Tag: Alternative

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Lucy Eaton – Rotten Love

Lucy Eaton

As you may be aware now, the one condition I have for featuring songs here is that I have to genuinely like them. The bar is a bit higher for established musicians, but I can certainly say that I have liked every song featured so far. Sometimes, the decision isn’t easy. I’ve received songs from independent or up-and-coming artists that I don’t necessarily dislike, but do not love either; and then I have to ask for a 2nd opinion (usually my wife’s) just to make a decision. On the opposite side of that street, we have something far more unusual, which is hearing a song that I instantly like or even love. There’s something magical about those moments and it is a feeling I wish I could get every single day. Sadly, it is actually rare but the good news is that this happened to me with today’s song, Rotten Love, as it got a really enjoyable melody, a crisp production, great lyrics and sweet vocals. In short, it got the whole package.

It is scary to think that this piece is 21-year-old singer/songwriter Lucy Eaton‘s debut single. Can you imagine what she will be able to do with more experience? This talented artist was born and raised in Australia but then moved to California to study at UC Berkeley. There, she joined the songwriting club almost by chance and eventually became its vice-president, winning a few awards int he process. However, she never envisioned performing the pieces herself. That happened almost by chance but all the better for us because Lucy got a nice dulcet voice.

Musically, Rotten Love is a folksy ukulele-based tune, in the same vein as Grace VanderWaal when she won America’s Got Talent a few years back. Grace’s songs were good and catchy for somebody her age, but Rotten Love is just as catchy and got better lyrics. Even if you hate folk music and the sound of ukuleles, give this terrific song a chance. Lucy‘s talent cannot be denied.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

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Funeral Lakes – Earth Falls

It is a commendable approach when musicians use their art to promote social change, instead of going through the beaten and commercially safe path of writing generic songs about having a good time or moving your body. Canadian indie-folk duo, Funeral Lakes, are an example of such artists, in their case focusing on our planet and environmental issues. Consisting of Sam Mishos and Chris Hemer, this quirky act has released just last week a follow-up EP, Golden Season, to their eponymous debut album from last year. You can read a good review of this EP here.

My favorite track in Golden Season is Earth Falls, which, as its name hints at, talks about the destruction of our planet, and with everything going on at the moment with California’s wildfires (and earlier this year with Australia’s), it cannot be more relevant. Musically, the contrast between Sam and Chris’ voices during their interplay is a nice touch that draws you in, and it gets complemented very well with a pleasant melody and a neat chorus. Earth Falls is an enjoyable track, no doubt about it, but the fact that it is also meaningful makes it even better. Check it out below.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

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Sigur Rós – Hoppípolla

Sigur Rós - Hoppípolla

Continuing with yesterday’s topic of Icelandic artists, for this week’s #throwbackthursday entry we have this classic song from Sigur Rós: Hoppípolla. You’ve probably heard it hundreds of times even unknowingly, as its piano-based melody has been used multiple times in TV ads and music festivals. It was even used on BBC‘s Planet Earth documentary. However, it is so good that it is well deserving of its ubiquity. It certainly has a relaxing and soothing vibe that makes it almost impossible to get tired of it.

Many, if not all, of the songs from this band led by Jónsi have lyrics on Vonlenska, also known as Hopelandic, which is a “language” invented by Sigur Rós that resembles Icelandic but has no semantic meaning at all. The idea is that the listeners give the songs whatever meaning they want to give them. Hoppípolla is no exception to this and I think that makes it even better, as it cannot get more universal than that.

The band, who appeared on an episode of Games Of Thrones singing The Rains Of Castamere (Sansa and Joffrey‘s wedding), is currently on a hiatus. They have had some legal issues recently and Jónsi has just released his second solo album after 10 years. Hopefully, they will make new music as a band pretty soon.

In the meantime, let’s enjoy once more this classic tune.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

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Ólafur Arnalds feat. JFDR – Back To The Sky

Icelandic artist Ólafur Arnalds is one of my favorite composers still active. His last album, re:member (2018), was outstanding, for which he even invented a ground-breaking musical system called Stratus. If you have seen the British TV show, Broadchurch, then you are familiar with Ólafur’s work because he composed its gorgeous soundtrack. He started to get noticed when he supported Sigur Rós during one of their tours in 2008. All in all, I think it is safe to say that he is a brilliant multi-instrumentalist.

Ólafur is preparing a new album for November but he has already delighted us with a couple of new tracks. Back To The Sky is one of them but the peculiar thing about it is that it is closer to an indie song than to anything else. To begin with, it is a collaboration with Icelandic singer, JFDR, so it got lyrics and beautiful vocals. Listening to this song is similar to floating in the air. From the flawless instrumentation to JFDR‘s hypnotic voice, everything in it feels like part of a dream. Please don’t wake me up.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

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Bea Bitter – Serpent

Bea Bitter is the stage name of Brenna Kassis as a solo artist, given that she’s also part of indie-rock band, Ill Spector. This prolific singer/songwriter hails from Nashville, TN; is preparing her debut EP, which will be titled The Lull Before The End Of The World; and has released two singles so far this year. Serpent, the most recent one, dropped just two weeks ago.

