Feeling alone? Goofy? thoughtful? Out of control? In love but fearful?
Yep, that’s a lot of emotional states coming together all at once but then this is a big messy, emotionally jumbled up year so it all fits together.
Even more so, when you listen to these five talented artists and groups and are reminded that for every emotion there is a song and that even though we might feel alone and bereft, music means we are never totally abandoned nor without company.
And in a year that’s taken so much from us, having something given back is pretty precious and wonderful.
Enjoy …
“Cold Water” by Cut Copy
If your new just-released album is called Freeze, it makes inspired sense to call the lead single “Cold Water”, right?
Of course it does which is precisely what Australian synth-pop band Cut Copy (Dan Whitford, Tim Hoey, Mitchell Scott and Ben Browning) have done, offering up a track that is laid-back and effervescently alive all at once.
“Cold Water”, notes Consequence of Sound, was one of the first tracks written after a metric ton of touring on the back of the group’s 2017 album, Haiku From Zero, and signifies a departure from their usual sound says Whitford.
“I’d moved to Copenhagen and had been listening to a lot more ambient and instrumental electronic music and as a result ‘Cold Water’ felt quite different to songs we’d made in the past. It was less dance, but more atmospheric. Also the subject matter explores love in today’s context, where the climate and fate of the planet are becoming increasingly uncertain. Once we’d finished it, it felt like we’d placed a marker in the ground, guiding us in a new musical direction.”
“Swill” by Jónsi
Thank god for Icelandic musicians like Jónsi who are willing and just as importantly able to push the musical envelope.
Songs like “Swill” from the frontman for fabled band Sigur Rós are richly and emotionally evocative, possessed of a musical adventurism and lyrical honesty that go perfectly together.
One of the lead singles from upcoming album Shiver (due 2 October, featuring collaborations with Robyn and Cocteau Twins’ Liz Fraser), “Swill” is a heady mix of the discordant and melodically ethereal, as tender as it is brash with an interesting them as its core, according to Rolling Stone:
“It’s basically about when you get too drunk and do something stupid. And you make a fool of yourself.”
Fun theme with deliciously music accompanying it, the perfect coming together of the quirky and the heartfelt, “Swill” is an exciting calling card for that promises to be a brilliant new album.
“Gimme My Soul” by River Boy
The solo project of Narayana Johnson (part of Willow Beats), River Boy has crafted a gem of floaty musical beauty in “Gimme My Soul”.
Intensely beautiful and soul, the song may feel delightfully, gorgeously fey but it comes with some fairly serious introspection at its heart says the artist via Acid Stag.
“‘Gimme My Soul’ begins with lyrics about losing touch over your agency in life, feeling like you’re being carried along without making any meaningful decisions of your own. It’s asking the question ‘When did I stop believing in myself and can I ever get that belief back? The chorus is an affirmation though. It’s demanding that agency back “Gimme my soul, gimme my spirit and bone’.”
It is a thing of rare rumination and heart that Acid Stag perfectly describes thus:
“‘Gimme My Soul’ perfectly intertwines the electronic and R&B influence together with absolute ease, setting the mood with some quirky synths that contrast the ocean samples in the backdrop before the groove is transferred through the mix in the tight beats on offer. With River Boy‘s delicate vocals capturing the emotive tone held in the lyrics, ‘Gimme My Soul’ maintains both a minimalism and a well-rounded balance that is a testament to the mastery on offer in the production.”
“Together We Stand” by Myd
Feeling like 2020 is an eternal dumpster fire, gothic horror show hell of a year?
You’re not alone which is why “Together We Stand” is the song you need right now, something HAPPY mag has picked up on:
“‘Together We Stand’ has arrived at a time when the world truly needed it. Fresh and effervescent, Myd oozes with an infectious sound that will surely make you swoon.”
The song is a joy, all jaunty vibes and careless dancefloor bonhomie, the ultimate set-forget-and-enjoy track that can’t help but life your spirits and remind your feet there is something to do other than shuffle dismally.
It talks of a vibrant sense of community and yes, togetherness, something we all need when necessary social isolation has meant we are often farther apart than we’ve ever been.
“Shell” by Motez
It’s time to dial things back a bit with Australian/Iraqi producer who has created a delectably dreamy piece of soul-restoring pop in the simmering gorgeousness of “Shell” which found its genesis in the troubles of our current pandemic time.
“Created in response to ‘the global mindset of isolation,’ [Motez] distills his ‘own experiences and the natural human responses to seclusion’ into spell-binding arrangements that delve deep into the many facets of solitude.” (Purple Sneakers)
Songs like “Shell” are vital right now.
With every activity we undertake laden with portent and possible danger, whether it’s getting on a train or visiting a bookshop, and our weary souls always on energy-sapping high alert, we need music this insightfully rich and meditative track allows us to catch our breath and remember that for all the pain and loss of this pandemic-scarred year, there’s also a lot of wonder, and yes camaraderie, out there too.
SONGS, SONGS AND MORE SONGS EXTRA!
It’s a little quiet in Eurovision-land right now but that doesn’t mean there is no news at all.
The big news is that Eurovision is going to the USA, where it will be known as The American Song Contest, pitting all 50 states against each other in what you can only hope will be a unifying way.
Certainly that’s the hope of the Eurovision team, including Martin Österdahl, Executive Supervisor of the Eurovision Song Contest:
“‘The Eurovision Song Contest’s unique legacy dates back 65 years and its worldwide popularity is still rising. It’s time for America to experience this spectacle, through its sister competition, the American Song Contest. Love of music is universal and celebration of music in different genres and styles can transcend boundaries and unite people. We are excited to have found the right partners to offer another series that our fans across the globe can fall in love with and to share this unique competition with the American people.'” (Eurovision.tv)