A View of the Earth From the Moon – “Emerson and Henry David Thoreau”
-I think it’s a right of passage for every “gifted” kid to have a Transcendentalist phase in high school; I sure had mine, right around 11th grade. I think I’ll always associate Walden Pond with that time of my life, convinced that I should become a separatist… and that the establishment just couldn’t get anything right. The lyrics in this song parallel so many of the thoughts I had, not so much while reading those theorists, but as I grew up and learned to live some of what they had to say. It’s about self determinism – not in a capitalistic economic way – but in an existential way. You find your way by finding your way. The songwriting on this song is charming, engaging, and thoroughly (ha!) pop rock. I would say fans of the songwriting of Ben Folds will find a lot to like from this. See also fans of Jeremy Messersmith. This track is definitely in those circles of music… and that’s darn good company.
Cytrus – “Outta Control”
-When Submithub added “yacht rock” as a potential genre, I clicked “yes” incredibly fast. The thing is, I didn’t listen to yacht rock until I hit my early 40s, which I feel like is pretty much standard. There’s a cool, understand soul energy to this track that feels just right. The “pocket” for the rhythm section here is outstanding. The lead vocal has just the right inflection to make you believe every lyric. What I like more than anything is that you can feel the genuineness in the layers; it’s a living and breathing piece of artwork. I hate that we live in a world where questioning the authenticity of the performance even has to entire my mind, but I love when a song like this just… makes it so evident. It’s not every song that makes me think “I need to listen to everything else from this artist, too” but that happens to me when I listen to this song. Cytrus… I’m on my way to explore the catalog.
The Ant and Ang Band – “Dancing in France”
-Sometimes you click play on a song and it just hits you… this is it. I’m not sure what it is, exactly, but I want more of this in my life. It’s rock n’ roll to its bones. I appreciate the quality of the swing rhythm, the outstanding guitar work, and the clarity of the production. Maybe you’d call this a blues shuffle, but I don’t care what terms we use to break down the song, it just feels so good to listen to it. The vocal harmonies on the “wish you would’ve given me the chance” hits every time the chorus spins around. The hypothetical dreamlike “we should be dancing in France” feels appropriately whimsical; there’s this implied, “but you messed up!” non-lyric here that I really appreciate. This just feels like the real deal and I’m absolutely on board to support music like this. PS – Make sure you stick around for the break after the 2:30 mark… it is good through the whole song, but the dynamics on the ending are outstanding!
Image courtesy: Cytrus IG
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