Jon Santana & Jake McMullen and AWOLNATION

My have we had an incredibly busy week! With SXSW officially done, I wanted to spend some time recapping some of the artists that came and performed, along with some new artists who have been over multiple SXSW playlists. This first song is by a musician and producer known as Jon Santana. Now this song is a little interesting because I feel like it pays more homage to Jon Santana's role as a producer rather than a singer/song-writer. The song is more instrumental focused rather than having lyrically heavy verses and choruses. On top of the song composition, it features vocalist Jack McMullen who is the only source of singing throughout the piece. I found this to be a very cool dynamic, as it is more uncommon to hear that from a genre such as this. Now the genre is actually a little difficult to place. I don't really know what to call it, however, I want to say there are elements of alternative R&B, chillstep, and even a little bit of rock thrown in there. There are no boundaries with this song, which makes it even cooler. The song has this way of just oozing and flowing right over you. There is a viscous complexity and depth to the song which gives it such an interesting vibe. Jake McMullen's vocals are an absolutely perfect match for the musicality of the song as well. He has a slightly rumbly voice which is a more common sound for indie and folk singers. However it just works so well with this song. Jake McMullen's voice is perfect for layering pitch changes and other vocal elements because it has such a soothing and smooth quality to it. His voice carries very well without being loud or overpowering, which works so well with the more laid back vibe of this song. The way that his voice flows also works well for the rhythmic patterns in the song. I noticed that between vocal "sessions" within the song, the rhythmic pattern changes. The beat remains the same, but the syncopation alters depending on what Jon Santana decides to throw in there. The way Joe Santana adds and removes instruments and sounds is really nice because he somehow maintains the tone of the song. At some points he adds bells, increases the keyboards, removes certain synth lines, etc. But the tonality and mood of the song does not change even the rhythm and sounds do. I found this to be a really cool thing to hear because being able to create that kind of consistency is not easy. However, Jon Santana does a really good job of it! This is a producer I really want to spend some time with and listen to. His music is something that would be really cool to explore further, so I hope you all do as well! Today's instrumental song is by an artist who I was immediately reminded of by Jon Santana's song. This instrumental is a song by AWOLNATION. This producer is one who is known more in the rock sphere of music, oddly enough. However, I feel like both artists have the same kind of mood and sound that they pursue. There is a nice richness to the way both artists create their music, and AWOLNATION does a really good job of creating songs that are energetic and chilled out at the same time. There is a lesser sense of overwhelming power, however, AWOLNATION can still maintain intensity and strength when necessary. In fact, this song is a great example of that. Yes, it is one of his most popular songs, but for good reason. There is a balance here that is indescribably good. Intense, laid back, strong, and smooth. This song is all of that at once! I hope you enjoy the music and please feel free to comment!