We will often talk about the magic of effortlessness in music. A quality that when reached for is ruined, but when it happens is magic. “Organic Tea” by Jacob King does not reach, it does not ruin. It flows easy and flavorful and as such sounds as natural as the subject matter itself. It’s classic indie singer-songwriter where vulnerability is mixed with a touch of detachment and the 4-track home recording medium isn’t a put on, it’s just the perfect medium for the song. Heaven forbid this gets remade one day in a fancy studio with a big string section and horns and a guest verse from T.Swft or J.Vernon because that my friends, would be a most egregious reach.
November 22, 2022
Tuesday Tip-Off: Abby T.
Well our week got off to a late and rough start but we’re fully back into the groove today. Yay us. One of the things helping us find our funky footing again is this banger from Baltimore singer, songwriter, rapper, DJ, and producer, Abby T. Why did we list so much of her resume’ on our notoriously short and sweet blog? Well, because all of those skills are on display in “Want It All” and each one is done with complete mastery. Switching from singing to rapping effortlessly and stylishly over one of those beats that is so simple yet so flawless that it instantly has you bobbing your head. Production flourishes making each section of the song distinct while still feeling natural is the icing on the cake. This is, as they used to say, that good shit.
November 15, 2022
Tuesday Tip-Off: Noda Pappa
Tuesdays are all about settling into the groove of the week and hitting a comfortable flow. Yes, you got things to do but no need to be too worked up about it because you still have plenty of days in the week to get it done or procrastinate yourself into a fun little Friday freakout. You know what makes a great soundtrack to that vibe? “The Life I’m Not Living” by Noda Pappa. From Greece comes this groovy little tune that harkens back to the heyday of 70’s AM gold but with a modern indie touch. It’s easy listening in the best of ways. Great melodies, a chill but still fun mood and just the whisper of a funky little strut underneath it all.
November 8, 2022
Tuesday Tip-Off: Alta Falls
We receive a lot of music here at the blog. Like a lot a lot. So we’ve fallen to a simple metric as to whether or not we write about a song. Does it click on an undeniable gut level? Does it feel like a “well, duh, yeah of course” to us? “I’m At A Loss” is such a song (obviously because we’re writing about it) and we bring up our process because undeniable is a perfect way to describe this flawless slice of synthpop from Alta Falls. As effortlessly perfect as anything the Pet Shop Boys or Erasure cranked it just feels right as rain and as natural as dancing in said rain.
October 25, 2022
Tuesday Tip-Off: Brody Price
Fall is one of our favorite seasons. Easily top 4. There’s just something about the melancholic beauty of leaves going out in a blaze of glory and breezy days still with a hint of summer warmth to them giving way to crisp cool nights that makes everything feel a bit more art house cinema. Brody Price captures the vibe well with “Fall,” a song that is equal parts regret and hope served up over a folk rock track that feels a bit like shuffling through the leaves. Life’s cycles repeat and all we can do is keep on moving through them.
October 18, 2022
Tuesday Tip-Off: Youth Sector
Oh, if only every indie band would remember to put in undeniable hooks and a breakdown that is somehow just as good as the catchy as hell chorus. What a world that would be eh? Luckily for us Youth Sector picks up the slack for the rest of their peers by delivering an absolutely perfect banger in “The Ball.” It’s a strut and a shimmy and will be the highlight of any playlist you put it on. We could say more but why? Just hit play and revel in the goodness.
October 11, 2022
Tuesday Tip-Off: Melanie MacLaren with Lorkin O’Reilly
A low autumn sun and long shadows are a fitting backdrop for “Sleeping With Headphones” by Melanie MacLaren and Lorkin O’Reilly. It’s a lovely, sparse number documenting a relationship in peril with each singer playing one side of the conflict. She wants a simple commitment, he feels like such a request is suffocating. Dudes, amiright? Both sides are told beautifully with imagery that finds poetry in the common, which as we all know is the finest kind of poetry, and lovely voices to match. Great song, just wouldn’t listen to it with your partner unless you’re really, really sure everything between you is cool.
October 4, 2022
Tuesday Tip-Off: Maffmatix & Ill Bill
One of the coolest things about hip-hop is how easily you can mix variable elements for wildly differing results. Not just what the producer samples and how they stitch it together, but also the combination of different producers with different emcees nudging both into new territory. Take for example producer / rapper Maffmatix and legendary emcee Ill Bill. Both had separate releases just a few months ago back in July that are distinctly different from their new collaboration “Grime Time.” Ill Bill’s July release had a horror rap vibe running through it and Maffmatix’s had a smoothed out jazzy style complete with crooned chorus. With “Grime Time” we see each take several steps toward one another for fantastic results. Maffmatix puts a little grit (and yes, grime) on his delivery and Ill Bill comes across as almost playful rapping over a beat that is reminiscent of something Danger Mouse would do for MF Doom. It’s a balance that works well and makes this track one of our most replayed of the week.
September 6, 2022
Tuesday Tip-Off: Tender Glue
Effortlessness is the hardest thing to achieve in art. That quality that a thing wasn’t made out of great effort, but rather just sprang into being fully formed and uninterrupted. “Sad Sometimes” by Tender Glue feels like that for us. An introspective indie rock number loosely in the vein of Band of Horses, the song’s melodies and tempo changes float and turn in ways that feel obvious after the fact; as if there really couldn’t be any other way for them to go that wouldn’t sound like a nudge and a pull. It sounds as right as the wind in the trees and as hippy dippy as that sounds, that’s where we land on this one.
August 30, 2022
Tuesday Tip-Off: Specific Coast
It’s a fine balancing act to carry a melancholic vibe throughout a song without it getting too maudlin, or worse, becomes a one dimensional caricature of an emotion. Specific Coast (songwriter Matt Dunne) avoids that fate and makes it look easy with “I’m Just A Dog;” a laconic tune that straddles self-actualization and self-pity in a way that feels relatable, and in that, reassuring. It has the easy and natural tinted beauty of a Sunday morning coming down, and is one of our favorite submissions in a while.