Daniel Wilson
I have been having the hardest time sticking to a review of just one track, and I can’t do that here either! Daniel Wilson is out of Ypsilanti, Michigan and has the soul of ten thousand holy ghosts. This man can sing and make your heart bend into shapes you didn’t even know where possible. His lyrics are about life and love with the prospect of gaining and losing both. I could compare him to other musicians but honestly I don’t think that is necessary one bit, Wilson holds it up all on his own perfectly fine. “Killed Ya” is a simple and deep down soulful track about people who come in your life who make you change from the person you really are into this strange person. Killing your soul or turning you inside out. Get lost in the impeccable vocal range and simple rhythm of this unforgettable tune. (sounds cheesy! it’s not!!!!)
The next track I’m going to throw at you is a 3o second acapella tune Wilson recorded one month ago called “Young Rubbish.” I really wanted to put this track here because this is a blog dedicated to discovering new things, and I think that this song fits perfectly. Wilson sings about being young, and really following your dreams and keeping that thought forever, to stay ‘un grown.’ I hope it resinates with all sorts of ages, to give you guys the realization that no matter where you’re at in life its never too late to do what you really want to do.
Now lets talk about the illusive Daniel Wilson for just a second. This kid really has the vocal talent of gold, he throws the most dissonant chords from his voice creating the perfect amount of tension. I know this might sound crazy but his voice reminds me that of a female Tori Amos, she has a voice most anyone could listen to unaccompanied by her music any day. Elegance describes Wilson’s tracks very well I believe and what a word from a man growing up in Detroit. For now, it doesn’t seem that he has any albums released. Wilson is hoping that in the future he will learn and experiment with more instruments, right now he explains he feels limited on what he can do. I know we can expect great things from this man, so give him a welcome to the world of music because he’s about to leave everything else behind, he just doesn’t know it yet.
xx
Tea Leigh
Cloud Mouth
Welcome to a true DIY from Brooklyn, NY. Cloud Mouth takes the cake for across the board original sound and all around talent this week! After spending much time on SoundCloud I saw the graphic you see above and decided to click on it. NO regrets here! Sadly, I have no information on the lady behind the scenes other than her name is Natalie. So I’ll jump right in, lets start with the track “Every Song You’ve Never Heard” which is a collaborative piece from her band Diatone. In the first 15 seconds you’re greeted with her rich, honest and simple vocals. Her harmonies are fantastic and her voice sounds like honey is dripping from the notes, the sounds from Diatone reminds me a lot of Stereolab. They lead into the pit of the track with drums and synth that could carry you away on a cloud they blew from a kiss. Far out, right?
Alright, lets move on. I give to you another track which is completely different in dynamic. This track titled “Waiting Rooms” makes you feel a little uncomfortable at first, like you’re not really sure you should continue to listen to it after just hearing the beautiful winds you heard before. I stuck around just because a year ago today I sat in a waiting room for what seemed like hours and I can tell you this track rings true to what I felt. This makes me feel anxious, and eager to get out of where I’m sitting, but patiently waiting all at the same time. I think it could be the ticking in the background or all the repetitive noise which keeps building and building, or it could be the sheer moment of my experience. I’ll never know I guess, but this track hits it for me.
Cloud Mouth has a knack for hitting every kind of nerve you have track by track. I’ll leave you with this, a note from Natalie’s SoundCloud page:
“all noise comes from silence
all silence comes from noise
all boys come from girls
all girls come from boys”
xx
Tea Leigh
Atuin
This is one SoundCloud collaborating junkie right here! I give to you Atuin, an amazing folk artist who’s bounced around Germany and Turkey his whole life. Atuin is known as Taner in the not so musical world that is every day life,and has been my favorite male lyricist for about a year. I’ll be talking about two things today, my favourite track of his titled “Little River” and his newest release which is titled The Amazing Business. Alright, lets jump in to this “Little River” shall we?
