Tag: indiemusic

Mid-Day Music Blast: The Brothers Moore “I Can Relate”

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Would you be surprised if I told you there weren’t brothers with the last name Moore in The Brothers Moore?

You should be surprised if they weren’t, because that would be false advertising. Let’s be honest, in today’s society, if you can’t trust one of your new favorite bands, then who can you trust?

Billy and Bobby Moore take the reins (and the namesake) of The Brothers Moore, with Jake White and Troy Smith rounding out this Tulsa, Oklahoma indie rock band. With a sound that’s reminiscent of Kings of Leon’s “Black Thumbnail,” this band has a lot of raw power, but keeps it controlled in clearly defined lanes. You can hear that everyone, from the lead vocals and guitar, to the harmony rounds in the back, has another level they could flip to, but it would sacrifice the harmony they’ve created. It’s almost like Cyclops from the X-Men; he can absolutely level city blocks just by opening his eyes, but knows that the best way for him to work for the greater good is with his headset on and within the confines of a team setting.

brothersmoore

The new X-Men

Look around
If you see a man on the ground
Throw him your hand and help him out
And I think that that’s what we know

It’s so wild when looking into the lyrics that these guys basically have the Mr. Rogers of indie rock songs here. Stay with me here. That’s a compliment in a major way from me. Mr. Rogers was one of the most prolific minds of his time, and the whole idea behind the man was that everyone should just be a good person, help people out, and treat everyone as equals. He famously said, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” The Brothers Moore are basically adding to that sentiment by telling their listeners to be that helper as well.

Look for ways to help today.

-Seth

Prefer Spotify? I’ve got you covered right here.

Morning Commute: Freedom Baby “I Want to Give”

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Good morning everyone. I hope you are waking up to a beautiful Memorial Day morning (or just a beautiful Monday morning if you’re outside of the United States). I figured for the Morning Commute on Memorial Day, we would talk a little bit about a band called Freedom Baby, and their song “I Want To Give.”

The fact that the word freedom is in the band name was completely planned, and definitely not total luck.*

This is just a normal Monday morning for the 8 piece Toronto indie rock group, but this is not a normal band. These guys have made something truly unique and special with this one.

First off, let’s get one thing out of the way. Yes, the song is almost 15 minutes long. I promise it won’t feel like that. I have listened to this song for over an hour in the past couple of days, and I love it every single time. If you aren’t sold from the very beginning with the vulnerable voice of Brianna Bordihn guiding you into your chair, holding you captive for the next 15 minutes, stick around until the 1:02 mark. If you don’t feel something at that point, you are a robot.

In what I would say are 4-5 separate acts throughout the song, a story unfolds of love, struggle, war, and heartache. The band uses their time wisely, crescendoing into cacophonous roars at times, and then brings you all the way back down to barely a whisper, creating dividers between acts but still maintaining a cohesive project better than most artists can do with a hard stop between tracks.

“And I’ll do just what I want 
Try not to fear consequence 
And try to live 
And I’ll contemplate my death 
While drawing in my final breath 
But not til then”

Existentialism is weighed in on, valuing being authentic over all else. Exploring the fact that death comes to us all, they plant seeds of self-examination in the head of the listeners. Whoever you are, be that person to the best of your ability, and try to live.

As a married man with one child and another on the way, there is also one of the most poetic lines I’ve heard in a long time in this song:

“Let our daughters look like you 
Let our sons be brave like you”

A seemingly simple message, it takes on a whole new life when you’re hoping for those same traits that you love so much about your spouse are passed down to your children.

I could go on about this song for a while, but it’s currently 3:08 am. I do want to continue this conversation though, and I’d love to do it with Freedom Baby on the podcast. Caleb has no idea I’m doing this, but I know he will be on board with this idea 100%. Our next podcast is on the theme of Creativity. I’m going to do everything I can to get Freedom Baby to do an interview with us that will go on that episode so we can talk about their creative process, the idea behind the song, and just about who they are in general.

These guys have officially joined my list of criminally underrated bands along with Ezra Bell, Tim de Vil, and Fire Chief Charlie. Enjoy your commute this morning. These guys are going to take you all the way to work (or at least 15 minutes into your commute).

*Freedom in the name of the band was definitely total luck. A Bob Ross happy accident.

-Seth

Video of the Day: Sophia Danai “Come Thru”

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If I only had one word to describe Sophia Danai’s voice, it would be the word “raw.” She has a very powerful voice, but it’s the emotive rasp that really sold me on her. The cadence and timing of her words is exceptional as well. She is what you would get if Billie Holiday was brought to 2018 and fell in love with blues riffs.

Danai says that the lyrics and the passion behind this song come from a very personal place. The words may be repetitive, but they carry so much power with them. Her message is simple, but has so much weight to it, “Even though it can be terrifying, it’s such a release to claim your space and stand your ground. That is one of the most difficult things in life for me, and that is what this song is about.”

If you are looking for raw emotion, we’ve got it for you with this track.

TOTD: Into the Ark “Caroline”

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Everyone from Neil Diamond to OutKast have written about their experiences with a girl named Caroline. Aminé, Noah Gundersen, and Netherfriends are among the multitude who have written their reviews of Caroline in the last ten years alone. Add Into the Ark to those ranks with their new song… “Caroline.” Of course.

