(via Shutterstock)
There’s something about just the right song that can lift a mood or soothe the soul or simply make you feel lighter and airier than life is allowing for at a given time.
Honestly, I can’t fathom how you can possibly get through life without music soundtracking the good and the time and all the indifferent inbetween moments.
Proof of how necessary musical accompaniment is comes in the form of these five songs from artists who know their way around a catchy tune, clever lyrics and the kind of emotion life is full of and which needs to find its way into songs to make sense sometimes.
“Billions” by half•alive
(courtesy official half•alive Facebook page)
Hailing from the sunny climes of Long Beach, California, half•alive are an American rock duo made up of vocalist Josh Taylor and bassist J. Tyler Johnson.
Full of jagged bouncy but infectiously melodic rhythms, “Billions” is lifted from the duo’s latest EP, Billions (guess the title track!) which signals a new direction for the group following the departure of founding member and drummer Brett Kramer.
Over on Reddit, the feeling is that the sound is experimental and perhaps a little undercooked, and while that may very much be the case if you’re a long-time fan, to a new listener like this reviewer it sounds fresh, fun and as one Reddit user a-broken-fence said, “Goldfrappy”.
It is a danceable, gritty joy to listen to and inspires an urgent need to pogo stick around the room with all the energy you can summon.
“Funkytown” by Mitch Tambo
(courtesy official Mitch Tambo Facebook page)
One of my great joys as a concertgoer was watching Mitch Tambo perform at an Australia Day concert at the large local park in Merrylands, Sydney where his audience was made up of the gloriously wonderful kaleidoscopic array of people that is modern multicultural Sydney.
One of the songs the Australian singer-songwriter-political activist, who is a proud Gamilaraay and Birri Gubba man, performed was his cover of the Icehouse song “Great Southern Land” which includes Gamilaraay translations of many of the lyrics alongside the English ones.
It’s a transcendent cover of an iconic song and it’s now be joined with real vivacity and danceable power by an energetically original cover of “Funkytown”, originally recorded by Lipps Inc. but most well known to Aussies by 1980s Australian new wave band Pseudo Echo.
Tambo’s cover has flair, it is fun and it’s accompanied by a disco-loving clip which brings forth all the escapist joy of a version which is sung entirely in Gamilaraay and punctuated by the sounds of the yidaki (didgeridoo), making this version of the song a true Aussie original.
“The Only One” (feat. Christine and the Queens) by Logic1000
(courtesy SoundCloud)
Ever since I heard and saw the super cool clip for “Tilted” by Christine and the Queens, the project of French singer-songwriter Rahim Redcar, I have loved his quirky approach to pop.
The singer, who sees himself as genderqueer is the star vocal performer on “The Only One” by Australian DJ and musical artist Logic1000 who currently calls London home.
The song possesses a vivaciously gentle energy, anchored by the emotively nuanced voice of Christine and the Queens, which carries it through an innately and joyously danceable four minutes of low-key euphoric bliss.
The exquisite fun of the song is captured in the clip which features a young dance troupe from the English seaside of Worthing who give the song a youthful zest and vibrancy beyond what it already generously possesses.
And as for what inspired Logic1000 to collaborate with Christine and the Queens?
From the early sketches of The Only One, we knew Rahim would be the perfect voice for this song. He embraced the track and put so much love into it. The turn around was extraordinarily quick too. We didn’t know which direction he would take with the lyrics but once we got the draft it confirmed our suspicions that he was the perfect man for the song. Honestly he is a generational talent, which you can also see in the music video for the track. (courtesy Because Music)
“Call Me Babe” by Priyanka & Lemon
(courtesy official Priyanka Instagram)
I adore the sass and spirit in this song.
“Call Me Babe” by Canadian drag queen Priyanka who won the first season of Canada’s Drag Race in 2020, is all garrulously exuberant pop track, featuring fellow Canadian drag queen Lemon who made their name in the same season of the show.
Together these two musical forces of nature deliver a bouncy track full of love and longing, set to a hugely danceable sound which reflects the singer’s South Asian heritage and makes this a pop song with a fabulous point of difference.
The song talks with real relatability about when you have a crush on someone and they don’t even seem to know you’re alive and while that might be a little dispiriting, there’s a hopefulness to the lyrics which come even more gloriously alive when you watch the end of the clip which suggests that the right person for you might be the one you’ve been missing while you lost yourself in your longing for someone who will likely never be yours.
“Bad to the Bone” by Ladyhawke
(courtesy official Ladyhawke Instagram)
Known to the New Zealand government as Phillipa Margaret Brown, the singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist is better known professionally by her mononym Ladyhawke which it will not surprise those of you in the pop culture know was inspired by the 1985 film of the same name.
Her latest song “Bad to the Bone” is her first release for a while and is a brilliantly good way to inject herself back into the musical zeitgeist.
She announced her return with a vibrantly purposeful declaration.
“Apparently some of you thought I disappeared in 2008. anyway. I’M BACK BABY. have you heard it yet? BAD TO THE BONE out now.”
And what’s been the response to the song? It’s a super cool return to the stage and I love the way Acid Stag described it.
‘Bad To The Bone’ returns to the sound that made Ladyhawke such an iconic figure in indie-electronic pop. Built around infectious synths, driving drums and her unmistakable vocals, the track is a confident reminder that Ladyhawke is very much still here, and sounding better than ever.
SONGS, SONGS AND MORE SONGS EXTRA!!!
Want a peculiarly Aussie take on drag queen pop? Sure you do! Art Simone, who competed in the 2021 inaugural season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under, has released this playful number and it’s a breezy, jaunty delight. Enjoy!