What I Have Been Listening To: June 2022
I feel better but I don’t feel good - Alice Skye (2021)
This work is honest and raw. The indie Aussie vibes are nostalgic and emotive. The simplicity of the guitar and piano lines are bulked up by the wide range and luscious tones of the vocal lines. The chords are emotive and background to the stories sung over the top. The occasional feature vocal is a nice touch to change the narrative perspectives. The stories are authentic for a young person but are sprinkled with touches of poetic meaning of someone much wiser. So much to like on this record. A lovely, truly sincere surprise. Top tracks:
Homesickness (feat Jacob Diamond)
The two perspectives are great here. An honest story that really touches something for me. The meaning here seeps through in spades and really worth a listen.=
Hot Car
Touching on indigenous understandings of family, it transcends and emotionally connects with all. This track hits a raw spot. The simple chorus hides a truly sincere story.
Party Tricks
The opening of the soft synth chords layered with the guitars is a nice shake up to the formula. Surprisingly emotive, even for this album. I really like the vocal harmonies. The heavier guitar addition later signifies the change in section and thickens the piece up nicely.
Begin Again - Ben Böhmer (2021)
This album has some truly outstanding production. The EDM minimalist approach is, while not overly unique, just very well done. This album touches on a range of styles in the electro genre but finds its way home. There is a clear distinction of hard and soft synths at play in this work, adding to a range of wonderful textures that map the full frequency spectrum. While the beats of the drums are mostly repetitive (it’s a genre thing) that vary enough to sustain interest, the synths are the main show. It’s such an inspiring work for myself. Some nice vocal performances across the album but I find the instrumental tracks my fave overall. Top tracks:
Beyond belief
The drums pan and fade in through the fore to background. The tambourine is a great touch. The main synth line is punchy but wide. Lots to like here with the distant, moving samples. The break is subtle and great.
Home (feat Jonah)
Lots to like in the fade in. A subtle rise and seemingly endless attack to the work. The drop features some wild kicks that feel otherworldly in the already complex and spacey mix.
Once
The retro low pass filtered sample at the front that features tape hiss, is lovely. The beats drop with vinyl crackle having a funny “I don’t know which era I’m from” feeling. It believe from the chord structures and synth choices to at it’s meant to invoke nostalgia in general: unifying generations of electronic lovers.
Time - Paul Kelly (2022)
A fairly standard outing from Kelly’s. You know what you’re gonna get and that’s a great thing. The album being a covers work of his greatest hits is another addition to this mentality. While there is only one original on this album, that’s not a bad thing. The reworks of his classics stand strong! The production is clean and sensible. His narratives are legendary. The guitar is is best friend here, hitting those singer/songwriter vibes. Who doesn’t love his classics like “How to Make Gravy” or “From Little Things, Big Things Grow”. Those are not what I am covering today in my top tracks, but obviously worth a mention. Top tracks:
If I Could Start Today Again
This has fairy tale style rhyming. The track is pleasant and poignant. It fits an early start to the structure of an album called “Time”. The slide guitar is lovely also.
When I First Met Your Ma
There is a sense of warmness here. This tune has a wonderful story and a simple guitar line. The rhyming structure is nice and plain, but that is what gives it the iconic feeling of an old tale. Who also doesn’t love a harmonica? “Love like a bird flies away”.
Cities of Texas
The mandolin and violin are really special in this song. Inducing fantasies of the old west and country glory, the song powers through to a beautiful place. It has a thick and warm textures that layer to remove any need for space.
As Soon as You Think You Got It (It’s Gone) - single - OJ Mengel (2022)
There is a nostalgia I will always have when I hear anything from OJ. He is the definition of Brisbane Indie Singer Songwriter. His music ranges from ironic - powerful. All of it is wonderful and fits the current scene. In this recent single, he doesn’t disappoint. The featured narrative is relatable and emotive. His vocal performance is sweet and raw. It has an authenticity that is hard to describe. The thick and warm guitar mixing is wide and lovely. Lots of reverb and layers. A surprising, but very welcome addition to the song is the opening and ending nature samples. The length of the track is longer than expected, but so wanted and needed. It gives the tune an epic feature energy. This one has been on repeat in the house. Keep rocking Oli.