Atuin has collaborated with a SoundCloud artist known as Jonny Bear and I have to say together, their sound is priceless. I remember the first time I heard this song, it was in the morning when I woke up and had pressed play on my dashboard. The lyrics start out like this “I won’t stop by because I’m a river. A moment is all I can deliver…Jump right in, I will make you shiver.” The sound scape alone will make you feel these lyrics without anything being sung. This is why it’s an amazing track, if you were to take out the music and keep the vocals, you would hear the music just the same. With such simple lyrics and beautiful vibrato between the vocals and the strings in the background, this song will make you shiver, give you those goosebumps which always feel so strange.
Moving on! Atuin has released 4 albums over the course of his busy and interesting life as a musician. The Amazing Business came out almost a year ago, I hope to hear more releases soon! When Taner was younger he used to spin hip hop, which he says still holds a soft spot in his heart today, but he had to let go and record these solo lo-fi tunes you’re hearing now. Atuin has no shortage of imaginary words to fill your mind of stories and moments to make you feel like you’ve experienced them your self. To me, that’s just what this album is, a long line of stories. Here is a track from the album titled “To The Left Behind” which has a special place in my heart.
So there you have it folkies, story tellers, easy listeners, here is an artist who can fill all your wants and needs within this genre. Head over to his BandCamp and get his album which he has available for $5 and then head over to his SoundCloud and listen to all the collaborations he’s done so far. Maybe you’d be next!
xx
Tea leigh
CASSINI From France
I found this gem just a few days ago somewhere under the sludge of everything else I kept running into. This goes out to all the ambient lovers, to the kids who like to build sounds and move into motion. I give to you CASSINI, a one man gig from Montpellier France and this one man is named Dorian Gaubert. When I first came upon this work I was sent into this state of relaxation and really wanted to stop hunting for musicians for the night, instead get lost in these tracks. His tracks are far from noise, but they have a noise like quality to them in that there really is no perfect place for some of the textured sounds Gaubert throws in. The first track we have here is “Dwarf Planet” which is a remix Gaubert did not too long ago of an I-Dults track.
I nestle in with the warm record fuzz and the bright bells right off the bat. This track is the perfect fit for some sort of film with limited talking and tons of exploration. That’s what it is!! These tracks make me feel like I’m exploring something in some strange land with the softest grass and insanely tall trees. I’m sure that’s really a place, but I’ve not been across any of the great ponds. There is an element of Explosions In The Sky mixed with Sigur Ros and throw in some Gold Panda somewhere in the sound scape you hear.
The next track is called “All Nights” and it brings you back to those nights where you don’t want to really go home until the sun comes up. Not because you’re having a ton of fun, but just because you want to end the day with the sun coming up. We all have had those times, and now that it’s spring I expect you night owls to be up and ready for it.
My favourite part about this track is that it ends how it begins. I know most music isn’t as conceptual as I make it out to be, but I’d like to think that Gaubert did this intentionally just as most nights turn out the same.
What you hear is what you get of CASSINI, he currently has nothing released under this name, and the only way you can listen to his music is through his SoundCloud. I only hope that he continues to push this project in a direction of releasing his tunes to the greater public. For now you can download your favourite tracks of his for free. I hope you get lost as much as I have in the sounds CASSINI brings to us from his big little city of Montpellier, France.
xx
Tea Leigh
TimberWolf’s Animal Collective Remix
Timberwolf is a pretty original thing. Samuel Tucker Young who lives in LA has a very creative way of releasing his indie folk into the world of SoundCloud. His tracks remind me a lot of John Vanderslice the way the layers are added on slowly and then stripped down. It’s easy to get into Timberwolf and just let the tracks play. This particular piece “PeaceBone” by Animal Collective has been remixed and redone by Young and very well might I add. It’s not often when you hear a good folk cover of Animal Collective like the one done by Taken By Trees in 2009. Animal Collective is known for their massive layering & insane reverb…I’m not going to lie, its hard to understand the lyrics some times. Here is a simple and easy way to really connect with the track it’s self. For the hard-core fans, i’m sure you’ve heard every cover/ remix in the book, but this one sticks out to me for sure.
