Wide Eyed Boy - Loving You Is So Easy (Acoustic Version)

Sometimes I have to do a little digging before I feel comfortable expressing an opinion about a band. I was contacted to talk about a new acoustic version of a single by Liverpool based, Wide Eyed Boy and since it was my first exposure to them, I thought I should get to know them a little better. I listened to the single version. I listened to another track called, "Wolves" and then I came back to the acoustic version of "Loving You Is So Easy" and I feel like I have a much better appreciation of the band. On it's own, "Loving You Is So Easy" is a brilliantly performed ballad about love and that feeling of comfort and security "even when I'm down".

We think that all love songs have to be about one aspect of a relationship or another. It either has to be about the jubilation of young love or falling in love or sustained happiness. Or it has to be about falling out of love and breaking up and moving on. No one talks about how love doesn't stop. No one talks about how love feels when the rest of the world isn't spinning quite right. And I think that this song does an excellent job of doing that but when you strip away the electric production and take it down to an acoustic version of the song, that's when you see magic. The tempo of the song is slowed. The melody is a bit more melancholic. The vibe is a little more down and that gives the song much more gravity than being an upbeat pop song. This particular song was made better by having it done acoustically. Sometimes, artists will release an acoustic version of a song and it sounds almost identical to the original but in this case, this song has it's own legs and it stands separately yet equally to the original release.

I highly recommend you listen to the original recording. Listen to "Wolves". Get a feel for the band. Support the band. They've got a lot to give and if this is a sampling of how they're going to do that, then I see a great future ahead for them.

Signal - Basic (ft. Chelsea Jade)

Life in the shadow of the tower block has never been easy for anyone and the best you can do sometimes is the best you can do. Seeing Signal in his environment with his friends and family reminiscing about life and where he's come from and what's influenced him are all at the heart of his track. Seeing archival footage of a young Signal coming up against the slow, methodical jam and brilliant guest vocals by the lovely Chelsea Jade make this video a stunner. It's a slow burn that mirrors the attitudes and opinions we have when people think they know more about us than they really do. It takes them and makes all the noise and static void and they get passed onto the basic category. People that spend more time minding your business than they do their own, passing judgment on you and deciding for you what's best in your life. Those are basic bitches. People that have nothing better to do than to make assumptions about who you are and where you've been and the kind of stuff you're made of. It's a frustrating situation but you have to continually remind yourself that those that matter don't mind and those that mind don't matter.

The song is this boozy, slow burn that just meanders from start to front. It doesn't get in a hurry for anyone. It takes it's time and does what it needs to do. It's got a message and it delivers it as it needs to. Much like people deciding for you, this song doesn't care what you think It's going to get there when it gets there. Hearing Signal talk about his life and his crew and being accepting of all even when there are those that don't offer the came courtesy is a pretty astounding thing. Instead of get bitter and hate on those that have hated on him, he's taken his experiences and turned them into something better. Working on making himself something more. And that's what we have to do. Every day has to be a little better than the one before and we have to shake off the negativity and be part of something bigger.

East of Eli - Child's Play

Funk. Groove. A chorus that grabs you and doesn't let go. East of Eli (Nathan West) has created a song about first love and all the emotions that go along with it. A time in our lives that we have all experienced trepidation and a mass of confusion that leads up to understanding what we are feeling. The pre-chorus is the perfect build up to an amazingly well crafted chorus that just swells and takes over everything. The song has the perfect blend of funk and pop to make it this super crazy song about love. West confides "the reason behind the song was to help my son navigate the next five years of his life as he winces ever closer to the 'coming of age' years in his life. I felt sharing my experience would give him much needed insight and perspective on what he may expect and also let him know he has someone on his side that can relate to on his own journey”. Not only does wife Chyler Leigh provide amazing background vocals on the song she has a spoken part where she asks West if he loves her and it becomes this perfect pause that slows the song down just enough to give it a sultry feel that leads into Nathan's rap that is the perfect puzzle piece in this song. There is no wasted energy in this song, everything is done for a reason and it's done beautifully.

This is a perfect combination of everything that makes pop music great. It's got such amazing mainstream sensibilities that should have it blaring on every pop station on the dial as well as many guest spots in as many TV shows as possible (Looking at you Stanvers shippers). I've listened to this song at least 20 times in a row so I can hear every nuance because every time you listen to it you hear something different. Nathan has an incredible voice and it never feels overworked or overpowered in the song. He has another song on Soundcloud called "Nowhere" and it's gorgeous. I don't know why I haven't heard about East of Eli before now. He should be a major player in the pop market today because his songs are perfect for the demographic and perfect for anyone that loves good pop music.

Moxi - Figures Bathed In Light

Those synths!!! And don't get me started on just how perfect Anna Toy's voice is for this specific genre of music. This inspiration for this track came from the members of the band (and couple), Anna and Andy Toy surviving a near fatal car crash. I think that an experience like that would absolutely create an experience that you could draw from.

As far as they're overall inspiration goes, Anna explains, "our inspiration comes from a myriad of sources and ideas, but the underlying themes come from our emotional response to art and life experience”. The track highlights the band's dreamy, floating quality of music and fascination with the supernatural. "Behind all the drifting soundscapes, I always build a violence and tension into the music, even if it’s not overtly present at first”, admits Andy. “We bring all of these elements together in a way that is hopefully relatable and memorable because ultimately, we want people to feel understood through our music.”

You can hear every one of those influences in this music. This is a very solid entry in the dream pop category. It's ethereal. It floats and it's just light and airy. I think those are the hallmarks of a damn good dream pop song. It straddles the line between indie and psychedelic. It elevates your mind and makes you just close your eyes and float along with it. But like Andy says, the song does evoke a bit of anxiety and taps into those parts of your brain that make you more hyperaware of the things around you. There's a synth underneath, that rides right above the drums that has this melodic hum to it and I think that's where the stress comes from. It's an almost constant drone that's just under the surface of the song that helps dictate the flow of your experience while listening.

Moxie on the Web
http://moxilovesyou.com/

Natalie Major - City of Gold

There's something about disillusionment that comes with chasing your dreams. The hopefulness and the faith that you hope everything will work out can always be twinged with just a little bit of sadness and malcontent. I think that we always want to focus on the positive but in the back of our minds there's always that bit of self doubt. The slow, methodical tempo leads an air to the whole feeling of anxiety and uncertainty. Sometimes we are in need of songs that aren't necessarily bubblegum because life isn't always sunshine and rainbows. Here's the thing.... you can't reap the rewards without the chances and risks. They may be the most terrifying and uncertain things and you may find yourself in a situation where you can't predict the outcome but those are the times when you grow and learn more about yourself than you knew before. You open yourself up for opportunities and experiences that you may not have had previously.

"City of Gold" is the latest single to be released by Los Angeles based singer/songwriter Natalie Major. While this song may have a bit of darkness woven through it, there's also that Yan to the Yin in that you have to hope for the best and you have to make sure you're going for the risks to make sure you're getting out of life what you put into it. She's got a voice that is beautifully haunting with an eloquence to it that you don't find in many artists today. She doesn't have that post production feel to her vocals where you can hear where the track has been cleaned up and made to sound better. I like the easy feel to the song. It's not a song that you're going to dance to but you're going to get sucked in and hear every nuance in Natalie's vocals and her presentation. I feel like this is an incredible track and it could be remixed into something darker or something more upbeat. The single releases on Friday August 25th and it's going to be a huge release for Natalie. With a voice like hers it's not hard to think that she's going to be crashing the major pop markets soon. Catch her on the rise because I have a feeling that she's going to be huge.

Natalie Major on the Web
www.nataliemajormusic.com

The Penelopes - Leave It All Behind

This album is the most incredible thing I think I've heard in quite some time. I am almost at a loss for words to describe how much I am in love with this album. This evokes so much nostalgia and fondness that I immediately felt a connection with the music. From the Sisters of Mercy influences to Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave with a smattering of Concrete Blonde and Siouxie and the Banshees, this album is stunning. It's not often that I absolutely geek out over an album but I've been listening to this nonstop for about three days now. I've been trying to wrap my head completely and totally around this but every time I listen to it, I get some new sound or I hear a different progression through a song and it just makes me swoon all over again.

So let's talk about this masterpiece. The vocals are absolutely spot on point with their execution. I love groups that have shared vocals between a male vocalist and a female and this is just an incredible example of how the difference between singers can be an experience that elevates the tracks to a whole new level. The way their voices compliment each other at different ends of the spectrum is so cool. His voice is like a shadow of hers and it gives such an earthy quality to the songs. They're grounded. They've got bite to them.

The synths and the production on the tracks are the perfect blend of darkwave and new wave and there's something so forward thinking about the tracks that doesn't keep them mired down in nostalgia. Yeah, there's plenty of sense memory built into all these songs because they sound like something you would have heard some where in the recesses of your memory but they are new and innovative. The use of brass in the production gives this bright and vibrant note that is super refreshing and it rounds out the sound and gives it more body.

This album seems like it's a soundtrack to a movie that you've never seen but you know you need to. I don't know who Tina is but I am genuinely concerned for her well being. The way "Mulholland Drive" ends with Tina being told to wake up is a bit worrisome. This is so perfectly put together that it evokes so many emotions and by the time you get to "Time to Shine" and it's huge, swelling, builds... you are spent - in the best way. "Time to Shine" is this song that is so massive. It's got a Sisters of Mercy feel to it with the way the vocals are sharp and precise and how they are layered over all the instrumentation. The spacy sound effects and the percussion make this song have an otherworldly feel to it. I am so enamored with this track. The rest of the album is gorgeous and has so many moments to talk about. "Roses" is a beautiful up tempo pop song that has an underlying feeling of hope and perseverance. The guitars and the "ooo oo oooo's" on "Leave Them All Behind" are just so funky that you're tapping your feet along with the song before you realize it. You hear the influences of the Cocteau Twins and so many other artists on "Tina". It's this breathlessly beautiful song about growing up and making it the best way you can.

If you aren't in love with this album by the 30 second mark in "Mulholland Drive", then I just don't know. This is EVERYTHING that a pop album should be. It's so evocative. It's fun. It's big. It's just a perfect moment in music. I am so amazed with this and if this is what they can do, I cannot wait to hear more.

The Penelopes on the Web