inspiration from the sense of synchronicity between the pounding hearts of two lovers. I wanted to be the one setting an energetic and positive beat to which an audience may synch to. The kick drum at the start of Heartbeat is actually mixed together with a human heartbeat sample."

I love the bluesy feel to this song and her voice. It's smoky and it's got depth to it that you don't get in pop music today. Stack her vocal talents up against her guitar playing and she's an incredible talent. She does cross over from pop to rock to blues and it makes her an exceedingly well rounded artist. It's very cool to hear the influences pour out of her music and how authentically her own the art she's creating is. There's not many other artists out there that have a vibe similar to hers and I can't honestly think of many female artists to compare her to. I'd be more apt to say she's similar to Stevie Ray Vaughn or Johnny Lang than comparing her to artists like Halsey or Lorde. And I think the world needs a whole lot more of her. She's unique and she's blazing her own trail.

Matracia - Slow

I ran across a Twitter post pointing out this song and decided to take a chance and am damn glad that I did. I am unfamiliar with Dylan Matracia as an artist but I guarantee that I'm going to spend time getting to know him. The lo-fi, Twin Shadow, shoe gazey vibe of this song is a complete mood and this video just is amazing. Echoing that lo-fi, David Lynch-esque art house aesthetic, the video follows what appears to be a romance that ends in the potentially untimely death of one of the partners.

Dylan's languid and mercurial vocal stylings fill the space with an atmospheric calm that is reminiscent of relationships we've all had. There's a lazy, ease at which he works. He's not forcing anything and he's not rushing it. When he gets to where he needs to go, sonically, he'll be there. There's nothing laborious about this. There's nothing overproduced. It's just easy. It's exactly what I needed for this song and video to be. The visuals are stunning and the cinematography is great. Both Dylan and Benwa Kramer (his hirsuite love interest) play off of each other exceedingly well and there is chemistry between the two of them that's tangible. You feel a bit voyeuristic watching their time play out. There's enough there to want to know more. There's a story behind all this and it's one that would be very cool to see play out.

I like his style and what he evokes. It makes me want to be more invested in his story and his progression as an artist. He's having a good time creating art and you can feel it in the music. Even though this song is under 3 minutes long, it's all it needs to be and it gives you exactly what you need to get you to where he wants you to go. I want to spend more time with his music and get to know more about him as an artist.

Daniel - Best Damn Party

Being an independent musician is a blessing and a curse. You get to do things on your own time with your own creative freedom but you don't have the support of a label helping you market your work. So you have to be the A&R department, the marketing department, your own publicist as well as getting everything together for record releases and all the stuff that goes along with it. So it doesn't hurt my feelings at all to receive an email a year after an single has been released looking for coverage. I opened my email this morning to find a very excitedly written email from an independent artist from Salem Massachusetts, Daniel. It didn't give me much information other than there was a party in his head and everyone was invited. I'll be honest....it's the fastest I've clicked a link in an email because he didn't spend 4 paragraphs talking about how unique and how his music was "insert overly flowery hipster description". He let me hear him and he let me make up my own mind about him in as an unbiased manner possible.

So let's talk about "Best Damn Party". To compare him to artists like Andrew W.K. or Foxy Shazam or The Darkness would be fair. But there's a lot more to Daniel than that. Sure, he's a bombastic rocker like the above mentioned groups and he's got his very own style that isn't taken seriously. Scrolling through the comments on YouTube give an example of how people don't necessarily know how to respond to an artist that doesn't take a conventional approach to making music. With Zac Efron good looks and an unabashed sense of self, Daniel has the makings of an amazing rock star. This song and video are unabashedly fun. It's got a rapid fire energy that sweeps you up and takes you to the best damn party. It's high energy and the heavy guitar riffs just set the song off as more than just a gimmick.

Much like the flack and misunderstandings Andrew W.K. got when he came onto the scene, I think Daniel is going to face similar trials and tribulations but much like the survivors of the Salem witch trials (and potentially some of his ancestors), he's going to do alright. He doesn't just march to the beat of his own drum, he create the instrument. He's not following any play book and he's not trying to be anyone other than himself. If you've been a fan of this blog for any time, you know that's exactly what we celebrate here. Being you. Without hesitation. Without doubt. Be you and create the music that you need to. Not that you want to create but the music that burns a hole in you if you don't get it out of your body. Doesn't matter if people rush out and buy it. Doesn't matter if the masses get it. What matters is that you've got something that has to be released into the universe.

So he's unconventional. He's unique. He's all those things that hipster musicians describe themselves as but in the end what matters is that he's got a voice and a point of view that's ultimately his own and absolutely deserve to be heard. Like those above mentioned bands, not every one is going to like him. Hell, far fewer people will like him that he'd probably really like but those of us that do and that really get what he's out here doing will be loyal throughout his career and will support him through thick and thin. And he's got a life long fan in me.

DanielfromSalem on the Web

Megan Vice - Super Delicious

Vanity 6, The Mary Jane Girls, Seduction, Sweet Sensation and all those amazing freestyle groups of the late 80s, early 90s had this take no prisoners attitude the endeared them to millions. Coupled with the ability to make amazingly poppy music that had your ass moving to the funk grooves, these groups were trailblazers for upbeat bubblegummy pop stars and they're damn important in music history. It's groups like this that have paved the way for New York native, Megan Vice. "Super Delicious" is her latest single and just like all the guilty pleasures she's singing about in this track, I damn sure want more and more. It's one of the most amazingly fun songs I've heard in a long time and it's now my pick for gorgeous summer bop.



If this was just a song with no substance and was just all filler, it would be totally different but she's got a voice that won't stop and she's working with a producer that knows exactly what to do to elevate her to new heights. I've listened to other tracks on her SoundCloud and she's not just a flash in the pan. She's got the vocal talent and the savvy it takes to be a superstar. You can hear how all those artists I've mentioned have influenced her sound and she'd fit perfectly at Paisley Park in the late 80s. It's like all the best people have come together to create an amazing track that has you so freaking happy by the time the pre-chorus kicks in. There's not a misstep in this song. From the nostalgic 80s style freestyle beats to her smoky voice to how the layers and levels are all perfectly crafted to make an rad dance track. I bet this song would sound absolutely amazing in a club and since it's already got a near perfect start, remixes are only going to send this song into the stratosphere.

It's such a tongue-in-cheek song that doesn't take itself too seriously and I think that's something we need more of in the music world. I talk about music with a message a lot. I talk about songs that help our mental health and this is no different. It's upbeat and it's fun and makes you smile so hard. Even though it's not tackling hard issues, it's still got a perfect purpose in any playlist. It's a beautifully put together summer song and I'm glad I have it to listen to as I have my windows rolled down bopping down the street.

Night Lights - Habits

With members hailing from Japan, Mexico, and Norway; Night Lights not only have a unique perspective on creating music but they also have a multitude of cultural differences that bring them together in a very unique way. Vocalist Mau Jimenez, guitarist Yusuke Sato and drummer Dag Eirik Hanken have come together through their mutual love of music and have created some of the most thought provoking Indie pop in the Los Angeles scene in quite sometime. Yusuke Sato says, "As we are all international and all come from different backgrounds, it is really important to us to be able to reach more than one demographic." And if "Habits" is an example of the music they're creating, I don't think they're going to have any issues whatsoever.

"Habits" is a song that every single person that hears it can identify with. Whether it's coffee or binge watching tv or illicit substances or feelings....any time we keep going back to the well for more and more, we all have found ourselves in a position to be addicted to something. I think more than one of us out there have found an addiction to appreciation. When you are told that you're good enough or smart enough or good looking enough, the amazing feeling that's elicited in our brain makes us want more and more. Especially in a time when likes and a curated world view through social media is upon us, we spend so much time making sure we secure that validation because it makes us feel good. Doesn't matter if it's the gains we've made in the gym or how proud we are of our children's accomplishments, we crave those thumbs ups.

