Bowerbirds frontman Phil Moore has gotten some mad respect from some famous friends. Justin Vernon recently stated that “without the inspiration years ago from Phil Moore, there would be no Bon Iver.” If this is true, all hipsters owe Phil deep reverence. Recently he released his first video under the Tuskha moniker and it sets the bar high for an album we here at Ear to the Ground love. Emotive and fun, the songs play like a dream sequence with maddening delight. “I was feeling stifled by living as this caricature of a songwriter who seemed to have many similarities to me, but was lacking the actual nuance of being a human. I wanted to ignore that guy for a while and figure out what else was inside, and so I spent countless hours with headphones, in the dark, lit by a screen, staying up later than everyone. It took me three years to figure out what I was supposed to be doing, working piecemeal in only the stolen moments of my increasingly busy, scattered days. Coming home and having this music consume me became a way to escape the guts of my daily life.” he shares about the writing approach to the new self-titled album. Check out the “First Date” video. If you dig soulful Mutemath style arrangements, then Tuskha is a must have.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYaEdv76Lkk]
Mobley is a rare talent on the rise. Often times on the road, he plays every instrument and even brings a special instrument. “Put succinctly, it’s a custom-built show controller, aesthetically modeled after Wurlitzer and Rhodes keyboards from the seventies, and capable of running synthesizers, samplers, MIDI sequences, guitar processing, bass, vocal effects, videos, and lights. The brain is a Mac Mini that I souped up by maxing out the RAM and adding an SSD. By using various software solutions (including some I wrote myself) and some creative hardware routing I basically run anything that isn’t the drumkit from what I affectionately call ‘The Mothership.'” One view of his video for “Solo” was all it took to convince me of his extraordinary talent for soul and funk. Off his tight EP Some Other Country, the video shows the artist bouncing through the various stages of fame in a way reminiscent of The Weekend. Mark our words, Mobley is the real deal and due for a cosmic rise. Need proof? Just hit play:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjD1xH5GyKU]
Autumn in June
Autumn in June has been a favorite of ours ever since the interview we did recently on his background and influences. Not quite fitting in to any specific genre, the artist has a way of making you move and feel that is unmatched by most musicians. Blending soul, r&b, and hip-hop with a new style all his own, AIJ definitely is one to watch. “Take Flight” is mixed, written, and produced by the accomplished South Central based artist. One listen and we are sure you will respect his work like we do. Groove and share below, and while you’re at it, check out his equally stunning singles for “Weeks” and “Hey Arnold!”.[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/276830079″ params=”auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true” width=”100%” height=”450″ iframe=”true” /]
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