There isn’t much to say about a musician with a website (http://humesounds.com/) that “can’t be reached” and a Facebook page (facebook.com/humesounds) that simply states “Sorry, this content isn't available right now.” But we enjoy the song “Somewhere Out There” by Hume, so it’s posted. The song is scheduled for release on January 13, 2017, which leaves Hume some time to provide content.
Free and Legal Downloads? Yes, at least temporarily. Bands often temporarily permit free downloads of their releases. The end of an offer is usually based on the expiration of a set period of time. But at least for now, here are songs that qualify as Free, Legal and Recommended (FL&R) downloads.
Finding songs that can be legally downloaded is easy. The difficult task is to find legally downloadable music that we recommend. The hope is to post at least one FL&R song each Friday.
Veronica
Fusaro is a singer/songwriter in Thun, Switzerland.
“Pluto” by Veronica Fusaro – Available on a “name your own price” basis
We agree with the description of Cobi as being a multi-dimensional performer. The song “Don't You Cry for Me” begins with a Hozier-meets-Kaleo bluesy energy. But it’s not too long before a Pop-ready synth is allowed to play a prominent role. The song seamlessly fuses elements of Blues, R&B, Pop and Electronica.
Cobi is Jacob Schmidt from Grand Marais, Minnesota. The Facebook page identifies the current location as Los Angeles and names Al Cleveland III and Jeff Kinsey as also being members of Cobi.
The song might reflect a complex struggle with mental instability. Or it could be a simple motivational exercise to get out of bed and do some physical exercise. We love the dichotomy in the possible interpretations of “(It's Not About) Running.”
Tuvaband is a Norwegian/English duo based in Oslo. The members are Simon Would (guitar, piano, keys) and Tuva Hellum Marschhäuser (vocal, guitar, songwriter).
The video of “(It's Not About) Running” is a focus on a runner. So, the song must be about a person motivating herself to leave the bed (“You need to get up”) for a morning jog. Right? The “contradictions” are the ones you feel when you know exercise is important, but you’re not ready to go. Right? Hell no! The song even states, “It’s not about running.”
Sinister Folk is an oxymoron, right? No, not when the Folk genre is the hands of Wolfie's Just Fine. In the song “A New Beginning,” three curious boys watch a horror film with a nude scene. One falls for the women (played by Leah Kilpatrick) just before she meets her untimely demise. Confused, he projects himself into the film.
The same boy (Gabriel Bateman) stars in the video “It’s a Job.” He angrily rides his bike into the woods to unbury and awaken four barbarians who can bring him justice. But he changes his mind moments before directing the barbarians to destroy his home.
We assume everyone has “attention hooks” that cause music hunters to be attracted to songs before hearing the first note. For a reason we cannot explain, a song title that includes the word “Home” has a competitive advantage in grabbing our attention. An odder attention hook is our attraction to band names that are geographically misdescriptive. Examples in the UK include Bastille, Bombay Bicycle Club, Texas, and Lisbon. There are Canadian bands named Tokyo Police Club and Cairo. And Phoenix is based in France.
But attention hooks will only carry the music hunter to the start line. Once the song begins, judgement is not influenced by the song title or band name. So, praise for the song “Oceans Away” is posted because it’s deserved, rather than because the song is a release by a New Jersey band that calls itself “ARIZONA.”
“Oceans Away” is more melodic and less beat driven than earlier releases by ARIZONA. We enjoy their single “I Was Wrong,” but prefer the more organic approach of “Oceans Away.”
ARIZONA is a trio formed of Zach Hannah (vocals), David Labuguen (keys), and Nate Esquite (guitar).
In a year having an uncommonly high number of songs with outstanding lyrics, “Poem” is among the most interesting. The vocals are supported by a Johnny Cash-like guitar hook. The song questions listeners’ understandings of freedom and their position in society. “Poem” has a fast-paced poignancy that only allows an occasionl quick breath as it moves between topics.
According to the Facebook page of She Drew the Gun:
"The idea for the song came from reading ‘Slaughter House-Five’ by Kurt Vonnegut, where he said that time did not want to pass, and I liked the idea of giving a will to things like time, so I used that in the opening line and went from there. It’s one of the last songs we recorded on the album a love song about heartbreak, and also about the fine line between reality and dreams; it’s kind of surreal so it feels like it could be a dream that the person is having, where they have lost their love and will be woken, but if you have ever lost in love you will know that all the dreamlike things in the song are very real, the time does refuse to pass, and the sun might as well decide not to shine."
“Poem” is one song on the eleven-track album entitled “Memories of The Future.” She Drew the Gun is based in the UK and is driven by singer/songwriter Louisa Roach.