Young grew up in Nashville, TN but moved to LA after finishing up film school in Florida. His group Timberwolf is really just Young producing everything from his studio in his house using midi samples he wrote him self and real instruments laying around his living space. Young has released his newest album on several different sites but I’m going to send you to his BandCamp to get a peak of his self titled album Timberwolf. If you’re one that likes John Vanderslice or Animal Collective I would absolutely recommend you to check out this track!
xx
Tea Leigh
Ellis Swan “Don’t Wanna Lie”
Here is Ellis Swan dwelling in Chicago with his hazy, fuzzy, old school, vocal punches. Everything about Swan is antique. His lyrics are stories told like they happened straight out of the 30′s or 40′s, when that simple folk started taking over the waves of America. He has this twisted and dark sound that transports you to a cloud of fuzz and black and white images. Many of his tracks remind me a little of David Lynch, the way he sings his melodies, a little less creepy, which for Swan is a good thing. This track “Don’t Wanna Lie” has a heartbeat that you won’t be able to get out of your head it will haunt you with its simplicity and dark lyrics.
Swan doesn’t seem to have any albums out at this time, which is a huge bummer for me. Head over to his SoundCloud to listen to a collection of 9 tracks with a few available for download. Go get lost in that grainy hazy simple time of life and sound.
xx
Tea Leigh
Arc Light “Balance”
Arc Light is here to throw you back into the days of 80′s indie goodies. When I first heard this guy I put everything I was doing on pause, his voice reminded me so much of Ian Curtis from Joy Division with that legend living on through New Order! Arc Light is Ryan Gabel living in Brooklyn, NY who is recording constantly had has released several albums & EPs on his BandCamp . This track “Balance” makes you want to do so many things and it will be featured on Gabel’s newest release Ancient Soft. Personally, it makes me want to chill the fuck out and clean my room all at the same time. Not really sure how a track can put out such conflicting actions, but it’s happening. Give it a listen…
The image above is from his album Bronze Fortune released in February this year which has a very noise like, darkwave quality to it. The vocals are much higher pitched with a full sound of harmonies behind them, but keeping them steady with that drone electronic tone. This entire album is really incredible, as well as everything else he has released on his BandCamp. You can find $3 albums and free downloads, so check it out while you can! After that, head over to his SoundCloud or Facebook and give Gabel some love. I am certainly getting to be a big fan of Arc Light, this music is a perfect thing to listen to, as you get ready for your night.
xx
Tea Leigh
Burning Hearts “The Swallows”
Hello and welcome to Burning Hearts! This band seems to be blowing up and I don’t see why they wouldn’t, the duo is unlike any other I’ve heard. I won’t waste your time with giving you their background story because they’ve done a beautiful job of telling you just what they’re about on their website. I’ll talk about how they make me feel, which is amazing! As I went through track after track, I was stunned by each song’s originality. Jessika Rapo’s voice reaches every note perfectly, wrapping you around her finger after every reverberated word. The lyrics are mostly about nature and experience of traveling, and who can’t relate to that? The track “The Swallows” is one that will get you on your feet to dance and move in whatever way shape or form you want, the perfect spring time jam.
This is a band worth getting to know more about. All of their music is available on iTunes and a few of their gems are featured on their SoundCloud. I’m sure there is no shortage on where to find this musical love affair. So, if you live in Finland or ever get a chance to catch their show live, you get back to me and tell me how amazing it was. Enjoy!
xx
Tea Leigh
MOSIS “Waiting Game”
There is a limit to the type of music I will listen to, and after James Blake I kind of got disinterested in most kinds of “dub” until I found this cat on the SoundCloud. Not only does he touch my heart with the low dips in bass but he also remixes on of my most favourite dirty songs “pony” by Ginuwine . I know y’all remember that song “ride it, my pony” uh-huh. When I first put this track on I was skeptical about how to feel about it, I don’t know much about remixes or what really goes into them but you learn with each listen, right? Hooked. I continued down his list on SoundCloud and it was one good remix after another of those average 90′s rap/hiphop garbage pop songs that we loved so much back in the day. (I’m probably just speaking for my self. Texas for life.)
