I’m finding myself increasingly inspired by 2018’s array of new musical offerings. Wildest Dreams is a beautiful addition, a wonderful song with a full, vibrant musical set-up & a central sentiment that seeks to uplift & motivate you to aim a little higher.
Americana
The instrumentation seems to take a little influence from various styles & genres, fusing it all to create this sort of classical-folk-rock ambiance, upon which the leading voice & storylines play out like emotional, mildly theatrical indie-rock anthems.
They do what they do, they do it well, and their leading vocalist has something immediately characterful & appealing about his voice. Open Jam is definitely a project to check out, as is a live show from Brother Jon Band.
There’s a lot more to this project than the infectious vibrancy of the opening track tends to imply. The music is beautiful, the leading vocalist has something special that draws you in & keeps you listening & believing.
Swampee is an easily memorable & striking song from a band who know exactly how to draw your attention in the rawest, most openly rock & roll way possible.
Driven by the raw passion & warmth of a band who play for the love of playing, Summers’ Gone makes for an easy going groove that reaches out for the soul, or for those memories of a love that came & went.
Taking a dash of Beach Boys, a flicker of Jack Johnson, and a fair helping of something a little more emotionally folk-like, the band emerge as dedicated songwriters & passionate musicians.
The ideas touch on topics that are likely to be close to heart of many modern day listeners – true to the times, of shared struggle or difficulty. Even so, the band have approached this in an exceedingly comforting way.
It can be heartbreaking when an audience doesn’t get what you’re trying to do. Most professionals have to learn to become uncaring to a point to continue performing live as almost all live performances are ‘without a net’, so to speak.
Mark Rogers is a multi-instrumentalist & songwriter whose debut EP Rearranged offers audiences a warm & partly nostalgic touch of gentle Americana, featuring a string of thoughtful lyrics & enjoyable melodies.
The instrumentation is brilliant, a live show would fill the room with peaceful energy & flawlessly skinful musicianship – with just a touch of electronic experimentation to keep a certain thread of alternative energy alive.
I’m a firm believer that an album should be a complete thought, from the continuity of the sound through to the order of the songs. A lot of times people will record over a long period of time, which often leads to something that seems disjointed.