I love a balance between music that soothes the soul and encourages the heart and mind to ponder the deeper parts of the human condition.
There is the sense that you’re immersed in a world far removed from the day to day grunge of commuting and Excel spreadsheets, which is always welcome, but also that you’re off thinking and pondering about the sorts of things that hectic cubicle life simply doesn’t allow for.
Things like who is exploiting who and is that OK, are our urban landscapes oppressive or a feast for the partying soul, and is it worth fighting back against life when it bedevils us (the answer, most assuredly, is yes).
Music to calm the savage commuting beast and nourish the soul?
It’s entirely possible – let these five amazing artists show you how …
“Careful Travel” by Hollow Sunshine
There is something deliciously dark, gothic and aggressive about the snarly guitars that kick off this song.
But then out of the twisted distortion, which continues throughout, come the gloriously ethereal vocals of Morgan Enos and an almost sunny, bright melody, the two seemingly opposing musical forces coexisting quite happily in Hollow Sunshine’s song “Careful Travel” from their sophomore LP Bring Gold.
But then that is way of Brooklyn-based Hollow Sunshine, led by celebrated instrumentalist and visual artist (he works under the name Rainbath Visual) Reuben Sawyer, who have always balanced the growling surge of metal with far poppier sensibilities creating what they describe as a “sludge pop sound” (Bandcamp – Iron Pier).
It might sound as crazy as dipping your french fries in your ice cream sundae – hey don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it! – but it works, and works beautifully, creating music both peaceful and attitude-laden all at once.
“Exploitation” by Róisín Murphy
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I have long loved avant garde Irish music artist, Róisín Murphy, who got her start in the band Moloo (with then boyfriend Mark Brydon), is as apt to cover Italian pop hits (Mi Senti) as record edgy electronica that is as varied as you could possibly ask for (Ruby Blue, Overpowered and new album Hairless Toys).
Anchoring every single one of the songs she releases is an affinity for arresting, tremulous melodies that are never less than instantly memorable, an ear for off-kilter, out-of-the box production and a distinctive voice that bends and flexes in all kinds of beguiling directions.
As a result she is one of those rare artists who constantly surprises and delights with songs that never quite meet expectations, a welcome dynamic in an industry known for churning out songs that sound exactly like everything you’ve heard for.
“Exploitation”, the second single from Hairless Toys, is a case in point.
A minimalist piece of electronica that percolates and bubbles along at a pleasing mid-tempo voice with Murphy’s voice sinuously and seductively coming in and out as necessary, it carries with it a specific message, one also reflected in its accompanying video.
“As a grown up in this industry and someone who has always had a huge involvement in the visual side, it felt like it was time I took complete control of my image. I had a crystal clear vision for this video, after all I’ve had 8 years of collecting references and inspiration building up to it. … It’s about selling out, manipulation and exploitation within creative work and in a relationship. It’s ironic because as my own director I’m exploiting myself (if that’s possible) but I am manipulating you.” (source: Pitchfork)
Frankly with music this interesting and out of the ordinary, she can exploit and manipulate me in any way of her choosing if it means she keeps making music; artists as unique as Murphy need to be celebrated, encouraged, and most importantly listened to at every turn.
“City Feeling” by Yale
Some poor blighted soul somewhere once came up with the phrase “the big bad city” and ever since, the crowded urban landscapes in which the majority of humanity dwell have been tarred with this rather glass-half-empty brush.
Well if Brisbane, Australia-based duo Yale (Stefan Emslie & Mark Maxwell) have anything to do with it, that won’t be the case for much longer.
Their track, “City Feeling”, all bright, breezy hook-laden dance sounds, bouncy synth melodies and chilled, airy vocals, recasts cities as somewhere where the feeling is relaxed, grooving and cool as hell.
No prizes for guessing which euphorically-happy side of the fence we’re going to be dancing on.
