Tuesday, January 31, 2017

“People” by Little Scream – A Song Review

     “Consequentialism” is a highfalutin word for capturing such thoughts as “The end justifies the means” and “At least to some extent, judge actions on the basis of the collection of outcomes.” Applied to music, consequentialism places some focus on the songs that result from events that motivated the songwriting. Ignoring all other consequences (which is nearly impossible to do), the Vietnam War is justified by the collection of timeless songs the war inspired.
     Recent activities in the U.S., the U.K. and elsewhere are raising political awareness and motivating songwriters. While it's too early to apply the consequentialism test, the evidence is starting to flow. “People” was written by Little Scream in 2013, but was released last month as a benefit to Planned Parenthood and the ACLU. The song is a call to get involved before it’s too late. “What’s wrong with us, people?" ... You see the deer by the side of the road with its broken spindly legs; ... don’t just dismiss it with the conclusion that “someone else was driving;” ... “this is a burden of our age.”  “Come on, people.”
     The almost continuous guitar hook in “People” is consistent with the song’s goal to motivate. The song is energetic, despite its message that people aren’t sufficiently involved and need to make a change.  

     Little Scream is the performance name of singer/songwriter Laurel Sprengelmeyer, who was born in Iowa and is now based in Montreal. 
     “People” by Little Scream

Website: http://www.littlescream.com/

Monday, January 30, 2017

“Khan Yunis” by Mellon (Blind Rivers) – A Song Review

     After years of exploring music, this is our first mention of either the Peruvian Marimacho or the Chinese Erhu. With some research, we inarticulately describe the Peruvian Marimacho as the illegitimate child of the mandolin and the twelve-string guitar (at least twelve strings). In this age of political correctness, the instrument is also referred to as the Bandurria Cusqueno. The Chinese Erhu goes the opposite direction in terms of string count. Using another sloppy description, it’s a two-string fiddle.
     Vocally, “Khan Yunis” resides primarily in the falsetto range, which attractively blends with the instruments. Toward the end of the song, the vocals drop to a lower range without a detraction from the melody. Lyrically, the track is likely based on a 1956 incident/battle at Khan Yunis in the Gaza Strip.

     “Khan Yunis” is a track from Connolly Mellon, who is also known as Blind Rivers. He is a 26 year old originally from Brighton, UK. After extensively touring the world, learning and collecting instruments, he is currently settled in Melbourne, Australia.



Sunday, January 29, 2017

Hangout Music Festival Giveaway - 2017

     Each year, the promoters of the Hangout Festival offer a free download of songs contributed by artists in the festival’s lineup. The 2017 list has 16 songs from various genres. The 16 are available for the price of an email address. This offer will disappear about the time of the festival's start.
     Among the gems are “White Flag” by Joseph and “You and I” by PVRIS. Both songs are embedded in this post.


1. Lewis Del Mar - Painting (Masterpiece)
2. Local Natives - Dark Days (CLASSIXX REMIX)
3. Mac Demarco - Another One
4. Andrew McMahon In The Wilderness - Fire Escape
5. Joseph - White Flag
6. Rainbow Kitten Surprise - Cocaine Jesus
7. MuteMath - Used To (mellowmatics Remix)
8. LANY - pink skies
9. The Suffers - Make Some Room
10. White Reaper - Judy French
11. Kap Slap - Burn Wild (Kap Slap Remix)
12. PVRIS - You and I Master
13. Cash Cash - How To Love (featuring Sofia Reyes)
14. Zeds Dead x NGHTMRE - Frontlines
15. The Vamps & Matoma - All Night
16. Towkio - G W M (Gang With Me) featuring Vic Mensa

