Tag: soundcloud

Seth’s Favorite Releases June 15th: Dustin Tebbutt, Call Me Karizma, Alexander Wolfe, Traveling John, Smalfeels

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Favorite Music Video: Dustin Tebbutt “Love Is Blind”

Love may be blind, but I’m luckily not. I mean, I’m very fortunate to not be blind for a plethora of reasons, but this video is definitely one of them. I would be curious to know how long it took Dustin to learn the dance moves for this song, because he seems to have about the same coordination as I do. Now, that’s a bit of an exaggeration because he’s a much better dancer than me, but with a backdrop of insanely talented dancers, Dustin definitely sticks out a bit. Another beautiful song from Dustin, and another wonderful video full of synchronized dance moves.

Favorite Lyrics: Call Me Karizma “JOHNNY”

Johnny’s got a loaded .45
Found it in his dad’s shoebox
Johnny doesn’t want to be alive
But he’s gotta make his school stop
He’s-
Sick of being bullied, his mother’s starting to worry
But she doesn’t want to ask him or try to call the authorities
Now he is on the bus, to him it’s just another morning
But he doesn’t got a book, he’s got a gun without a warning

Cindy’s got a scholarship to Yale
Wants to be a nurse and spread love
Cindy’s moving out before the fall
Only got a week til’ school’s done
Taking every final of the season, she doesn’t mind ’em
She’s always nice to the kids that are coming away behind her
She would never hurt a fly or bat an eye, she’s way too kind
But then a flash and then a cry and sees Johnny with a rifle

I’m not going to put all of the lyrics here because it would be a huge wall of text, but I was definitely tempted. Call Me Karizma’s new song dives into one of the messiest waters in the country right now, and makes absolutely no apologies. A hard hitting song with a nasty flow, the message is clear:

Reporting live from high school
We’re now learning more about the terrible events that took place
And what can drive someone that seemed like a normal kid
To do something so evil and inhumane
We’re asking everyone and anyone that sees warning signs-
To please offer help and love and compassion to those who need it
Together we can make a difference

Favorite Composition: Alexander Wolfe “Your Love is a Wheel”

This song is such a rollercoaster. Alexander Wolfe’s new track was made for a movie. With many dynamic changes throughout the song, the track goes from ethereal instrumentation to headstrong reverb and offbeat drum cadences, stopping at a couple of places in between. The harmonies aren’t overdone, which is a common problem with artists in the same genre. Alexander Wolfe doesn’t live in his falsetto, but he definitely has a vacation home there. He makes really smooth transitions in and out of his falsetto, and has tight control over his upper register. This song will pick you up at your house, drive you all around town, and then take you back home at the end of the day, tucking you gently into your bed.

Favorite Ramblin’ Song: Traveling John “It Burns”

Man, you guys are getting so lucky that so many of my favorites of the week have videos that go with them. This video is great, but that’s not what drew me to this song. It’s a gorgeous video, and I’m crazy jealous that they got to spend time in such a beautiful space. Seriously, TJ, let us swing by. Next time we’re in Sweden… Anyways, anyone who has paid attention to the blog for a while, or if you listen to the podcast, you know I love a good ramblin’ song. What does that mean? Well, it means that it’s a song that you can picture yourself driving down backroads with no destination in mind with the windows rolled down. A beautiful song with tight harmonies and a folk-driven melody, It Burns is the perfect song for warm summer nights with a full tank of gas and nowhere to be.

Favorite Summer Song: Smalfeels “Pillow Fights”

Very few songs create a palpable atmosphere. Smalfeels new track, Pillow Fights, draws the listener in with a slick bass line, and holds you in place with smooth vocals, smart harmonies, and a quicksand composition; you don’t realize just how stuck you are until the track is over. This song is the perfect song to accompany a night of laying on your roof, having a few drinks, and talking about other planes of existence with a close friend.

Morning Commute: Tilde “Our Day Won’t Come”

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Swedish soul standout, Tilde, has absolutely crushed it with her second single from her debut album that’s set to release this fall. Yep, you read that right. This is going to be Tilde’s debut album. Get on the hype train now because she is in a position to do really cool things. Tell your friends about her before they hear her on the radio, or at least post a status about her on Facebook, so on this day next year you can share the fact that you’ve been listening to her for a year when everyone’s just finding out about their new favorite artist.

Our Day Won’t Come starts out very clean with Tilde’s voice captivating you immediately, but the key is at the :42 mark when the chorus kicks in, and the children’s choir* joins Tilde while a crew of pirates* echo their sea shanty: “Our day won’t come.” The symphonic strings that keep the track running forward while Tilde takes her time feels like seeing a dog walker in New York: the dog is beautiful and elegant, but without the human holding the leash, the dog might get loose and run into the road. The dog is what everyone wants to see, but the dog walker is the one who is holding everything together.

tilde

Lyrically, Our Day Won’t Come seems to be talking about grabbing hold of destiny, and forcing it to do what you want because if you wait for your day to come, you’ll be waiting forever. That’s why I picked it for the morning commute this morning. If you’re listening to this on the way to your job that you absolutely hate, something needs to change. I’m not saying you walk in and quit today. I’m just saying figure out how to take what you know, who you know, and what you’re willing to learn, and parlay that into something you’re passionate about.

Check out Tilde and all of our other tracks from June on our Spotify playlist

The Morning Commute: Serve Somebody

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We have gotten to a point where we have so many amazing submissions to the blog and show that we are creating new things to share them. The Morning Commute is the newest addition to the website, and Duets and Stuff fully embody what we are trying to do with this addition. We want to give you something fun, upbeat, and energetic, or at the very least, something that makes you feel happy.

From the opening drums, this song puts you in the right frame of mind to destroy your day… by serving somebody. Greta has a voice that immediately makes you feel warm and attentive, and backed by the staccato (what sounds like some sort of) xylophone (but is probably some kind of keyboard or pad), the music melds perfectly with Greta’s voice.

This Swedish dream pop group is definitely going to help you get your day started off right. Listen to it a couple of times to truly appreciate what they have going on here. We had to. If everyone listened to “Serve Somebody” on their morning commute, more people would be smiling on the subway, and there would be a lot more selflessness.

Spotify link

-Seth