Spygenius are,… well…, genius!…, at least as far as song-craft is concerned. Their latest long-player Man On The Sea, out now on Big Stir Records, is absolutely one of the best long-players I’ve heard this year. Enter Café Emery Hill (seen/heard here). The playful animation in this video is a perfect match to the lyrics, melody, and spot-on harmonies. It’s just a hint at what awaits you as just one of 17 tracks on Man On The Sea. As the title of the long-player suggests, nearly every track here has a…
Read MoreThe Trusted make their first appearance on Vodka with a great indie-pop tune, The Innocent (seen/heard here), that melds present-day indie-pop with 70′s post-punk. It’s a sound that works very well for this UK four-piece! There is something exuberantly positive in the feeling that this track evokes, even as the band sings of wanting more and being, perhaps, a little too willing to believe that they can have it all: “Hanging from the edge of nothing with a pair of dangerous eyes I’m hungry for something else stuck in an endless suicide yeah will…
Read MoreBroken Bones Matilda has just the right balance between melody, harmony, and raw edges that help define and enhance the lyrics. In this case, Everafter (heard here), talks about teenagers coming of age, something that we have all lived through, and the angst of love and relationships in that time. The duo speaks of missed opportunities, of shy boys who can’t bring themselves to say what they want to say to the girl they like. It’s a mixed emotion, a conflict between insecurity and longing that is stated…
Read MoreMinhee Jones is an artist worth following and monitoring. She makes interesting indie-pop that is accessible in a multi-generational and cross-genre way. Then there’s this single, 6 Feet, about Covid 19 and the effect that it has had on all of us, showing a collage of snapshots from around the world. It’s a sobering feeling to see the effects, both positive and negative, that the virus has had on people and places. Lyrically, 6 Feet explores how individuals deal with the emotions of being in lock-down, such as this…
Read MoreLately, my inbox has been filling up with production companies making suggestions for coverage of certain artists. I welcome these, though only a small portion of them actually make it into the blog. Waiting For Smith’s new single, Long Life, is one of those that make the cut for me. I want to be as honest as I possibly can about this track: Musically, it breaks no new ground, But Harry Lloyd (the man behind the moniker Waiting For Smith) sings this song in a playful, yet earnest…
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