As if New York-based R&B musician Raveena Aurora could be any more impressive, she recently released a beautiful self-directed video for her single “Sweet Time”, simultaneously garnering an audience to the celebration of women of color. Working alongside a short list of incredible editors, stylists, and designers – as well as a cast of real life goddesses – Raveena has created an incredible, pink-tinged visual to represent the airy, fun, soulful vibe of the track. Feminine color, women of all shapes, colors, and sizes, and a carefree day full of florals is enough to make any woman feel as magical as they are inherently born.
Raveena, thanks for the reminder.
Crew
Directed by – Raveena Aurora
Director of Photography- James Ronkko
Producers – Alice Agrusa & Raveena Aurora
Editors – Alice Agrusa & James Ronkko
Set Design & Screenplay – Raveena Aurora
Colorist – James Ronnko
Additional Set Design – Bobo Matjila
Production Assistant – Nutsa Ugulava
Floral Stylist – Reena Aurora
MUA – Chelsea Chen & Tara Welsome
Goddesses
Akinkunmi Iman
April Rubi Jurado
Bobo Matjila
Bria Scott
Indira Scott
Serena Haahs
Tori Mumtaz
Today, Bloomington-based Diane Coffee released his latest 7″ via Polyvinyl, a work titled Peel which features his two upbeat, instrumentally robust tracks “Poor Man Dan” and “Get By”. Though “Poor Man Dan” feigns an upbeat attitude, the truth is that it is based on a dark urban legend from his neighborhood growing up. But unless you hone in on the vocals, you could never tell with the heavy Motown influence. His music is driven with a large horn section and incredible backup vocal ensemble, so you’d be hard pressed to find a track that wasn’t uplifting in one of its facets. But you find that you can’t help it when Coffee’s voice takes on that nostalgic edge, and you’re immediately taken back in time with each line.
Peel is available now. Keep up with Diane Coffee here.
Southern California-based alternative rock act DAVIS is still flying high off the critical acclaim and crowd reaction from 2016’s EP Crooked Finger. And – as you may remember – idobi Radio premiered his video for “Los Angeles” in September. (And he curated a playlist just for us to celebrate!) So it’s safe to say it took a few moments for us to sit down and pick his brain a little bit. But we did it, and got some good behind-the-scenes explanations, as well as a silver lining to the future of music. Check it out!
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What is the first song or album you ever remember hearing, and who introduced it to you?
Bob Dylan and John Lennon were the first artists that really spoke to me at a young age. “Subterranean Homesick Blues” and “Imagine” were the coolest sounding songs to me. Growing up, my Dad had a huge collection of vinyl. My family and I would sit in the living room and dig through his records and just play tons of music together. We listened to everything: Cat Stevens, Prince, Nirvana, Michael Jackson, everything! And everyone got a chance to pick out a record and add to the experience. It’s funny cause that’s basically what I do these days whenever I have people over to my house: I make a Spotify playlist and everyone gets a chance to add to it. Music brings people together. That’s what it’s all about. My favorite songs are always the ones that remind me of sharing an experience with family or friends.
What made you choose to pursue music as a career? Was there a defining moment?
I started a punk band in junior high and we got to play at high school parties. That was the best feeling ever. I knew from then on that I wanted to pursue music. Eventually I went to college and got a degree so that my parents were happy, but as soon as I graduated I started doing music full time. But writing songs isn’t just a career choice for me, it’s something I have to do. It fills my soul. It’s my purpose in life.
You have had quite a bit of attention surrounding your work as of late, including some stellar premieres under your belt. How does it feel, getting this type of positive exposure?
It’s rad. As a songwriter you always hope that people will enjoy what you’re offering to the world. I’m very thankful for all the positive energy people are giving me in return.
What was the production process like on your video for “Los Angeles”? Seems like you had a really fun time!
Yeah, it was! There was a lot of pre-production that went into the video. The director, Haley Reed, had a really unique way of filming it, using all kinds of weird projections and stuff. Her and I have worked together for all of my previous videos, and each time we completely change the process like we are starting from scratch. That’s what makes it fun. I like challenges and breaking the rules.
Just like my music, my videos are all about juxtaposition. One minute we might be filming in a huge studio with all this super posh equipment, and the next we might just grab a GoPro and shoot in an alley. Making this video was rad because I got to drive all throughout every pocket of LA.
