“Drive All Night” and “Thoughts and Prayers” by Matt Sahadi – Song Features

 

     The lyrics describe a longing to journey through the night and into the morning, while the instrumentation offers a glimpse into an era when songs often featured more than just a single skilled guitarist. In "Drive All Night," the guitars are skillfully layered, and while the vocals are compelling and passionate, the mixing doesn't prioritize one over the other. Instead, the vocals and guitar engage in a competition for the focus, where the listener emerges as the winner.
 
     The song from Matt Sahadi merges operatic flair into Rock sensibilities, similar to Jim Steinman, who is best known for his compositions for Meat Loaf. Like Steinman’s ballads, “Drive All Night” challenges the skills of the vocalist. Sahadi accepted the challenge and his voice did not disappoint.
 
      The combination of guitar and synth during the outro carries an engaging calmness. Its impact is heightened by its placement after a segment (starting at 3:41) in which the guitars are appropriately "bombastic."
 
     Matt Sahadi is an Indie Rocker from Ohio, but now resides in Nashville, Tennessee. Quoting a description with which we are in alignment:
   “From his influences with the synth-wave era of the 80s/90s, he brings a blend of synth-infused production with delayed and chorusy guitars and drums that drive the song, while giving way for the lyrics to shine. Matt additionally uses the support folk styles like acoustic guitar, harmonica, and tambourines, and a Brit-pop influence of guitar leads and fills. Matt’s songs are for the heartbreakers, the soul searchers, and the big dream chasers — those whose hearts burn with madness for something more out of life.”
 
     “Drive All Night” by Matt Sahadi

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MattSahadi
Website: https://www.mattsahadi.com/

Lyrics of “Drive All Night” by Matt Sahadi
Katie, how you feeling?
I just wanna see you
I’ve been pacing through my house tonight
I’ve tried all of my best lines
Been waiting for the right time
Let’s hide behind my dashboard lights
 
My 302 is rumbling
Can you hear that engine humming
As I pull in your winding drive
So take my hand, slide over
You no longer need to wonder
What I’m feeling for you inside
 
Whoa oh
I can feel desire burning like a fire
Whoa oh
Somethin’ bout the street lights glowing in your eyes
Whoa oh
I don’t have a reason I just wanna see you tonight
You make me wanna drive all night
 
I’ll take you to the river
Watch the moonlight shimmer
From the ripples of a skipping stone
Chasing innocent salvation
While we’re tracing constellations
And talk about escaping home
 
We’ll crawl into my backseat
Laying breathless in the heat
Give in to what we’re aching for
I’ll leave that motor running
Vibrations in the summer
Gently rocking us back and forth
 
Whoa oh
I can feel desire burning like a fire
Whoa oh
Somethin’ bout the street lights glowing in your eyes
Whoa oh
I don’t have a reason, I just wanna see you tonight
You make me wanna drive all night
 
You make me wanna drive all night
 
You make me wanna drive all night
 
Til the sun
Come blinding in the rearview
Pull a cover over me and you
And love
Is enough
For laying down the rubber sound
To carry us from this town
 
Whoa oh
I can feel desire burning like a fire
Whoa oh
Somethin’ bout the street lights glowing in your eyes
Whoa oh
I don’t have a reason, I just wanna see you tonight
You make me wanna drive all night
 
You make me wanna drive all night
 
You make me wanna drive all
 
Ohhh oh
Ohhh oh oooooh

     Earlier this year, Sahadi released the protest song “Thought and Prayers.” The title is treated as a semantic satiation - a psychological phenomenon in which repetition causes a word or phrase to lose meaning for the listener. The three-word phrase is most often heard after a senseless shooting, but the song also references national drug problems, disrespect for the rights of women, and the “million different problems” that make is difficult to focus on one. The song concludes that we're just living in a world of “propagated sins,” which is the name of the four-track EP that includes “Thought and Prayers.”
 
