Monday, November 19, 2012

Jhameel - Shadow of a Man


This is the reason that music exists.  This song so eloquently describes the human condition in a mere 3:47.  There is a message, there is purpose.  But it doesn't preach.  Yes, it is a song about decisions and whether or not the ones being made are the best for everyone concerned but it's so much more than the moral at the end of the After School Special.  It's art.  It's evokes emotion and it makes you feel.  Jhameel has done that for me since day one of becoming a fan.  He makes transcendent experiences that take you out of the world for a piece and bring you back as something more than you were.

This song came from his Are You Free adventure and was one of my favorite songs from that set of tracks.  It's actually super hard to announce one favorite song because he is simply amazing.  The song on it's own is brilliant and the added visuals from the video take it to the next logical step and create something more than the sum.  I hope that you can watch this video and get a sense of what he is trying to accomplish with this track.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Super Water Sympathy - Uh Oh


In the storied tradition of powerful female singers, Ansley Hughes delivers a performance so thought provoking and honest you can easily draw comparisons to Dolores O'Riordan, Shirley Manson or Harriet Wheeler. This Shreveport, LA based quartet Super Water Sympathy are quickly making a name for themselves after recording with famed producer Cam Blackwood. They classify themselves as "Water Pop" and upon listening to a handful of their tracks, it's easy to hear how the music ebbs and flows like the Mississippi River as it empties into the delta.

In the video for their single, "Uh Oh", Ansley walks through what either looks like the aftermath of a meltdown at a mental institution or the potential post apocalyptic hallucinations of a river town. It's a fun video with clever imagery that flows easily. Much like most new artists that I run across, I will let you know what I find as I find it.

Dubelius - Sophisticated Cupboard Elephants


My pal from the United Arab Emirates, Dubelius is back with another amazing dubstep track.  What I can say and know for a fact is that if he continues making music like this, my faith in this genre is going to be quickly restored.  The glitch and the wobble in this track are sick and when it's pared with that vocal sample this track is elevated to something more than just simple dubstep.  He knows how to tack and build a track that is interesting without sounding too repetitive or making something simply for the sake of making a dubstep track.  I think if given the opportunity, he is going to make big things happen because he has an ear for it.  What I want to hear from him is a remix or two.  Take something that's out there right now and make it something totally new and fresh because I think he can do that without issue.