That is where the similarities end though. This track is phenomenal. I also like that this song starts out going in a much different direction than most songs about the famous Caroline.

“I was the deer and you were the car. Such pretty lights to the eye that doesn’t know that the feeling of weightless means the higher you fly, the further you fall.”

These lyrics set the stage for a much different love story.

Then, the falsetto in the chorus really takes the song to another level as you learn that “only Caroline can do this to you. Only Caroline can be this cruel. Caroline will beat you at the only game you know.”

In summation, Caroline’s have been having an impact on musicians since the beginning of time, and the guys at Into the Ark were able to break free of the Caroline Curse* and write this vulnerable song about their time together.

*The Caroline Curse is not a real (proven) thing, and all Carolines I know are wonderful and beautiful people.

Spotify Link

-Seth

Morning Commute: Where Do You Hide Your Love

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Good morning out there guys! Check out this track on your ride in this morning to get your day started off right! This track has some great throwback vibes that make you want to tap your hands on the roof of your car all the way to work. This is also a classic example of one of my favorite types of songs, which is a song that sounds very upbeat, but lyrically has some depth and introspection.

 

“Oh and I don’t even know if I cross your mind, you left me in the cold but it’s burning like candles
So slow

Now, where’d you hide your love is it somewhere, oh tell me did you throw it out your hearts window
I wanna know”

 

If you aren’t paying attention, you almost don’t realize that this is a song about heartbreak, because of how upbeat the music and intonation are.

Prefer Spotify? Click here. 

 

Let us know what you think, and keep a lookout at the end of the month for our monthly Spotify playlist that compiles all the songs we share over the course of a given month.

Have a great Friday!

-Caleb

 

TOTD: Riley Catherall – Watered Down

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Listen here on Spotify

This is one you’ll definitely be seeing on the podcast in the coming weeks. We’ll let you guess what the theme might be. I love how emotional this song gets, and you know how we love our Folk/Americana around here.

Honestly, I think my favorite version of the song is the Woolshed Sessions he did on youtube:

This is definitely one of the artist that is a quintessential example of why we want to exist. He has basically no plays on spotify yet, and he’s just oozing with talent. Let’s see if we can start to fix that for him.

-Caleb

Daily Video Feature: Yung Heazy – Cuz You’re My Girl

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Does anyone else get reminded of The Truman Show by this video? That heartbreaking scene where he is trying to piece together the face of the woman he loved but gotten taken away form him? I don’t think this song is meant to be sad; it’s a really beautiful love song or ode.

 

From his Youtube channel, Yung Heazy describes it as follows: “I decided months later the day before Valentine’s Day that I would take a crack at recording it and present it to her as a gift. I wrote a lot of this song on the spot, the guitar solo was one take, a lot of the lyrics were improvised… Maybe people connect with it because of that? I didn’t have any ambitions for this, I just wanted to make something true and honest to share between two people. I think the recording is very loose but that’s what I like about it, it’s not perfect, not to be taken too seriously, I don’t know.”

 

I think he’s pretty spot on, I connect with the looseness and improvisation. I connect with that because of how genuine it feels. I think his last thought about making something true is exactly what I think good art is about. What’s that quote about art telling lies to tell a deeper truth? The best art certainly does, and Yung Heazy is making some great art.

 

Want more Yung Heazy? Check them out on Spotify. 

 

TOTD: RHAIN “SOLID GOLD”

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This song! RHAIN’s new release, Solid Gold, is something truly exciting to hear. The song starts out three steps away from a lullaby, but you can hear the intensity behind RHAIN’s voice from the beginning, and know that she is just starting to show off. Very few vocalists are as comfortable with being vulnerable as they are with barreling their power down your throat. RHAIN is one of those artists. Close your eyes while listening to it, and you can see her singing a child to sleep just as easily as you can see her rallying troops and preparing for battle.

“We only want to cut your heart out to see if it is solid gold, We only want to cut you heart out, and rise it from it’s cage of bone.”

RHAIN writes like Regina Spektor with a chip on her shoulder, sounds like First Aid Kit, and has Half Waif’s instrumentation. Do not miss out on her. We almost did, but are so glad we came across her.

Listen to the SoundCloud link above, or go follow her on Spotify.

TOTD: Flor and the Sea – “Dark Minds”

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You guys HAVE to check out this video. The song itself has this really great ambiance and use of spacey vocals, but the video really drives this whole project home. Anyone want to share their theories? The woodland creatures as a metaphor for a certain type of relationship? I just love the way this video is shot too, so many interesting angles on everyday sort of situations, especially the dark car shots. If you are looking for more from them, check them out on Spotify, we will be adding them to our monthly TOTD playlists at the end of the month.

 

TOTD: Ferentz and the Felons “Hudson County”

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This video just felt so nostalgic. It made me sad and happy and reminded me of memories I’ve never even had. I’m also pretty impressed with the production value on this video, and the song of course. Ferentz and the Felons sing: “I’m packing my bags and moving on to something new.” I think we’ve all felt that at various points in our lives, and it comes with an intense mix of hope for the future and sadness for the past you’re leaving behind. The city you leave behind will never be the same when you come back for visits. Hope you guys enjoyed this song as much as I did.

 

-Caleb