Sylvan Esso – Funeral Singers

Sylvan Esso - Funeral Singers

Artist: Sylvan Esso

Song: Funeral Singers

Genres:  #folktronica

Location: North Carolina, United States

Release date: September, 2018.

Comment: One of my favorite tracks in Third Eye Blind’s new album, which we have discussed before, is Funeral Singers, which I thought was an original song until the band shared their influences for the new album on instagram and one of them was Sylvan Esso‘s Funeral Singers. It turns out that Sylvan Esso‘s version is also a cover, with the original being from experimental rock band Califone. Each version is different but if I had to pick just one, I think I’d choose Sylvan Esso‘s. There’s something about lead singer Amelia Meath‘s voice and the acoustic strums in the background that I find mesmerizing.

If, like me, you were not aware of Sylvan Esso before, I hope you enjoy this cover from 2018 (which features American musical ensemble Collections of Colonies of Bees) as much as I do.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

in earnest – i feel alone even if i’m not

in earnest

Artist: in earnest

Song: i feel alone even if i’m not

Genres:  #indiefolk

Location: Southend on Sea, United Kingdom

Influences: Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers.

Release date: October, 2021.

Comment: Regular visitors to T.A.M. should already be familiar with indie trio in earnest, as they have been featured here a couple of times before. They are back now with their sophomore EP, reasons to stay alive, which is also their most artistically ambitious project to date. It is a six-track record with no gaps between songs that you could listen to on an infinite loop. Ideally, you would listen to the EP from beginning to end but if I had to choose just one song, then it would be I feel alone even if I’m not because of its haunting melody and emotional vocals. If you’re looking for some music to listen to during some alone time, you just found it.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

in earnest – good boy

Back in September, I introduced you to a little indie band from Southend-on-Sea, UK, called in earnest. You may be happy to hear that they are back with a double single that they wrote about their dogs. Any decent human being who has had pets knows how especial they are. They become family members.

The first track, your dog, was inspire by the band’s front-couple’s dog: Murph, and the second one, good boy, is a tribute to Doug, an old dog Sarah and Tom had who sadly passed away in 2019. If you have lost a dog, then you know how painful that experience can be. However, good boy is not a sad song. It is just beautiful. I’m a fan of Sarah’s voice but she sings this track with her partner Tom and their voices work really well together, not unlike Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová in the Oscar-winning track Falling Slowly.

Listen to good boy below and get mesmerized by it.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

in earnest – Put Me Under

in earnest has the peculiarity of having not one but two lead singers: front-couple Sarah and Thomas, who are also the songwriters. As such, they aim for getting the listeners to connect with them through their honest and raw lyrics, in which they talk about their battles with mental illnesses, loneliness and other difficult subjects. This indie band from Southend-on-Sea, UK, is about to release its debut self-titled EP next month, but three of the tracks are available already, including the song we’re featuring today.

Put Me Under was written by Sarah, who also sings her heart out on this track. Talking about her struggles with anxiety and depression, her ethereal vocals are complemented outstandingly well by ambient soundscapes and acoustic guitars. With this song, in earnest managed to create a mesmerizing track that offers us just a glimpse of what they are capable of. Keep them on your radar and listen to their EP when it’s out.

Featured on the following mixtapes: