Tuesday Tunes -- January 24, 2017
Shaun Cordingley
Getting back to normal again around theguysfrom.com, which means you get another 5 awesome indie tracks today. Feels like I had a bit of an electronic bent this week, but there's enough of a range that there should (as usual) be something for everyone.
The Guys From do not hold the rights to any of these songs, it is more our hope to expose our readers to new and different music that we are enjoying, or re-expose them to artists they may have forgotten about.
At the top of each section, will be the song name, followed by the artists' name linked to their website, so you can fall down the rabbit hole, finding and supporting what you dig.
Bitter Leaf - Lanks
Melbourne based singer/songwriter/producer Will Cumings aka Lanks originally studied jazz guitar, before moving into lush, impressive electronic pop music like "Bitter Leaf", and there's always something about (classically) trained musicians that just seem to help their music stand out for me. "Bitter Leaf" is beautifully composed and constructed as a chill electronic song that gets better every time I hear it--the vocals, the beat, and the piano just pour out of your speakers, and his entire 2016 EP Viet Rose (which starts with "Bitter Leaf") is just what my winter needed.
Lanks has been featured on a number of music blogs, and Indie Shuffle named him an Artist to Watch, so I'm not exactly breaking new ground in telling any indie chill electronic fans reading this to check him out, but if you have missed out on Lanks, give him a shot, you won't be disappointed.
Do or Die - Kassassin Street
Kassassin Street is an unsigned indie band from Southsea who have been mostly making a name for themselves by touring around the UK, and "Do or Die" is a great example of a new band who have a unique and interesting sound. I particularly appreciated the snyth/bass/vocals verses of "Do or Die" (with the occasional drum flourish), which are then followed up with more densely layered, with a more traditional indie alternative sounding chorus. "Do or Die" has a nice build to it, and sounds particularly good (if not better) live, which is always a credit to a group of artists.
I'll be keeping an eye out to see what they do in 2017 for sure, and if you enjoy "Do or Die", be sure to check out some more of their work on YouTube.
A Little Bit Broken - Spritely
Spritely was founded by singer-songwriter Jillian Lavin and some of her peers at USC to make indie music of a sort that popped up a bit in the mid to late 1990s which I have to say, I love the way Spritely describes it: "Think: your favorite high school emo music, grown up." "Little Bit Broken" is exactly that; featuring great vocals, a sweeping, cinematic (again, mid to late 90s) alt-pop sound, and basically everything you could imagine with a description like theirs. This feels like college radio, and I always dig that.
Go Back Home - FKJ
FKJ (French Kiwi Juice) is a DJ/Producer from Paris who little over a week ago released "Go Back Home", an amazingly produced, thoughtful piece of electronic music which really gets me thinking (something that the best music does). Honestly, if you're into electronic music, there's a chance that you have heard of FKJ, as he is one helluva producer, and all of his tracks feel unique unto themselves. "Go Back Home" feels mellow, and a bit melancholic (but not sad...somehow....), and it feels like it would become an anthem for me should I go work abroad, or end up in a long-distance relationship (again).
Rumor has it that FKJ may have an album coming this year, so fingers crossed as he has never disappointed me...
What Are You Waiting For - DEAMN
DEAMN is a very new DJ/producer who has been releasing track for little over a year, and his latest single "What Are You Waiting For" is a little slice of tropical house to get you through the winter. The track has an easy, warm energy to it that just lets you kick back and think of warmer days. I don't often wade into talking about DJ's as much on here, as the electronic music scene has many more places to discover music, but sometimes I just can't fight stuff that is making me feel good, and that's "What Are You Waiting For" to a T.
DEAMN is another artist who I think is going to continue to develop and grow, and produce good house music, and I look forward to that.
Earlier this month, I put together my Top 20 Songs of 2016, which also has an (in order) Apple Music Playlist for the Top 20 Songs of 2016
Also, there are ALL the monthly lists, like the one for November 2016! This one is only missing a couple of tracks so it's a fairly full, and fun list!
Remember, if you want me to put these playlists on other services (like Spotify), let me know on Twitter (I've linked it below)
If you're looking for more Tuesday Tunes, are late to the party, or just want more theguysfrom.com in your day, here are the playlists for:
There are other (earlier) playlists available for you if you check out earlier articles or search on Apple Music itself.
See you again next week!
-S (@Shauncord)