“Raincoat” emerges from its early disguise as a gentle synth and rolling percussion single with a sonic guitar that builds to prominence at the 48-second mark. The vocals willfully follow suit, transitioning from a calm descriptive approach to a more powerful, almost athematic approach. “Raincoat” does return to its gentle beginning (2:30), but exits with a different, yet equally energizing, sequence.
Hot Dreams explains “Raincoat:”
“The song’s lyrics also focus on trying to not to sweat the small stuff, focusing instead on the people who love us and allowing ourselves to be content and happy with that. It resonates with our time in lockdown, as we’re all forced to strip our busy lives down to the bare bones without any of the normal noise and clutter.”
Regarding its performance in a live setting, the band says, “'Raincoat' is a song that represents everything we love about playing live. It’s an expression of freedom and onstage it acts as a release from everyday worries."
Hot Dreams are based in London. The members are Kai Fennell (vocals, guitar), Aaron Clarke (bass), Alex Bloomfield (guitar, keys) and Cam Fyall (drums).
"Hope It Don't" is the equivalent of presenting one reason after another in support of your position, but saving the most convincing reason for last, after you’ve already won the argument. We were convinced that the song from All Tvvins was blogworthy, then the guitar riff entered at 3:04. If this were American football, the referee would throw the flag for “piling on.”
After a one-minute of foundation building, a heartbeat kickdrum dictates a first intensity jump. The second arrives with the start of the chorus. The vocals are invested in the message and the lyrics are intelligent even during the verse that is most simplistic:
I will love you
'Til the day I don't
I will want you
'Til the day I won't
But If I don't need you
'Til the day I'm gone
I just hope that day don't come
I just hope I'm wrong
All Tvvins are based in Dublin, Ireland. The two members are Lar Kaye and Conor Adams.
“Coasts” is a collaboration of the skills of Moontricks and Gone Gone Beyond. The song has a touch of Milky Chance, but that is just a start at describing the single. At times, it is fair to use the term “tribal.”
The members of Moontricks are Nathan "Nog" Gurley and Sean Rodman. They are from Western Canada. The location of Gone Gone Beyond is more complex. The band is David Block (LA/NYC), Danny Musengo (Iowa/NYC), Kat Factor (Sant Cruz, California), and Mel Sem (Cuba/Barcelona).
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.
Shred Kelly is a crescendo-happy, banjo-wielding, high-energy five-member Canadian band. Quoting the bio:
Shred Kelly is known for their high energy live show that ignites dance floors with their alternative folk sound. Over three albums and countless tours, the five British Columbians have developed their signature sound by taking inspiration from the mountains they hail from and the people who inhabit them. Shred Kelly has seamlessly fused traditional instrumentation with modern rock, presenting a sound that is both unique and compelling.
The members of Shred Kelly are Tim Newton (vocal, banjo, ukulele, guitar), Sage McBride (vocal, keys), Jordan Vlasschaert (bass), and Ty West (guitar). On drums, the band’s website names Ryan Mildenberger (while Facebook identifies Eddie Annett). The 2020 album is "Like a Rising Sun."
“Underground” by Shred Kelly - this is the only one that is free, legal and recommended.
Thus far, Thrillhouse has released three singles. For each, we bookmarked the song after the first listen. And for each, the attraction continues to grow in proportion to the number of subsequent listens. Don’t judge a release from Thrillhouse before hearing the song at least five times, unless you enjoy it the first time.
Trillhouse is a trio from Brighton, UK. The members are Alistair Scott, Jackie B. Nielsen, and Sam Strawberry. They wear the influence of Talking Heads on their sleeve. The "sleeve" has been increasingly apparent with each single, beginning with “One Of These Days,” then “Lesser,” and most recently “Ready When You Are.” That chronological order is not followed below.
EllaHarp deserves to be appointment “Ambassador of Harp,” somewhat akin to the anointment of Aretha Franklin and James Brown as the Queen and Godfather of Soul. She isn’t royalty, at least not yet, but she is the leading representative of her musical instrument within the Indie Universe.
EllaHarp is the “camel capitalized” performance name of Ella Dawn Jenkins. She is a harpist, vocalist and songwriter based in the San Francisco Bay Area (Half Moon Bay). The release of “Better” is the third single from her upcoming sophomore album “Screaming Into the Void.” The album is currently scheduled for release in Fall 2020.
