MISSIO holds on to the top spot on my chart for a third week with “Time”, one of the many outstanding songs from their latest album I AM CINCO, an epic work featuring 26 tracks that dropped this past Friday, May 3rd. (Read my review and interview with the guys here.) Green Day moves into second place with “Dilemma”, while Royel Otis climb two spots to #3 with their delightful cover of “Murder on the Dance Floor”. Hozier’s “Too Sweet” leaps another eight spots this week, entering the top 10 at #7, while Black Pumas‘ “Ice Cream (Pay Phone)” moves up a notch to enter the top 10 at #10. Also moving up eight spots are “Capricorn” by Vampire Weekend, to #18, and “Creatures in Heaven” by Glass Animals, to #19.
The sole debut this week, at #30, is “Fortnight” by Taylor Swift, featuring Post Malone, who co-wrote the song with Swift and singer-songwriter/producer Jack Antonoff. The downtempo synthpop ballad is from her latest and 15th album The Tortured Poets Department, which has received generally positive reviews and broken numerous sales and streaming records. The album, released April 19th after weeks of advance hype, features 16 tracks. But only two hours later, Swift surprise-released a double album edition, subtitled The Anthology and containing 15 bonus tracks, for a total of 31 in two volumes. While I’m not a huge fan of Swift, I do acknowledge her strong songwriting abilities, and really like some of her songs. As an example of her massive popularity, she currently holds every single one of the top 14 spots on the Billboard Hot 100, with “Fortnight” at #1.
TIME – MISSIO (1)
DILEMMA – Green Day (3)
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR – Royel Otis (5)
OVERCOMPENSATE – twenty one pilots (2)
MY GOLDEN YEARS – The Lemon Twigs (4)
NEON PILL – Cage the Elephant (6)
TOO SWEET – Hozier (15)
KOOL AID BLUE – The Sylvia Platters (7)
EVERYTHING WE NEED – Mojave Grey (9)
ICE CREAM (PAY PHONE) – Black Pumas (11)
DON’T FORGET ME – Maggie Rogers (13)
DARK MATTER – Pearl Jam (12)
WANTING AND WAITING – The Black Crowes (14)
I’M IN LOVE – Jelani Aryeh (8)
GOOD PEOPLE – Mumford & Sons, Pharrell Williams (10)
THOUGHTS I HAVE WHILE LYING IN BED – The Maine, Beach Weather (19)
This is a very long post, so grab your favorite adult beverage, get comfortable and enjoy!
As a blogger who writes primarily about current music, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know quite a few musicians and bands, at least online. Needless to say, it’s especially gratifying when a more widely-known act acknowledges me by liking or commenting on some of my social media posts, or even going so far as to follow me! One that ranks pretty high is Austin, Texas-based MISSIO, who’ve been one of my favorite acts for more than six years.
The exceptionally talented and absurdly creative duo consists of singer-songwriter, musician and producer Matthew Brue and songwriter/producer and musician David Butler, as well as their silent third partner, producer and frequent collaborator Dwight Baker and their drummer Jaydon Bean. Not only do I love their great songwriting, uniquely original and edgy sound that’s an eclectic mash-up of gritty alternative electronic rock, hip hop and dreamy emo vibes, and Matthew’s distinctive tenor vocals, I also have mad respect for them. Exuding a genuine coolness, yet unafraid to share their anxieties and vulnerabilities in their music and social media posts, they’ve earned a legion of loyal fans they’ve affectionately dubbed the ‘MISSIO Mafia’ (of which I proudly consider myself a member),
Photo of David Butler and Matthew Brue by Ima Leupp
Starting with their brilliant debut album Loner in 2017, MISSIO has consistently released an exceptional catalog of music,. They followed with three more studio albums, the magnificent The Darker the Weather // The Better the Man in 2019 (my review of that album has garnered over 3,300 views, making it my most-viewed album review ever), Can You Feel The Sun in 2020, and VILLAIN in September 2022 (which I also reviewed), as well as numerous singles and “Skeleton” EPs, consisting of stripped-down versions of some of their songs. In 2020, they also dropped a gorgeous soundtrack album for their film Love Me Whole. Several of their songs have charted on my Weekly Top 30, four of which – “I See You”, “Underground”, “Can You Feel the Sun” and “Time”– have reached #1.
In February 2023, they began releasing a series of EPs and singles that would continue over the next 14 months for what would ultimately become their fifth studio album I Am Cinco, a monumental work consisting of 26 songs that dropped May 3rd. The album is divided into five EPs or chapters, each containing between four and six tracks focusing on a different human emotion: I Am Sad, I Am High, I Am Awesome, I Am Angry and I Am Crazy.
To gain a bit more insight into the album and their creative approach, I had the pleasure and honor of interviewing Matthew and David via Zoom. Idiot that I am, I neglected to hit the ‘record’ button at the beginning of our conversation, so have no record of what we talked about for the first five minutes or so, which was essentially about how they met and began working together as MISSIO. Nevertheless, there’s still plenty of discussion.
EML: One of the things I really love about your music, and I think you do it better than almost any act I know of, is how you draw from so many different genres and styles of music to create your own sound. You have beautiful, heartbreaking songs like “Time” and “I See You”, which you know I love, to raucous, hard-driving songs like “Fuck It”, and everything in between. No two songs of yours ever sound the same, which I think is awesome. What are some of the bands or artists you guys loved growing up or love now, who influence your sound?
David: It’s interesting, because so much of it has to do with a couple of random things that just are who we are. First of all, I don’t think either of us identify as, like, “I’m a guitar player, or I’m a bass player, or I’m anything other than a songwriter”. We still like to rock, and both grew up on very heavy music, and for me a lot more punk rock. We both loved Korn growing up, though I grew up idolizing older stuff like Led Zeppelin, which is the reason I started bands to write songs.
Matthew: To me, it’s a yin and yang, where David brings a lot of the technical side of the older music that I didn’t really listen to. I’ve always been more into the exploratory side of what’s next or what’s coming, and I think the meshing of the two comes together in a really cool way where we bring old school and new school, and create this thing in the middle. Bands like Korn, System of a Down, Missy Elliott, Gorillaz, Cage the Elephant… we listen to so many different things, and I don’t think we’ve ever gone ‘hey, let’s try and write this type of song that sounds like this type of band’. I think it’s more us not being afraid to fail.
David: Unless you’re pretty sophisticated musically, you probably wouldn’t get that Matthew comes from classical music; he grew up in choirs from an early age, and is an incredibly gifted classical piano player. And so you hear voicings and harmonies in the chord progressions you don’t typically hear in rock music, because there’s a level of sophistication that Matthew has in his ear that’s pretty incredible. And then you combine that with me, who likes to fuck shit up – and he does too – and I think that’s what he likes about me. So I bring this punk rock spirit to the engineering; I hate electronic music that sounds like it was made with a lab coat on. This does not move me as a human, so I’m trying to distort, to move it off the grid, to make it human.
Matthew: I’ll be honest, it doesn’t work for everybody, which is the cool thing. Our fans who get it, fucking get it. And that’s what I love, as we have die-hard fans who love what we do. But we will frequently hear, ‘dude, I don’t know what the fuck you guys are doing over there’.
