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Mixtape Review: Don’t wake me up (Various Artists)

While I was on youtube, I came across a 10 minute video titled “Don’t wake me up”. After listening to it for some time, I realized that it was a mixtape. The channel that posted it was called Lophee, but the mixtape features the music of many different artists. In total, there are 6 songs of the same genre, called Lo-Fi (hence the channel’s name). Lo-Fi is a sub genre of chillwave music that originated in the ‘80s. Lophee has several other mixtapes on youtube that are perfect for anyone who loves chillwave music or just needs something simple to study to, sleep to, etc. My personal favorites from ‘Don't wake me up’ were ‘no one would miss me’ by a l e x and ‘G I F T’ by L e t s k e y.

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My Two Favorite Tiny Desk Concerts

Today I’ll be talking about my favorite Tiny Desk Concerts. For those of you who don’t know, Tiny Desk Concerts are small concerts that the radio station NPR hosts. They feature everyone from small indie artists to big-time rappers.

 Florist

 Some of you may remember a track review I did a while ago called ‘I Was’ by indie band Florist.

Their lead singer is gender nonconforming artist Emily Sprague. It was super interesting to hear some of their songs live. The band featured three electric guitars and one drum, making for soft vocals that back Emily’s vocals perfectly.

 D.R.A.M

 Rapper D.R.A.M became super popular lately with the release of his single, Broccoli, which featured Lil Yachty. Watching this concert was nice because I got to hear D.R.A.M’s music through a different point of view. Instead of the typical snare and heavy electronic tones, his voice was backed by live instruments, allowing us to hear his true vocal talent, which was impressive.

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Artist: Savoy Motel

Three-person rock band Savoy Motel were formulated during the summer of 2014. The band consists of Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (Vocals, guitar, bass, keys), Lauren Savoy (vocals, guitar), and Frode Unneland (Drums, backing vocals). Savoy Motel is a self-described “overnight” band. Their songs are all composed by members Paul-Waaktaar and Lauren Savoy. Hence, they have created a sort of brand for themselves: “The Savoy Sound”, which is a rock sounds with funk undertones. Since their debut, Savoy Motel have sold over 200,000 and been nominated for three Norwegian Grammys, two of which they won.

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Artist: Julia Holter

Los Angeles-based folk-pop artist Julia Holter was born in Milwaukee, WI. She studied music throughout high school and college and graduated with a degree in composition. Her debut album, ‘Tragedy’, was released in 2011 and was named one of NPR’s "Best Outer Sound Albums Of 2011".  Since then, she has released four studio albums. Last year, she was involved as a curator in Le Guess Who? Music festival. On March 31 of this year, she released an EP titled ‘In the Same Room’, which was described by The Quietus as exploring “delicate and fluid nuances of sonic romanticism”.

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Artist: Jlin

Electronic musician Jlin (Jerrilynn Patton) rose to the scene in 2011, receiving praise for her track, ‘Erotic Heat’, which was released with Planet Mu Records. Growing up in Gary, Indiana, she was heavily influenced by R&B singers like Anita Baker and Sade. She started pursuing her own music in 2008. Since then, she has released two EP’s and two albums. Jlin’s music is of the “footwork” genre, which originated in Chicago in the 1990s. Usually, footwork music is accompanied by fast-moving feet and other dance moves like twists and is often done in dance battles. This May, she released her latest album, ‘Black Origami’, available everywhere.

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Artist: Perfume Genius

Mike Hadreas, better known by his stage name, Perfume Genius, is a Seattle-based musician who focuses on piano and vocals. In total, Hadreas has released four albums and six singles. Growing, up Hadreas was the only openly gay student at his school and had an extremely tough time fitting in. In fact, he even received death threats from other students. He is very active as a musician and just released a single called ‘Go Ahead’ in April of this year. His latest project also happened this year; he chose the artists that would perform in this year’s “Le Guess Who?” festival.