As explained in the press notes, “Better” is about separated friendships, and letting go of narrow-minded people from your life. The lyrics, which are included at the bottom of this post, are intriguing because they are a string of questions. We challenged ourselves to recall another song of only questions. We did not meet the challenge. The closest is Bob Dylan’s “Blowing in the Wind,” but each verse ends with a statement as to where the answers can be found – blowing in the wind.
Ingeniously, the inquiring lyrics of “Better” are accompanied by a harp that portrays purpose. The melody carries a sense of forward movement, ensuring that the listener is aware that the song is not about confusion or disorientation. Is this a series of rhetorical questions? The vocals follow the lead of the harp’s purposefulness, while taking the lead in allure. The solo, un-reverberated voice of EllaHarp is only heard in the final line. Clearly, it has the strength to stand alone throughout "Better." But voice processing and overdubbing enhance the splendor of the vocals.
In April 2016, we dedicated a post to the increased use of the harp in Indie Music. For a couple of years after, the influence of the harp seemed to be in decline. EllaHarp changed the trajectory when she released her debut album in 2018. Merely coincidentally, the album title was a question – “Who Asked You Back.” The first three songs from the new album are clear indications that the trajectory is still upward, but with an increased slope.
Los Angeles-based WILD masterfully craft songs that wrap a listener in a warmed blanket and a much-needed hug. Following their reassuring single “Surround You,” with its poetic declaration that you won’t be alone even in difficult times, WILD now explain that there is “Nothing That I Wouldn't Do," for you, even in the most difficult of times.
“Nothing That I Wouldn't Do" begins with a gently played acoustic guitar and includes portions with power percussion. Still, the song from WILD is undeniably vocals-driven. At times, there is simple-yet-enchanting harmony with mixing that places greater emphasis on the purity of the female voice. At other times there are multiple voices (overdubbing?) that are choir-like, with a few lines featuring multi-part, full-out choir.
WILD are a trio comprising Lauren Luiz (vocals), Tyler Thompson (producer, guitar), and Zach Daegatano (vocals, guitar). "Nothing That I Wouldn't Do" was featured in the trailer of the Apple TV documentary "Dads." Additionally as press materials note, “Their music also quietly coursed throughout popular culture, appearing on Life Itself, The Dangerous Book For Boys, Little Italy, ABC’s Million Little Things, Teen Mom, Legacies, Workin’ Moms, and Goosebumps as well as campaigns for Mazda, Pepsi and Nintendo Switch.”
Her notoriety is primarily a product of her rapping skills, so the release of “Oh Man” might catch some fans of Amanda Blank by surprise. The single is certainly a departure from last month’s collaboration with Naeem (“Woo Woo Woo”). But the greater emphasis on melodic over rhythmic vocals is not a true reinvention. She has displayed her versatility before this. Still, “Oh Man” is the single that should trigger an explosive expansion of the Amanda Blank fan base.
“Oh Man” is Amanda Blank’s cannonball into the Indie Rock pool. Jangly guitar decorates most of the single, along with strong bass. The clarity and attractiveness of the bass is perhaps best appreciated during a brief instrumental portion starting at 1:08. Interestingly, it isn’t until 3:28 that a second guitar layer enters with a riff that adds to the allure of the melody.
The lyrics of “Oh Man” are included in this post. More than once, they refer to “The Ruiner,” which is the title of the upcoming album from Amanda Blank. “Oh Man” is the second release from the album, following “Put Me Out.” In talking about the songs, Blank said, “I hope the song speaks for itself. If ‘Put Me Out’ was about falling in love on drugs ‘Oh Man’ is for sure about fallin the fuck OUT. I love you. I hate you. Oh Man. The Ruiner.”
Press notes provide more detail:
The driving beat of “Oh Man” gives way to ringing guitars and a defiantly vulnerable singing style as she wrestles with the realization that she’s invested too much into an undeserving relationship. That realization leads to a sense of freedom and power in the song's climax with a declaration of “I’m gonna waste you away”.
The spark for Amanda Blank’s forthcoming album "The Ruiner" came from discovering that her teenage bedroom was still untouched in her parent’s house since the 90s with all of her formative idols and inspirations plastered on the walls. She began to explore the music that first inspired her and collaborated with lifelong friends and family. While her rapping will always be a central part of her work, the songs she was writing pushed her to explore her singing. The result is a raw and stirring record that shows just how fearless she has always been.
“Oh Man” by Amanda Blank (Listening/download options:
