Amsterdam based singer-songwriter VanWyck (irl Christine Oele) dropped her album, An Average Woman, in January of 2018. The LP features not only the insane talent of VanWyck, but the accompanying vocals of Marjolein van der Klauw and bass player/arranger Reyer Zwart. Having a widespread musical background ranging from classical piano to jazz-dance to rap and hip hop, VanWyck released An Average Woman as an answer to her own longings to share an authentic and creative thoughts on women today through a musical canvas. Her songs bring on chills as the listener delves into the all-encompassing soundscape of the album.
We were lucky enough to catch up with VanWyck to discuss her latest album, thoughts, and message.
The title of your album, An Average Woman, instantly caught my attention. How’d you come up with the name?
I wrote the song – that is the title track – a while back. It was during my one song a week project, where I tried to write and record one song every week for a year. I instantly knew it was a strong song, but also a difficult one to record properly, so I kept it for myself until the recording of the album. In a way it is a response to the way our media celebrates success in terms of uniqueness and individualism. I was so tired from the bombardment of perfect superwoman everyday, all the time. Sometimes it feels like only perfect women are allowed to be visible and to have a voice. There is so much pressure on women to be a certain kind of way and it so hard to rid yourself of that pressure, to find your own voice and your own values. It’s almost impossible. But in a way that was my assignment for this album.
What do you want to be the biggest takeaway from your music for your female listeners?
Maybe I hope for two things – one is that they feel supported in allowing themselves to be who they are – to free themselves from the pressures of having to be every woman, or to live up to certain ideals. That they find the strength to seek out their own ideals.
Next to that I hope they enjoy the magic and enchantment that I felt when I wrote these songs. After a lot of struggle and hard work I’ve come to the conclusion that there is this pool of infinite joy and creativity inside all of us – that we can always tap into that, but that we are often sidetracked by all the humdrum of modern life and obligations. I really think that inside each of us there is this river of knowledge and strength – we just need to find ways to tap into it.
Listening to tracks like “Red River Girl” gives me chills – how do you pack so much emotion into a few minutes of song?
Well “Red River Girl” was a very special writing process for me too. It really felt like someone else was writing the song. That I just had to let it wander through me. I think the subconscious really plays a big role in songwriting and the better you become at surrendering yourself to it – the stronger the songs will be that you find there. I think for this song I surrendered myself completely and maybe that is what you feel as well.
What’s your favorite view or landscape?
Anything wild and free will do. But I live in The Netherlands and we have hardly any wild and free left. It’s mostly cities and cultured grounds here – so sometimes I really have to free myself from that. Luckily we do have an amazing sea here with beautiful beaches and dunes and I try to travel to mountainous areas whenever I can.
The music video for “An Average Woman” is so beautiful! Where did the inspiration for it come from?
Thank you! I was very lucky to have met the artist and photographer Koen Hauser who directed the video. He was so moved by a song on my first EP that we got in touch. I was also very moved by his work and I guess there was this instinctive feeling between us that our work is connected in some ways. Like it deals with the same sort of themes. He also had strong opinions about how social media makes so many people feel like they are not good enough. So we decided to make a video with as many normal everyday woman we could find and to just let them be.
Where’s the best place to create music?
I can do it almost anywhere! As long as I have a guitar – but getting away from other people and noises is always good. I sometimes need some sort of silence and calm to be able to better hear all the voices in my head. But then again sometimes it’s the excitement of new experiences and new people that bring on new ideas.
If you could describe your music in a single word to someone who’s never listened to you, what would that word be?
UK based musician Superheart recently released his follow-up to “Count On Me”, the surprising bit of necessity titled “After Midnight”. A song you would listen to outside in the cool summer breeze late at night or during a late night drive. The song has this “cool” tropical sound to it with a guitar sound to add to his vocals.
The song is warm, a soundscape like a comforting blanket.
“Shiver” wastes no time getting to the point, and is the debut single from Whitelight, a duo from Birmingham. Impressive that this track is made by only 2 people. “Shiver” begins with a dusty gritty distortion then turns the corner into a verse that commands the spotlight with the singers’ wonderful accent. For fans of Royal Blood, Blue Oyster Cult, and Radiohead, Whitelight is best defined as true Indie Rock N Roll. The middle section of the song does have a neat echoing bluesy guitar solo, which pulls the distortion off the bass guitar giving a loungy feel. In its simplicity “Shiver” is a really catchy tune. No explosions or an intense build up its a straightforward track that is easy to swallow.
As I walked away from it, I found the chorus line still reverberating in my head so much so I had to give it another listen. Whitelight is proof that you really don’t need to over produce a song to make it great, you just need to write it well. When searching there isn’t too much information about WhiteLight. The alluring mystery and the availability of only 1 song has me definitely wanting more and I will be waiting to see what these guys are all about. Can’t wait to hear a full release and hear all that they have to offer.
At only 18, North Londoner Ellie Occleston is bursting onto the scene with her debut single, “Splinters”, out via Trellis Records. During her childhood spent in both the UK and Spain, Occleston honed her guitar and piano plays, as well as her songwriting skills. Ever expanding her potential, Ellie is currently a competitor in the Coffee Music Project in London.
