Hi friends,
"The corona" was never funny, but as it goes on longer and longer it's definitely
harder to make jokes. Even without mentioning all of the actual death,
it has meant loss of income for some and it's been no small challenge to mental health for others.
With this in mind that I'm taking the first entry this week to share a track I find particularly
comforting in addition to listing a few free resources right here.
Waking Up is an app like others you've probably heard of: Headspace, Ten Percent Happier, etc. What's
different about it is that I can send out an unlimited number of free, month-long trials for it. If
you're
interested, just reply to this email or shoot me a text.
Before we get into this week's sweetness, I must highlight that 4 Track alumni, Hayley Williams,
released a new one yesterday called
"Over
Yet" and I've had it on repeat ever since Joe texted me about it. Additionally,
Joe suggested I also listen to La Roux's newest album, Supervision, which is in the same groovy
vein. I wouldn't be surprised if a track from it lands here soon.
I may also have to throw a disco when this whole thing ends...
Reggae rock | Positive Mind (Acoustic) by The Expendables
It's really hard to describe the sound of The Expendables, which are a four-piece group from Santa Cruz,
California.
First they are reggae, then ska, then punk rock. When I saw them at a show with Tunnel Vision and Reel
Big Fish
I never knew what genre I was hearing, but I always knew I was having a good time.
This track always comes me when stress is high or I'm feeling low. Off their all-acoustic album, Gone
Soft,
the track has an organic, easeful vibe. It's directly reflective, going so far as to confront the
listener with calls to breathe deeply and
relax. This combined with the acoustic guitars, string bass, and light rhythm section deliver something
you can lie down and pick yourself up with.
Acoustic electro | Dem Be - Live - Acoustic by STS9
The album from which this track comes was originally thought to be one of two things: a joke or
impossible.
After delivering the highly respected 2005 album, Artifact, STS9 became more and more of a
laptop-based band,
distancing themselves from what their fans deemed to be real music. In fact, several of their most
popular
songs on Spotify just sound like bad remixes of otherwise good Glitch Mob songs. However,
Axe the Cables was not a joke and clearly far from impossible. On this album the group proved
to the world that they are not only musicians, but good ones.
This track is one of my favorites from the effort as well as one of the most digestible songs. This one
is on the shorter side while many other entries on the album go on long, Phish-like improvisational
tangents,
which provide delicious moments of energy and interplay.
The whole album makes for a great extended listen, but it also provides great background music for
reading, which I'm sure many of you are doing right now.
Give it a try.
Atmospheric ballad | Hey Now by London Grammar
Live on KEXP
This is absolutely my favorite of the week as I've probably listened to London Grammar's
If You Wait
over two dozen times in the past fourteen days. Maybe you've heard of this three-piece
before, but I hadn't when I discovered them on KEXP's YouTube channel. It was there that I first watched
them perform
three of my favorite pieces from the album while sporting the best hair I've seen on a band in a while.
Hannah Reid's voice is breathtaking. Combined with her heartfelt songwriting, it delivers a powerful
experience.
You can even see it render KEXP's host, Cheryl Waters, speechless.
Reminiscent of other acts like The XX, Florence + the Machine, and Kaleida, London Grammar
sounds familiar yet completely different. Where The XX go electronic or add a driving drum beat,
London Grammar keeps it stripped back. When Florence + the Machine lift off into space with a
dance-inducing hook,
this group pulls you back down to earth. Instead of going totally experimental like Kaleida, these three
provide something more palatable.
This track is the intro for the album and, I think, the best intro to the band. If you like it and think
you would like it more dancy, then you absolutely must try
Bonobo's
remix. Simon Green really outdid himself
on it and, while I still think appreciation for the original is required, will really flip your lid.
Witch house | silkspun by Purity Ring
"Witch house electronic" is seriously how Wikipedia lists this Canadian duo's genre. I couldn't have
thought of anything better to capture the often ethereal, sometimes unnerving sound of the pair.
Vocalist Megan James and multi-instrumentalist Corin Roddick have been making music together since 2010,
but have taken long breaks between each released album, waiting three and then five years.
Rachel sent me the early warning shot that Purity Ring was to release their newest today and I marked my
calendar.
I must say that it's lived up to the hype and brought my favorite entries in their catalog.
While still providing a headrushingly enjoyable production, "silkspun" is one of the work's most upbeat
and groovy.
Thanks, Rachel!
Of course, don’t forget to reply with what you liked, didn’t like, and what you’ve been listening
to.
And, as always, this week’s tracks are added to the collectors for all weeks' tracks on
Spotify
and
Apple Music.
Cheers,
Tanner