     “White Flag” by Joseph

     “You and I” by PVRIS



Thursday, January 26, 2017

Free Friday (“FL&R”) – January 27

     Free and Legal Downloads? Yes, at least temporarily. Bands often temporarily permit free downloads of their releases.  The end of an offer is usually based on the expiration of a set period of time.  But at least for now, here are songs that qualify as Free, Legal and Recommended (FL&R) downloads.
     Finding songs that can be legally downloaded is easy. The difficult task is to find legally downloadable music that we recommend. The hope is to post at least one FL&R song each Friday.
     Son of the Velvet Rat includes a wife-and-husband team from Austria. Songwriter Georg Altziebler and his wife Heike Binder have relocated to Joshua Tree, California. “Blood Red Shoes” is a single from their album “Dorado,” which is due for release on February 17, 2017. 
     “Blood Red Shoes” is a no frills track, even after the trumpet is added in the final minute of the song. The instrumentation is not demanding, but it works well with the emotion of the vocals. The anguish in the female voices (Victoria Williams is included in this song) is particularly effective in its cooperation with the troubled male vocals. 
     “Blood Red Shoes” by Son of the Velvet Rat


Lyrics of “Blood Red Shoes”
I can hear your bulldogs howling in the middle of the night
Sounds like they’re hungry
Then again, it sounds like a fight
Sounds like they hate one another
And they hate me & you
You can hear it in the wind
You can hear it in the music too

Fingers snapping
And I see you sway on your dancer’s feet
Fingers snapping
And clapping hands to the Mersey beat
I see you follow me
And I’ll follow you anywhere
From the killing floor
All the way to the county fair
You got blood red shoes
Blood red shoes
You got blood red shoes

I can hear your bulldogs howling everywhere I go
And I know they’re always around
But they never show
There’s a band on the bandstand
And ladies in line at the bar
I got nowhere to go
If I can’t be where you are

And it’s fingers snapping
And I see you sway on your dancer’s feet
Fingers snapping
And clapping hands to the Mersey beat
I see you follow me
And I’ll follow you anywhere
From the killing floor
All the way to the county fair
You got blood red shoes
[Repeat 2x]
     Ocean Flaws is a band in Essex, England. While their song “Silver Screen” is interesting throughout, it’s the energy toward the end of the track that sets it apart. The members of Ocean Flaws are Callum Quirk (vocals, bass), Hamish Monk (guitar), Sean Heaney (guitar), and Alex Pattle (drums).
      “Silver Screen” by Ocean Flaws (If your browser doesn't show the download arrow, go to the Soundcloud site - CLICK HERE.)

The Brevet - On Tour Again

     The Brevet is a four-member band from Irvine, California. Their sound is a blend of Rock and Americana. Think NEEDTOBREATHE when trying to name a comparable musical style and vocalization approach.
     We missed our last opportunity to see The Brevet in a live setting, but they are touring again. For those of us in the San Francisco area, there are two options. On Saturday January 28, the band will be at Neck of the Woods in San Francisco. The following day, they will be in Santa Cruz, at Moe’s Alley. In both cases, they will be with RIVVRS (we shared “Hold On” by RIVVRS in last week’s post dedicated to whistling in Indie songs). For ticket information about the tour, visit the Facebook page of The Brevet – CLICK HERE.

     The Brevet is comprised of Aric Chase Damm (vocals, guitar), Michael Jones (backing vocals, piano), and David Aguiar (backing vocals, drums).
     “Meet Me in The Night” by The Brevet


     “Hold On” by The Brevet

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

“It's OK This Time” by The Dunwells – A Song Review

     It’s common for siblings to have similar facial features. Resemblances in physical characteristics are easily identifiable in pictures of the siblings. It’s so common that most of us don’t even give it much thought.
     Sibling-to-sibling similarities of internal physical characteristics are far less interesting. One exception is in the universe of music, when anatomical likenesses result in a near duplication of a pleasurable sound. Enter the UK quartet The Dunwells. The band includes Joseph Dunwell, who has a vocalization style and voice characteristics that Indie Obsessive has enjoyed since first hearing a song by The Dunwells. The band also includes David Dunwell, who has a similar vocalization style and similar voice characteristics. The voices are sufficiently different that the effects are different than dubbing one person’s voice over itself. We always prefer performances that are possible in a live setting without the need of inserting a recording.

