rock
Timothy Bailey & the Humans by Timothy Bailey & the Humans 1 Great Man Singing - I'm thinking chivalrous with touch of the strange, of Elvis Costello, but at all times, mellow and soft-ly-spoken (yet dramatic,) this is a poetic, sometimes esoteric album. If you choose to engage with it, I think its apologetic yet honest and secure on melodic, different Weird Animal. Yours Truly is kind of a sad, gently moving piece *explicit word thrown in,* with a hint of bitterness or regret that the speaker really doesn't let affect them. A hint of a hidden self- a side of the self that isn't directly talked about in the songs. Ellington Bridge has a nice solo - my favorite and kind of the bridge of the album - the calm, easy yet determined moment. Killer From the Mountain picks up the tempo, and with hints of devilish fiddle, sings about stormy weather. Thinking of the Decembrists. Garden Below Garden Above - trumpets and the fiddle play together in an Arabic melody that sounds a little like the experience of beginning to be prostrate in the desert. rock Drook Life In Estates A smooth, well mastered, soothing rock album. Lots of reverb in the guitar - think Kings of Leon or War on Drugs. Percussion think Jimmy Eat World. Pretty, airy soprano vocals. This was one of my favorites on the shortlist. Habitual Pressure correlates personal doubts about relationships with the habitual pressure that we are accustomed to placing upon ourselves. (Under The Pressure, War on Drugs, is an AMAZING song.) She, which was this band's original name, is a little bit harder rock and paints the picture of a girl who is back on the scene, still unsure of herself but self-reliant. The song kind of challenges someone to object to imperfection. The subject is prickly like a cactus - vulnerable but defensive. Space Boyfriend is a long, slow atmospheric but really dynamic song. I love the gentle melody of the guitar that plays along with the singer, sometimes soothing, brightening and adding heft. Dummy ventures into electronic noise, kinda garbage-techno stuff. According to an interview with George Wethington, RVA Mag, this is the new direction of the band. But for the title track, Life in Estates, the band turns back to a softer rock with great lyrics and a beautiful, inspiring mode. Boredom in the suburbs is kind of channeled into freedom and escape. Dumb Waiter Gauche Gists Prog Rock! I know this is a well-played band on lots of playbills in the Richmond scene. This instrumental album is unhurried and cool, and periodically, from the funky, quirky tracks that are titled in tribute to the great mundane occurrences of daily life in the city, unexpected voices arise. There is somewhat a traceable story here in the buildup of sound. At all times, tenuous and strange is the world as sung by these guitar pedals and this saxophone. Their instrumental voices alternate with head-banging rock segments that make the world seem a little frantic and off-balance. I am thinking of other odd titles that float around in my head like this soupy stuff -- Galactic "The Moil." I used to be pretty into the Disco Biscuits and STS9. There's a touch of ska-punk, which gives this spacey-jam music the super-edgy feel like the New Noise Magazine suggests - it's "fresh but poised to eat itself." Eavesdropping gets pretty heavy with a very sludgy bass balanced by some flutey, reedy sax sounds. This choked struggle continues on the next track, Acceptance Speech. Descending the Same Broken Ladder, a little desperate and broken. Digging a Hole Under a Bodega, this album leaves us with a beautiful discord of split-open chords, melody reflecting back and forth down a rabbit hole and a reassuring bass to get low and jam to. Big buildup to this track, and then a great fadeout. Erin & The Wildfire Touchy Feely You will recognize these upbeat, danceable soul/rock songs from the local radio station. Revival and excitement. Hard to pick a favorite song here. Lots and lots of content on a prolific album that surprised me a little bit by starting out with an 80's, Legwarmers party-sounding song, Ray of Sunshine. I thought it was cool that Matthew E White produced this album, and I think the first song has a similar feel to his last release in the inspiring and soulful, extremely retro style, slow buildups and a cool, cool hand. This one makes me think of Phil Collins - happy rock that is very polished and neat on the surface, very, very upbeat. Wake Up continues this retro theme with a little bit more groove and noir accent. Its disco dance in the heat of the night. Next, Rich, has the kind of 80's working girl thing going on, with the world-wise girl making investments in her lover. What takes it out of the 80's? She's watering plants like a good millenial. She is taking "calculated-risks," which sounds like a distinctly this-side-of-the-millennium elocution. Little Me lets in a little bit of soul and R&B, even some hyper soul. I like the way this song builds. This is feminine and strong. Then, timely, Shape, takes us to the 21's century. Here are just a few of the wonderful lines that come one after another in this memorable, fun and brave song. Beauty shines from your soul. You're allowed to take up space. Only matters how you feel. Dont worry about being polite. I dont need your permission to be real. Dont try to compare yourself to anyone else. No one will love you like yourself. By your heart you are defined. Then I Changed comes next, and the feel is a little bit of a change from the last -- into self-reflection and where the lyrics kind of let go here and the music really speaks up. The song still has the soul and blues a little bit. Yours Anymore blends the blues with the tempo coming back. I am starting to think of the favorite blues, soul rockers, Lake Street Dive. This singer adds some decoration to her voice here. There is a little syncopation at the end. The refrain has a retro-angelic quality. Sleep so Easy Whatever you Like one of my favorites! These two songs settle into a groove with lots of ups and downs, but this one really builds its strength, and the singers voice