indie-go!

While I was on youtube, I came across a 10 minute video titled “Don’t wake me up”. After listening to it for some time, I realized that it was a mixtape. The channel that posted it was called Lophee, but the mixtape features the music of many different artists. In total, there are 6 songs of the same genre, called Lo-Fi (hence the channel’s name). Lo-Fi is a sub genre of chillwave music that originated in the ‘80s. Lophee has several other mixtapes on youtube that are perfect for anyone who loves chillwave music or just needs something simple to study to, sleep to, etc. My personal favorites from ‘Don't wake me up’ were ‘no one would miss me’ by a l e x and ‘G I F T’ by L e t s k e y.

 Rapper D.R.A.M became super popular lately with the release of his single, Broccoli, which featured Lil Yachty. Watching this concert was nice because I got to hear D.R.A.M’s music through a different point of view. Instead of the typical snare and heavy electronic tones, his voice was backed by live instruments, allowing us to hear his true vocal talent, which was impressive.

Three-person rock band Savoy Motel were formulated during the summer of 2014. The band consists of Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (Vocals, guitar, bass, keys), Lauren Savoy (vocals, guitar), and Frode Unneland (Drums, backing vocals). Savoy Motel is a self-described “overnight” band. Their songs are all composed by members Paul-Waaktaar and Lauren Savoy. Hence, they have created a sort of brand for themselves: “The Savoy Sound”, which is a rock sounds with funk undertones. Since their debut, Savoy Motel have sold over 200,000 and been nominated for three Norwegian Grammys, two of which they won.

Los Angeles-based folk-pop artist Julia Holter was born in Milwaukee, WI. She studied music throughout high school and college and graduated with a degree in composition. Her debut album, ‘Tragedy’, was released in 2011 and was named one of NPR’s "Best Outer Sound Albums Of 2011".  Since then, she has released four studio albums. Last year, she was involved as a curator in Le Guess Who? Music festival. On March 31 of this year, she released an EP titled ‘In the Same Room’, which was described by The Quietus as exploring “delicate and fluid nuances of sonic romanticism”.

Electronic musician Jlin (Jerrilynn Patton) rose to the scene in 2011, receiving praise for her track, ‘Erotic Heat’, which was released with Planet Mu Records. Growing up in Gary, Indiana, she was heavily influenced by R&B singers like Anita Baker and Sade. She started pursuing her own music in 2008. Since then, she has released two EP’s and two albums. Jlin’s music is of the “footwork” genre, which originated in Chicago in the 1990s. Usually, footwork music is accompanied by fast-moving feet and other dance moves like twists and is often done in dance battles. This May, she released her latest album, ‘Black Origami’, available everywhere.

Mike Hadreas, better known by his stage name, Perfume Genius, is a Seattle-based musician who focuses on piano and vocals. In total, Hadreas has released four albums and six singles. Growing, up Hadreas was the only openly gay student at his school and had an extremely tough time fitting in. In fact, he even received death threats from other students. He is very active as a musician and just released a single called ‘Go Ahead’ in April of this year. His latest project also happened this year; he chose the artists that would perform in this year’s “Le Guess Who?” festival.

Sticky fingers is a band that was formed in Sydney, Australia. The members are Dylan Frost (vocals/guitar) Seamus Coyle, (lead guitar), Paddy Cornwall, (bass), Beaker Best, (drums), and Freddy Crabs, (keys). Their genre can be described as indie-rock with reggae influence. The band released their first EP, ‘Helping Hand’ in 2009. Since then, they have released two EP’s and a total of seven singles, giving their fans plenty to listen to. The Milk Bar in San Francisco, which hosted one of Sticky Fingers’ shows, describes them as “A melting pot of reggae, psych, pop and bourbon. Hypnotising you into a swaying trance, then punching you in the face for dancing like a hippy. Their borderline contradictory fusion of flavours speaks to every walk of life, and it’s this multiplicity which makes the world their oyster.”

New York singer-songwriter Margaret Glaspy was born in Sacracmento, CA and grew up in Red Buff, CA. She started playing the fiddle at a young age and started taking music seriously in high school, while playing the guitar. In 2010, she started playing guitar with a band called the Fundies and released an EP with them 2012. In 2016, she released her latest solo album, ‘Emotions and Math’. Before then, she had released three other solo albums, ‘Homeschool’, ‘If & When’, and ‘You and I’. Pitchfork described the ‘Emotions and Math’ album as “grunge-rock”. In Glaspy’s own words: “I’ve always considered myself a free spirit, someone who goes with the flow, but actually I’m not exactly like that. This record really taught me that I’m super analytical and process-driven. I think they really do go together, emotions and math. Nobody is just one thing.”

I discovered Brushy-One string while watching his Tiny Desk Concert on YouTube. He is an extremely soulful artist with a unique quirk. This quote from his website says it best: “When filmmaker Luciano Blotta walked out of a rural Jamaican recording studio, way off the beaten path of tourists and music hounds, he saw something wildly unusual: a man with an instrument. Even more surprising, the instrument in question—a battered but resonant acoustic guitar—had only one string.” One-String’s voice can only be described as soulful and gritty. He tells stories through his music and amazes countless people.

Because Sultana uses a looping device as a key tool in her music, she is able to layer electric guitar tracks over each other. ‘Notion’ opens this way, making for a very dreamy sound. A little under a minute in, she incorporates drums into the song. Her high-pitched, sultry  vocals come in later and, though they can sound lost behind the music, I think that they blend in perfectly with it.

North London-based electronic duo Tender (made up of Dan and James), dropped their latest song, ‘Nadir’ on May 23 (“nadir” is another word for rock-bottom). This track opens up with what sounds like a string instrument (kind of like a mandolin), backed by what sounds like piano chords. Though it seems to lack momentum at first, the song is instantly brought to life a few seconds in with a heavy snare and a plethora of bass tones. The instruments dial down to welcome soft that, while clear enough to understand, come off a bit washed out. What I liked most about this song were its lyrics. The intro reads, “We were like an empty glass / These things weren’t built to last” Immediately, the tone is sad and serious. In the first verse, he sings, “I hate it when you touch me, but I kept it under wraps / Get bored during foreplay, and I think we’re getting fat” The song is obviously about a failed relationship. Overall, I was pleased with the various musical tones of this song and would definitely recommend Tender’s music.

Source: SoundCloud