Tag: Music

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Cultures – Away From Us

Cultures - Away From Us

Cultures is an alternative/indie rock band from Greater Manchester that started just four years ago but has managed to get some attention in that short period of time. In fact, I would not be surprised if they became the next big thing to come out of the Manchester area. The group certainly got the talent for that.

Away From Us is their latest single and it showcases perfectly how much the band has evolved since 2016. It is a guitar-driven song about what it feels like to live away from home for the first time, something many of us can relate to. If this is an indication of where Cultures is heading to, it is clear then that the band is going up. Watch the brand new video (released today!) or listen to the song in the playlists below, and then you’ll be able to brag about listening to Cultures before they became big.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative

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Télépopmusik – Smile

Télépopmusik - Smile

This week’s #ThrowbackThursday song is a bit different than previous entries. To begin with, it is a “chill out” tune from Télépopmusik, a French electronic music duo that released its first album, Genetic World, back in 2001. The most popular song on that album was Breathe, which got featured in a Mitsubishi television commercial and got even a Grammy nomination. That being said, it is unlikely that people who don’t follow electronic music that closely knows who they are (they are still active).

I got nothing against Breathe, but my favorite track from that album, besides δp.δq ≥ h⁄4π “L’incertitude d’Heisenberg”, is Smile. I cannot explain why, both tracks are similar, they even feature the same guest vocalist: Angela McCluskey, but there is something about Smile that is hard to put into words. I think it was the blend of Angela’s raspy voice with the delicate unconventional sounds that composed the track. I guess the best thing I could say about this song, besides its being a musical crush of mine, is that if I told you it was released yesterday instead of 19 years ago, you could totally believe it.

Had you heard this tune before? Let me know what you think of it in the comments section below.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Chill Out

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The Dangerous Summer – Where Were You When The Sky Opened Up

The Dangerous Summer

The Dangerous Summer is an American band that sits on the border between alternative rock and punk rock. The band has been active since 2006 and even though it didn’t became big –at least not yet–, it got a decent group of fans. The Dangerous Summer’s latest studio album (although they will release a new one soon) was Mother Nature, released last year, and it had the song featured here as it lead single.

Besides having a really long name, When Were You When The Sky Opened Up got a melancholic vibe and a melodic rhythm that make it one of the most memorable songs from the subgenre in a long time. It’s the perfect tune to listen to when you get into a car and start riding. Don’t you think?

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative
  • Punk-Rock

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Meg Myers – Numb

Meg Myers - Numb

Janice Sue Meghan Myers, better known as Meg Myers, is an American singer-songwriter who debuted in 2012. Almost two years ago, she released her second studio album, Take Me to the Disco, for which Numb was the lead single. I know it is not brand new but the song is too good not to be featured here, especially considering the fact that it didn’t reach a very wide audience (that being said, it wasn’t unsuccessful, having peaked at position 182 of Billboard 200.

Numb is perhaps the singer’s most radio-friendly song, which is not something Meg usually tries to achieve. The song’s style reminds me of the late 90’s alternative rock, which feels like a breath of fresh air nowadays. It certainly deserves to be listened to on repeat at a high volume level. Without a doubt, Numb has huge musical crush vibes. Is it yours?

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative

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U137 – Have Hope

U137 - Have Hope

U137 was a “cinematic post-rock” duo from Sweeden formed by Adam Tornbland and Oscar Gullbrandsen in 2013. Unfortunately, Adam passed away at age 27 in 2017 (and I strongly urge you to listen to the beautiful “Adam Forever”, which Oscar released as a tribute to him), so nowadays Oscar is the sole member of U137.

Back in April this year, Oscar released U137‘s latest single, Have Hope, which he wrote as a message of optimism during these uncertain times. The song has the rich textures and layers for which U137 is known for within the genre enthusiasts and makes you want to hear it again and again. As other U137 songs, it evokes feelings of euphoria and has a calming effect. I find this kind of music ideal to listen to while I work or have to focus on something. I guess the best adjective for Have Hope is, quite simply, beautiful.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Relax

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Craig Connelly & Siskin – All For Love

Craig Connelly & Siskin

Craig Connelly is a young DJ from the UK who started his career in 2010. He has a new album called A Sharper Edge, which features this great collaboration with Siskin, All for Love. It is a thrill-inducing track, perfect for a Saturday night.

If you like uplifting trance, you are going to love this tune.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Electronic

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The Temper Trap – Sweet Disposition

Sweet Disposition

Last week, we recommended the marvellous instrumental cover that Kirsten Agresta Copely did of this classic, so for the #ThrowbackThursday of this week, the obvious choice has to be the original song, which –as mentioned in that post– is considered an indie anthem. It was released in 2008 as the lead single of The Temper Trap‘s debut album, Conditions, and became a top 10 single in multiple countries, including the UK. Something curious about The Temper Trap is that the lead singer, Dougy Mandagi, was born in Indonesia and worked a busker in Melbourne when he met some of the other members of the band.

¿Who doesn’t sing along with the song’s bridge?

“A moment, a love

A dream aloud

A kiss, a cry

Our rights, our wrongs

A moment, a love

A dream aloud

A moment, a love

A dream, aloud“

The Temper Trap, Sweet Disposition

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Alternative
  • Folk/Indie

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Shallou, Daya – Older

Shallou, Daya

Shallou is the stage name of Los Angeles-based electronic music producer and climate change activist, Joe Boston. He debuted in 2017 with his first EP but has just issued his first full-length album in 2020, Magical Thinking. He collaborated with the singer Daya for the 10th track on that record: Older, which is today’s addition to The Alternative Mixtapes.

Older is a beautifully melancholic ambient track ideal for drifting away and forgetting about the world. The song’s lyrics are also deeper than you would imagine, with a stunningly morose bridge in which Daya sings: “Maybe one day when I’m older, I might understand why love just doesn’t happen to everyone who wants it.”All in all, this is a musical gem.

What do you think of this track?

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Chill Out

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Home By July – One In A Million

Home By July

The punk-rock / pop-punk genre was hugely popular in the early 2000s, to the point where it got saturated with plenty of bands that sounded the same, with only a few standouts. Then, things moved to other end of the spectrum when most of those bands either broke up or switched to Pop or something else, and the genre slowly faded away. It looks like the middle ground is not an option for punk-rock.

The above has caused plenty of people who enjoyed this kind of music back then to feel nostalgic about it now, and that is exactly where Home By July fits in. If you miss the heyday of the genre, this Australian band will be right up your alley, and the best example of that it’s their latest single, One In A Million. Don’t expect anything groundbreaking, just good old punk-rock.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Punk-rock

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Maisie Peters – The List

Maisie Peters

The 20-year old singer-songwriter Maisie Peters won a following after posting her original songs on Youtube in 2017. Not long after that, she got a deal record from Atlantic Records and even though she hasn’t released a full album yet, she has put out a number of singles that got her some notoriety, with the latest one of them being The List. I honestly think that the British singer is one lucky break away from becoming the next big thing, and this song might well be it.

Maisie is not only able to come up with great hooks and catchy melodies, but she’s also a talented lyricist despite her young age. That talent is put perfectly on display on this song (as you can see for yourself with the lyric video posted here), which deals with the subject of liking yourself when you feel the most vulnerable. Something tells me we’ll keep hearing about Ms. Peters for years to come. In the meantime, you can fin The List in the mixtapes below.

Featured on the following mixtapes:

  • Everything
  • Pop