40 Watt Gigolo

from the album In Search Of The Miraculous (2019)

Of all the bands out there in the musicverse, very few produce records that soars.  Desperate Journalist is one of those bands.

On the song Cedars, the London post-punkers Desperate Journalist deliver a song that physically and emotionally lift the listener into a magical place where you dance on a melody and sway to a propulsive groove.

The band is sensational, evoking the spirit of Blondie and The Pretenders while remaining modern and relevant.  The bass playing is particularly notable for its texture, tone, and joy.  The sound of the snare is Goldilocks good (not too dead, not too in-your-face, but rather it is just right).  The rhythm guitar has masterful jangle, and the guitar leads cuts through the mix to create a song within a song.

But the true star of the show are the vocals of Jo Bevan.  In the verses, she sings almost conversationally with tones of vigor and longing.  In the chorus, her voice raises to the stratosphere, leav…

from the album Riverland (2019)

Storytelling is perhaps the most natural form of human communications.  It's power lies in it's memorability, reliability, and it's ability to build trust between the storyteller and their audience.

In the American South, storytelling is uniquely and forever woven into the culture.  It binds those who consider themselves "southerners," and is celebrated in the works of William Faulkner, Flannery O'Connor, Harper Lee, and Zora Neale Hurston.

On their incredible new folk album - Riverland - Eric Brace, Thomas Cooper, and Thomm Jutz tell stories of Mississippi and the Delta.  The record is steep in southern culture and tradition.  My favorite song on the album is Mississippi Magic, a reflection on the social tension encountered by Mississippians during the efforts to integrate the state's education system at the height of the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

The song based on the writings and reflections of Will D. Campbell…

from the album This Is How You Smile (2019)

There is a reason why your yoga instructor never plays Rage Against The Machine during her classes.  It is the same reason why her candles don't smell like diesel fuel.  She is creating a sensory experience designed to enhance your lesson.

I dig it when songwriters craft their compositions to transport the listener into a desired state.  In the case of the song Running, by Helado Negro, we are treated to a lush dreamscape that allows the listener to escape the tension and trappings of their world to relax and feel a floating freedom.

It is fascinating how this atmosphere is constructed.  The tempo is slow, creating space.  The chord progressions are circular, creating an infinite loop with no beginning and no end.  The beat is simple and steady, allowing the hi-hat and snare to give the effect of a ticking clock.  The vocals are delivered softly, with light echo and reverb adding to the song's sedative vibe.

My favorite part of the c…

from the album Easy Way (2019)

I dig songs that are simple and honest, particularly when they speak to universal desires of ordinary people.

Got A Lotta Love by The Cactus Blossoms is such a song.  It is straightforward and earnest, in an Everly Brothers kind of way, pleading for love to be reciprocated.

If you don't want me
You can't have me
I'm not the kind of guy who likes to hang around

If you can't trust me
Walk right past me
That doesn't mean that I wouldn't settle down

Cause I've got a lotta love
Got a lotta love
Got a lotta love to give

What makes this song stand apart from its contemporaries is it's craftsmanship.  The two-part harmonies blend together effortlessly.  The light twang of the guitar is lead guitar and the laid back strum of the acoustic are perfectly balanced.  The drum beat it is sparse, but tasty, and the bass subliminally buoys the entire composition.

This song is pretty, sweet, and pure.

Click Here to listen to Got A Lotta Love by The Ca…

from the album Slowly Speeding (2019)

There is something in tones of rockabilly-noir that resonates in a dark corner of the spirit that other sounds never quite seem to reach.

On the title track from her latest album, Slowly Speeding, Kim Lenz turn the tempo down and the reverb up to create a slow-burning, Texas waltz that is timeless.

On first listen, this song is stunning in its soundscape of vintage tones slowly ringing over a warm analog hum.  The sounds are incredible.

However, on further listens, the senses overload on how perfectly executed the subtleties of the recording are delivered.  The strum of the acoustic guitar.  The way the two-part harmonies melt into each other.  The magnificently captured drum track.

I find that this song is best listened to late in the evening with a cocktail by my side.  When I close my eyes, I see cigarette smoke rising through the purple, neon-lit light.  It is a night ripe with temptation. Slow dancing with a sultry seductress.  The touch of h…

from the album Walk Through Fire (2019)

Yola is an exquisitely gifted singer from the United Kingdom.  Her genre-bending voice defies boundaries as it soars above any form of musical accompaniment.  She is soul.  She is country.  She is rock.  She is Yola!

On her song Faraway Look, the listener is treated to a big, 1960s production made possible through the handiwork of Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys.  The record combines modern fidelity with vintage tones, while never impeding on the singer, or her authenticity.

As I listen to this song, I am reminded of the grandeur of great artists, like Roberta Flack.  It is amazing how big Yola's voice is.  Equally amazing is her intonation and the subtle textures in her vocal delivery.  She simply blows me away.

This is one hell of a record.

Click Here to watch the official music video for Faraway Look by Yola.

from the album On The Line (2019)

Although winter is not yet through, and a bit of ice and snow may still await those in the southern states, early signs of spring - like daffodil and forcenthia blooms - are accompanying warm days and rainy nights.

These are times for rolling down the windows, cranking up the stereo, and singing along like as though nobody else can hear you (except at red lights, ugh).

Jenny Lewis' first new single in years - Red Bull & Hennessy - is perfect for times like this.  The tempo is driving, though not too much so, encouraging you to put a little more weight on the gas pedal.  The way the bass and kick drum fuel the groove with a boom, boom-boom, boom, boom-boom, adds to the song's feeling the of freedom.  And, most importantly, Jenny Lewis' full-throated singing about drinking booze and hooking up forces the listener to sing along:

I'm wired on Red Bull and Hennessy
Higher than you
I'm on fire, c'mon and get next to me
I wanna ride w…