.jpg) |
| Photo by Libre Leung |
Holding Hour - Can I Leave Me Too?
indie rock
Des Moiners Holding Hour deftly blends shoegaze and slacker intentions on their recent single "Can I Leave Me Too?". Brimming with hazy optimism, the duo of Marissa Kephart and Scott Yoshimura offset their space-age synthetic rock with angular riffs laced with grit. According to the group, "Can I Leave Me Too" explores the struggle of recognizing that you haven’t been a great partner without fully owning up to it." Such dramatic concepts don't turn this cool slice of artfully poppy shoegaze maudlin, rather delightfully nonchalant, though the middle 8th isn't without its guilt-laden melancholia. "I don't really like what I do to you, Can I leave me too?" go the lyrics, using self-loathing to deflect blame with a cheeky wink, a fitting attitude for music that is alluringly firey.
Hele - Ironsmith's Daughter
modern classical
On "Ironsmith's Daughter", Michigan's Hele maps out a gorgeously soft acoustic guitar, melancholic strings, dulcet piano strikes and gentle electronic percussion. The effect is a romantic and ultimately soothing piece of contemporary instrumental music. There's a narrative core to proceedings, with moments of hope besieged by more forlorn contemplation. Musically, the rich classical backbone is given harmonious textures via modern instrumentation and production techniques, lifting this otherwise serious rumination towards calming, albeit electrically charged, thrills. "ironsmith's Daughter" is taken from the EP Eladia, which is out now.
Wyn Oran - The Flood
folk
Scottish-Irish folk artist Wyn Oran creates an intimate and captivating environment on his recent single "The Flood", which comes from the upcoming debut album An Angel, A Crowd. "The Flood" was mixed, produced, and mastered to tape by Sam Hanlan at The Famous Gold Watch Studio in Berlin (where Wyn Oran is currently based) and has a warmth and richness that sounds as organic as the subject matter. Comparisons to Jeff Buckley are to be expected, with a deep and swooning quality to the vocalist's romantically dreamy expressions. Wyn Oran folds in beguiling flourishes of instrumentation, from whistly keys to more New Age textures. Yet, the artist always brings things swirling down to their depths, which at over six minutes, is practically submerged in mystique. Rising waters and floods are a constant imagistic fixture of folk cultures across the world. Wyn Oran taps into this collectively shared symbology to maroon the listener in an aquatic Phantasia.
MacGregor Burns - Silent Answers
indie rock
Los Angeles-based MacGregor Burns exudes an indifferent cool on the recent single "Silent Answers". This bass-heavy downtempo indie sally has a simple beat and a drolling vocal delivery harping on about who-knows-what, but it also features some sharp and catchy guitar licks, and the overall mood achieved makes you feel vicariously stylish. This tune will feature alongside the previous single "She Never Took A Chance On Me" on an as-of-yet-to-be-announced album out sometime this Autumn. Keep your eyes peeled for that one.
Dan Kassel - Edge
modern classical
Philadelphian Dan Kassel provides nail-biting thrills via the mounting intensity of rhythmic and harmonic loops on "Edge", a surprisingly danceable and rich song. Taken from the album Ornament, which was recorded, mixed and mastered by Kyle Graham in Philadelphia, "Edge" has a wonderfully earthy sound despite the technological means. This merging of energies elicits impressions of the modification of nature, with something sinister in how Kassel purposefully and effectively rouses his listeners. Ornament is Kassel's fourth solo album, and the multi-instrumentalist plays cello, tingsha bells, udu drum, wooden spoons and djembe with easy dexterity and strong curiosity.