EML: What you were just describing is perfectly encapsulated in your song “Underground”, which I love so much. It’s got such hard driving beats and synths, and yet there are moments of incredible beauty, especially in the way your voice rises and falls. It’s just a fantastic song. That contrast that makes for such an exciting song. Same thing with “New Gold” from Gorillaz, Tame Impala and Bootie Brown. What a great mix of artists; you’ve got the rapping, a beautiful melody…
Matthew: I wish more artists knew this, but you can do anything you want in this day and age, but I think people are afraid of failing. Just try some shit and see what happens.
EML: You’ve touched on how you guys collaborate, but do you generally collaborate on all of your songs, or in some cases one of you come up with a concept or a melody or beat, and go from there?
David: It varies quite a bit. We both will start ideas on our own, then come together and do a show and tell. There will be a group of songs where we’re both, ‘that’s cool, this is the best of this bunch’, then we’ll finish them together. We sort of fall into roles we’re comfortable with; Matthew will take a bunch of the lyric and melody writing that’s left, because he’s the singer and that’s also one of his incredible gifts. I’m doing a lot of the arrangement and piecing of songs together. Matthew being the keyboard player that he is, is seated in front of the midi controller, and I am either controlling the synth or pulling up sounds, and he’s finding things as the sound is changing. There’s also a third process where we start from scratch, with either just us or us and a third person or even fourth person, and those are always wild and fun, because you never know what’s gonna come of it.
Matthew: And actually a fourth. A lot of times, I may pull up the bass and play some part that’s super non-sensical and that works, or sometimes David will hop on the keys and play some part that maybe I wouldn’t play, and that’s cool. Sometimes we’ll both get on the drums and do some weird shit. There’s a really fun element of that too, where you never know who’s gonna play what.
EML: I would guess that not sticking to certain defined roles gives you more artistic freedom to try new stuff.
Matthew: There’s a reason why I chose to be an artist and musician, and it was to get away from the monotony of corporate bullshit. What the fuck are we doing if we’re not having a good time? And part of having a good time is getting weird and exploring and being a fucking artist and getting messy with it.
EML: That’s a great segue into your latest work ‘I Am Cinco’. I think it’s brilliant how you guys have approached it, and decided to release it in chapters or installments. Partly because it’s so monumental, and rather than just wait until releasing a 26-track album, you’re giving your fans snippets every few weeks or months, which whets our appetite and keeps us drawn in for what’s coming next. It’s an interesting concept how you’ve also chosen to focus on different human emotions in each chapter. You’ve guys have always been very open about your interest in emotional well-being, and have shared your own frustrations and issues, and also your artistic honesty and how that plays into your music. What actually inspired you to create this work?
David: Part of art for me, is there’s an inspiration, and in the process something comes out and it’s like ‘whoa’, and I assign some meaning to it. The inspiration for this was, eight to ten songs in, recorded toward this unknown fifth album that we’d done randomly over time, plus 20-30 demos that we had piled up, we wondered ‘what are we going to do with this fifth album?’ There began to be a natural grouping, where it was like, ‘hey, these songs feel like they go together.’ I would say that was the inspiration moment, where we thought, what if we do five EPs, each with its own specific emotional theme and genre? We’re going to showcase one of the things that we love and are proud of with this band, that we’re prolific songwriters. We wanted to do a major fifth album that’s a statement.
Matthew: One of our collective gifts is doing the business side as well, and in this day and age, it’s incredibly important as artists to be involved. We want our music to be heard, and what is the strategy behind this? If you’re a MISSIO fan, and you really want to be on this journey, what would you want to see, hear, feel? And to your point Jeff, rather than waiting to drop some giant album, we also realized that attention spans now are so short, and it’s really hard to get someone to sit down for almost two hours and listen to this whole thing. So let’s do an EP, EP, EP, and drop some singles to give it to people in chunks, because we want every song to be heard.
David: Music is therapy. I want the world to rediscover the power of music, and not just by listening to MISSIO songs, but music in general. We’ve minimized its role in our lives to just a playlist in the background while you’re doing the dishes. That’s why we broke this up. This is also a medicinal thing that you can say, ‘I can connect in this emotional state and address some emotional shit’, with music as your friend. That’s what I’ve been doing since I was an angsty teenager.
EML: That’s what I think makes people relate to your music so deeply, and why your fans are so loyal and fervent in their love for you guys, because your music really does touch us. I have a question about the whole nature of needing to be so present on social media, and how exhausting and frustrating that must be, as it’s a necessary evil. I’ve heard a lot of artists that I follow complain about how much time they must spend on social media, when they’d rather be creating music. What are your thoughts about this and how do you keep it from driving yourselves crazy?
Matthew: There are two schools of thought about this. One is, it’s the best time to be alive in regards to getting your music heard, because you can share it with anybody in one click of a button. Which is different from the 80s and 90s where you had these gatekeepers who ran a few magazines or MTV, and it was virtually impossible to get your music heard. But now the overwhelming thing I hear is that there’s too much, so it’s hard to actually poke through. But I’d rather be on this side where you at least have a chance. But also, people need to learn self-discipline, and if you start to notice that social media is having an effect on your mental health, have the discipline to put it down for a second. Your fans will be OK if you don’t post for a week. I’d rather focus on the art and music itself and make sure it’s the best it can be, and post however and whenever we can, and take care of our mental health and have a good time.
David: You need to basically have a plan and be able to live with the results. I find beauty in that. We’re not going to win at this because we’re great influencers. That’s not our gift, our gifts are in music, in songwriting and performance. Social media is an agreement we have to make and have to use. Matthew and I are both willing to be vulnerable and share as much as we can about our personal lives that help to point people back to the music. My goals are never gonna be ‘we got to do our Instagram to this number or nothing’.
Matthew: We even had somebody comment the other day ‘Do you even care about what your fans have to say, comments-wise?’ The harsh reality is ‘no’. We hardly read the comments, and I’m honestly learning to tune some of that shit out. We do what we do, we love what we love, we’re gonna write music because we love it.
David: It inspires me greatly seeing so many people resonating positively with our music. It encourages me as an artist who got into the business for the reason I was on the other side of that. I am still many times the fan in the crowd that gets blown away. Frankly, all the bands I like would be saying the same shit we’re saying. You can’t create from a space of wanting to be a Walmart band, the most generic version that you could sell to the most people with the least amount of jagged edges. That’s just not fun for us.
EML: Your first two albums ‘Loner’ and ‘The Darker the Weather // The Better the Man’ were released through RCA, but then you left. Are you now you’re independently releasing your music?
David: We did the third album on BMG, then released independently, and now recently, we’re on a label named Nettwerk for this album. We’re always learning more about the business, and ultimately, we’ve taken back massive creative control. With RCA we had creative control, but it was hard to accomplish the business goals through their machine. There’s so many layers, nothing happens fast, and we’re DIY, entrepreneurial spirits. We don’t like having guys telling us what to do. So far so good with Nettwerk, and we’re really enjoying working with them.
EML: That’s pretty much all I had, and don’t want to take too much more of your time. I really appreciate you guys talking with me, and it’s an honor again to interface with you and talk about stuff. I do plan to review the album when it comes out.
Matthew: Thanks so much man. I know for a fact that you’re one of the people that will sit down front to back and listen to ‘I Am Cinco’, which is awesome. I’m really excited to hear what you have to say; you’re always an elegant writer.
