The Joy of Rediscovery

Depending on the genre, the same well-established musicians get mentioned as important influences by emerging artists over and over again. Experimental pop music pioneers like Björk or Kate Bush are admired for their craft, not only because they are both women, but of course, that plays a significant role, too. Or take Radiohead, Tame Impala, and Arcade Fire, for example.

And then there are others; although hugely successful and pioneers in their field, they get less mentioned as they probably should.

Speaking of Radiohead: their newest formation, The Smile, comprised of masterminds Thom York, Jonny Greenwood, and Tom Skinner, seems to be everywhere, with their album A Light For Attracting Attention, respectively. From the New York Times to Pitchfork, all are raving, and it is a good album that I like too. The album's fifth song, "The Smoke," sparked an old interest anew because the track's baseline reminds me starkly of a section in Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells," way into the mesmerizing track when he starts naming all the instruments one by one.

Curious about what Mike Oldfield has been up to recently, I not only dusted off my 80s vinyl collection but checked Spotify and Apple Music and found the Tubular Bells - 50th Anniversary Celebration, recorded by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. I enjoyed listening to the fresh take on music I grew up with, which prompted me to dig a bit deeper into the life of British songwriter and producer Mike Oldfield. Fortunately, this is easy these days.

When I first came across Mike Oldfield’s music and consequently became a fan in the 80s, it was difficult to obtain information about an artist other than hoping to find some on public radio or in music magazines. Now, whatever you want to know about an artist is only a fingertip away. You can even reach out to your favorite musician thanks (!) to social media.

With much of the negative talk about the internet, this is a necessary reminder that with ubiquitous connectivity, so many areas have actually improved. Granted, with the overload of information and easy access to recorded music, artist discovery lost some of its excitement. Yet, this also means that I can revisit the music and artists I grew up with and can learn more about them if I want to. Have you rediscovered someone lately?

Song Pick of the Day

Josephine Sillars – Spend Time Wasting

Leeds-based, Scotland-born musician Josephine Sillars embraces whole-heartedly the trip-hop label for her music. Her new single “Spend Time Wasting” juxtaposes a driving Massive Attack groove with dreamy, distant vocals and invites you to defy the pressure of the moment and recharge by just doing nothing.

Josephine is also a representative of Pop Girlz Scotland, an organization that fights for gender equality in the music industry.

Listen to “Spend Time Wasting,” our Song Pick of the Day, on your favorite streaming service or below on YouTube:

Sofia Lafuente – If You Care

Sofia Lafuente delights with the bittersweet yet stunningly beautiful “If You Care.” The alt-pop singer-songwriter was born in the United States and raised in London by her American father and Spanish mother and, from an early age on, turned to music as a form of escapism. “If You Care” comes from a deeply personal place and lyrically deals with the highly difficult music business and the industry’s unfair expectations, especially for women. While there was a time when Sofia thought of maybe not belonging, she now feels more confident as an artist and says about “If You Care:”

I wrote it about being a woman in the industry but I realised it can also relate to people that are in a relationship with someone who’s not fully in, and what’s helped me, regardless of whether it’s your job or romantic life, is surrounding yourself with people that empower you.

Listen to “If You Care,” our Song Pick of the Day, and check out the lovely performance video too:

Mörmaid – Mirror (ft. Murmur)

Last Friday, London-based, Norwegian-born singer, songwriter, and producer Live Sollid Schulerud aka Mörmaid, released her new EP “Push Pull” with five deconstructed synth-pop songs. For our Song Pick of the Day, the closer “Mirror,” she teamed up with fellow Norwegian producer Murmur (Sunniva Mellbye) for a song that meanders between catchy pop and experimental electronics.

Listen to “Mirror” below on Bandcamp or Spotify:

Geoff Gibbons – Execution Man

In a way, it feels like half a lifetime since we last featured Geoff Gibbons with “Keep on Driving,” back in July 2020, yet the world hasn’t changed that much. While we have learned to live with COVID in all its scary forms, new, equally troublesome events are emerging. In his latest song, “Execution Man,” the Vancouver-based singer/songwriter points his thoughts inwards and reflects on the many layers we surround ourselves with, authentic and faux ones alike. Geoff says about the quiet, moody, and oh-so-catchy track:

We face so many obstacles in our lives –physical, emotional, personal, band psychic — we form so much of our identities based on falsehoods.. the warrior in us must face and destroy those falsehoods. “Execution Man” relates that the death of the false self is necessary in order to discover the true self.