     The members of the Leeds bands are Rob Clayton (bass), Adam Taylor (drums), and the Dunwell brothers (vocals, guitars).
     “It's OK This Time” by The Dunwells

Website: https://thedunwells.com/


Lyrics of “It's OK This Time” by The Dunwells
There’s something on my mind
And it’s telling me I’m right
Leave it all behind
Will it be to save a life
From these dark days
Against these dark days

Have I gone color blind
With the city’s blinding lights
It’s hard to win the race
When I’m running from a life
Against these dark days
From these dark days

And if all that was left was comprise
Then I’m not giving up the final word
And I must admit this gift I have sometimes
Feels more like a cure

I need to hold on
Maybe I can hold on
I’m gonna hold on
Hold on
Hold on

I know that we will collide
We are all just falling stars
It’s ok this time
We could just go back to the start

This picture in my mind
That I thought was lost in time
It reminds me of who I was
And saved me from a life
Of the dark days
Against the dark days

And if all that was left was comprise
Then I’m not giving up the final word
And I must admit this gift I have sometimes
Feels more like a cure

I need to hold on
I’m gonna hold on
Maybe I should hold
I'll keep holding on
I’m gonna hold on
I need to hold on

I know that we will collide
We are all just falling stars
It’s ok this time
We could just go back to the start

Maybe I’m not ready for it
Maybe I’m just passing by
But the lights behind the cracks
Can only light the sky

I know that we will collide
We are all just falling stars
It’s ok this time
We could just go back to the start
[Repeat]


Tuesday, January 24, 2017

“Speak and Spell” by Glass Peaks – A Song Review

     Glass Peaks shared a second single and erased any doubt as to whether they are a band that should be tracked in 2017. “Speak and Spell” is a skillfully arranged collection of musical elements. Hooks that indeed hook the attention of a listener, shouts of “Hey” to signal starts of the band-vocal chorus, and processing of the lead vocals in the final third of the song in order to increase the effectiveness of the message.
     In the first minute of “Speak and Spell,” there is a low frequency modulation having the sound of an electro-Theremin, which goes back in Rock to at least 1966, when the Bach Boys employed the device in “Good Vibrations.” It’s not a Theremin, but hearing the sound brought a smile.

      Glass Peaks are based in London. The four members are Lewis O’Brien (vocals, guitar), Jake Cox (guitar), Alfie Jeffries (bass, synth), and Grant Tugwell (drums).
     “Speak and Spell” by Glass Peaks (Thank you Rebel Rebel Artists & Wham Head Records for allowing posts before next week’s release.)


Glass Peaks - "Speak And Spell" (Live at Moshhh)

Monday, January 23, 2017

“Everything (Deathless) Part 1” by JW Ridley – A Song Review

     With a showing of controlled energy, JW Ridley presents himself to the Indie universe. This is a solo project of Londoner Jack Ridley. The track uses a guitar, more than percussion, to set and maintain the momentum. The other guitars make their presence known in an almost playful manner.

     “Everything (Deathless)” is the 20th single release from Speedy Wunderground, a label with its studio in southwest London.



Sunday, January 22, 2017

“Afraid of Everything” by Milo Greene – A Song Review

     “It's about finding clarity and fearlessness in an overwhelmingly uncertain world - both in love and convictions.” That’s the explanation posted on the Facebook page of Milo Greene upon the release of “Afraid of Everything.”
     The single starts with guitars announcing their presence, but with a cadence that seems better adapted to the end of a song than an intro. Still, “Afraid of Everything” soon comes to rely on Milo Greene formula of band vocals. Why tamper with a successful formula, right?

The members of LA’s Milo Greene are Robbie Arnett, Graham Fink, Marlana Sheetz, and Curtis Marrero.