OK, let’s get to I Am Cinco, shall we! Given the album’s enormous number of tracks, I won’t be discussing them all, but will touch on all five distinct EPs that comprise I Am Cinco, highlighting my favorite songs from each one. The EPs are arranged chronologically in the order they were released beginning with I Am Sad, which was released on Valentines Day 2023 and features six tracks exploring various aspects of anxiety, sadness and depression. When they dropped the EP, they remarked on Facebook “If you’re a little extra lonely because Valentine’s Day is a hard day for you, then this E.P. is for you. If you’re struggling, depressed, experiencing loss, or honestly feeling fucking nothing at all, this E.P. is also for you. It’s helped us personally heal by being able to write out some of our own sad feelings & we hope those same feelings resonate with y’all.”
The first track, “I’m Sad and I Can’t Speak“, encapsulates this overall theme of how when you’re in the throes of depression, you feel nothing but emptiness and desolation, emotions I’ve experienced myself, unfortunately. The song is melancholy, yet strangely beautiful, with unsettling woozy synths accompanied by some lovely piano keys. Matthew’s vocals sound especially vulnerable and fragile as he somberly laments “I’m sad and I can’t speak. I’m scared and I can’t think. When I can’t speak I write out the things that mean a lot to me. At times I feel nothing.”
Though I love all six tracks on I Am Sad, I think my favorite is “Read Your Mind“, another hauntingly beautiful, downtempo song that’s also incredibly melodic. Here, the lyrics are directed toward another person who’s hurting: “I don’t need to read your mind now, I can see the pain in your eyes.” The surreal video, which has a pretty spooky vibe, was directed by Matthew and filmed in his house and edited by the band’s frequent photographer Ima Leupp of Seamless Loop Productions. They used six cakes in the production of the video, which they smashed into their faces to symbolize the foolish or irrational behavior people sometimes engage in to draw attention to their pain. The guys were cleaning cake residue out of their beards, hair and ears for days.
The saddest song of this group is “What Can You Say“, which was inspired by the suicides of both a friend of David’s and a friend of Dwight’s, who left a wife and two children behind. Matthew was overwhelmed with sadness that someone could feel so despondent and hopeless, they would take their own life and leave loved ones behind, expressed in these heart-wrenching lyrics: “What can you say to a man willing to throw his life away? What can you say when you can’t always come to save the day?” The acoustic guitars and piano are particularly beautiful, and Matthew’s vocals are steeped in sadness.
Well, I wasn’t going to talk about every track, but damn, they’re all so good I can’t help myself. “Ring Ting” is a cool trip hop song calling out those who become slaves to material possessions and money in an attempt to fulfill their definitions of success, losing their humanity in the process. The sixth track of this series, “Monsters (Inside of Us)“, is positively gorgeous, with a soaring orchestral soundscape forming a dramatic backdrop for Matthew’s plaintive vocals as he sings “You’re not a monster. I’m not a monster. But we have monsters inside of us.”
Opening the second chapter of EPs, a collection of six feel-good songs grouped under the appropriately-titled I Am High, is the delightfully celebratory “Good Vibrations“, which I reviewed last summer. With its powerful synth bass groove, heavy, pulsating beats and colorful spacey synths, it’s is one of my favorites of the entire album. Though Matthew had some initial misgivings about releasing “Good Vibrations”, given that it shares the same title as the iconic Beach Boys song, he thought that with all the bullshit and negativity bombarding us, we could use a little more love and positivity. The song spent several months on my Top 30 chart, peaking at #3. For the wonderful music video, they gathered a few skater friends together and shot the video at a skate park in San Marcos, Texas. The video features Matthew and David, along with skaters Kat Frances, Mason Lapena and Abel Rodriguez.
MISSIO let their freak flag fly high and proud on “Big Stacks“, a collaboration with British rapper Jelani Blackman. The song is a celebration of the joys of stoner culture, as well as an assessment of the challenges of living the good life and getting high: “Big stacks and big racks.If you got that shit you better light it up. It’s 4:20 and we ‘bout to take a puff. Wait, I think I’m out of options. I gotta’ solve this. Guess I gotta work hard, try to get these options.” With it’s heavy trip hop beats and rapping vocals, the song sounds about as different as could be from the songs on I Am Sad. The guys had a lot of fun making the trippy and hilarious video, and consider it their favorite of all the ones they’ve made.
Other standouts in this chapter are the mellow love song “Easy“, the Latin-flavored hip-hop romp “Thang Thang“, featuring L.A.-based artist DEADFOOT, and the lovely and mesmerizing “I’m Coming Home“.
The third chapter of songs, grouped under I Am Awesome, explore self-affirmation and healing from past traumas and abuse. Case in point is “Not My Fault“, an anthemic pop-rock song calling out someone who’s belittled and disrespected you: “I don’t like how you took my heart, and you burned it down on a funeral pyre. Where the ashes rise from the darkest days, this is not my fault. No it’s not my fault it’s you.” On the exuberant “Heart Made of Dynamite“, Matthew sings of breaking free from another’s control and negativity, and not keep your feelings bottled up inside: “I’m like a body with a heart made of dynamite. Won’t be long until it explodes.” And on the delightfully upbeat “Making Me Nervous“, he tells his love interest of the spellbinding effects she has on him.
My favorite track of this group is “Say Goodbye to the Old Me“, thanks to it’s wonderful melody, dramatic instrumentation and uplifting vibes. The lyrics speak to letting go of negative energy and stress that keep holding you back, and embracing a healthier, more positive outlook: “Say goodbye to the old me. The future is too bright. Just say goodbye, this time I’m gonna’ get it right.” The beautiful video, featuring dancers Kornelia Klys, Julia Trelka, and Agata Weirzcholowska, was filmed in Gdansk, Poland.
Next up are the I Am Angry songs, of which there are five. And as their titles would suggest, these are some of the heaviest, most aggressive songs on the album. “Fuck It” is a perfect song for when you just want to break some shit and sound off on an asshole who’s stepped on your very last nerve. MISSIO definitely tap into their darker side on this one, with a barrage of tortured industrial synths and pummeling trap beats, overlain with wailing sirens and grinding bass. Matthew sounds downright menacing as he snarls “You’re a fuckin’ problem, did you know? I don’t think you do. I think I can solve it, did you know? You don’t get to choose.” The video, filmed in black and white, is pretty dark too, and YouTube is making us do a bit of extra work to watch it.
The best track of this bunch, to my ears at least, is “Aztec Death Whistle“. The song hits hard in all my dark side feels, both sonically and lyrically, as I love that savage chugging beat, those gnarly instrumentals and Matthew’s dangerously seductive vocals as he rails about the reasons why his soul is so dark: “Cast out by sixteen when I was just looking for home. I felt fucked & abandoned. Gave up by twenty and thought God had saved my dark soul. Stop fuckin’ with my head.” Bordering on metal, the song has a bit of a Nine Inch Nails vibe, but sounds distinctly MISSIO.
“This World Is Better When It’s Sick” is a fine example of how MISSIO expertly mixes up different styles and sound textures in a song. The track is brutally aggressive and spooky for much of its three and a half minute run time, except for beautiful piano interlude lasting 20 seconds in the bridge that makes for a dramatic aural constrast. The fifth track “Go Fuck Yourself” is the ultimate kiss-off song to someone who’s treated you badly and spread lies about you. Against a harsh backdrop of grinding industrial synths and ominous vibes, Matthew’s vocals are dripping with venom as he practically spits the lyrics “You’re talking shit. Can’t let it go. You gotta’ know I can hear your filth. Can you hear your filth? Go fuck yourself. I’ll be fine.”