seems pretty boundless- it only grows in strength with the music. Sweet Thing finishes on a soft note. There's a soft soul feel to this 2nd half of the album- I am seeing silk column dresses and feather boas, Diana Ross and Destiny's Child. A great counterpart to K Bay and maybe a new take on reviving favorite sounds from the 80's and 90's? festival fun rock Piranharama Omniscient Cloud Cover Dog walkability- very high rating for this album. Water You Thinking into Golden Blues is a combination that helped me climb a hill. folk/alt country Mackenzie Roark Rollin’ High, Feelin’ Low This was another one of my favorites from the short list. I love the bold strong voice of this artist, who taps into folk musical tradition, so I'd say she sounds like a young girl trying on her dad's shoes, except the songwriting is just so smart and well done, these provoking pronouncements really come across with a lot of clarity, and I like the music! Really this lady sounds like she stands firmly on her own feet. Roark sounds like she tried on Loretta Lynn's Little Red Shoes!!!!!! Track one is one of the most awesome songs I have heard in forever! Has an Eagles intro, a Rolling Stones Dead Flowers turn. Outlaw song! Sweet Thing has some nice mandolin and has me thinking of Sam Bush because of the way it mixes the traditional instruments with mild-mannered, jazz-infused rock buildups. Drunk Again, even though the artist talks about drinking herself, this one is about someone else disappointing her. Sweet, lingering, soft music at the "honky-tonk" - this singer seeks solace and comfort but learns that the person giving it -- you have to deal with the tomorrow, with the fact that he just isn't very nice. Rollin' High Feelin' Low - this is one of my favorite songs on the album! Smart, well-written and beautiful, this is the wisdom of a young woman who is moving into a new phase of her life with realism and a kinda-country, swingy-blues optimism. Wasting Away- More bitter, a little more of the outlaw/outcast theme. Lots of mandolin again, the instrumentals sharpen her words. With her honesty and frankness - she disparages the person who is caught up in destructive habits, blaming others and wasting away. Flowers in the Rain Swamp Bait Town - troubador folk/americana Cassidy Snider & The Wranglers A Good Heartbreak Self-proclaimed troubadour musician who plays traditional folk/Americana music infused with Cajun and Appalachian flavors! A husky voice full of wisdom and humbleness, Cassidy Snider faces the end of harvest time and the future with honesty, no fear and determination to preserve and honor the past. In her own life, but also in her music - as she and her band present traditional Celtic ballads, that shine with the simplicity of their style -- a haunting lesson learned from a tale or legend told, and polka dance hall drinking songs that take the artist to the distant, cold North of Cincinnati where she challenged the dancers to drink to fall. And more vulnerable honest tunes that sing of a wandering artist, dedicated to the craft, and dedicated to the past, unwilling to move on or change from that time, who chooses to quietly move in on the street of her parents, to keep her faith in her music and watch the Autumn leaves fall. She doesn't rule out falling in love again, but her songs, though they aren't walls, in celebrating strength or sacrifice, can be a little severe. I really like this album! I think it would be fun to hear these songs, which truly sound as though they have been written from the road, performed live. I want to shout out to one of the shining nominees from last year's Newlin Prize, Jewell Booker. One of my favorites from her album was "Who's gonna tell him." A clear, bold feminine voice is a comfort and guiding light for me and so worthy of recognition! rap Monday Night & Heather Grey Soon You’ll Understand SICK! Highly musical rap artist collaboration. I love the sparse piano on this album. It's a very easy listen and the raps are so entrancing. How to stay out of trouble growing up tough in a tough neighborhood and still be successful, while establishing trust with a loved one. Soon You'll Understand is constantly a challenge - to understand what the artist is saying and try to get on their level. "Genesis? We some menaces that play on beats," Track 03 starts out a little bit ... me too? or something but so entrancing, as I said, it's easy to roll along and just listen to this music. And having childhood sports heroes, great moments, I can relate to needing to witness triumph (Gronkowski did it!,) and it's sad to hear about the violence that I think comes across on the album as something the artist grew up with when he was playing outside as a kid, a shaping influence. Maybe not to the same degree, but honestly, I can relate too, because you better believe I was taught to be careful of a dangerous world as a kid. Love u to death is one not to miss and it's heartfelt and cool. Love is this artist's dedication. It guides him through the other stuff. The first three tracks build up a ridiculous head of steam with amazing lyrical messing around - leadup to this one, and then the piano builds, the gospel chorus raises up, as love and dedication, soon you'll understand, this is how the artist lives life, how he goes from one day to the next. And it's kind of revealed here who the artist raps for- the one who gives him a reason to get up and do the d*** thing every day. Yet it's all wrapped up in the complexities of friendship and violence that both the speaker and their counterpart have to bear through and be vigilant of. Very romantic the way he places the strength he has claimed on his other half too. The 2nd half of the album is more musical and tells me that the atmosphere these artists created is substantial, soothing and well-written. It's inspiring! Check out the artist's new album "GOOD COMPANY!"
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AuthorWe are Kieran and Michelle, two 32-year-old William & Mary grads living in Virginia. Archives
March 2024
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