“Untitled” by Villette
There is a meditative, dreamlike quality to Instanbul-born, London-based Siné Buyuka’s cover of Interpol’s “Untitled” that seduces pretty much from the first note.
Known by her musical nom de plume, Villette, the Dj and electronic music producer brings ethereal, wafting vocals and a gently driving rhythm to the song from a band that means a great deal to the upcoming music artist:
“This is a tribute to my favourite band Interpol, sampling the iconic guitar riffs from the original Untitled that opens one of the greatest albums of all time, Turn On The Bright Lights.
“Having supported Paul Banks with my previous act and having interviewed the band twice, I decided to showcase my appreciation of their signature dark tunes with this free download. Hope you enjoy it.”
It’s beautiful, serene, mystical and enchanting, a perfect way to kiss the day goodbye with a song as dark and bewitching as it is magical and supremely gorgeous.
“Fighter” (Maye remix) by Maya Vik
Don’t be fooled by the easygoing, blissful sound of “Fighter”.
Married with its admittedly chilled melody and Norwegian-born, now US-based Maya Vik’s sweet, earnest vocals, are lyrics that speak about steadfastly hanging in there when times are rough and never, ever giving up no matter the odds (the video for the song shows her in a boxing ring dressed as Ivan Drago from Rocky IV to drive home the point):
“It’s time to woman up/When I look back gonna feel like looking down/On the walls that I’ve shattered and the fears that I’ve battled down now.”
Finding inspiration, she tells Complex, in “80’s and 90’s funk, r&b and disco, among other things”, Vik channels that Scandinavian sensibility that manages yin and yang, dark and light, passion and peacefulness with devastating ease.
Throw in some brilliant remix work by Norwegian Nu-Disco producer Maye, and you have a song that will inspire you to greatness while you ease back and summon the strength for the fight ahead.
NOW THIS IS MUSIC EXTRA EXTRA!
If there is one thing we can be certain of, it’s that the new Tina Fey-produced sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, is a bona fide hot for Netflix.
Everyone is talking about it, and it’s strong female protagonist played by Ellie Kemper, who freed from an doomsday cult into a world she no longer recognises, decides to tackle her second chance at life with the sort of plucky gusto that has won hearts and generated more than a few laughs.
What’s also got people talking is the brilliant theme song, a collaboration of the show’s producers and The Gregory Brothers, the creatively-fecund minds behind Songify the News:
“It’s not even a theme song the first time you hear it. The bit first pops up a couple of minutes into the first episode, in which four female doomsday cult members are rescued from the bunker where they’ve been held captive for 15 years. The rescue transitions into a montage of local news reports, during one of which a neighbor’s account of the proceedings morph into an auto-tuned, Songify the News-style homage to Antoine Dodson’s “Bed Intruder” video and Charles Ramsay’s interview after the Ariel Castro kidnapping story broke in Cleveland—complete with with quotables like ‘It’s a miracle’, and ‘females are strong as hell!’
“But Fey, her husband-slash-series composer Jeff Richmond, and Carlock didn’t just create the sequence—they optimized it, hiring The Gregory Brothers, the minds behind Songify the News, to turn the introductory news piece into an earworm. And in the process, they crafted something that perfectly underscored the show’s throughline.” (source: Paste Magazine)
You can read the full piece at Paste Magazine.
The Chemical Brothers are back with another album, “Born in the Echoes”, their first since 2010’s “Further” and to announce its impending arrival – it drops July 17 – they’ve released a single “Go” complete with a funky video clip by talented, idiosyncratic French film director Michel Gondry, who has previously produced music videos for the likes of Beck, Bjork and Radiohead. (source: NME)
Ed Sheeran makes some of the loveliest, most touching pop music out at the moment and now he’s managed to also make one of the most poignant music videos too for his song “Photograph” which draws on a lifetime of home movies.
It’s just gorgeous – I dare you not to shed a tear.
(source: zap2it)