The fifth and final chapter is I Am Crazy, featuring four tracks touching on various aspects of mental health, more specifically, trying to keep one’s sanity amidst all the surrounding craziness. The punkish “Fall into a Blackhole” is a denunciation of someone who’s been gaslighting you, wishing they’d disappear by falling into a blackhole, while “Pulled Down Low” seems to describe a dysfunctional and toxic relationship: “You might be crazy, I know you are. That look you’re given’ me is sure bizarre. You stab with knives, I stab with my words. You’re so damn beautiful it fucking hurts.”
“The Higher You Climb” sort of continues on the theme introduced earlier by “Ring Ting”, namely that achieving the success and acclaim you crave may come with serious downsides you hadn’t anticipated: “They say on top is where you find the freedom that you’re looking for. The higher you climb the farther you fall. They say, you got what it takes but you gotta throw your friends away. They say, if you want to be rich then you gotta learn to play the game.” The aggressive stomping beat and blaring synths make for an exhilarating listen, and the video’s great as well.
Closing out the album is “Time“, my favorite track on I Am Cinco. With its achingly beautiful arrangement and Matthew’s powerful, heartfelt vocals, “Time” now ranks among my very favorite MISSIO songs, and currently sits at the top of my Weekly Top 30 chart. The simple but profound lyrics touch on anxieties the guys have experienced over some of the issues facing our current world and society. They explain: “We spend our lives chasing things in our futures that don’t even exist in reality yet. We all want to think and believe that everything we desire will eventually come to fruition, but sometimes it never does. Time goes wherever you are, now, in each moment. Live like it’s your last because you’re not guaranteed a tomorrow. No one is.” It’s a perfect and fitting end to a monumental, flawlessly crafted and supremely impactful tour de force.
Here’s the album on Spotify:
And on Soundcloud:
In June, MISSIO will embark on a nine-city European tour:
MISSIO remain on top for a second week with their hauntingly beautiful song “Time”, one of the many great tracks that will be featured on their forthcoming monumental album I AM CINCO, to be released next Friday, May 3rd. “Overcompensate” by twenty one pilots moves up a notch to #2, while “Dilemma” by Green Day reverses course by moving back up to #3. Australian duo Royel Otis climb two spots to #5 with their delightful cover of “Murder on the Dance Floor”, and “Good People”, by Mumford & Sons and Pharrell Williams, finally enters the top 10 at #10. The song recently spent one week at #1 on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart.
The biggest upward mover is “Too Sweet”, by Irish singer-songwriter Hozier, jumping eight spots to #15. The song has quickly become an unexpected hit that’s even surprised the singer, reaching #1 in many countries including the U.S., where it’s become his highest-charting single and first #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100, besting his monster hit “Take Me to Church”, which peaked at #2.
Three songs make their debut this week, the first of which is “Broken Man” by American artist St. Vincent, the musical project of uniquely talented and innovative singer-songwriter and musician Annie Clark, coming in at #28. The song is from her seventh studio album All Born Screaming, which dropped this past Friday, April 26th. The second new entry, at #29, is “Loneliness” by the legendary British synthpop duo Pet Shop Boys. The song is the lead single from their fifteenth studio album Nonetheless, which also dropped this past Friday. They were one of my favorite acts from 1986-88, and I’m happy they’re still putting out new music all these years later. The third new entry is “For Us All”, a superb song by English singer-songwriter Asgard Raven, which I reviewed last week.
TIME – MISSIO (1)
OVERCOMPENSATE – twenty one pilots (3)
DILEMMA – Green Day (5)
MY GOLDEN YEARS – The Lemon Twigs (2)
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR – Royel Otis (7)
NEON PILL – Cage the Elephant (4)
KOOL AID BLUE – The Sylvia Platters (6)
I’M IN LOVE – Jelani Aryeh (9)
EVERYTHING WE NEED – Mojave Grey (10)
GOOD PEOPLE – Mumford & Sons, Pharrell Williams (12)
ICE CREAM (PAY PHONE) – Black Pumas (14)
DARK MATTER – Pearl Jam (15)
DON’T FORGET ME – Maggie Rogers (17)
WANTING AND WAITING – The Black Crowes (16)
TOO SWEET – Hozier (23)
LUNAR ECLIPSE – The Vaccines (8)
DIAMOND AND THE MISSING SON – Unquiet Nights (11)
THE GLASS – Foo Fighters (19)
THOUGHTS I HAVE WHILE LYING IN BED – The Maine, Beach Weather (20)
TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT – Dead Slow Hoot (22)
FIND MY WAY – Ships Have Sailed (13)
GOOD TIMES GO – The Kid and I (24)
I’VE GOT LOVING FOR YOU – Bottlecap Mountain (25)
MUSTANG – Kings of Leon (26)
BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (STAY HIGH) – The Black Keys (18)
Hailing from Cork, Ireland is Cormac O Caoimh, a talented singer-songwriter and musician who writes incredibly pleasing indie folk/pop songs filled with sublime melodies and beautiful arrangements. His thoughtful, intelligent lyrics, exploring the universal topics of life, love, hope and loss, are delivered with fine instrumentation and warm, comforting vocals that remind me at times of Paul Simon. The prolific artist has released an impressive amount of music over the past 25 years (both with his previous band Citadels and as a solo artist), including six outstanding albums, the most recent being Where The World Begins, released last October (of 2023). I’ve previously reviewed two of his singles, “I’m in Need”, in 2020, and “My Little Buddha“, in March 2023. You can read those reviews by clicking on the “Related” links at the end of this post.
On May 3rd, Cormac will release his seventh album 1999-2012 Vol. 1, featuring 20 tracks. The first 10 are new recordings of older songs of his that were first released between 1999 and 2012, while the second 10 are the original recordings of those same 10 songs. About this project, he remarked “The new recordings are not necessarily better (some might be, some are not) but they are all very different.” In advance of the album release, he’s dropped two of the new tracks as singles – “You’ll Find Me (There’s Gold There Somewhere)”, a reimagining of “There’s Gold There Somewhere”, and “There’s A Crack (Heart Attack)“, a reimagining of “Heart Attack”. Both of the original songs are from his 2012 album A New Season For Love.
The original recording of “Heart Attack” is a lovely though somewhat melancholy song highlighted by Cormac’s beautifully strummed acoustic guitar, accompanied by gentle synths and well-placed electric guitar chords. His soothing vocals really do sound like Paul Simon on this version. “There’s A Crack (Heart Attack)”, which is 25 seconds shorter than the original, has a bigger, more dramatic feel, with added somber piano keys, darker, more powerful synths, and more strongly resonant guitar notes. Cormac’s vocals also sound different, this time much more emphatic and with added echo that impart a greater sense of foreboding. Though each version sounds very different, I really like them both a lot.
The lyrics describe feelings that might occur during a panic attack, when one loses all rationality and a healthy sense of perspective: “Your ears hear a tune that nobody sings. Your eyes are immune to the beautiful things. There’s a crack on your path. There’s no way back. Your heart’s under attack.” The fascinating and quite effective video features distorted footage of a male passenger on an airplane having a panic attack.
