by Meredith Schneider | Jan 11, 2019 | albums, review
If you’re looking for some new tunes to keep you occupied on this beautiful, flurry-filled midwest day (we don’t care about your awesome weather everywhere else), then Angelo De Augustine has a new album titled Tomb you should really get your ears on. The title track starts us off, crawling us into the soundscape slowly but surely and with a palpable feeling of enchantment. “All to the Wind” and “You Needed Love, I Needed You” follow suit, with Angelo’s lightweight vocals really taking the forefront. “I Could Be Wrong” picks up the pace a bit, while “Tide” slows it down once again.
What we glean from this 12-track piece is that it really has been created in the same methodical, gorgeous and borderline-celestial soundscape that we have come to know from artists like Sufjan Stevens, whose producer Thomas Bartlett (Doveman) actually had a hand in this project. Angelo has graced us with poignant and beautiful lyricism, and a mellow tone to really jump start the new year with Tomb. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Keep up with Angelo De Augustine here.
by Meredith Schneider | Jan 11, 2019 | albums, review
Today, Toronto indie pop four piece Tallies – comprised of Sarah Cogan, Dylan Frankland, Cian O’Neill, and Stephen Pitman – released their highly anticipated 11-track, self-titled stunner. We haven’t been this excited about new music Friday in quite a while, and we’re thrilled to have this album in our back pocket. From the very beginning of first track “Trouble”, there is a palpable energy that urges you to keep spinning. Second track “Mother” is a little more surf pop in its sound, while “Midnight” hits us with a more whimsical appeal. The vintage dance track beat to “Have You” makes the fourth song – slightly slower than its predecessors – something you might find in a 1980’s teen movie.
One will note – regardless of soundscape – that Cogan’s vocals are stand out, drenched in reverb and befitting of the “ethereal” label. While “Not So Proud” has the pace befitting of a leisurely stroll, her vocals absolutely soar, creating more of a ballad effect for the fifth track. “Trains and Snow” feels late 80’s, early 90’s-inspired, and is the first song in the offering that seems to enhance the instrumentals over the vocals. “Eden” carries the same pace, setting the stage perfectly for our hearts to thaw and grow from “three sizes too small” during “Beat the Heart”. (Seriously, this is our jam.) And while “Giving Up” has a slightly more melancholic feel to it, they end on a high note with both “Rocks” and “Easy Enough”, paving the way for more miracles to come!
Overall, Tallies in its entirety delivers a grandiose soundscape that could easily be found in a nostalgic and well-shot teenage romcom. It’s a gorgeous soundtrack to reminisce to, and we can’t wait to see this act on tour!
Keep up with Tallies here.
by Meredith Schneider | Jan 10, 2019 | soundtrack
2019 is already proving to be a year for the books. No sooner had we counted down and yelled “Happy New Year!” from our living room sofas to no one in particular, then the submissions came rolling in. Songs of tragedy, death, inspiration, family, love. We’re running the gamut already with emotional, heart-wrenching songs and we haven’t even made a dent in the year already! Below, find some stunning new tracks to consider for your music library. And be sure to check back for new additions all month long!
Follow the playlist for fresh finds on Spotify all month long as we continue to update it through the end of the month!
by Meredith Schneider | Jan 9, 2019 | videos, wolf tracks
Los Angeles-based “evoca-pop” artist R E L is providing quite the ambiance for our 2019 via her track “Nanagrams”. The accompanying visual utilizes a contrast of light and dark to bring both an ethereal aesthetic to the project, as well as a sense of struggle. The struggle itself stems from the artist’s personal struggle with an eating disorder, something she is very upfront and honest about. Through her music, she provides healing energy for both herself and others who struggle with health issues.
“Music has the power to heal,” expands R E L. “I developed anorexia at a very young age (7). It permeated my life through my sophomore year of college. The struggles I faced affect many women, and men. Side A is about the first stage of healing – facing the problem, hitting a low. I’ve developed the EVOCAPOP project in three “sides”, so I can address each phase of healing as its own story & as part of a bigger story. Self love is the first step towards happiness, towards peace.”
