therecordbin

[therecordbin]

Rediscovered the incredible God Loves a Trier by Samuel Nicholson deep in my playlists. A ballad with rock and soul elements, I can't get enough of it. Edinburgh native Nicholson delivers vocals that mix hope with hopelessness and a guitar solo echoing and augmenting that raw longing. I challenge you to not get goosebumps, give this track a few more listens and I hope you feel it too.

[therecordbin]

the first song i heard by Mantell was i believe off of this compilation album in 2022 (a formative compilation for my taste the past few years, check out every track there if you have time). after listening to the fun, jammy surf rock of Can I Set It Right, you would never expect some of the other tracks this band has put out. Life Waited For is one of these, combining folk and soul elements with smooth, longing vocals to match. this band is seriously underrated. i couldn't find the vocalists' names online but both the female and male leads bring so much to the table and the band's instrumentation is a unique combination of surf rock guitar, jazz brass, and folk guitar/violin. go give this crew a few more listens, they're worth it!

[therecordbin]

reminiscent of coldplay at their best (RoBttH and Viva La Vida crowd rise up!) and it's a song about travel? hell yeah, sign me up! junodream self-describe as space rock, and that is exactly the sound embraced here. if you love dreamy vocals, yearning themes, and a guitar progression that knocks your socks off, this is the track for you. the video animation style is absolutely wonderful too (i'd link the artist, but they aren't listed :( )

[therecordbin]

two incredible artists, one amazing collab/rework. this one is a back-to-back repeater for me, and i don't say that often. the original version of the song is a 2010s indie hit, but the nostalgic and gentle quality of the guitar in this version particularly plucks the heartstrings in my book. having this song come around again for a post-covid audience seems in some way topical, but make that judgement for yourself. glad courtney barnett decided to lend her unique vocal quality to this track. check it out if you haven't heard it already (or even if you have)!