Friday, January 20, 2017

Free Friday (“FL&R”) – January 20

     Free and Legal Downloads? Yes, at least temporarily. Bands often temporarily permit free downloads of their releases.  The end of an offer is usually based on the expiration of a set period of time.  But at least for now, here are songs that qualify as Free, Legal and Recommended (FL&R) downloads.
     Finding songs that can be legally downloaded is easy. The difficult task is to find legally downloadable music that we recommend. The hope is to post at least one FL&R song each Friday.
     Plaza is receiving attention in the blogosphere because of their song “Origami.” The attention is deserved. But “Youth” is equally deserving and is still being offered as a free download. It’s another example of a door to a band’s full body of work being opened by one song.
     Plaza is a UK band formed of Bradley Lennard (vocals, guitar), Will Hamilton (bass, vocals), Matthew Swinbourne (drums), and Matthew Nicholson (guitar).
     "Youth" by Plaza 


     Adding to our collection of posted songs having the title “Home” is the recent release by The Nyx. Quoting their press release material:
  Ferocious four-piece The Nyx are about to explode into 2017 with the release of their debut self-titled EP, out on 21st April 2017 via Rumours Music. These empowering women are making music with a purpose and they’re doing it with huge servings of attitude, emotion and raw authenticity.
  The band originally formed in High Wycombe, which included Becky and Simone (vocals and guitar) and Ruby Rose Lee (bass). Having already received praise from the likes of Q Magazine, Absolute Radio and having previously supported well-established acts such as The Subways, the girls decided they wanted to move in a different direction and thus The Nyx was born. Adding Collette Williams on drums, the grunge-rock outfit was complete and these fiery females are now ready to redefine what it means to be a girl in a band.

     The self-titled "The Nyx' is out  April 21, 2017 via Rumours Music.
     "Home" by The Nyx



Wednesday, January 18, 2017

“Bow Down” (feat. Cryptic Wisdom) by I-NZ – A Song Review

     Indie Obsessive doesn’t run away from genre-diversity, but doesn’t run toward it either. The contributors to this blog recognize their weaknesses and strengths. It’s happenstance that the posts over the last week have been more distributed around the genre map than is our usual pattern. The posts have visited Rock, Folk, Ambient, Pop…. When a song is found that urges us to share it, we aren’t patient.
     This post features a Hip-Hop song. “Bow Down” carries some Eminem-like elements, but stands on its own feet. The song belongs to I-NZ, and features Cryptic Wisdom.

     Quoting his Facebook bio:
I-NZ is a Dubai based MC from New Zealand. Formerly part of the rap group Traknotz, I-NZ has embarked on a solo journey with the aim of creating meaningful and conscientious music.
     “Bow Down” (feat. Cryptic Wisdom) by I-NZ



Tuesday, January 17, 2017

“Hold Me” by Tors – A Song Review

     Vocal harmony is similar to an addictive drug. When separated from its influence for even a short time, it is easy to assert there was never a dependency and “I could have quit at any time I wanted.” But after experiencing the stimulation again, the strength of the assertions is lessened or abandoned.
     Listening to “Hold Me” by Tors triggered a return to our addiction to vocal harmonization and the exhilaration it brings.   

     Tors have relocated to London, but is originally from Devon, UK. The four members are brothers Matthew and Theo Weedon (guitars), Andrew Humphries (keys, synth), and Jack Bowden (drums). The grandfather of the brothers was Bert ‘Guitar Wizard’ Weedon, who performed with some Rock greats, such as George Harrison and Jimmy Page.

     “Hold Me” by Tors


Lyrics of “Hold Me” by Tors
Close, closer than before
Trying to ignore people
Walking through your door

Stand, standing right before
Trying to ignore
All the flowers on your drawer

Blaming myself for everything that you’ve seen now in your dreams
Wishing that you were just back in my arms, my arms

So hold me
Let me tell you not to fear
It’s gone, it’s done, it’s over

Closed, book I read out loud
Hope you hear somehow bedtime stories ending now

Blaming myself for everything that you’ve seen now in your dreams
Wishing that you were just back in my arms, my arms

So hold me
Let me tell you not to fear
It’s gone, it’s done, it’s over
The sounds and sights have disappeared
I hope tonight that you’ll be cleared
Then you’ll come and stay with me, I swear I’ll care

Hold tight tonight, I will never let go
Hold tight tonight, I will never let go

So hold me
Let me tell you not to fear
It’s gone, it’s done, it’s over
The sounds and sights have disappeared
I hope tonight that you’ll be cleared
Then you’ll come and stay with me, I swear I’ll care

Close.