Here’s the full album on Bandcamp, with eight tracks currently available for streaming:
The other day, while listening to the weekly Tweetcore Radio Hourmusic podcast, hosted by the inimitable Marc Schuster and available on the Audio Mirage Studios blog and elsewhere, one of the songs he played immediately jumped out at me. It’s not often I stand up and take notice when first hearing a song, but this one hit me right between the ears. At first, it sounded like it might be an old Oasis song I’d never heard, but I knew that couldn’t be right, as Marc plays only newer songs by lesser-known independent and unsigned artists. It turned out to be a song titled “For Us All“, by British artist AsgardRaven. With a name like that he sounded vaguely familiar, though I couldn’t quite remember where or when I’d learned of him. After doing a bit of digging, I found the interview Marc did with Asgard two years ago for his own blog Abominations, which I’d read.
With a name inspired by Norse mythology, Asgard Raven is the musical moniker of Joe Bickerton, a singer-songwriter and musician based in the southwest London suburbs. Drawing from an array of influences, including punk, rock, blues, folk and indie, as well as the music of some of his favorite acts like Midnight Preachers, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Embrace, Puddle of Mudd and the aforementioned Oasis, he plays a “melodic-anthemic” style of alternative rock reminiscent of 90s brit pop and rock, or as he put it in his interview with Marc, “anything with guitars in it to be honest“.
According to his bio, Joe learned to play guitar in the 1990s while posted in Cyprus during his time in the army. Inspired by Oasis and motivated by his distaste for radio music, he took his guitar everywhere, covering 90s classics all over the world while on deployments. During the early days of Covid lockdowns when he had plenty of time on his hands, he picked up his guitar again after a long hiatus, and began writing and recording songs inspired by his life experiences, “reminiscing on memories that we can all relate to“.
Raven records his music at Sunrise Sound Studio in Hampshire, where it’s produced by his frequent collaborator Marc Burford, of British rock band Echotape, and mixed by Mat Leppanen at the Animal Farm studio in London. He’s also had support from legendary Oasis manager Alan McGee, mentoring him around the direction of the project. He released his outstanding debut single “Until Another Day” in September 2021, and has followed with three more singles, his latest of which is “For Us All”, which he released on March 22nd. (He’s also uploaded an extensive number of excellent demo tracks worth checking out on Soundcloud.)
Raven calls “For Us All” “an energetic rock’n’roll song highlighting the challenges, barriers and loneliness people can often face when trying to get on in the world, especially if they don’t conform to the ’norm’. It looks at how we can’t always see when people are struggling, and how by being there we can support those we care about.” The song opens with a wonderful stomping drumbeat, which is soon joined by melodic rhythms and vibrant, multi-layered guitar work by Raven and Burford, featuring a lush array of reverb-soaked jangly, grungy and acoustic textures, accompanied by a driving bassline and outstanding drumming by Nathan Read. And not only does the music seem to channel Oasis, Raven’s vocals even sound a bit like Liam Gallagher’s here, his strong British accent shining through as he offers support to a friend who’s struggling: “The world can be a lonely place sometimes. And no one can see the pain behind your smile. Come on my friend, lean on me. Take my hand, let it all be.“
I like pretty much everything I’ve heard by Asgard Raven, and I think “For Us All” is his best song yet. I’m confident we’ll be hearing lots more great music from this talented artist.
Austin, Texas-based duo MISSIO have been one of my favorite acts ever since I first learned about them and their music back in 2017. I love their uniquely eclectic sound that’s an arresting blend of alternative rock, electronic and hip hop, and have written about them several times on this blog. Three of their songs – “I See You”, “Underground” and “Can You Feel the Sun” – have reached #1 on my Weekly Top 30, and now their darkly captivating “Time” joins that esteemed group by ascending to the top spot on my latest chart. The gorgeous song will be included on their forthcoming fifth album I AM CINCO, an epic work scheduled for release on May 3rd. I love Matthew Brue’s distinctive tenor voice, which sounds especially vulnerable and heartfelt here. And the complexity of their arrangements, combined with intricate instrumentation, always makes for an exciting listen. The simple but profound lyrics touch on anxieties over some of the issues facing our current world and society, with MISSIO reminding us that “time goes wherever you are, now, in each moment” and to “live like it’s your last because you’re not guaranteed a tomorrow.”
In other chart highlights, “Overcompensate” by twenty one pilots inches up a notch to #3, “Kool Aid Blue” by Canadian band The Sylvia Platters moves up one to #6 and “Murder On the Dance Floor” by Australian duo Royel Otis advances three spots to #7. The dreamy “Everything We Need” by electro-rock duo Mojave Grey enters the top 10 at #10.
Two songs make their debut this week. The first, and long overdue, is “Capricorn” by New York City-based indie rock/art pop band Vampire Weekend, entering at #29. I love frontman Ezra Koenig’s pleasing drawl, that lovely piano riff and the gnarly cinematic chorus. The poignant song, described by Alex Hudson of Canadian music webzine Exclaim! as being about the “aching, unavoidable melancholy of growing old and discovering that adults feel just as powerless as kids do“, is from their fifth studio album Only God Was Above Us, which dropped April 5th.
Entering at #30 is “Creatures in Heaven” by English indie/psychedelic pop/rock band Glass Animals. Like the aforementioned Vampire Weekend, their music is hard to classify, as both bands incorporate a myriad of genres and styles into their sound. The song is the lead single from their forthcoming fourth album I Love You So F***ing Much, scheduled for release on July 19th. In an interview with Consequence Sound, band frontman Dave Bayley – whose singing voice I adore – said the song is about “a moment in time, having the capacity to be enormously formative and life-changing.”
TIME – MISSIO (2)
MY GOLDEN YEARS – The Lemon Twigs (1)
OVERCOMPENSATE – twenty one pilots (4)
NEON PILL – Cage the Elephant (3)
DILEMMA – Green Day (5)
KOOL AID BLUE – The Sylvia Platters (7)
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR – Royel Otis (10)
LUNAR ECLIPSE – The Vaccines (6)
I’M IN LOVE – Jelani Aryeh (9)
EVERYTHING WE NEED – Mojave Grey (12)
DIAMOND AND THE MISSING SON – Unquiet Nights (8)
GOOD PEOPLE – Mumford & Sons, Pharrell Williams (15)
FIND MY WAY – Ships Have Sailed (11)
ICE CREAM (PAY PHONE) – Black Pumas (16)
DARK MATTER – Pearl Jam (17)
WANTING AND WAITING – The Black Crowes (18)
DON’T FORGET ME – Maggie Rogers (19)
BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (STAY HIGH) – The Black Keys (13)
THE GLASS – Foo Fighters (20)
THOUGHTS I HAVE WHILE LYING IN BED – The Maine, Beach Weather (22)
Musicians and bands continue to reach out to me with their music at an unrelenting pace, which means it’s time for another Fresh New Tracks installment. Today, I’m featuring four songs by artists who are all new to me (in alphabetical order) – Australian singer-songwriter Karen Harding, English folk artist Mock Deer, English rock duo Popclaw, and Welsh electro pop-rock duo The Vanities.