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Artist: Sticky Fingers

Sticky fingers is a band that was formed in Sydney, Australia. The members are Dylan Frost (vocals/guitar) Seamus Coyle, (lead guitar), Paddy Cornwall, (bass), Beaker Best, (drums), and Freddy Crabs, (keys). Their genre can be described as indie-rock with reggae influence. The band released their first EP, ‘Helping Hand’ in 2009. Since then, they have released two EP’s and a total of seven singles, giving their fans plenty to listen to. The Milk Bar in San Francisco, which hosted one of Sticky Fingers’ shows, describes them as “A melting pot of reggae, psych, pop and bourbon. Hypnotising you into a swaying trance, then punching you in the face for dancing like a hippy. Their borderline contradictory fusion of flavours speaks to every walk of life, and it’s this multiplicity which makes the world their oyster.”

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Artist: Margaret Glaspy

New York singer-songwriter Margaret Glaspy was born in Sacracmento, CA and grew up in Red Buff, CA. She started playing the fiddle at a young age and started taking music seriously in high school, while playing the guitar. In 2010, she started playing guitar with a band called the Fundies and released an EP with them 2012. In 2016, she released her latest solo album, ‘Emotions and Math’. Before then, she had released three other solo albums, ‘Homeschool’, ‘If & When’, and ‘You and I’. Pitchfork described the ‘Emotions and Math’ album as “grunge-rock”. In Glaspy’s own words: “I’ve always considered myself a free spirit, someone who goes with the flow, but actually I’m not exactly like that. This record really taught me that I’m super analytical and process-driven. I think they really do go together, emotions and math. Nobody is just one thing.”

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Artist: Brushy One-String

I discovered Brushy-One string while watching his Tiny Desk Concert on YouTube. He is an extremely soulful artist with a unique quirk. This quote from his website says it best: “When filmmaker Luciano Blotta walked out of a rural Jamaican recording studio, way off the beaten path of tourists and music hounds, he saw something wildly unusual: a man with an instrument. Even more surprising, the instrument in question—a battered but resonant acoustic guitar—had only one string.” One-String’s voice can only be described as soulful and gritty. He tells stories through his music and amazes countless people.

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Tash Sultana - Notion

Melbourne-based artist Tash Sultana describes her music as “alternative roots-reggae”. Starting guitar at the age of three, she quickly became skilled in the instrument and, after high school, she began busking on the streets of Melbourne. Since then, she has acquired a loyal fanbase and sells out of every show she plays. Today, I’ll be reviewing her track, “Notion” from her album of the same name.

Because Sultana uses a looping device as a key tool in her music, she is able to layer electric guitar tracks over each other. ‘Notion’ opens this way, making for a very dreamy sound. A little under a minute in, she incorporates drums into the song. Her high-pitched, sultry  vocals come in later and, though they can sound lost behind the music, I think that they blend in perfectly with it.

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Track Review: Tender - Nadir

North London-based electronic duo Tender (made up of Dan and James), dropped their latest song, ‘Nadir’ on May 23 (“nadir” is another word for rock-bottom). This track opens up with what sounds like a string instrument (kind of like a mandolin), backed by what sounds like piano chords. Though it seems to lack momentum at first, the song is instantly brought to life a few seconds in with a heavy snare and a plethora of bass tones. The instruments dial down to welcome soft that, while clear enough to understand, come off a bit washed out. What I liked most about this song were its lyrics. The intro reads, “We were like an empty glass / These things weren’t built to last” Immediately, the tone is sad and serious. In the first verse, he sings, “I hate it when you touch me, but I kept it under wraps / Get bored during foreplay, and I think we’re getting fat” The song is obviously about a failed relationship. Overall, I was pleased with the various musical tones of this song and would definitely recommend Tender’s music.

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Track Review: Treasureseason - Exhale

Treasureseason, a music duo from UK, describe themselves as “Originally structured as chillwave built into saturated soundscapes” and bouncing off the influence of “catchy 80s film soundtracks”. The two have released a total of four albums and an EP to date.‘Exhale’, a song I came across on YouTube, is from their latest EP, ‘XY’ (one of three songs). It is a perfect reflection of how they describe their sound, incorporating light percussion and soft, misty vocals that are perfect to take the edge off any stressful day. Another song from the EP, won The Line of Best Fit’s ‘Song of the Day’. Listen to ‘Exhale’ below.