Not an easy undertaking, hence the more somber tones in “Execution Man,” delivered in Geoff’s unpretentious and highly pleasing vocals with backing vocals by Mr. Maph. “Execution Man,” is accompanied by an enigmatic, cinematic music video created by Blue Cafe Music and Video with footage filmed by Morten Lovechild.

Listen to “Execution Man,” our Song Pick of the Day, and enjoy the atmospheric video:

Premanition – Mars

Being misunderstood is part of being an artist, so one feels with Calgary, Canada-based musician Fatiha Rezwan aka Premanition that she wants to get away from it all to a place far, far away. How about “Mars,” muses Fatiha in her new epic, orchestral pop song she wrote and co-produced. She explains:

“I wrote Mars because sometimes I feel like I’m stranded on an island, and nobody understands me except one close friend or family member. In that moment, I wonder if we could sail away, or fly off on a spaceship to a magical place. A place where we wouldn’t feel so misunderstood.”

Listen to “Mars,” our Song Pick of the Day, below on YouTube or Spotify:

Looney Gloomers – Faking Paintings

“Faking Paintings,” the new single by Copenhagen- and London-based quartet Looney Gloomers is as strange and beautiful as its title. With “Faking Paintings,” we get treated to not just one genre but a fantastic melange of several, think 80s new wave, krautrock and punk, and then some. The band, comprised of an actor, a producer, a teacher, and a tech manager, says it best in their own words:

We really try as much as possible to bend and merge musical genres, whilst unfolding a lyrical cosmos of metaphors and self-deprecating narratives. We are four very different individuals, but to us, difference has always been the key to creative success and inventive curiosity, the milestones of Looney Gloomers.

The result is brilliant because “Faking Paintings” is super catchy with sprinkles of surprise and edge. Asked about the track’s lyrical content, Looney Gloomers say:

This song confronts the inner saboteur that keeps you awake at night. The hero of “Faking Paintings” is in a fog of self-doubt, trapped in a limbo of never knowing whether he’s in or out – an uncertainty that quickly turns into anger and slowly but surely develops into; self-loathing. It’s a struggle that many young people go through today and a torment we should talk more openly about.

Listen to “Faking Paintings,” our Song Pick of the Day:

Halo Maud – Pesnopoïka

The singer/songwriter Halo Maud likes to sing in both French and English, but her new four-track EP Pesnopoïka centers around traditional Bulgarian wedding music. While our Song Pick of the Day, the title track, is rooted in western pop music, Halo Maud gives it her own special touches, like a warped guitar solo that instantly pull it out of the ordinary.

Halo Maud explains the song title:

“I am very happy to be sharing my new song Pesnopoïka, accompanied by a video and a bouquet of three additional tracks. I’ve been interested in Bulgarian traditional music for years now. While doing some research on the subject I came across the word pesnopoïka, which I thought sounded beautifully and strangely familiar. I learned that in traditional weddings the vocal part of the music is almost exclusively performed by the women in groups. Except during the most festive moments when a particularly good singer is recognized as pesnopoïka and sings solo accompanied by musicians.”

Halo Maud shot a video in Bulgaria together with Adrien Selbert:

The Pesnopoïka video is both an homage to Bulgarian folklore and a blurred portrait of the mysterious pesnopoïka. I was finally able to go to Bulgaria in June 2022, during a series of festive ceremonies celebrating the rose Damascena they are traditionally cultivating. These ceremonies have been beautifully captured by Adrien Selbert, who I had already worked with on the short film Taking Flight in 2021. This time we wanted to focus on the texture of the video, for it to be like a moving painting; the colors melting, the dresses whirling and the dance patterns leading to a visual trance.”

Halo Maud will be back next year with her second album. Watch the video below:

On Our Turntable

• Tom Jenkins - It Comes In The Morning, It Hangs In The Evening Sky
• Jamie Beale - Hello Nimbus