     “Thoughts and Prayers” by Matt Sahadi 

“Hole” by Bad Flamingo – A Song Feature

 

     "Hole" stands out as perhaps the darkest release from Bad Flamingo, yet paradoxically, the song is both exhilarating and intoxicating. The explosive entry of the harmonica around the two-minute mark triggers the plunge into the depths of the darkness, although the conclusion is nearly as overcast.
 
     The vocals and instrumentation are consistent with the now-established unapparelled sound from Bad Flamingo. They generate a creative combination of Rock, Folktronica and Spaghetti Western, with a touch of Psychedelia. Individually, the voices project a determined confidence that is enhanced by the instrumental arrangement. Together, they have a mesmerizing vocal chemistry, a balance of numerous shared characteristics with notable differences that offer an engaging contrast.
 
     Little is known about Bad Flamingo. Their names are not available on the band’s website or social media platforms. Instead, they are referenced as the “one on the left” and “the one on the right.” Bad Flamingo only appear in masks, with the explanation “Give a man a mask, and he will tell you the truth” (quoting Oscar Wilde).
 
     “Hole” by Bad Flamingo

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/badflamingomusic/
Website: https://www.badflamingomusic.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/badflamingomusic/

“Helium” and “Headphones by Orbit 17 – Song Features

 

     Orbit 17, a creative force hailing from San Jose, California, has been prolific, with the Bandcamp release of a song in each of the first 5 months of 2024. The latest two releases are particularly strong. The group is adventuresome in its wonderings from the conventions of Indie Rock, but not so far that music lovers are in danger of feeling lost. For example, “Helium” is written in Lydian Dominant, which is rare in Indie music, but there is a familiarity because it’s a scale often used in dramatic movie scores. Thus, the song’s departure from the norm carries some familiarity and a cinematic quality.
 
        “Helium” features multiple opportunities to appreciate the guitar skills of Orbit 17. The first two sandwich the chorus – a chorus build-up begins 42 seconds into the song and a clearly distinguishable but equally strong guitar solo starts at 1:29. The lyrics are also a strength. They reflect a nostalgic and sad car ride to the airport, not knowing when or if the person will see a loved one again. More broadly, the band explains “Helium” as:
  “A song about all those friends we've made but left behind or outgrown. The ones that made huge impacts on our lives, and that we think of from time to time, yet haven't spoken to in years.”
 
     Although the single “Headphones” is lyrically less clear, the band’s explanation is not – “A song about my favorite thing in the world, music!” Its more than 5-minute duration accommodates a longer guitar solo.
 
     Orbit 17 was founded by Jamie Brite (vocals, guitar) and Misha Guiffre (bass) in 2022. Jamie said that it had been 17 orbits around the sun since she last started a band; thus, the band name. Ryan Senft (drums) joined in 2023. Orbit 17 exploits the capabilities of modern technology while remaining emotionally grounded and accessible. The group explores unusual territory for popular music, often featuring odd time signatures and uncommon use of harmony.

 
     “Helium” by Orbit 17

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/orbit17
Website: https://www.orbit17music.com/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6KsnYAXDVbqUPE44LSxnJ8

Bandcamp: https://orbit17.bandcamp.com/

Lyrics of “Helium” by Orbit 17
Lives reflected in your eyes
Seems we're saying our goodbyes
Just for a while
Don't be sad
Know I'll be thinking of you
 
Wait my car will be here soon
Brood in the glow of the moon
Say your piece
Before I'm gone
Hope you'll keep waiting for me
 
Just 30 minutes to the airport
It's an eternity
Clutch it tighter as you feel it slip away
 
Sit in silence for a while
Dashboard counts another mile
Streetlights blur
Just outside
I hope you won't forget me
 
Think of all the times we've had
Trading stories with your dad
What a day
What a life
Why did I ever leave you?
 
Just 15 minutes to the airport
It's an eternity
Clutch it tighter as you feel it slip away
Just 60 seconds to the airport
What an eternity
Hold it tight but it's already slipped away

     “Headphones” by Orbit 17

Lyrics of “Headphones” by Orbit 17
Perfume
of stale beer
Radio is dancing in my ear
Only plays the songs I want to hear
 
Turn
your amp up bang your drums
Can you give us all a song to hum?
So you think you’re gonna be so someone?
Anyone?
 
Put those headphones on
The world drones on around you
Three steps and you’re gone
Just one more day to stumble through
 
Andromeda
Is that you rising in the eastern sky?
Your stars that prophesied our long goodbye
You couldn’t bother even tell me why?
Can’t you tell me why?
 
Polaris
Enlighten me you know I need you now
You asked but I couldn’t answer how
Wipe the worry off of my troubled brow
Would we allow?
 
Antares
Why is it you have led me so astray?
I never thought that you would dare betray
I had to ask you but you wouldn’t say
You wouldn’t say
 
Alrescha
Shows over, heading home
Tonight I just don’t want to be alone
I just wanted a place to call my own
No matter where me life led me to roam
The seeds of karma have all been sown
Is there no way that I could just atone?
I finally done something you can’t condone
You know I never wanted to disown
My only home

“Chasing Dreams, Chasing Time (feat. Emmett Folger)” by STATHI – A Song Feature

 

     The song from STATHI offers a reflective journey into shaping a lifelong perspective. Vocally, “Chasing Dreams, Chasing Time” is reminiscent of a calmer version of the Scottish band Biffy Clyro. And the use of a landline answering machine recording from a loved one (Mom?) is similar to the far less positive, but equally introspective, single “Hate Me” from Blue October. With maturity comes perspective? Well, not often enough. But STATHI explains:
   “This is a song I worked on with my good friend and producer Emmett Folger throughout 2023 in his Brooklyn home studio. It is a follow up to our last song ‘Make Sense, Make Amends’ and it is a song about growing. I have been thinking a lot about how to get healthier in mind, body and spirit and a lot of those themes show through in this tune. It is also about finding ways to preserve a childlike spirit and to not give up on dreaming just because you're growing older and things are getting heavy. I hope this resonates with listeners.” 
 
     The lyrics intelligently accommodate interpretations that are personal to different listeners. A personally relatable verse provides the basis for the song’s title, “Chasing my dreams and chasing time // I’m setting some goals to feel alive.” The full lyrics are included at the bottom of this post.
 
     STATHI is the project of Stathi Patseas, a singer-songwriter from Omaha, Nebraska. He is now based in New York City.  His debut album, “Life of Compromise,” was released in March 2019.
 
     “Chasing Dreams, Chasing Time (feat. Emmett Folger)” by STATHI

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theStathi/
Bandcamp: https://stathi.bandcamp.com/

Lyrics of “Chasing Dreams, Chasing Time (feat. Emmett Folger)” by STATHI
I had to eat my words
And now I’ve done it like a thousand times
I have defined the meaning of me.
 
I listened to my heart
I swear I listened like a million times
I swore never again
I meant never again.
 
I try and convolute
I'm really hoping just find some truth
I place the blame on everything.
 
I never contemplate
I'm only wanting to appreciate
I think it’s finally doing some good.
 
And I made you feel small
You said I did it like a hundred times
I said never again
I swore never again.
 
Every Sunday is lasting longer
Mindless patience, mindless wander
Chasing my dreams and chasing time
I’m setting some goals to feel alive.
 
[Interjection]
I'm really hoping just find some truth, some truth, truth, truth…
[Interjection]
I listened to my heart
I swear I listened like a million times.
 
Chasing my dreams and chasing time
Feel the best when I feel alone
On my own and I want to go home.
 
Call a cab and I call it quits
Fell asleep so I could just forget.
 
Every Sunday is lasting longer
Mindless patience, mindless wander
Chasing my dreams and chasing time
I’m setting some goals to feel alive.
 
I wanna place my future in your hands
Taking these outcomes as they land.
Fighting those thoughts that can intrude
To tell the truth I still believe in you.
 
