If I can tie these three songs together with a theme, I think it’d be surrender—the way the trees give way to winter, letting loose what they can no longer afford to nurture in order to enter necessary deep rest. Radical acceptance of the present moment permeates these pieces, as melancholy as the moment may be.
Josh Sahunta “Turn Off the Lights”
-On my first listen through, I wrote “I feel like he wants to crawl in a hole and hibernate.” This song feels on the brink of the seasons changing from autumn to winter, making it a most appropriate listen at the moment. “Could it be, could it be I’ve been running/all of this time/I don’t need, I don’t need reminding/that I’m on the line/oh I’ve got just a little bit left/just save it if it hasn’t been said/and turn off the lights.” His voice is so warm and weary at the same time, and the guitar is a steady heartbeat ticking. It feels like curling up for the winter after exhausting all but the last reserves.
sixten – “Ocean in Me”
-This one is a dreamy exploration of the ebb and flow of being in love. There is an ebb and flow to the song that really sets the ocean tone: the tide comes in and out as the song swells. It is consistent but plays with layers. The harmonies are quite ethereal and atmospheric, and it is worth noting that we are hearing sibling voices from this duo, which always manage to blend in special ways. “You’re an ocean in me/push me out pull me in/we know the right thing would be/to let me go, set me free/but I’m where I want to be.” The imagery of an ocean within a human being that is made up of so much water is very compelling; what an impact to affect someone so profoundly.
Kalina Tyne – “but i could”
-This song manages to feel wistfully apathetic and hopeful at the same time. Kalina’s vocals are the driving force of this piece, over moody guitar and a subtle percussion skeleton. “I’m the bus in your city that you don’t use/but you could if you wanted to/I’m the one who picks up on the crisis line when there’s been a fire/and I don’t stop it/but I could.” It is self-assured but honest—I could be so many things to you, but that is simply not the present reality. I found the shorter length of this song added to its poignancy; there’s no filler stuffed in, only bones.
