Tagged: B.Miles
Songs I Heard Recently And Liked
Christian Löffler – Felt (feat. Henry Green)
Up first and for the third time on this blog (a record), Christian returns with a deadmau5-esque slice of organic house featuring vocals by Henry Green. As usual, Mr Löffler’s production is on-point. The only mild criticism I have is I yearned for a bigger crescendo but this is my personal taste and should not detract from what is a very strong song indeed.
Conspiranoise – Sparks (lounge mix)
Barcelona-based electronic music producer Conspiranoise lend us this slice of delirious downtempo electronica. Vocals are superb although the PR never sent me their name :(. Not withstanding the track drifts effortlessly along and makes you forget what ever troubles you may be having today. Definitely one for long sunny evenings.
Siul – Intensity of Love
I kid you not, in Siul’s bio he writes “[I] remember buying reggaeton cassettes in his school when reggeton used to be illegal” and maybe for some that’s a damn good thing. I’m rambling but I thought that was hella funny. Intensity of Love may be a very commercial track, at least for this blog, but nevertheless it’s very strong and kinda grows on you the more you listen.
BIRD AKA JANIE PRICE – What The Night Knows
Janie is a half English, half Irish, multi instrumentalist and maybe a bit of a ringer having collaborated with some top acts such as James Dean Bradfield (Manic Street Preachers) , Andy Dunlop (Travis) and Hal Lindes (Dire Straits). But I digress and onto this song. Now, I was not convinced by the verse / intro as I didn’t particularly feel the vocals but once Janie switched to a higher register I was hooked. And got hooked further once the modulations and strings kicked in. Top track Janie!
Kavita Baliga – Shake It Off
Originally an opera singer, classically trained Kavita comes here with an almost Kate Bush sounding song about the exploration of “a woman’s internal struggle as she contemplates the life-altering decision of whether to have children”. Knowing that context my heart suddenly feels heavy and my eyes tear up. And that’s an enormous compliment.
未完成ブレイブ – 青く染める
I do like getting solid Jpop – or in this case – Jrock into my blog inbox. This song is very pleasant and features solid instrumentals and good song writing. For those in the know the track is very reminiscent of Scandal and Doll$box.
Bryant Barnes – I’d Rather Pretend
“A piano in the middle of a shopping mall or a guitar in the corner of a bedroom will beckon Bryant Barnes. As soon as his fingers connect to the instrument, soul and spirit fill the room” so reads the bio sent by the publicist. But it’s hard to disagree here. Moodboard: Super Tramp, Elton John perhaps. Bryan’s debut EP, VANITY, is out now on all major platforms.
B.Miles – Bad Decision
New York based B.Miles may be an artist to watch over the next year, and with 28 million streams for her previous song ‘Salt’, things seem to be pointing in the right direction. For fans of Feist ‘Bad Decision’ is certainly worth checking out. A song about a breakup and the intangibility of the language needed to express complex emotions this track drifts along in a melancholy, dreamy way. The only nit pick I have is the chorus needs a stronger contrast, but I’m being a bit of a princess; it’s a lovely song.
Hazel Rose – Muse
Hazel was born and raised in Switzerland by a “loving Danish mother and a wonderful Turkish father” so runs her bio and cites influences such as Billie Eilish and Hozier in her music. And you can hear that to some extent with ‘Muse’ but I can hear Lana Del Rey or Eliza Shaddad much more. This is a really enchanting track with solid vocals.
Allen Green – Eighties Baby
Ooh baby ooh baby ooh yeah. Seemingly having a hot tub time machine Allen Green – hailing from the year 1984 – gives us this massively funky bass line driven track. If you’re a sucker for Cameo, George Benson, Chaka Khan, Tom Browne then you’ll be right at home with this sexy wee number.
Random Songs of The Week I Found and Liked – September 28
As many folks of this once world famous Japanese music blog know I often times find great music at the back of my sock drawer and will write about awesome new music I find!
So without further ado, lets jump in and see what we have!
Reality Addiction – Grow Up
When I write about music I’ll often find inspiration from lots of sources, one of which is perusing the Popular Charts over at Submithub. And that’s where I found this really cool song which caught my attention with the minimum of fuss. A super melodic pop-rock song very much in the vein of Keane (of whom I’m not a particular fan, but production and stylistically this is similar).
I hope to hear more from these guys in the future, some talent here.
B.Miles – Separate Rooms
Fans of Feist will love this. B.Miles has a lovely soft, lilting voice and the song has strong echos of another independent artist called Dresage whom I found via Bjork’s producer, Damian Taylor.
A lovely slice of summer pop to accompany a trip to a baseball game. And she clearly loves popcorn, but who doesn’t?
Kid Phenomenon – Wheelie
This song is a super well produced track that could easily pass for a male version of FEMM but exists fine as a punchy pop-rap track all on its own.
But here’s the kicker – this 7 piece boy band has an average of 17! They have a long future ahead I am sure.
Nervous City Nervous Self – Stories of Our Names
Nervous City Nervous Self is the English language debut of Swedish singer/songwriter David Josephson and he tells me this and other songs “portray a wandering singer’s delightful doom, and are the expression of an artist staying committed to his path”. Which segues nicely onto my comparison: Jon and Vangellis once had a song called Find My Way Home from waaaay back in the day of which this reminds me. And while about obscure comparisons, see also Justin Hayward and Jose Gonzales for your vocal mood board.
Dance Yourself Clean – 2 Late
I almost typed Dance Your *Elf Clean, hey ho; early morning typos lend well to hilarity I guess.
Dance Yourself Clean started in Seattle (2013) as an indie dance party that grew into the first touring dance party in North America and the band produce high quality indie electronic music of a highly melodic nature.
Not sure what 2 Late is about but it’s a very M83 inspired track with shades of Years of War. Solid vocals and epic synth work blend together to form a highly expansive and involving production.
I look forward to hearing more from these *elfs 😉
*I know it’s spelled elves, but typos are funnier-er.
Todd Binder – Alameda
Pitched against a backdrop of somewhat country-esque or Americana instrumentals, Todd’s Damien Rice or even Daniel Bedingfield inspired vocals make my final choice, Alameda, a really compelling track.
When I asked Todd about the song, he tells me:
I drew inspiration from this song from a visit to Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge in Alameda, CA. The patrons there pin dollar bills with personalized inscriptions to the ceiling above the bar — a practice started by sailors, who would do the same for good luck before shipping out. I wanted to continue that story, writing about a man searching for validation and acceptance in his circumstances. It’s also fair to say the song as a whole walks a divide between — on one hand — that character, and — on the other — my own internal struggles as an artist searching for the same
Anyone that’s been to a Tiki bar in the bay area can probably relate – yes, that means YOU Trad’r Sam.
Anyway, that’s this week’s roundup and if you have any songs, do send my way and if I like it, I’ll write about it!
Najinsan!!!!!!!!! 