Songs We Like

LOUDER THAN DEATH (feat. King Khan and Sean Spits)

This is the perfect pop song. Just over a minute long and there isn’t a second of this banger that isn’t fun and catchy and so true. Do what they say! There is beauty in the brevity. Do what they say! Like The Ramones every moment is a gem of exquisite trash and f*ck you to society. King Khan is the king of the underground.

Want to hear us talk about this song? Check out episode #94 of our podcast at hlycrp.com.

Listen here: https://khannibalism.bandcamp.com/track/abcs-in-old-berlin

GHOST FUNK ORCHESTRA, “Modern Scene”

Songs We Like

Heavy psych and deep soul combine to form Ghost Funk Orchestra’s spacious “Modern Scene,” a song destined to soundtrack a drive straight into the sunset. Hazy vocals from Megan Mancini gird the ensemble’s loose rhythm, while surprise harmonies stab through plunky electric piano and lumbering jazz drums to add more “modern” to this scene. Atmosphere is king in this track, and the mix of strings, horns, and heart create a space where shocking guitar jabs blend into a smooth and effortless groove. Ghost Funk Orchestra have crafted a balanced gem of a song, serving up clear-eyed lyrics directly from the ether and gliding between moody and light instrumentation with agility and ease.

Want to hear us talk about this song? Check out episode #94 of our podcast at hlycrp.com.

Listen here: https://ghostfunkorchestra.bandcamp.com/track/modern-scene-2

RUBBER BAND GUN, “On Your Face”

Songs We Like

Rubber Band Gun hits the ground running and don’t let up with the insistent guitar and bass intro of “On Your Face.” Emily Moales’ yearning vocals pepper the track with welcome consistency in the face of this stringed onslaught, with moans of “I want to be/On your face” blurring into fuzzy guitars and sturdy drums. Blending garage and psych rock into a dark, confident exclamation isn’t as easy as “On Your Face” makes it look, but their sound is surprising and undeniably enticing. This brand of music lives and dies by mood, and Rubber Band Gun concoct a swaggering ethos that stays in your ears longer than its two short minutes.

Want to hear us talk about this song? Check out episode #94 of our podcast at hlycrp.com.

See more: https://rubberbandgun.bandcamp.com/album/best-of-the-rbg25

BEDON, “Untitled”

Songs We Like

Break-up songs don’t have a set template, but they’re rarely as tender as Bedon’s “Untitled” manages to be. Atop consistent hi-hat taps and loose blues guitar stomp, Bedon’s plaintive refrain that “I won’t deny it, I’ll cherish the times we’ve shared/We’re very different people in the end” feels reflective without a hint of self-pity or regret. The Motown-inspired orchestration certainly helps keep “Untitled” from tipping over into sentimentality, as with the song’s electrifying bridge that lets the crooned line “I’m tired of talking/Won’t you speak for me?” make way for a stirring horn solo. Bedon balances detachment and determination into a blue-eyed soul rocker with thrilling results.

Want to hear us talk about this song? Check out episode #94 of our podcast at hlycrp.com.

See more: https://www.facebook.com/bedontunes/

Schoolboy Cubemaster, What Matters Only

Songs We Like

What matters only at the end of the day? This dreamy pop song – this beautiful art – this matters at the end of the day. To me it still feels pretty – even though I feel low. Cinnamon says this song is “Garfunkley” – and what she means is this vocal line is so gorgeous. This is simple acoustic guitar and layered vocals and then electronic sounds waves – and it feels so pretty and punk and fresh at the same time.

Want to hear us talk about this song? Check out episode #93 of our podcast at hlycrp.com.

Sweetheart Sebastian, Fille Stupide

Songs We Like

Do you like Canadian music? I like Canadian music. Don’t you like Canadian music? Baby. Sweet Sebastian shoves together the most catchy sing-along hooks hidden just below the surface. Like The Pixies, these guys walk that fine line between pop and weird. There’s experimental music when the creator doesn’t truly understand song – and then there is experimental music when the creator knows song. They know song and pretty noises. Such pretty noises.

Want to hear us talk about this song? Check out episode #93 of our podcast at hlycrp.com.

https://sweetheartsebastian.bandcamp.com/track/fille-stupide

Lala Lala, Fantasy Movie

Songs We Like

Fantasies abound in the dreamlike trance of synth heavy and soothing song Fantasy Movie by Lala Lala. Female/Male octave singing pulls you deep into a loving dream, and wraps you in the low fidelity warmth of an optimistic future. Tangibility of fantasy through poetic wordplay grabs the heart strings, and the heartbeat pounding of the drum beat carries the song into the type of dashboard love longing that yearns to be replicated in reality. “Tell me how it feels when you walk in the room” You don’t want to wake up to that empty bed, and tunes like this can prevent such an occasion from transpiring.

“Maybe its not real, but I can feel it when we sing” Yeah, well, me too.

Want to hear us talk about this song? Check out episode #93 of our podcast at hlycrp.com.

Mopac, Burn & Soothe

Songs We Like

Sometimes a song is just layered right, with all the space and shining chords in the right places over deliberate drums and powerful bass. It starts in a building of layers, a coming of power, and the void represented in methodical instrumentation and short clever silences between. The story would unfold whether the lyrics existed or not, I am certain. But thankfully they do… The wonderful female voice sings about slithering into the covers after shedding her skin, with a demon and another playing nice in the night. I feel the touch and go, impatience for presence, and the existential positioning of one’s self on the edge for experience. Fleeting longed-for love and the leaving’s lingering absence do the burning and soothing, and it comes across like a good thing.

Want to hear us talk about this song? Check out episode #93 of our podcast at hlycrp.com

https://mopac.bandcamp.com/track/burn-soothe

The Scaners, X-Ray Glasses On

Songs We Like

Mapping territories that exist between Thee Oh Sees and Blinded Me With Science synth/guitar riffing, X-Ray Glasses: On is hooking the whole way through. Its apparent that the bass guitarist is driving this beast along at speed. The distorted vocal describes visual scratches, night vision (x-ray vision too I suppose), with monotone chill that matches the party robot vibe. This is what strobe lights in a glow party sound like, sweaty, dark, mysteriously upbeat, and totally against the rules. X-Ray specs might not be needed at any party this song is soundtrack to.

Want to hear us talk about this song? Check out episode #93 of our podcast at hlycrp.com

https://thescaners.bandcamp.com/album/x-ray-glasses-on-7-single

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