The chorus is gigantic in this song. It hits you like a wall of sound and it's great. Mau's vocals are brilliant and the production on the song just draw you in and it's good. It's a song that delivers a message that resonates pretty damn deeply and it's packaged in a song that makes you bounce along with it instead of feeling like you're being force fed a message. The bright and poppy guitars are a blessing on top of the synths. The percussion is done perfectly. I am a huge fan of this song and I'm grateful it just popped up in a SoundCloud station by total random happenstance. It makes me want to hear more and more music from these guys and am glad to have found them.

Night Lights on the Web

Robert O'Connor - Real Good Fight

The more and more I think about it, the more I gravitate toward music that stands for something. Whether it be catharsis, expressing emotions that we are able to connect with, or empowering people and reminding us that we aren't alone out there. We get so wrapped up in the day to day grind that we forget that through it all, we are fighters and we are survivors. Robert O'Connor is here to remind us that as many shots as life and the universe want to take at us, as long as we're willing to stand tall and continue the fight, we're never really alone in this world. It takes perseverance and determination but with drive and people in our lives that matter; there's not much we can't do.

I think the video for this song is an incredible representation of what it's like to walk around this world as an adult with all the stresses we have on us. At the same time it's a spectacular reminder of how we can dig deep within ourselves and find that ounce of hope to keep climbing. We never really know just how strong we are until we're put in a position to find out on our own. We often let all the little things that are simple annoyances pile up and then they become seemingly insurmountable but they're not. We just have to take a step at a time and we can get through them. It's not a flashy video. It's not over produced. It's like the song in that manner. It's exactly he treatment the song needed. I feel like there's a whole lot of Robert's heart and soul in this video and this single.

Now, let's talk about Robert as an artist. In this video, and his performance, he's every man. His voice is familiar and there's barely any post production on it. It's honest and it's full of conviction. It's like having a conversation with a friend you've not talked to in a while but everything just falls back into place. He believes in what he's saying and it comes through in his singing. He's approachable and he does this with no pretention. You can hear that he does this because there's no where else he'd want to be and nothing better that he'd rather be doing. He's not doing it because it's going to bring him fame and fortune, he does it because it's part of who he is.  I wasn't familiar with Robert before this video but I've stepped back through his other works and it's just honest songwriting and the world needs a whole lot more of that.

Robert O'Connor on the Web

Matt Taylor - Volatile

"...when did the all this silence get so loud / give me a second, I need a second to breathe before I lose my mind"

Hearing voices, opinions, attitudes from all over the world from people of all ages is one of the best things about having international access to music in today's technology driven society. Getting to hear 21 year old singer/songwriter Matt Taylor's new track, "Volatile" all the way from Brighton is one of the coolest things that's happened to me this week. Releasing his EP on 7 June, Matt is surely going to make a name for himself with his upbeat and effervescent brand of pop music. As a matter of fact, I think this track and the EP as a whole are pop perfection. Generally when I hear music that's this up, it's female vocalists I want to hear as in my ears, I appreciate more stripped down production from male vocalists but this dance/pop brand of music that Matt has created is brilliant. This can absolutely stand beside the Jonas Brothers, Bruno Mars or any other pop artist out there and this guy is 21....he's got a long career ahead of him if he keeps creating music this damn good. I am honestly in awe with this album.

So let's talk about the single, "Volatile"... The build up on this track is nuts. From his vocals from kind of speak-singing stand point to the track build up to the first pre-chorus and then just taking off. The "drop" is crazy good and the track as a whole makes me think of a roller coaster. Climbing up that first hill and then just holding on until it comes back around to the station. Matt's vocals are amazing and this song is just great. I want so much for this song to be gigantic because it's that good. The song is about a relationship that's on the rocks and that if both partners come together and talk and have open and honest communication there is still something there that can be salvaged and made good but as it stands, things are just so volatile. And as volatile things tend to do, if not cared for, they'll explode. I cannot stress how good this track is. He's doing amazing things after he charted on the Irish Singles Chart on iTunes and has actually has written songs for Ariana Grande and Charli XCX. I'll have a full review on this album when it releases June 7th.