I have defined the meaning of me.
 
I swore never again
I meant never again.

“Big Cat Tattoos” by Hamish Hawk – A Song Feature

 

     "Big Cat Tattoos" holds the power to build an emotional fervor within the listener, who likely isn’t sure where to channel that emotion. The first-person lyrics clearly show that the protagonist is intelligent. How many of us replay Middle Age wars in our head? And clever – “You with all thе modesty of big tech in bloom.” With the assuredness is the vocals and the determined march of the melody, it is easy to jump into the sentiment of “Big Cat Tattoos” with both feet, but where is the landing spot? The lyrics are not intended to gently guide the listener along a familiar path. But Hamish Hawk provides some explanation:
   “I tried to avoid cleaning things up at the time of writing, I cornered myself into a warts-and-all approach. But don't be fooled, ‘Big Cat Tattoos’ is all talk. Our hero gets a few barbs in nice and early, and lands a couple of clumsy jabs, but in the end we're witness to nothing more than a petty diatribe. It's embittered, unbecoming, and wholly embarrassing. It does have a certain get-up-and-go, though."
 
     The song is a single from an upcoming album, which is scheduled for release on August 16, 2024, via SO Recordings & Fierce Panda. The album, “A Firmer Hand,” can be preordered at https://hamishhawk.tmstor.es/. Again quoting Hamish Hawk:
  "‘Big Cat Tattoos’ is just one of the great unsaids that make up the new record, and it's the birthplace of the album's title: ‘A Firmer Hand.’ Unknowingly, I'd been building up an ugly arsenal of great unsaids over the past few years, and the album became a place I could offload them, and with any luck put them to rest.
 
     “Big Cat Tattoos” has a feel of Talking Heads at their best. The track features a strong bass line and unexpected instrumental bursts. It's melodic, but includes off-kilter, adventuresome interjections. Both Hamish Hawk and Talking Heads’ David Byrne were born in Scotland. But while Byrne was relocated to Canada at the age of two, Hawk still calls Scotland home. He is based in Edinburgh.
 
     “Big Cat Tattoos” by Hamish Hawk

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hamishhawk
Website: https://hamishhawk.com/

Lyrics of “Big Cat Tattoos” by Hamish Hawk (with some guesses)

A billion dollars in your eyes

Beside a hospital bed

Hot wars of the Middle Ages replaying in my head

 

You wore your Colonel Tom Parker signet ring

With the unmistakable air of get up there and sing

I watched you and time itself, sharing a fat cigar

The Puritans were pulling with their paws on my jugular

 

You get used to fighting talk, doing what you love

Turns out the soft boy gets hard, when push comes to shove

 

I think you'd prefer a firmer hand

With big cat tattoos

And a wedding band

 

You could laugh at his jokes

You could bury your nose in his shoes

Is this a bad time?

 

Don't push me

With your safe pair of hands

Don't shush mе

With that playground jazz

 

I'll find me a man

I'll find me a man, who understands

 

You with all thе modesty of big tech in bloom

I tire of you honestly when you sworn around the room

How I used to like to watch you fixing me a drink

'Till manhandling the crystal ware, became your kink

You told everyone of my miserabilist movie

You bored my friends from out of town with the virtues of shoegaze

With all the upright strength of an infant's neck

 

And yet

And yet

And yet

And yet

 

Will you record the sound I make when I die?

What the devil would it take for you to look me in the eye?

Am I your number one?

Or just some other guy?

If I asked you for real, would you wise up and die?

 

Don't push me

With your safe pair of hands

Don't shush me

With that playground jazz

 

I'll find me a man

I'll find me a man, who understands

How I like to play with my hands

 

I think you'd prefer a firmer hand

With big cat tattoos

You could laugh at his jokes

You could bury your nose in his shoes

You'd like that wouldn't you?

 

Don't push me

With your safe pair of hands

Don't shush me

With that playground jazz

 

I'll find me a man

I'll find me a man, who understands

How I like to sit on my hands