KAREN HARDING – “6 Feet Off The Floor”
Karen Harding is a singer-songwriter based in Melbourne, Australia who’s released an impressive number of excellent singles since 2021, beginning with her lovely piano ballad “I Didn’t Realise”. Her vibrant, emotive vocal styling has been favorably compared to artists like Sarah McLachlan, Eva Cassidy and Ella Henderson, and her songs have earned her numerous accolades, including the 2021 Bendigo Bank-sponsored Radio Eastern Songwriter Talent Show, being nominated as a Top Ten Winner at the World Songwriting Awards in September 2021 and Best International Artist at Crags Radio Independent Artist Awards in February 2022. She considers her music, which she records and produces by herself, “a tool for therapy and personal growth”.
Today, Karen drops her new single “6 Feet Off The Floor“, her 18th overall thus far, and the third from her forthcoming album Behind the Mask, due out later this year. About the track, Karen says it’s “a pop song of positivity and optimism, about moving forward and past our worries, and rising up just a little so we can look down on those things we spend so much time dwelling on in our thinking.” It’s a pleasing, contemplative song with sublime piano keys and delicate synths layered over a gentle percussive beat. Karen’s clear vocals are comforting as she sings “When I was six feet off the floor, all of those problems seemed so small. And in the grand scheme of it all, I found a higher place to explore.”
Mock Deer is the music project of singer-songwriter and musician Ricky Damiani, who’s spent much of his life in North Wales and Manchester, but is now based in London, where he’s become heavily involved in that city’s independent music scene. He’s toured extensively throughout Europe and shared the stage with such artists as Brent Cobb, Sam Brookes, Simon Joyner, The Burning Hell, Nadine Khouri and Curtis Eller. His sound can generally be described as folk/singer-songwriter with elements of alternative rock, and he’s released a fair amount of music over the past 12 years, including his debut album The Art of Loneliness in 2020, several EPs and numerous singles. He’s also composed original music for TV and theatre.
His powerful and haunting latest single “Harbinger“, released on April 4th and the lead track from his forthcoming EP Pilgrims, was a forgotten demo he’d written several years ago that he rediscovered while doing what he referred to as “some digital spring cleaning” during the pandemic lockdown. Re-hearing the song with a fresh and very different perspective than when he’d originally written and recorded it, Ricky liked the rawness of his vocals and decided to keep the original take for the final recording, which also includes Mat Martin on lead guitar, Jayden Pegler on bass, Will Inscoe on keyboards, Aaron Carpenter on drums, Matthew Herd on saxophone, and Lola Hepper on backing vocals. The track was produced by Scott Fitzgerald, who also produced his album, and mastered by John Nicholls. The poignant lyrics touch on his personal struggles, and learning to let go of painful experiences and appreciate the good things in his life: “And what’s to do. What do I have, I have you, I have love. Have so much I’m grateful of…” The striking photo for the single cover art, taken by Andrew Gale, is of female bodybuilder Stubbs Performance.
Popclaw is a rock duo from Southeast England comprised of singer-songwriters and musicians Dan Lawley and Chris Bird. Formed in 2022 through a shared love of Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Ramones, the guys live two hours apart but have never met each other in person, consequently have only worked remotely thus far. Since December 2022, they’ve released seven singles (plus two remixes), their latest of which is “Liar“, which dropped March 17th.
Chris wrote the opening riff in 2011 while at Uni, but sat on it for nearly a decade until resurrecting the track during the pandemic lockdown in 2020, at which time his friend Simon Hunt, of the English rock band Elmo Blatch, wrote lyrics to go with it. Popclaw says “Liar” is a punk inspired song that’s “mainly about people that lie very frequently and badly, [and] could be about an ex partner, friend, someone you work with or even a politician.” The song is a rousing garage rock banger, with roiling, fuzz-coated grungy riffs layered over a thumping bassline fortified with smashing drumbeats. The aggressive vibe nicely complements the biting lyrics calling out duplicitous liars who drive us crazy. The cover artwork for the single shows a man’s pants on fire.
THE VANITIES – “Just Passing Thru” feat. Bob Fitzgerald
The Vanities are an electro-rock duo from Cardiff, Wales comprised of Rhys Bradley (vocals/guitar) and Adam Hill (bass guitar/synths). With a combined love of 80s synth-pop and 90s grunge, they formed in 2001 and released their debut EP Space Tourist a year later. They followed with a few more EPs and singles throughout the 2000s, then nearly ten years would pass until the release of their debut album 2001 in late 2021. In 2023, they released “Private Army”, a hauntingly beautiful song inspired by the Russian invasion of Ukraine that marked a notable departure from their signature 80s sound. Now they return with a new single “Just Passing Thru“, a country and gospel-tinged song that’s another significant departure from their previous sound.
The song is a heartwarming sermon on love, loss and the importance of living life to the fullest, written by Rhys and produced by Al Steele. Rhys has a beautiful singing voice, but for this single he decided to have award-winning country music artist Bob Fitzgerald sing the moving lead vocal, along with stirring backing vocals by The Epoch House Gospel Choir. The musicians playing on the track include Reggie Duncan on the gorgeous pedal steel guitar, Adam Hill and bass, Gareth Jones on piano, Jon Martin Skauge on acoustic guitar, and Chris Barber on drums. The release includes an AA side remix by South Wales producer Jammy of an alternate version of the song sung by Rhys. Those two, as well as the version sung by Rhys, are included in the release available on Bandcamp. The video, featuring vintage early 1960s footage of happy family memories and driving trips, courtesy of Retro Vision Archives, brings the song’s poignant lyrics to life.
Here’s the song with the two alternate versions on Bandcamp:
Today I’m pleased to present American singer-songwriter and actress Jill Jones, who’s had a storied and challenging life and career. Born in Ohio, she relocated in her early teens to Los Angeles with her mother, who married Fuller Gordy, the brother of Motown head Berry Gordy. Her mother came to manage soul/R&B singer-songwriter Teena Marie, who was signed with Motown Records at the time. When Jill was 15, Teena asked if she’d be interested in singing backing vocals for her, which led Jill to begin her professional career as a backup singer. Three years later, in 1980 when she was 18, Jill met Prince when Teena became the opening act for his Dirty Mind Tour.
Prince loved her voice, and eventually asked her to become one of his backup singers. He invited Jill to the Sunset Sound recording studios in 1982 to sing backing vocals for several tracks on his album 1999, where she was credited under just her initials J.J. She also was featured in the music videos for “1999” and “Little Red Corvette”, then joined the tour for 1999 as a backup singer with Prince’s side project Vanity 6. After the tour, she moved to Minneapolis and became Prince’s on-and-off again girlfriend. He even wrote about her in a song “She’s Always in My Hair”, the B-side of his 1985 single “Raspberry Beret”. From 1983 to 1987, she recorded backing vocals for Prince-produced albums by Sheila E., The Time, Apollonia 6 and Mazarati. (Wikipedia) Jill also had a bit part as a waitress in the 1984 film Purple Rain, as well as in the 1990 sequel Graffiti Bridge.
In 1987, Jill released her debut self-titled album Jill Jones via Prince’s Paisley Park Records label, featuring songs written by Prince. The lead single “Mia Bocca” became a top 10 hit in Italy, and though the album received positive reviews from critics and was generally well-received in Europe, it was not a commercial success in America. In early 1989, she went to London to record demos for what was to be her second solo album on Prince’s Paisley Park label, but she and Prince disagreed on the direction of the album, and it was eventually shelved. By that time, their relationship had deteriorated; in recent interviews, Jill has stated that Prince had suggested she get a boob job and plastic surgery to make herself look more like Danish actress Brigitte Nielsen, which needless to say, really pissed her off.
