best holiday music | winter 2020
by: kelly ulrich
best singles of 2020
by: kelly ulrich
hannah grace, remedy
Hannah Grace has been praised by music legends like Lady Gaga, and you only have to press play on her new album, Remedy, to understand why. From top to bottom, this album is the story of finding and losing love, and in the end, becoming sure of yourself. Tracks like “Feels Like Home” and “Different Kind of Love” are the optimistic phase of falling in love. Both songs reflect on the past with the hope to move forward in what could be a safe and loving relationship. Grace does little to shy away from the more heartbreaking parts about falling in love, however. “Missing the Show” details the struggle of saying goodbye to a lover but recognizing that the back and forth has proven to be unsuccessful and therefore, it is time to move on. The more celebratory pieces like “Blue”, “How True Is Your Love”, and the darker layered “Live Like Love” represent the freedom and openness that we all long for in our lives.
With the help of radiant choirs, powerhouse vocals, and dance breaks when needed, Grace’s Remedy covers important ground when it comes to falling in and out of love. Not only does she give insights on how to love, but she also gives us an idea on how to heal.
fall into november | new videos 2020
Ahh, November. Now that we are past that shit storm of an election – I know, BUT ARE WE? – it’s time to truly bask in the glow of new music videos. Now we don’t have to distract ourselves, we just get to revel in the talent. Let yourself go to mush with these amazing new music videos from November 2020, ya dig?
when november rains you need somebody caring | november 2020
November is already off to a kickass start. We’ve got a lot of pressure in the first week of the month alone – and that’s only after enduring the insane energy from a blue moon, daylight savings time, and Halloween this weekend – so it’s ok to return to check out our favorite newbies as much as you can for some music therapy! The soundtrack includes Lowertown, Allegra, MIHI NIHIL, Bengal Lancers, Wa Wa Punx, Ludic, Jesse Ruben, Malvae, Alex Maas, and more.
kristen schaeffer, “don’t dream it’s over”
by: sabrina thurber
Today, Kristen Schaeffer presents us with her rendition of the classic hit, “Don’t Dream It’s Over”.
Taking an altogether new approach to the piece, Schaeffer’s dreamy-yet-powerful cover illuminates a side to the song we didn’t even know we were missing. Compared to the upbeat original by the Australian rock band, Crowded House, Schaeffer takes the time to slow things down. The singer-songwriter proves the strength in simplified instrumentals, and allows us to appreciate her angelic vocals in their purest form.
Behind Schaeffer’s voice there is a story encompassing a multitude of experiences. Growing up in New York City, Schaeffer’s love for music and theatre became clear at an early age. After studying at Berklee College of Music, Schaeffer developed a sound for herself — one that combined her love for theatre with a folky/pop twist. Schaeffer’s most recent successes include her track “Shadows” being featured on the television drama, Charmed.
This cover is brought to us by Salinger Songs as the second installment in The Salinger (*not our) Songs Cover Series. The series showcases artists re-inventing various works, allowing their own interpretations and personal style to take charge. The series will continue throughout the upcoming months, featuring the roster and friends of the Virginia-based publishing company.
Schaeffer reflects on her cover of “Don’t Dream It’s Over”, describing it as even more relevant today than she originally thought:
It felt to me like an urgent call for hope and reflection. Are you who you want to be? Are you prepared to fight for truth, love, and optimism? Can you wade through all the noise to find what really matters? It’s never too late to ask yourself these questions and change course.
matt boroff | the warmth of other suns
This playlist is filled with songs that have set my inner world ablaze in one way or another. Some of them are recent and others are more ancient, but they’ve all had an affect on the way that I write and record songs.
la china de la gasolina, la china de la gasolina
by: tiffany czech
Leave behind the life you know wherever you are for just thirty minutes and take a trip to Cuba with La China De La Gasolina. The self-titled album is the product of a trip to Havana, the capital of Cuba. There, Charlie Garmendia would use a multi-track tape recorder to capture the rich musical culture that the island has to offer. It was with the help of the young musicians and artists he met that the late-night jam sessions turned into a collective body of work.
With 11 tracks, the listener can dip their foot in many parts that all come together to form a sonically cohesive whole. That whole begins with “Edro”, an electrifying track that seems to signify the beginning of a breaking news story, or maybe even the opening credits to the latest buzzing film. In just 23 seconds, the song manages to captivate the listener, thus beginning their Cuban journey. Then comes “La Gasolina”, one of the standout tracks. Using prominent synthesizers, one finds themselves transported to the middle of a busy Cuban street filled with only the best dancing and music. That feeling continues throughout the whole album, all the way until the final track, “El Terror”, which relies heavily on percussion to signal that the journey is finished. This is the song that puts the picture of a small group gathering around a campfire at the end of the day in your mind, satisfied with everything that day has given you. From the Cuban jazz moments of “Año Nuevo” to the Latin pop spectacle that is “Demonio Bongo” and everything in between, there is certainly a lot to be satisfied with.
sir sly, “material boy”
by: tiffany czech
In a world where material possessions meet spiritual growth, one may find themselves just as conflicted as the character in Sir Sly’s music video for “Material Boy”. Here, the material boy is someone who appears to be in a state of distress as he works through his emotions to leave behind any care in the world about material items. Through watching him chew up wads of cash and hide from all of the expensive things he owns; the viewer comes to understand that he yearns for more in his life. He yearns to be free from the material chains that are constraining him. The catchy chorus of the song reminds the listener that our material boy has found a spiritual void within himself and he strives to fill it.
What is great about what we see in this video is that it doesn’t need to follow one meaning for everybody who watches it. It could mean struggling to come to terms with the current political landscape, as the second verse alludes to, just as much as it could represent the struggle to leave an unfulfilling job that pays well. The common theme amongst the profuse number of possible interpretations is the yearning to find something that makes one feel whole. “Material Boy” both fascinates and perplexes, as well as provides the best form of entertainment for the viewer. Lead singer Landon Jacobs notes: “My highest hope is that this video can mean something a little different for anyone that watches it, but at the very least, I hope it is entertaining.”