Friday, January 31, 2020

“Don't Feel” by Tiz McNamara – A Song Feature


     His music touches an emotion that a listener might otherwise want to avoid, then causes the listener to be thankful for the opportunity to embrace that emotion. The skill is particularly evident in Tiz McNamara’s single “Don’t Feel.”

     It is difficult to understand the effectiveness of “Don’t Feel.” Yes, Tiz McNamara has a voice with a resonance and power well-suited for conveying his level of emotional investment. In “Don’t Feel,” he is able to generate a chill as he drops to a lower pitch at the end of a verse, then he reaches high notes during occurrences of the chorus. And certainly, the vocal reverberation during the chorus is gripping.

     It’s the instrumental support that is somehow far more compelling than we can understand. We haven’t had the opportunity to see the song performed, but have mentally pictured the playing of the piano during “Don’t Feel.” The left hand is providing the melody at a lower octave. It’s not challenging, yet it’s emotive. More interestingly, a finger of the right hand repeatedly hits a single key. At times, the mechanical sound of key depression is undeniable. For example, in the final 20 seconds, the musical note and the depression of the key are heard. Thank you Tiz McNamara for a recording that includes evidence that the recording is not governed by electronics. Moreover, the "artifact" increases the texture of the single.

     “Don’t Feel” is the third single from the upcoming debut EP of Tiz McNamara, an Irish vocalist/songwriter. The EP will be named “April Fool” and will be dedicated to his brother and father who died before Tiz’s first birthday (April 1). In a Facebook post, Tiz explained a temporary availability of a live version of “Don’t Feel:”
  “This is a song about depression. I can remember so clearly a great friend of mine who was suffering from depression a number of years ago and I have never felt so helpless, all I did was listened when needed and years later he told me how much it meant to him to have someone there he could just talk to. There's such a stigma attached and it needs to change, be nice to each other and talk, talk talk.”

     “Don't Feel” by Tiz McNamara


The video was "recorded on a @withgalaxy in the toilet of a 1 bedroom apartment."
Directed and Edited by Dylan Howe. 

Wednesday, January 29, 2020

“Fear of Failure” by Sea Wolf – A Song Feature


     The start of “Fear of Failure” is a crystalline guitar that would not appear impressive on a sheet of music. Neither the note sequence nor the tempo would causes difficulty for a guitarist learning to play the pattern. Doesn’t matter – the guitar is attention-grabbing. The early higher note/lower note alternating pattern functions as an alert of a reason to be attentive, much like the European police siren, but more sonically pleasing.

       The lyrics of “Fear of Failure” are relatable. Sea Wolf leader Alex Brown Church explains, “For me, this song is both incredibly personal and very much about the world we live in. It took a long time for me to get to a place where this song could come out, so it feels really good to finally be sharing it.”

     In addition to Alex Brown Church, Sea Wolf includes Lisa Fendelander (keyboards), Joey Ficken (drums), and Scott Leahy (electric guitar). The band is based in Los Angeles. The album “Through A Dark Wood” is scheduled for release on March 20.

     “Fear of Failure” by Sea Wolf


Lyrics of “Fear of Failure” by Sea Wolf
I don’t wanna lie
I don’t know what I’m doing anymore
Is there something to even live for?
Never did believe
Never could
Though it’d be nice to

Fear of failure
[Repeated 4x]

There’s always been this thing
I’ve had this stage-fright
It’s kept me from the ring
Hate the spotlight
And I don’t wanna sing
But I have to
But I have to
But I have to

Fear of failure
Fear of failure

And I have to be brave
even though I’m still afraid
I have to be brave
Even though I’m still afraid
‘Cause there’s nowhere else to go
Can’t pretend that I don’t know
Hold my hand up to the glow
And just fade into the shadows

Careful what I say
I just want to hide myself away
And pretend that everything is fine
If I succeed then
Maybe then it will be
Then it will be

Saw a photograph today
What I looked like moving ‘cross your stage
I could see the lie behind the pose
Now I see what you saw
It wasn’t working
It wasn’t working

Fear of failure
Fear of failure

So I have to be brave
Even though I’m still afraid
I have to be brave
Even though I’m still afraid
‘Cause even if there’s nothing
No there’s nothing to believe in
I still want to be happy
And I want you to be happy

(Fear of failure)
So I have to be brave
(Fear of failure)
Have to be brave
(Fear of failure)
[Repeating]

Tuesday, January 28, 2020

“Haunted” by The Coronas – A Song Feature


     The Coronas followed-up their 2019 single “Find the Water” with another engaging release. “Haunted” showcases the band’s ability to craft melodically dynamic, hook-infused singles that span a broad vocal range. “Haunted” begins and ends with minimalist-yet-emotive piano. During the verses, the vocals and percussion increase their energy, while the guitar is merely supportive. In comparison, during occurrences of the chorus, the guitar demands its share of attention and the song becomes melodically and lyrically catchy. Still, The Coronas save the best for the 2:37 mark, when the combination of lyrical layering and forceful instruments texture “Haunted” and demand the attention of a listener.

     The Coronas will release an album on May 29, 2020. The pre-release tour dates are listed at the bottom of this post. They include a visit to San Francisco (The Independent) on April 22 For ticket information to the SF performance, CLICK HERE.

     The members of the Dublin, Ireland band are Conor Egan, Graham Knox, and Danny O'Reilly. They met as Terenure College in Dublin. Late last year, Dave McPhillips amicably left the band.

    “Haunted” by The Coronas
  


     “Find the Water” by The Coronas 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thecoronasofficial/

Put it off 'til you see me
Be a better friend
I'm caught, gotta break away, yeah
We stalled it, we're stallin'

And it won't be wasted
I'll always give you braves
Didn't you let me chase it down, yeah
We fall the wrong way round
I'll say that it gets to you, yeah

You know I love it
But there's an easier way
You tell me I sing things that I'm afraid to say
I'm not above it
I'm just upside down
We don't have to talk
We can just make sounds

So show me something
I think we're haunted
You show me something
You must be haunted

And I know I'm impatient
But I wait for a cure
Don't think it's me that you're facing
You've got your heart secure

So I'll leave when it's over
If I'm even allowed
Won't stop as we both get older
We fall the wrong way round
The wrong way round
I'll see that it gets to you, yeah
We fall the wrong way round
Won't stop 'til we both get older

You know I love it
But there's an easier way
You tell me I sing things that I'm afraid to say
Well I'm not above it
I'm just upside down
We don't have to talk
We can just make sounds

So show me something
I think we're haunted
You show me something
You must be haunted

Show me something
(I'll just pretend there's still stuff to say)
I think we're haunted
(That's my excuse, I'll stick to it anyway)
Show me something
(I'll see that it gets to you)
You must be haunted
Show me something
(I'll just pretend there's still stuff to say)
I think we're haunted
(That's my excuse, I'll stick to it anyway)
Show me something
(I'll see that it gets to you)
You must be haunted

Upcoming Tour Dates
April 11 - Beat Kitchen, Chicago
April 14 - Rock & Roll Hotel, Washington, DC
April 15 - Music Hall of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York
April 17 - Great Scott, Allston, MA
April 21 - Troubadour, Los Angeles
April 22 - The Independent, San Francisco
April 25 - The Crocodile, Seattle
April 26 - Commodore Ballroom, Vancouver
April 30 - Mod Club Theatre, Toronto
May 8 - Sheperds Bush Empire, London
May 10 - The Deaf Institute, Manchester
May 11 - St Lukes, Glasgow
May 29 - Live At The Marquee, Cork
May 30 - Saltwater Festival, Westport
June 27 - Fever Pitch Music Festival, Galway
July 31 - Nowhere We’d Rather Be, Bray
August 1 - Nowhere We’d Rather Be, Bray

Monday, January 27, 2020

“Break My Baby” and “I Want More” by Kaleo – Song Features

Kaleo visited The Independent in San Francisco
Special thanks to Chris Adams for originally alerting us to these Kaleo releases.

     Our favorite band from Mosfellsbær released their first songs since 2016. Kaleo was formed in Iceland in 2012. They experienced a worldwide explosion with the release of the album “A/B” in 2016. The follow-up album will arrive later in 2020, but lead singles “Break My Baby” and “I Want More” are available now.

     The members of Kaleo are JJ Julius Son (frontman, songwriter, vocals, guitar), David Antonsson (drums, vocals), Daniel Kristjansson (bass), and Rubin Pollock (lead guitar). 

     “Break My Baby” has the Bluesy guitar and Soulful vocals of Kaleo’s most commercially successful song, “Way Down We Go.” It is another demonstration of the vocal range and power of JJ Julius Son. He is equally comfortable when he visits the falsetto register as when he resides in a deeper, more resonant range.




      “I Want More” is recommended for fans who particularly enjoy the 2016 release “I Can’t Go On Without You,” which also includes whistling and “orchestral” instruments. Still, “I Want More” steps up the orchestration, with its strings (violins, a cello…) and horns (French horn, trombone, saxophone…). We particularly enjoy the flute that accompanies the second occurrence of whistling (just before the two-minute mark). Moreover, “I Want More" is more dynamic in its use of energy and instrumental ebbs and flows.





Lyrics of “Break My Baby” by Kaleo
Sun is down on east side
While we all turn a blind eye
You know I've got your back
But would you ever do that for me?
For me? For me? For me.

Billy boy, he's gifted
You know you can't deny it
Don't leave us empty handed
'Cause you know we don't deserve that from you
From you, from you, from you

I want to break my baby
You know she loves to fake it
I want to break my baby, yeah
Hold her down
Bring her down now
Oh now

They'll take you in and then spit you out
You're only worth how much you sell
Yeah now
You've come too far, we both agree
Just give the people what they need
Well, well

Will you turn away
Or will you take my place?
Does it start to show
Now the pressure’s on?
Will they call my name
When it all goes up in flames?
Oh, will you be by my side?

I want to break my baby
You know she loves to fake it
I want to break my baby
Yeah now

Oh, hold her down
Oh, break it down now
Oh, break down
Woah, hold my love
(Hold my love)
Hold my love
(Hold my love)
Hold my love

Woah, yeah, yeah
(Hold my love)

Break my baby

Break my baby
(Break my baby)
Break my baby
(Break my baby)
Break my baby
(Break my baby)

You know she loves to fake it
Break my baby


Lyrics of “I Want More” by Kaleo
[Whistle]
Home grounds
Feels like the weight has been lifted away
But if she leaves me there
I won't run

Please pass it on
Carry me down
All you need to know is I want more, more
Looking for more
I want more, more
'Cause I want more

So light
Hold back the night
Wait 'til it's right
But then you fold your hand into mine

Watch as the waves
Fall back into place
So don't you leave me there wanting more
More, like before, more
I want more, more
'Cause I want more
Woooooo

[Whistle]

Turn back
Leave all you had
Forgive, I'll forget
'Cause what we need is what we once had

Time won't stand still
Just say you will
'Cause I need you there and now

If you leap, I'll come falling too
Running deep 'til that river’s through
I don't mind what you have to do
'Cause I won't think less, less of you

Yes, I want more, more
Looking for more
I want more, more
'Cause I want more

Old grounds
Feels like the weight has been lifted away
So don't you leave me there wanting more