Though she remained under contract with Paisley Park Records until April 1993, Jill worked on other projects with such artists as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Ronny Jordan, Todd Terry, Chic and Sinead O’Connor. She later released more solo material under her own name, including two more albums, Two (with musician Chris Bruce) in 2001 and I AM in 2016.
Fast forward to the present where Jill, along with the help of Scottish musician Neil Billinness, have resurrected those demos recorded back in 1989 and bundled them into her fourth and latest album The London Sessions, released on April 15th via Neil’s NERO record label. While Jill had long wanted to get her long-lost songs out into the world, it wasn’t until Neil contacted a friend of his in London who happened to be working in the studio where Jill recorded her demos, and managed to procure a cassette of the tracks. He says “This is an absolute passion project for me, and a dream come true to be making this project happen.”
For her part, Jill had a lot to say about the project: “Releasing old demos from nearly 35 years ago has been a poignant journey into the past for myself. Its a reflection on the evolution of my artistic identity. These unreleased recordings capture a pivotal moment in my life and career, showcasing the determination to carve out a distinct persona separate from the influences of collaborators like Prince. The music from this era serves as a time capsule, offering a glimpse into my musical headspace at that time, my creative process, and the emotional landscape that fueled the work.
These demos are a unique and intimate manifestation of Chris Bruce and I’s initial sketches of my musical vision for my second album on Paisley Park Records. In our collaborations, the process of crafting these demos took on a special significance. Chris’s impact on our collaborative work cannot be overstated. His dedication to the craft, coupled with a humility that is rare in the spotlight-driven music world, is a testament to his character and the depth of his artistry. Together, we forged a musical partnership that goes beyond the surface, creating songs that resonate with a profound honesty and authenticity. Chris’s influence is woven into the very fabric of our compositions, making him an integral part of the creative alchemy that defines our collaborative efforts.
After a fire in my home, my manager Roger Davies flew me to London and arranged for several musicians to work on production for the demos Chris and I had created in California. One notable departure from the Prince-produced sound is evident in tracks like “White Dogs,” a song that bears the weight of a personal and harrowing experience. The haunting melody and gothic undertones encapsulate the pain and anguish I felt when returning home to the aftermath of a devastating fire. The ruins and ash served as a stark backdrop to the heart-wrenching discovery of my beloved white dogs amidst the rubble. This traumatic event became the catalyst for a new artistic direction, as these demos (The London Sessions) came on the heels of this crushing experience.
I am providing a musical journey but also a narrative of resilience, independence and transformation. It’s an exploration of my attempt to navigate through personal tragedy and channel those emotions into a distinctive and evocative sound. As listeners delve into these archival recordings, I hope to give the listener a unique opportunity to connect with me on a deeper level, to take the listener back to the genesis of a musical rebirth born from the ashes of personal devastation.
Neil has been an unwavering pillar of support throughout my career, a steadfast ally who played a pivotal role in breathing life back into my stalled artistic journey. His unyielding belief in my work and his ability to see beyond the shadows that surrounded me were instrumental in revitalizing my creative spirit. In moments when the industry had cast doubt on my potential, Neil emerged as a beacon of light, offering encouragement and unwavering support.
The depth of Neil’s support became particularly evident when he spearheaded the resurrection of the London Sessions. Understanding the struggles and challenges that had plagued my career, he took it upon himself to champion this project, infusing it with renewed energy and purpose. His dedication to bringing my music to a wider audience and his commitment to revitalizing my artistic voice were nothing short of transformative.
There have been times in my journey where music, once a steadfast companion, felt like the ultimate betrayer. The music business, with its intricacies and demands, has a way of testing one’s resolve, and I discovered, perhaps painfully, that I just didn’t have the stomach for it. The industry’s pressures, the compromises demanded, and the constant struggle for visibility often left me feeling disillusioned and disheartened.
Music, the creative process, once a sacred space where emotions and melodies intertwined, became overshadowed by the harsh realities of the business side. The paradox between artistry and industry created a dissonance that echoed through my soul, leaving me questioning my place in a world that seemed more focused on charts and sales than the emotional resonance of the music itself.
Discovering that I didn’t have the stomach for the music business was a profound realization, one that forced me to reevaluate my relationship with my craft. Ultimately, I had to acknowledge that my passion for creating music could not surpass my intolerance for the industry’s pitfalls and people I simply couldn’t stand. In this realization, there was a sense of liberation, a reclaiming of the authentic essence of my artistry without the burden of conforming to external expectations. Neil helped me to have a bit of fun again, without the burden of recording labels, jesters, sycophants and strawmen.”
OK, let’s get to the album. It opens with “Unattainable Love“, a sleek, joyously upbeat dance-pop song that would feel at home on Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814. The lyrics speak to Jill’s penchant for becoming romantically involved with guys who were exciting but not right for her, or else couldn’t commit to a long-term relationship (been there, done that!): “Oh, you and I are the same kind. We run from those who try to tame the fires. It’s either hit or miss, I find it hard to remiss. Unattainable love.”
On the more introspective “Living Legend“, Jill touches on how the desire for fame drives a lot of people – in her case she’s referring to the music industry, but it also applies to other areas of the arts, sports, business and politics – to do things that aren’t always so savory or admirable, not to mention also being shallow and phony. “I want to live forever. I want to be a living legend. You know what that means.” The song has a cool, almost jazzy vibe with even a touch of progressive that makes for an intriguing listen, and Jill’s colorful vocals remind me a lot of Teena Marie’s here, as well as on some other tracks – a good thing, as I loved the late artist.
“Long Time” touches on the disappointment she felt when discovering that men she cared deeply for didn’t support her in return. Jill said in an interview that the song was inspired by Joni Mitchell’s song “Man To Man”. Over a head-bopping yet breezy synth bass groove, she croons “Ooh I tried to keep this love alive, but you treat me like a fan./ I need to find a man who understands my body.”
The dark and sonically fascinating “White Dogs” helped Jill come to terms with the heartache of losing her two beloved dogs in the house fire, and in a sense represented the end of her Prince era. The song has a more rock-oriented/techno vibe evocative of some of the great songs of the 1980s, with mysterious industrial synths, edgy psychedelia-tinged guitars and sharp percussion. Like the heavier instrumentation, her soulful vocals here are fantastic, packed with a raw, unbridled passion that elicits chills as she sings “Suicide or survival, I’m alone either way./ Oh I turn my back, and now you’re gone away. Some said I loved you too much. I guess I did.”
The influence of both Prince and Teena Marie can be heard on the lighthearted and funky “Some of Us“. I love the lively, skittering dance beat, super funky guitars and spirited piano keys, accompanied by Jill’s sassy vocals as she playfully croons “When kitty wants to roam, there’s no control. It’s irresistible.” “Red” is a solid rocker, featuring an aggressive stomping beat overlain with swirling orchestral synths and resonant guitar notes that I can’t properly describe, given my almost total lack of musical knowledge, other than to say they’re great. Jill says the lyrics speak to working through life’s challenges, and navigating the many minefields of the music industry and the duplicitous people in it: “Don’t know how much more can be tolerated. The threshold of pain has gotten to the limit. Why can’t you taste the venom on my tongue?/Red’s the color that I feel.”
