Mary Ellen Davis – “I Know What It’s Like”

Mary Ellen Davis – “I Know What It’s Like”

Mary Ellen Davis has been a friend forever and one of the first people I knew who was so much better than any mainstream music. I love fighting against the establishment and this song is worth fighting for. Understated beautiful vocal, a railroad beat, chimes and echoing guitar – and then Mary Ellen kills me every time when her voice soars through the song. Her voice has truth and heartbreak and life to it. This is an amazing song and she is an amazing songwriter and singer.

Ray Lark- He’s Gone

Ray Lark- He’s Gone

Ray Lark of Crooked Ghost has created more haunting beauty with “He’s Gone” – the classic drum beat and guitar chords of a rockabilly song being played on a lone stage, but as his voice comes in at 0:40, it quickly ushers the listener into a Billy Corgan meets early Genesis meets post-punk 80s crooning vibe. There is a grand simplicity to this track, but a clear yearning in his voice coming in around minute 2, hauntingly reminiscent of the sound of Jeff Buckley. Ray Lark has a voice. It’s a distinct voice. It’s a gorgeous sound. Given the sounds bridged throughout, the listener can’t help but wonder the story behind this melancholy track.

Day & Dream- Nocturnal Creatures

Day & Dream- Nocturnal Creatures

Abby Amaya and Peter Frizzante are  Day & Dream. An ode to the spectrum of music that came out of the 90’s music scene; think Nirvana style bass line coming in solid from the start by bass player Andrew Ruesch, meets Mazzy Star and The Martinis, with the ethereal and hypnotic voice of Abby Amaya. The bands sound also resembles that of the 2004 girl psychedelic band, Warpaint. The lyrics of their song Nocturnal Creatures, brings one deep into the forest as if a creature itself. A metaphor maybe? Most likely with this duo.

ANTI-SOCIAL CLUB, “Empty”

ANTI-SOCIAL CLUB, “Empty”

Washington DC’s Anti-Social Club find balance between pulsing synths and human warmth on upbeat goth rocker “Empty”. Normal sonic touchstones like New Order don’t cover the whole picture here, as Anti-Social Club explore a vulnerability beyond the cool detachment that synth rock provides. In the end, this human touch opens the darker imagery up into a kind of rebirth. Under a wash of keyboards and tightly programmed beats, sights and sounds disappear as heart and soul slow down, until the song explodes into a kaleidoscopic psych rock refrain: “Today is the first day of the rests of my life.”

TIN ROOF ECHO, “There’s A Town”

TIN ROOF ECHO, “There’s A Town”

Tin Roof Echo’s “There’s A Town” feels like it’s from a different time. Recorded directly to vinyl at Third Man Records’ vintage Voice-o-Graph recording booth, the ghosts haunting the pops and scrapes serve a song like this, which taps into the rich tradition of narrative folk songs. As with the best of the genre, the acoustic strums and casual hammer-on runs never compete with the pared-down lyrics and rustic vocals, and moments like the closing “So it goes, so it goes/Just so we know, you’re always home” land with the confidence of a road-tested troubadour.

Time Is Gonna Kill You by the Bungalow Bums

Time Is Gonna Kill You by the Bungalow Bums

Time Is Gonna Kill You is a percussive, bombastic anthem. When I say percussive I’m not talking about just the drumming, I actually feel like everyone in the band is attacking their instrument like a percussionist. While one guitar bounces back and forth, another smooths the melody out over the top, weaving together with the bass, keys, and drums to make an intricate patchwork. Even the vocals match this rhythmic jungle of wildness.

This one never lets up, it is a just-under-four-minutes synopsis of all the rock n’ roll debauchery you can imagine.

Want to hear us talk about this song? Check out episode #102 of our podcast at hlycrp.com.

Neon Kiss by Cold Choir

Neon Kiss by Cold Choir

Cold Choir is an amazing duo. Their sound is dark, a sexy melancholy. Neon Kiss is synth-driven and powerful, haunting and romantic. The fun part about listening to Cold Choir (to me) is realizing that these sounds, these textures, these noises, everything… are all the realization of an idea that popped into their heads. These sounds do not exist in nature and are therefore crafted with care, specially for this piece of art. Its like when the master painters of previous eras had to make their own paint instead of buying it in a store. The guitar didn’t make this sound on its own, neither did that keyboard. Its an exercise in executing a vision from one’s mind. It is realization of the abstract.

Props to Cold Choir, they can pull this off live too. I know first-hand, I see them as often as they play.

Brain Kiss by Sang Sarah

Brain Kiss by Sang Sarah

I am friends with Jenna and Ian Duval. I like hanging out with them at bars, I love watching them perform, they are some of the easiest people to be around. And they also make THIS music. It is a massive music. The atmosphere and sounds create a universe filled with these ideas of legends and great stories. “Brain Kiss” – the Musicians for Overdose Prevention song of the week – begins to kill you the moment the first harmonies fly across the landscape. This is the greatest voice, seeped with emotion and heartbreak and doom. The song, the sonic voyage, is an entire cinematic event in three minutes. Jenna and Ian have walked out in the wilds and they have returned with treasure, this cursed gothic treasure. 

Want to hear us talk about this song? Check out episode #102 of our podcast at hlycrp.com.

Hung The Moon by Grace Joyner

Hung The Moon by Grace Joyner

I always try to understand why a musician affects me this way. This magic, why this narrow band of artistic expression – words, melody, chords, rhythm – makes me feel. Much better than having a perfect voice is having a unique voice. And this sleepy, cool, understated singer always seems to be tugging me closer. This is a Tuesday afternoon at a bar storyteller, easy and sly. In terms of craft – the punches in this song start hitting in the pre-chorus, the slow build up of “I guess you never knew how to say it… somehow you always got that wrong…“ and then the knock-out hook-filled chorus leads to the final line “I thought you hung the moon.” This is magic. 

Want to hear us talk about this song? Check out episode #102 of our podcast at hlycrp.com.