You can set aside an hour, can’t you? Even in today’s hectic world? NO? You should… when you can fill it with Compassion. In fact, you need to listen to all of it. For the songwriting, for the vocals, for the skill, for the magic… I don’t do politics, but in an age of Brexit and Trump, I find myself running towards Compassion with open arms. It’s worth it.
Music
Not for the faint of heart, Puke & Barf live up to their name with these visuals. Defiantly a step in a more distinctive and musically satisfying (no pun intended) direction for the creative duo.
Rare Blend’s Ritz Murphy branches off into the solo world to present music fans with this impressively retro and colourful new track – one that effectively fuses classic boy-band tones with a notably more experimental, industrial style beat and set-up.
Underlining dashes of influence from the likes of dance-hall and hip hop all at once, the song takes its time to fill the room, leading from a dreamlike aura into a delicate bounce of a beat, progressing from simple, catchy melodic development to a more London-inspired rap flow.
Producer Groove has crafted this album of originals from a position of experience and genuine emotion, fusing the best of his abilities in sound design, with a clear connection to creativity, and a heartfelt look at life.
There’s something inherently inspiring and enjoyable about Scrubs – it presents a level of appreciation and connection, togetherness, that’s rarely introduced or celebrated in hip hop.
Maxime fuses an organic folk sound with a mildly theatrical performance style for this EP, paying tribute to effective and raw musicality as much as his family background in theatre.
The humble nature of this piece, the natural sound, combined with the poetic undertones and purpose of the performance, all helps make it a notably unique and striking release for 2019
To break this down to its underlying sentiments, the song for the most part addresses personal difficulty – struggle, regret, looking back. And yet, in line with that you get a surprisingly uplifting & hopeful arrangement, and by the end the song offers a similar level of possibility; ‘Regret can’t be something you take with you everyday’.
The ever-poetic wordsmith Bricen Mac returns this summer with perhaps his most heartfelt & openly appreciative release yet. Directly addressing his father, presenting the song as a gift & a thank you, Dear Father brings back that quietly confident vocal tone, amidst a smooth & ballad-like, piano-led backdrop.
The very concept of balance, of needing to find that in order to achieve peace and to re-connect with those who matter, is something rarely pondered in modern hip hop; or music in general. This song goes against the grain in many ways, not throwing blame or leading with guilt, just keeping things honest.
TexMex Shaman’s return this month brings an explicitly unique cover of a summertime classic. In his own words, when approaching this yesteryear hit from The Commodores, TexMex Shaman tried to ‘keep the soul and change the shoes;’ a brilliantly fitting phrase that actually perfectly well encapsulates the journey you’re about to embark upon.