The Crooked Finger EP has been out for a hot second. What has the reaction been to it? The songs from the EP are really best experienced live at my shows. They’re really fun tunes to play and people seem to really connect with those songs when they hear them live. Everyone loves to sing along to the song “Fuck You.” Which is awesome.
If you could have any superhero help you promote your favorite song from the EP, who would you choose and why?
I would say Thor, I think! He always lays down the hammer. That’s what I strive for with my music: laying down hammers. “Touch The Sky” is my favorite song off the EP. It’s a hammer.
Anything else you’d like to add?
Rock n roll is the future. Come with me. I’ll take you there.
Today marks the release date of Brooklyn-based musician Channeling‘s (Andrew Osterhoudt) latest, an EP titled Bluffs which is comprised of his three tracks “Drift”, “Bluffs”, and “Doves”. A solid follow-up to his debut full-length Channeling, Andrew has taken the feelings of being content and of being out of control and somehow proudly made a space for them both. The piece is introspective, strangely light, and exquisite in sound.
It turns out that “Drift” and “Bluffs” were originally composed as a single musical piece, though they have been separated into two sturdy pieces. The instrumentals in “Drift” make you feel as though you are drifting in a cacophony of sound, with subtle changes in their sound as they largely exist in the same sound space throughout. Osterhoudt meant for the song to feel as though the listener were “floating somewhere unknown in a bog of electronic sounds,” and he was – not surprisingly – very successful in this. Toward minute seven, the track begins to sound less like static, and take on a more natural feel to it. It is at this point that the work transitions into second track “Bluffs”, which Osterhoudt admitted was “meant to create a sense of floating at sea, and eventually struggling against overpowering tides.” There is a nostalgic late 80s, early 90s feel to the keys, as the track is eventually drowned out by a static sound and the waves come crashing over you.
It is with “Doves” that we find our true heart. The last of the three tracks was recorded on the day of Prince’s passing, and, according to to Osterhoudt, “features the melody to ‘When Doves Cry,’ manipulated on a lo-fi sampler.” What an intense and wondrous experience, especially for fans of the late legend.
They’ve been illuminating the crowd everywhere they go over the course of the last two years, and now UK-based alt-folk act Low Chimes – comprised of Marianne Parrish, Jack Page, Rob Pemberston, and Lachlan McLellan – is making their full length debut with recent album Illumine. The ten track release is an ethereal one, blending hard guitar riffs with light as a feather vocals, almost transforming its listener to another time, an entirely different place.
Initiating its kaleidoscope vibe with first track “Sleepwalking”, we are immediately hit with positive vibes, lines like “everything’s changing for the better” dancing around us as if floating on air. “Sulfer Silk” paints an already vivid picture in its wording, the texture of the instrumentals somehow adding a layer, as though it is the exact audio representation of the term. You won’t be able to help but to find yourself swaying your hips before the sprawling five minutes is up. “Dust Will Blow” is more of a toe-tapper than a hip-swayer, but the reverb follows the vocals around in a calm and beautiful manner, melting into the abrupt tempo change on “Away The Day”. Staccato notes and an almost glacial pace allow for the band to play with a bit of dissonance in composition, lending to Parrish’s delicate vocals in an incredibly complementary way.
It is with “Lacuna” that the instrumentals nab a little edge to them, seeming to swirl lazily out of a hard rock track into a slow buildup that hosts luxurious, rich vocals. And while “Taming Trance” is something we could see ourselves doing a nice round of restorative yoga to, “Electric Bloom” maintains an almost lazy surf vibe with its guitar parts and breezy chorus. Perhaps we’ve found the bite we need in eighth song “Blood Orange” with its jazzy melody and the way the words seem to counter the accompanying composition. When it comes to “Forget I Know”, we get lost more in Parrish’s vocal range than anything, but the album only finds its closure in fitting track “Final Farewell”, where chorus style vocals allow a build into a more alt-rock ending than its folk majority would lead you to believe. It’s as though they pass through all of the major genres represented in the album in one track, tying the entire album together with a succinct and fitting bow.
October
19th Oct – Edinburgh, Sneaky Pete’s
20th Oct – Kendal [Venue TBC]
21st Oct – Manchester, The Eagle
26th Oct – Winchester, The Railway
27th Oct – Bristol, The Malt House
28th Oct Stroud, The Goods Shed
December
5th Dec – London, Sebright Arms
6th Dec – Brighton, Hope and Ruin
Illumine is available now. Keep up with Low Chimes here.
