Finding songs that can be legally downloaded is easy. The difficult task is to find legally downloadable music that we recommend. Our plan is to post at least one Free, Legal and Recommended (FL&R) song each Saturday.
Rames feature the jangly guitar of the 1960s, but stamp on the band’s “personal” touches. The initial seconds of “Easy For You” give the impression that a song by The Byrds is hitting your ears, or maybe a cleverly revised cover of The Beatles’ “Ticket To Ride.” Rames are a London-based band formed of Alan Li (vocals, guitar), Oliver Zanetti (guitar), Joe Bedford (bass), and Fin Dudley (drums).
St. Anthony Mann is the moniker or Adam Bjoraker. He is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota This description seems appropriate: Mann uses the guitar and his voice to paint songs that attempt to daydream both within and without themselves.
The forceful beauty of the voice and the ear-grabbing chorus first attracted us to “Fall With You,” a single from Emma McGrath. The chorus bears similarities to the texturing of the Haim sisters when they are at their best. But the vocals might need to take a backseat in a review of “Fall With You.” The intelligence in writing the lyrics staked a claim on riding “shotgun.”
The verses of “Fall With You” take an approach in which two clauses play against each other, sometimes for poignancy and other times for irony. Thus, the song begins, “If you don’t know the rules // You won’t know the rules you’re breaking.” The second clause in a sentence often uses words from the first, making the verse more interesting and the point more apparent - “You won’t take the risk // Cause the risk is too great if you take it.” It’s not surprising that Emma McGrath was awarded a prize for songwriting, namely The PRS Foundation's Lynsey de Paul prize.
What is surprising is that McGrath has her songwriting skills prior to reaching the age of 20. She is from Harpenden, North London, where she began writing her own material at the age of 12. She is scheduled to release a mini-album in early 2020.
The official video for “Fall With You” shows Emma McGrath transforming herself from a cleanup person to a drop-the-mic vocalist who also plays piano, bass, acoustic guitar and drums. For options in acquiring and streaming “Fall With You,” go to http://wmg.click/EmmaMcGrath_FallWithYouCR.
Almost immediately, “Bombay Beach” establishes itself as a Blues-infused, rhythm-driven Rock single determined to tell a story. The vocal power of the song from The Dead Century becomes apparent a short time later, as the band vocals emphasis and punctuate declarations significant to the story.
The lyrics are centered around a failed development boom in California. Bombay Beach is now a mostly dilapidated community along the Salton Sea. The rhythmic delivery of the lyrics at the start of “Bombay Beach” is well matched with the emphasis of the instruments. The delivery masterfully transitions to a more melodic approach during lines in which voices of other members of The Dead Century join, such as in the early exclamation, “Nothing could be sold!” The instruments are also willing to transition, particularly when the guitar grabs the focus at the 2:23 mark.
The Dead Century is based in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. The band is formed of Nick Check (vocals, guitar), JP Check (bass), Austin Peterson (lead guitar, vocals), and Robert Muehlbauer (drums, vocals). Nick and JP are brothers. The Dead Century elaborated on their single:
“Bombay Beach" is a powerful, gritty, sloppy, and loud blues rock tune. It tells the fascinating story about Southern California's infamous Bombay Beach, a once thriving resort community turned desert ghost town--America's very own Tower of Babel. Long live the oven-blast desert sun, American whiskey, and dirty blues guitar.
“Sweet Tooth” is Rock done right – five members with skillful contributions to a steady build toward structured pandemonium. It’s the rare song in which a voice with the black-hole power to absorb everything within its area of influence does not consume attention rightfully belonging to the other contributors.
The start of the single from Crystalline announces the band’s awareness of the importance of a strong hook and the ability to deliver. Then, the final minute exhibits the strength in setting and maintaining a blistering pace. The percussion establishes the tempo with skills that would outshine other instruments in most surroundings. However, in the “Sweet Tooth” environment, the guitars and bass are equal to the task. The lead guitar “shreds.”
The vocals sit atop the textured sound of “Sweet Tooth.” Eva Mullen has a voice that seems perfectly tailored for Power Rock, perhaps more than even Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders (“Middle of the Road”). During “Sweet Tooth,” Mullen is equally well suited for the melodic backing vocals, near spoken-word declarations, and forceful emotion-packed exclamations.
Crystalline is a Welsh band (Cathays, Cardiff) formed of Edward Thomas (bass), Eva Mullen (vocals), Amir Maleki (guitar), Sion Harling (rhythm guitar), and Elliott Packham (drums). Thankfully, the official video shows the members performing “Sweet Tooth.”
If you enjoy the vocal style of Bon Iver, it’s time to spend more time with the music of Hayden Calnin. He is a Melbourne vocalist/songwriter.
In talking about his single “Warm With You,” Calnin explained that it is “a song about escapism. It’s an expression of wanting to run and get away from everything, live off of the land if you will and start a life with someone. But as life goes on, things change, and those dreams start to take a turn and sometimes it never really happens. I ended up recording 9 different versions of the song before I finally settled on a final version which I think is a record number for me. I've never really been that particular about a song before.”
Finding songs that can be legally downloaded is easy. The difficult task is to find legally downloadable music that we recommend. Our plan is to post at least one Free, Legal and Recommended (FL&R) song each Saturday.
Multimagic is a Dream Pop band in Cincinnati, Ohio. The members are Coran Stetter (vocals), Meg Kecskes (keys), Evan Brown (drums), James Ruehlman (guitar), and Anthony Maley (bass).
“Satellite” delivers a “where did that come from” excitement because of a shift from a vocal-driven force having periodic increases in texturing to a guitar-driven power with periodic surges in momentum.
Lyrically and musically, the single from Skip Curtis invites separate discussions. In the first half of “Satellite,” Curtis describes his frustration with trying to work on a relationship with a person who remains detached. At the start, only a steady-rhythm, palm-muted guitar provides accompaniment. The texture is soon enhanced by delicate guitar that is satisfied with taking a backseat to the vocals. When the drums enter, they are more insistent than the guitar, but don’t detract from the determination of the vocals.
The transition to guitar drive is masterful. At 1:42, vocal reverberation and overdubbing telegraph the change that occurs a few seconds later. The guitar and percussion push themselves into the spotlight. The vocals are allowed to reenter, but are no longer the focus and are limited to the chorus.
Skip Curtis is a Welsh vocalist/songwriter. Different formats for streaming and purchasing “Satellite” are identified at https://ampl.ink/gyonZ. Quoting press content: Skip writes and produces his records himself and releases them on his own label Pet Shop Records. His passion and aptitude for song-writing and production has become more obvious with each release, leading to him working more with other artists as a writer and producer whilst continuing to establish himself as a solo artist. "Satellite" is the third single taken from Skip’s debut album Culture Violet planned for release in 2020.