Brenna got a sweet voice that is perfect for indie folk songs just like Serpent. With a playful melody driven by a solid bass line, this single talks about wanting that person you are infatuated with to have the same feelings about you, something we can all relate to. Overall, Bea Bitter got the talent to write and perform entrancing songs that can crawl through your mind like a real snake. This gorgeous tune is just exhibit A. You’ll see.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

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Jacko Hooper – Beg, Steal or Borrow

Jacko Hooper

Not all artists are able to transmit their raw emotions when they sing, but those who can make the whole listening experience a thousand times better. Jacko Hooper is one of them and Beg, Steal or Borrow, which is one of the singles he has released so far in 2020, a great example of that. You can almost feel the sense of despair Jacko would go through if anything bad happened to the person he wrote this beautiful indie folk song for.

This musician from Brighton, UK, started out in 2012 when he released his debut EP and started a Youtube channel, which today has close to 7k subscribers. After more EPs and tours, including performances with the likes of James Blunt and James Bay, Jacko got successful enough to even run one of the leading independent promotions companies and boutique record labels of Southern England, Folklore Sessions.

If you like artist like Damien Rice or Glen Hansard, please do check Jacko Hooper out. It will be right up your alley.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

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Coopertheband – Stuck

Some bands can’t hide how much fun they have playing music and Coopertheband is one of them. Made up of 5 self-proclaimed “music nerds”, this indie rock band from Tennessee has released two full-length albums, two EPs, and a bunch of singles already, with Stuck being the most recent one, released a couple of weeks ago.

This great song got top-notch production and a stunning bridge that elevates it to a whole new level. With a blend of indie rock and some electronic elements, the tune got the right ingredients to make you want to put it on repeat. The band wrote Stuck inspired by the current climate and it talks about that feeling we might get sometimes when we really want to do something but we get trapped by our own thoughts. Luckily for us, that wasn’t the feeling Coopertheband experienced when working on this magnetic track.

Stuck may very well be your next musical crush.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

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Monroe Moon – New American Housewife

Sometimes you got dreams to chase and other times, the dreams are the ones chasing you. You could say this is what happened to Heather Monroe when, one Christmas, her husband bought a full set of instruments for their children, hoping to get them into music. Instead, it was her who got that itch to start creating music. Before long, she was writing songs and becoming the lead singer for a 4-piece band out of Michigan that they decided to call Monroe Moon.

Last month, the band dropped a new EP, Joy, that features New American Housewife as its lead single. Within the alternative umbrella, this song got elements of rock, indie and synth-based pop, without falling entirely into any of those brackets. The track starts slowly with an eclectic but intriguing soundscape that explodes into a fantastic kind of chorus (the song structure is not the traditional one) at 1:43. The fact that it’s not repeated over and over in the way that conventional choruses are, leaves you wanting for more.

Don’t sleep on this great track. It is worthy of your attention. Check it out in the mixtapes below.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

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Bronze Radio Return – Still Wandering

Given these options only, would you rather have several successful singles with millions of streams and TV placements while remaining relatively unknown, or international stardom without any successful single? I think most people would rightfully choose the former option and that’s precisely what Bronze Radio Return got going, to the point where they have been dubbed: “the band you’ve probably heard, but haven’t heard of.” Well, I hope that changes soon because this indie/roots rock band from Connecticut is actually pretty good.

With over 80 million streams on Spotify, quite a few high-profile placements like in the 2014 film St. Vincent , a few tv shows and commercials as well as playing the festivals circuit; this band can’t really complain about the level of success they’ve had since they started in 2007. Last month, Bronze Radio Return released this stunning single called Still Wandering (and they’re about to release a new one next week). The track reels you in from the very start and doesn’t let you go until its last chord. It is a song about being constantly searching for a dream, especially when you have none.

And if what you’re searching for is your next musical crush, stop looking. It’s right here.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Folk/Indie

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Evaride – What’s It All For?

I feel like I should have known about American band Evaride for a while now. Formed by the former guitar player on Glee and one of the stars in Billy Joe Armstrong’s Broadway musical “American Idiot”, their debut single got over 4 million streams on Spotify and then the band got songs featured in video games and some tv shows. Their debut EP Vol. 1 got several heavyweight producers and sound-mixers involved such as Chris Lord-Alge. I mean, there was certainly some buzz about them. That being said, I only know about Evaride because they liked one of my posts on Instagram and it caught my attention because they had the verified badge.

What’s It All For? was the first song from Evaride that I played and it blew me away how well it sounded. The top-notch production made sense once I saw who had been involved, but besides that, it was a high-energy, catchy and fun pop-rock song like those from yesteryear that are not common anymore. Even better, the lyrics had a deeper meaning than what you would expect from such a fun song (and music video, see below), basically talking about all those little stupid things we tend to do or give importance to that are essentially meaningless, like people doing whatever it takes to get more likes on social media. What could be better than songs with great melodies and good lyrics?

It will be interesting to see how far Evaride will go in the next few years.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative
  • Pop