Things end on an upbeat note with the delightful ear worm “Tango“. The song has a joyous Prince feel, with twinkling synths, jaunty guitars and exuberant horns layered over a sensual and funky bass groove. Jill’s lilting vocals are sexy and playful as she sings “Thought I heard a tango in the restaurant, baby. It was my favorite song. When we met the atmosphere was sexy, baby. Knew it wouldn’t be too long.” I think it just might be my favorite track on The London Sessions.
It’s a shame these songs haven’t seen the light of day until now, but as the old saw goes, better late than never. Thank you Neil and Jill for finally bringing them to life for our enjoyment, as The London Sessions delivers 25 minutes of auditory bliss.
I think “My Golden Years” by The Lemon Twigs is a perfect power pop tune, and I just can’t get enough of it. Consequently, it remains at #1 on my Top 30 for a third week. Aiming for the top spot, the hauntingly beautiful “Time” by MISSIO slides into second place, while twenty one pilots‘ “Overcompensate” moves up a notch to #4. Entering the top 10 at #9 is the delightful dance-pop song “I’m in Love” by San Diego singer-songwriter Jelani Aryeh, followed by the equally delightful “Murder On the Dance Floor” by Australian guitar-pop duo Royel Otis, jumping six spots to #10.
Two songs make their debut on my chart this week, the first of which is “Mustang” by Kings of Leon. While I’m a pretty big fan of theirs, this song took a while to grow on me, as I initially found Caleb Followill’s screaming vocals a bit off-putting. “Mustang” was the lead single from their forthcoming ninth studio album Can We Please Have Fun, scheduled for release on May 10. Entering at #30 is “Two Sweet” by Irish singer-songwriter Hozier. Shockingly, the song debuted at #5 two weeks ago on the Billboard Hot 100, and currently sits at #4, a major feat for an artist like Hozier in today’s streaming-dominated chart. My guess is that the song must have gone viral on TikTok. In any case, it’s another great song by this talented and beloved artist, so seeing it ranked so highly on the Hot 100 is a welcome sight indeed.
MY GOLDEN YEARS – The Lemon Twigs (1)
TIME – MISSIO (3)
NEON PILL – Cage the Elephant (2)
OVERCOMPENSATE – twenty one pilots (5)
DILEMMA – Green Day (4)
LUNAR ECLIPSE – The Vaccines (9)
KOOL AID BLUE – The Sylvia Platters (10)
DIAMOND AND THE MISSING SON – Unquiet Nights (9)
I’M IN LOVE – Jelani Aryeh (11)
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR – Royel Otis (16)
FIND MY WAY – Ships Have Sailed (12)
EVERYTHING WE NEED – Mojave Grey (13)
BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE (STAY HIGH) – The Black Keys (6)
BLUSH – Vazum (7)
GOOD PEOPLE – Mumford & Sons, Pharrell Williams (15)
ICE CREAM (PAY PHONE) – Black Pumas (17)
DARK MATTER – Pearl Jam (18)
WANTING AND WAITING – The Black Crowes (19)
DON’T FORGET ME – Maggie Rogers (22)
THE GLASS – Foo Fighters (23)
LOVIN ON ME – Jack Harlow (14)
THOUGHTS I HAVE WHILE LYING IN BED – The Maine, Beach Weather (24)
It can be argued that modern technology is both a blessing and a curse, but certainly one redeeming aspect of it is the ability it affords for different musicians located halfway around the world to come together and collaborate in the creation of a song. As a shining example of that synergy, I bring you “Adrift“, the wonderful new single by American rock band Voodoo Planet and Australian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Mikey J.
Based in DeSoto, Missouri, a small city approximately 40 miles southwest of St. Louis (where I lived from 1995-2011), Voodoo Planet formed in 2010, and consists of John Gilbert on guitar & vocals, Ed Henry on bass, guitar & vocals, Adrienne Myers on keyboards & vocals, and Patrick Myers on drums & vocals. Their eclectic sound draws from a wide cross-section of genres including garage, alternative, grunge, punk, psychedelic and experimental rock, country, folk, Americana and pop.
They began releasing music in 2013 with their self-titled EP Voodoo Planet, followed by their live EP Bookstore Sessions in 2017. Several tracks from both EPs were later included in their full-length album Ripsnorters, released in early 2020. Some of the tracks were inspired by the stories of real historical figures like Lizzie Borden and the radium girls, women factory workers who contracted radiation poisoning from painting watches with luminous paint containing radium. After a bit of a hiatus, they came roaring back in early 2023 with “Bewitched” a song touching on the sad tale of Bridget Bishop, who was persecuted in the Salem witch trials. Since then, they’ve dropped several more singles, their latest of which is “Adrift”, their collaboration with Mikey J.
Mikey J (aka Michael Johnson), who humbly refers to himself as “just a dude who loves music“, is a prolific singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Melbourne, Australia. Inspired by some of the great songwriters of the past, life experiences and his family, his songs are a mix of rock, blues, folk, funk and indie influences, all of which he performs and records in what he calls his simple setup at home. He’s been writing and recording music since his teens, releasing his first self-titled EP in 1999 at the age of 17 with his then band Blue Tracer. In 2011, he released a solo album Happy “六” Anniversary, inspired by and dedicated to his wife Ella. Nearly 10 years would pass until his next release ISO-Inspiration, an album inspired by the Covid lockdown, in October 2020. Since then, Mikey J’s been on a creative tear, dropping five more albums, as well as numerous singles.
Described as “an acoustic seafaring-themed song about lost friendship“, “Adrift” is a bit of a stylistic departure for both Voodoo Planet and Mikey J, with a mellower, more contemplative feel than their typical, more rock-oriented sounds. For the track’s recording, John Gilbert played acoustic guitar & percussion, and sang vocals, Pat Myers played bass, drums & percussion, Adrienne Myers played piano & keyboards, and Mikey J played cello. The track was co-produced by John Gilbert and Ed Henry, and mixed and mastered by Ed.
The song is a melancholy but lovely folk ballad that tells the sad tale of a group of young men who go out on a sailing adventure that ends in tragedy. John’s beautifully strummed acoustic guitar, accompanied by Adrienne’s soothing organ riff and the sound of gently crashing waves, set a comforting tone for the song. But soon, Mikey J’s somber cello strings enter, injecting a palpable sense of tension and unease to the proceedings. John’s pleasing, low-key vocals convey feelings of resignation and sadness as he sings the bittersweet lyrics:
Signed up for a party, on a big metal ship Things got heavy, the boat began to tip, boat began to tip. As young sailors, we never learned how to swim, No hanging on, dear. The quicker to meet our end, quicker to meet our end. Tried all the knots, to find one that would hold, Hard to tie when hands and hearts grow cold, hands and hearts grow cold.
That storm came crashing in, we knew it had to end That storm came crashing in, we knew it had to end. The sea didn't take us that day The sea didn't take us that day The sea didn't take us that day Only one of us washed away, only one of us walked away..
Lost at sea, my friend, far away at the world's end Tied a string to all we held dear But sirens whispered in your ear, sirens whispered in your ear Things best unspoken, and floating debris, Best leave it all, and sink into the sea, sink in to the sea.
The sea didn't take us that day The sea didn't take us that day The sea didn't take us that day Only one of us washed away, only one of us walked away..
No wind in our sails, but we're headed home Might drown in a bottle, you never know Pray all you like, but keep rowing for shore.
The Bandcamp offering is an EP which includes the original song, along with two alternate mixes.
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 