There are only two ways to live your life on Fridays. You either see it as the last day of the work week, or the first day of the weekend. So what’s your pick? What’s it going to be this week?
Mind Us – “River, Bird, Tree”
-If acoustic harmonics are of interest to you, give this track a spin. The punctuated style is fascinating, creating some ear-pleasing sounds that you probably haven’t heard before. Something about the vibe of the song just feels like running out in the woods to me. I grew up playing in a creek and from first lesson this track reminded me of that place; both peaceful and full of adventure.
HiRSH – “Burn Up Alive”
-This might not feel like a party anthem or anything, but I can assure you there’s a ton to think about with this track. I particularly enjoy the harmonizing vocal. It’s probably one vocal in a multitrack, but it’s so well done that we can still applaud it. The atmospheric rock quality here is energizing, even if the ultimate message of the song is a bit sad.
Palace Winter – “Take Shelter”
-It’s rare to find a modern band that can put together such tight harmonies, but Palace Winter can do it extremely well. When the synth enters the track, you’ll feel a crushing sense of both the 70s and 80s colliding in your ears. It’s a monumental feeling to listen to the song, but it works so well we just had to share it with the world.
Sean McMahon – “Show Me the Way”
-This song is a tale of two different songs, really. In the first half, there’s a nice contemplative acoustic guitar part with poetic lyrics. But then partway through the electric guitar and organ kick in, shifting the focus considerably. It comes across as an intriguing sound that is rewarding for a variety of different music fans. McMahon writes with a kind of workmanlike plaintive voice and it really works for this style.
Angus Powell – “Truth”
-From gorgeously blended vocals to a delicate acoustic guitar part, Angus Powell has crafted one of the most amazing subtle pieces of artwork we’ve heard in a long time. It’s cinematic at times, while also delving into something a bit more intimate. The way the contasting styles dance together is nothing short of inspiring. This is a track that almost defies description, but we like it.
Eden – “Love, not wrong”
-This is another song style that you don’t hear every day on the top 40, but wow can it be powerful. After the contemplative opening, Eden introduces a massive gang vocal with clapping and shouting that will make you feel like the most amazing positive army. There’s a real sense of progressive beauty to this one and we can’t really put our fingers on why. Share it with your friends; we guess they’ll like it too.
September Eighteenths – “Carry Me”
-This is a wonderful song that feels a little like a pop soul track, a little like the way you feel when you’re finally secure in a relationship with just the right person. It’s got this perfect vocal harmony that will have you swooning every listen. It’s so good I don’t even want to sing with them; I just listen and say, “wow, they’re so good” EVERY TIME. This is beautiful.
Daniel Gadd – “Siri Linn”
-Gadd’s recording is a timeless style track. One could picture it dominating the charts in the early 70s or making its way to the top of the charts today. There’s something sweetly rewarding in the melody line that feels like both folk music and a sort of traditional country, too. The metaphorical lyrics work really well, too. Fans of older Nickel Creek will really enjoy this one.
Kale Dumas – “Cigarette Love”
-Think about this one, will ya? It’s much more thoughtful than you might imagine from a kind of updated John Mayer sound. But the lyrics encourage the listener to engage with life. Of course it’s about love, but it’s also about being moved to action. What I love about this, more than anything, is the gusto with which Dumas approaches singing about love. It’s not the most polished song we’ve ever featured, but it shows incredible promise of things to come from this emerging songwriter.
Noah Kahan – “Hurt Somebody”
-Listen to the production quality on this song. Whew, this one is fire. The lyrics hit a bit close to home for me on this one, but yes it hurts to hurt someone. It can be really hard to just move on as if nothing happened. The apparent spirit of this recording is incredible to me; we are all humans in this, hurting each other and finding healing in the mix. This is what music was created to do for us. Let’s embrace it.