Simply yet elegantly composed of piano and vocals, Occleston provides the track with emotion-packed singing. Aside from phenomenal lyrical composition, the single shows off all the right sides of Occleston’s vocal abilities within its four minutes. Produced by Jon Moon, “Splinters” is the perfect springboard to bring Ellie Occleston into the radar of the public. We’re looking forward to seeing Occleston continue to explore her musical talents and we hope many more beautiful tracks like “Splinters” are in her future.
LINES is a band from Stockholm – comprised simply of Erik, Fred, Nisse, and Johan – who just released their new single “Lockdown” as a solid follow up to their previous single “You”. The band’s sound is alternative pop, which is evident especially in their latest release.
“Lockdown” starts off at a slow pace and then begins to pick up as the song progresses. The song makes you want to get up and dance to its beat, boasting pop sounds and a hint of guitar. The song is catchy, with fun lyrics and a grooving beat.
Be careful, the “Lockdown” chorus is bound to get stuck in your head.
London-based Allman Brown has just dropped his brand new single, “Moonlight”, after a whirlwind 2017 full of massive steps forward in the musical world and amassing thousands of streams of his songs. Two of his songs, “Sons and Daughters” and “Ancient Light” were even featured on episodes of “The Good Doctor”. He released his first EP, Sons and Daughters, in 2013, followed by a debut LP, 1000 Years. Now Brown looks to keep the ball rolling with the release of his brand new EP, Bury My Heart, on March 16th.
Allman Brown has dropped “Moonlight”, which will appear on Bury My Heart. A soothing, mellow track filled with some remarkably gentle yet well placed guitar, “Moonlight” displays Allman’s ability to display his unique, quiet strength. “Moonlight” certainly evidences his talent in regards to showing off how to handle a softer track with confidence. Allman looks to continue to please his fans with his clear, emotion-filled vocals and well-placed instrumentals. We look forward to hearing the rest of Bury My Heart, out March 16th.
Well, maybe. “Donnie wants you dead” is a teaser single from Seattle based Powerbleeder from their new album GUSH that is slated for release on April 10th.
My first impression was “sounds like Seattle”, the standard grunge sound that has become a symbol representing an overcast sky and sloshing around in rain puddles. Then a bit of a change in weather as the verse begins and enters an alternate sky that is as sunny as the summer days in California. “You can fill the crossword without really even trying” grabbed my immediate focus dead center. Each verse is followed by a repeat in a camp-fire group style, and the overall sound becomes a little Beatle-esque. As much as this track makes you want to join hands, pick up a tambourine, and sing along, listen closely because it isn’t all Mento’s smiles. The actuality of the lyrics and the way Powerbleeder has a fun way of saying some things almost makes you miss the sarcasm of a bleak message. With the line,”You sent a bud bug to the White House overnight”, it sounds so upbeat, like it was a good thing, when in all honesty if that line was spoken normally my response would be, “What a dick, those things are hard to get rid of.” I can see the actions of someone wanting somebody dead becoming very clear.
The music at times becomes powerful and the guitar line is evocative of scales used in jazz. The transitions build up smoothly and reveal theoretic capacity in instrumentation and song structure making it hard to say, yeah they are a pop-ish rock band. Pop is so simple, and while “Donnie wants you dead” retains catchy pop hooks, what lays beneath the playful memorable song standard is anything but standard. If you’ve ever felt impure of mind or had some choice words you want to throw at someone, do it in style. Powerbleeder leads the way and makes it fun. You’ll see, once you check out “Donnie wants you dead” and you later find yourself walking with a spring in your step, singing it happily aloud while snapping your fingers with a smile across your face.
And if that is not enough joy in your life you can Pre-Order your copy of GUSH from the band’s Bandcamp page for only $4.
Knox White is dropping his brand new track, “You’ve Been My Girl” this Friday, and we couldn’t be more excited. The artist has had quite a star-studded bunch of mentors, meeting Lionel Ritchie and Paul McCartney while bartending in Los Angeles. After moving to New Orleans for a time to get inspired by the music scene there, Knox White is back in L.A. and preparing to release his debut self-titled record this July. “You’ve Been My Girl” is the first single off the EP, and with this small taste of his music, we can’t wait to hear the rest of his songs.
“You’ve Been My Girl” is the perfect marriage of R&B and chill indie pop; the Prince influences shine on this track. It’s got emotion-packed lyrics, smooth vocals, and one heck of a guitar solo – the trinity of a great song.
Says White of the track, “When it comes to love we all have that one person we come back to, no matter what.” Anyone will be able to vibe to this song.
Last night in New York City on a balmy 70 degree February evening Storytown played a stripped down acoustic set at Manhattan venue The Bowery Electric. The group who usually plays with a full four piece set up reduced the size without reducing the sound, performing an intimate set with only an acoustic guitar and acoustic bass. The set felt honest and personal. Guy Story – the guitarist and vocalist – led us into the songs with a memory, anecdote, or a frame of reference about how the music came to be.
The band have a unique sound in the modern Indie Rock climate. Picture David Byrne and Michael Stipe recording an album together with modern day world issues and modern production technology. If you can mentally piece that together you might have a good idea where Storytown’s sound begins. Storytown will be releasing an album later this year.