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Track Review: Leven Kali - Joy

Santa -Monica raised neo-funk artist Leven Kali dropped his single ‘Joy’ late last year. It is everything you could possibly want in a funk song. He talks about the struggles of police brutality, singing, “It break my heart every time I turn the news on/I see the police shoot another young brother black boy/ You know he had a mother, father, grandmother, brother, sister but you see him as another black boy/Now you might feel it take too long, but we gon’ fight and keep on marching to our dream”, and even samples an MLK speech. At 20 years old, his style is unmistakable and unique, harboring the instrumental sound of 70’s funk and a modern, soulful voice that some have compared to rapper Anderson Paak. Watch Leven Kali perform ‘Joy’ for COLORS BERLIN below.

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Track Review: Solo Woods - Long Ways

I discovered Solo Woods’ live performance on Youtube and was captivated by his skillful guitar playing and soulful voice. When I did more research, I was surprised to find that he was virtually unknown. He has released four songs on Soundcloud, and, despite his remarkable sound, has managed to fly under the radar in the R&B scene.

‘Long Ways’, his first-ever single, opens with a folky chord progression as Woods sings the chorus, “A little bit of love goes a long way”. The song stays relatively the same in tempo but builds in intensity with percussion and harmony toward the end. ‘Long Ways’ is heartfelt and, even though Woods’ voice does not show the length of his skill and range (watch him live and you’ll see what I mean), has a golden sound that blends pop, folk, and R&B together seamlessly.

Solo Woods - Long Ways:

https://soundcloud.com/iamsolowoods/long-ways

Source: SoundCloud

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Music Video: Andy Shauf - Quite Like You

After Andy Shauf released his fifth album, ‘The Party’, it became clear that ‘Quite Like You’ was one of its most notable tracks. Soon after, the animated video that accompanied it (directed by Chad Vangaalen) was released.

The video is not set in our world--the characters possess extraterrestrial features such as mouths where their ears should be and multiple tongues--but the story could very well have taken place at the last house party you went to. The plot begins with a petite girl standing in the corner with tears streaming down her face. A boy, who we assume is her friend, walks over and asks her what’s wrong even though he already knows--her boyfriend Jeremy is the source of her sadness. “I wonder what the hell he did this time”, he ponders. As the night goes on, a love triangle ensues and things get more intense. ‘Quite Like You’, though odd in its alien-like qualities, shows a genuine love story. Watch the video below.

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Track Review: Florist - I Was

Indie-pop band Florist released their fourth project, ‘The Birds Outside Sang’, in January 2016. Today I’ll be reviewing ‘I Was’, a song from the album.

The song opens with a soft instrumental progression before Emily Sprague’s voice kicks in at about 0:40. The light vocals sing the words, “I was the boy with shoes too tight and ankles caught between the tides / I was the girl who wore a dress to Sunday school and that was it”, tackling gender identity in kids and on a personal basis. In an interview with Rookie, the band’s lead singer and songwriter detailed, “I don’t want to label myself as a ‘woman’ doing [record producing] because I don’t even really identify as either gender.” As the song goes on, the lyrics become happier and the instruments more energetic with more intense percussion and guitar chords. At the end, Emily sings, “And now I'm not afraid...I found a love that's here to stay”. Listen to ‘I Was’ below.

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Music Video: Tom Rosenthal - Melania

British singer-songwriter, Tom Rosenthal, release the animated music video for ‘Melania’ in early March, and it’s exactly what you think it is. The video and song start as soon as you press play, showing images of the first lady and the president illustrating the lyrics. Rosenthal sings in his shaky, almost whispery voice, “He is the mightiest prat / the world has ever seen / Why did you become his queen?” He then goes on to explain all the things Melania can do to “give the world a break”, such as shaving off his hair or throwing his phone down the Grand Canyon. The lyrics are accompanied by somber piano chords and high-pitched harmonies.

Of course, the video is meant to be funny, but it’s also pretty sad. Rosenthal has presented us with a harsh reality and a humorous cry for help. Watch the video for ‘Melania’ below.