R E L’s vocals convey a calming presence, perhaps her first step toward that peace, something that continually makes us feel at ease with each new play of the track.
Keep up with R E L here.
by Meredith Schneider | Jan 9, 2019 | videos, wolf tracks
Alternative collective Emarosa – expertly comprised of Bradley Scott Walden, ER White, Robert Joffred, and Matthew Marcellus – is back and bringing the heat with the official music video for “Don’t Cry”. The song itself is off their upcoming album Peach Club, due out February 8th. The video was directed, edited, and animated in its entirety by Jessica Severn, an effort that perfectly balances the emotion of the song. It’s time to delve into the lyrics and mood with some Emarosa on repeat, don’t you think?
Keep up with Emarosa here.
by Meredith Schneider | Jan 9, 2019 | singles, wolf tracks
As the lead up to the release of True North revs up – due out in early February – Michael Chapman is releasing pieces of the work to an anxiously awaiting audience. “After All This Time” is a beautiful work of art, allowing us a very unique look at love lost. The arrangement complements Chapman’s vocals perfectly, allowing for a soft and ethereal look back in time.
Expands Chapman, “In a bookshop, I met a beautifully dressed woman of a certain age, who said, ‘It’s Michael isn’t it?’ I said ‘Yeah?’ It wasn’t a difficult question. A lengthy pause followed, then she said, ‘We were married for four years.’ Not my finest hour. Out of that, came this song.”
True North is available for pre-order now.
by Meredith Schneider | Jan 8, 2019 | singles, wolf tracks
Los Angeles-based alt-folk rock musician Sean Pawling has released his enigmatic new track “Rio Grande”, a soundscape that seems to span across the Rio Grande itself. Sprawling, fun instrumentals run the gamut while Pawling’s vocals bring you a sense of ease and contentment. It’s like a vacation in a song, and – as people who didn’t get that mid-winter break we so desired – we’re all for it!
Keep up with Sean Pawling here.
by Meredith Schneider | Jan 8, 2019 | videos, wolf tracks
Dial up internet noises in the beginning, and we’re already in love. Sophie Strauss‘ new video for “I Was” captures the visuals in a very ethereal and light way, much like the vocal delivery. The song itself is an introspective anecdote, while Strauss susses out the complicated feelings she had for and around women growing up. Even if it wasn’t created on film directly, the video is shot with an esthetic as though it was, which goes with the throwback theme of the song. Self analysis sometimes requires us to delve into the past in order to create our futures more fully. Take this track as your opportunity to do so.
Keep up with Sophie Strauss here.
by Meredith Schneider | Jan 7, 2019 | albums, review
As you lean slowly into the gentle and mellifluous soundscape of Jane Willow‘s Onward Still, your mind starts to wander, and wonder what the inspiration for this work of art exactly was. From the first caress of vocals in “Onward Still”, to the last defining, harmonic moments of “Comfort”, this 6-track EP is nothing if not the perfectly watercolored canvas to hang over your blooming ideas and goals and adventures for 2019. “On My Mind” hits you with introspective and intense lyrics, sad strings to really rip into your heart’s deepest cavities. “Nobody Knows” has a strangely poignantly placed feeling of freedom to the delivery of the vocals, subtle yet defining nuances throughout.
“Hannah” brings the pace up, the Dublin-based artist’s most notably uplifting track to the work. “If I Did Love You” is quite the ballad, theatric and haunting in its presence. “Comfort” truly rounds the release out nicely, with a sound that makes you feel as though you’re basking in the glow of the sun on a patio somewhere amongst vineyards. This song itself evokes the title in an effortless and wonderful way, which seems to be the artist’s intention. We’ll be using this as our adult lullaby for a while, and we’re not even remotely ashamed.
Keep up with Jane Willow here.
