Keeping It Fresh

Today I have music for you by the Australian trio known as Glades. This is a band that definitely falls under the indie and underground side of music. What is really cool about this band, is that they really are a band. While they don't forgo the use of synthesizers and programmed melodies, Glades uses actual instruments, the kind that you have to strum or tap. We are at a point in time in music when even rock bands are really starting to get into using electronics to make their music, that sometimes I feel like we have lost and forgotten what it is like to use actual instruments. But Glades is kind of cool in the sense that we get a great balance between the two kinds of musicality. And that goes to show that it is possible! But this song is one of those songs that has a really atmospheric sound to it. There is something so feathery and light, something a little airy and free about this song. I don't feel tied to the ground even though I do have a sense of grounding. And I don...

Today I have some wicked trap music for you. This song is originally by one of my favorite DJs of all time, Flume. But this trap remix is done by Sleepy Tom, another DJ who likes to hang out of the spotlight, but definitely deserves to be out in the front. Sleepy Tom is an extremely talented DJ, with the sickest trap beats and melodies that I have heard. He has done work with the likes of Diplo, and let me tell you, those songs are so damn incredible. What I like about this rendition, is that Sleepy Tom has taken one Flume's more chilled out songs and has turned it into something so ridiculously hype. It can definitely be a struggle to remix songs that have already been so masterfully produced because DJs don't necessarily want to compromise what the song originally had. But Sleepy Tom takes a song that was created and turns it into something that could be considered an original and unique work of musical genius. From the moment the song starts, we get that slow build up into s...

Today I have some music for you that came as a suggestion from one of my friends! This song is by up and coming artists Oddisee, and has a really nice jazzy and R&B vibe to it, a sound that we don't hear often enough. Now what makes this song so great is how it just oozes suaveness. Very few people remember that jazz is just as smooth as hip-hop, and the way that the song uses the jazz horns, it gives the song a really great feel. This song is a great example of what modern day jazz could evolve into. When rap and hip hop seem to be taking over the industry, having that mixed in with something as old and vintage as jazz would be such an ideal mix of bringing the past to the present. We get this really great and prominent kind of funk, a genre that hasn't been heard from in a long time. One of my favorite things about this song is the fact that Oddisee creates all of the music on his own. All of the instrumentation is done on his own, as well as a lot of the production in th...

Today I have music for you by a small scale band called Spoon. This band actually formed and started up in Austin (holla!) and I have to say that it is very different compared to a lot of the other live music groups we hear in Austin. This is their newest single after being together since 1993. Spoon has definitely experienced an evolution in their music and I really like where that evolution has them at today. Spoon has this ambient sound and synth oriented feel to it. This song in particular is definitely relying on the synth and keyboards to make the beats you hear. There is a kick drum involved for sure, but, there is also this really cool aspect of having a synth style beat as well. One of the things that makes this song so cool is the use of the harp in the music. It is not very often that we hear harps in music at all, but this song has a really beautiful harp solo and the harp serves almost as a harmonizing melody for the song. It is kind of weird because this song has the guit...

Today I have some chill and slowed down music for you, by an artist that is normally super pumped up. The Chainsmokers have recently gained quite a bit of popularity and fame. But what is nice is that they continue to do their own thing, make music the way they want, and create music that speaks to so many people. This is definitely a different vibe that we get from The Chainsmokers. A lot of the time, they are known for being a super energetic duo, one with more hype music than anything else. But this song is a nice step back from that and is a great exploration of something completely different. This song by The Chainsmokers is one that is more about getting you in that atmospheric frame of being. It is more along the lines of being melodic house, which is a genre that gets overlooked and overshadowed by things like house, trap, and dubstep. But melodic electronic music is where my hear and ears really belong, which is why this song was such a breath of fresh air. When we get to the ...

Today's song is by a little band called Bombay Bicycle Club. What makes this band so different is pretty much everything! Their look, their sound, the way they use their instruments, everything is unique. They don't try and have a specific look; they wear what they feel like wearing. And then their music, well, its just incredible. I love how indie this band can get and how dark they can go with the musical sounds. Its kind of incredible to hear them! This song in particular has a moment when their sound gets pretty dark and then switches back so quickly to make this song seem like something that is completely alive. This song has that cafe kind of feel good sound to it. It is something that is kind of neutral but also more light hearted. I love the vocals in this song and the band's vocals in general. They are quite gentle and soft and don't pack a powerful punch. They remain light and almost feathery in way. There is a fullness to his voice, but it is not necessarily ...

Today I have some rock music for you, but this is a unique kind of rock music. This song is one that is a mix of swing, jazz, country, and rock. Weird, I know. Confused as to how that might work? Don't be, because The Record Company totally nailed it. This is the kind of rock song that a live band would play at a bar show or a local live performance. That kind of gritty and energetic and rowdy sound that only comes with being slightly drunk is kind of what this song reminds me of. And I totally dig it! This song in particular was featured on one of my favorite television shows out there right now. Suits tends to have a pretty kick ass soundtrack. But this song is one of the songs that really caught my eye because it was so excitingly rowdy and wild. This is kind of what blues rock started out sounding like. I would love to see these guys perform this song live because I feel like it would be a hell of a performance. Even from this recorded song, I can tell that ...