MOSIS doesnt seem to have a BandCamp or any releases out at the time but he does have a FaceBook you can go and follow his updates on. There are links under most of his tracks to download them for free, which is always a plus. This may not be everyones cup of tea, but it certainly is mine. I hope the rest of y’all can relax and enjoy this particular track as much as I have right now.
xx
Tea Leigh
Jeffers Win “Searching For Susanna”
I must admit this track makes me very happy. Its with great pleasure I bring to you Jeffers Win, a 5 person ‘freak folk’ band trying to make a living in the middle of Manhattan, New York. As I listen to this track “Searching For Susanna” I am over taken by this sense of welcomed melancholy, the haunting melodies that come out of the vocals, the ukuleles, the cello , it all wraps me up in some sort of hindsight. This track makes me feel a lot of things about my college days. Those nights when you’re walking home from some party that was over crowded, not very worth it to mingle with everyone. Still you always walk home thinking of that one person you should have spoken to, but you didnt and the night is over. That is what this song brings me, those missed moments.
There is a line in this track, “you can suffer when you’re old”. This really resonated with me. I think in our youth we spend a lot of time thinking about all the bummers that have come about in our lives. There really isnt a lot of time for that garbage, is there?
Jeffers Win makes you realize a lot of things in one small track, no matter what type of person you are. There is this really beautiful dynamic between the two male & female vocalists, their words sometimes don’t match up but you can still some how understand just what they say. The juxtaposition of these mismatched stylings is what brings me so much love with this track. The collective of musicians have only been together since December, and plan on releasing an EP sometime in May. I am told by the lead vocalist that there will be some psychedelic electronic tracks to go with the freak folk they have featured on their BandCamp for free! We’ve seen so much free music the past couple of days, hooray! I hope you enjoy this band as much as I have. Expect more far out things from Jeffers Win.
xx
Tea Leigh
Remote Remote “Redundant Buzz”
The dream of the 80′s is alive in Remote Remote. Spring is here and it’s time for indie pop synth bubbles of goodness, here is your dose for the week! I don’t know about y’all, but with the change of the seasons my music taste shifts. Ladies and gentleman, Jahn Alexander from Washington D.C. is making my Monday pretty far out. Alexander’s track, “Redundant Buzz” is true to its words, but redundant in a way that you’d like to hear it over and over again. His voice reminds me of Bernard Sumner of New Order, I’m aware that’s a tall order but it’s very distinct.
Alexanders lyrics are very intentional, and well written out for you on his Bandcamp, which is a plus. He has no official album or EPs out at this time, but I’m sure it’s only a matter of time until he throws it at us. All of his sounds are very distinct and different from one another, Jahn is certainly a musician across the board. So whatever kind of music it is you like, I’m sure he can, or has made it at some point. Go over to his BandCamp or SoundCloud and do your Monday a favor, you don’t want the rest of your week to suck.
xx
Tea Leigh
OH!HELLO Spooky EP
I haven’t been this excited for an EP in quite a while. OH!HELLO is by far a captivating roller coaster ride for the haunted pop folk heart throbbs out there. I’d say this EP is perfect for a rainy day or a few beers on the front porch. This is a one man show, ran by Michael Todd Berland, from Portland, OR. He bases his EPs on themes, or one word. For instance, the Spooky EP, which you can find on his BandCamp, is partially inspired by scary movies, up late at night sketches, too much coffee and spooky romance. Berland does a fantastic job of keeping you lost in the cloud of beautifully haunted dreamy anticipation for the next track.The entire EP is a smooth listen. It leaves me wanting an endless amount of more tracks. Berland has released two EP’s so far and has plans to put a full album out in the future, but for now, he’s content releasing his newest free EP called Sleepy. Its been so long since I’ve found an artist capable of keeping such a simple sound but making sure every track is a new adventure. This seems to be easy for Berland, with his smooth vocals straight out of the 50′s, adding on that layered magic. The lo-fi sound is a perfect tone for this EP, feeling nestled up with the tiny static in the background of the story being told. Between his projects, his student career as a graphic designer, and his lady friend, Mr. Berland seems to have plenty of inspiration to keep him going. Get on the amazing Spooky EP and make your Sunday what it should be.
xx
Tea Leigh
Surf’s Up For Settlers
Settlers is a band full of many tricks and talents. Living up in Buffalo, NY Maxwell and Daniel do about a million things. Between hosting house shows, working full-time jobs, and playing steady gigs, they have time to live it up and create a pretty solid sound. Settlers reminds me of some hazy memories, of a crazy night, when lots of running and laughing are involved. The song “Sky Kings” is a track that will make you want to just go for a walk on the sunniest day or jump in the ocean no matter how cold it is outside. With their invigorating surf garage dream sound they transform whatever you’re doing into pure fun.
You can head over to their BandCamp for a free download of the song. Daniel tells me they are still in the process of recording tracks to put together for release. In their spare time they run shows out of their basement called the Jungle Gym which I can assure you is a good time. A few months back I went on a small tour through upstate New York and ran into these guys via the website DODIY, they even cooked us dinner. I would absolutely check out the venue if you’re ever in Buffalo and try to play a show with the guys while you’re in town! I feel very lucky to have run into these cats and wish them the best of luck with whatever is in store!
xx
Tea Leigh
Introducing GOSH
I completely discovered these guys by accident, and what a happy accident this is today! This is a wonderful collaborative project from across the U.S of A (NYC to Wyoming!) I started with the track “Gramophone” which features Kim O’Connor’s mystic and airy vocals, followed by Keaton & Clancy’s magic music making skills (Harriman Exit). O’Connor’s voice reminds me much of Julie Doiron with that smooth and simple sound, that keeps you interested in every word, one after the other. I messaged them on the ol’ SoundCloud to get some dialogue going and as it turns out I have collaborated with Clancy in the past, you can find that track here. And here’s their story - Clancy got in touch with Kim via SoundCloud, and they started sending files back and forth. She flew ALL THE WAY to Wyoming to record seven tracks in the studio for their new album Mild Oath. In total, four people collaborated on this project, including O’Connor’s husband, Keaton & Clancy have yet to meet. The date is not set for the release but Clancy assures me it will be out soon! This is an album worth getting excited about, every track is a bit different, but still keeps the same colorful undertone. I feel as though I’m floating through some sort of weird southwestern KillBill desert. Head on over to GOSH’S SoundCloud for a little preview of what’s to come! They’re truly one of a kind.
xx
Tea Leigh
Come Stay At Twin Cabins
I first came across Twin Cabins a few weeks back and I was instantly hooked with his effortless ease and care free melodies. Nacho Cano hails from Mexico City, and now lives in San Diego making music in his bedroom. Listening to the track “I’m Sure” brought me back to driving down the dirt roads of my home town with the sun beaming and that feeling where your whole body just smiles. Cano makes you feel warm from his melodies, and gives the illusion that you might be on vacation for the 3 minutes and 31 seconds you’re listening to his track. In early March he released a sampler for his upcoming record. You can find it on BandCamp as well as his other collections of beautiful bedroom produced sounds. Twin Cabins is without a doubt one of my favorite artists this month. So sit back and enjoy the feeling of gleaming youth and the prospect of nowhere to be.
xx
Tea Leigh
