100 brasucas for cc | b.a.d.a.
100 essentials for those who want to get their feet into the deep waters of Brazilian music. Including a delightful collab between Frank Sinatra and Tom Jobim.
By Pedro Cesario from B.A.D.A.
inspiration | joe barksdale
The playlist is a list of songs that inspired all of the music that i will release this year. It also give people a look into where i am trying to go with my music. There are also some songs in this playlist that I cover live and will be releasing covers of this year. Take a step into my world of musical influences and inspiration.
aj mitchell, “spring break” ft. rich the kid
AJ Mitchell releases his newest track “Spring Break” featuring Rich the Kid. Off his upcoming debut album Skyview, the track showcases everything that works in a pop/R&B song, with a catchy chorus and verses listeners can’t help but move to.
A music video was released alongside the single, featuring both artists. Bright colors, incredible video quality, and warm weather scenes make us all crave a spring break adventure. Hopefully recent world events haven’t completely derailed your person spring break plans, but if they have, this video will breathe some fresh air into your staycation!
Mitchell is already among the top 500 Spotify artists with 8 million monthly listeners. His upcoming album release is sure to make him one of 2020’s breakout pop/R&B artists.
by: meredith schneider + kendal chandler
roch, via media
Today, London-based singer-songwriter Kate Miller — under the moniker ROCH — releases her debut album Via Media. (ROCH comes from the name of patron saint St. Roch. This saint-like poise is incorporated into her music.) This record is defined by space – in the atmospheric feel of the music and the lyrical content of sense of place. Sonically, listeners feel as if they are floating into open space, but the emotional factor of Miller’s voice keeps them grounded in the space of that song’s context.
Miller’s voice, by the way, at times brings us feels of a 90’s goddess, and then sprawls out into the atmosphere as ethereally as we’ve ever encountered. “I Love To You” is one of our favorite tracks, instilling in us hope for the arts community, as this is some of the best lyricism we’ve experienced in a hot second.
Via Media is a back and forth of sorts that allows listeners to be transfixed and transported to view these topics from an outsider’s perspective. The robust nature of the compositions is compelling, and leaves us wanting more. Don’t believe us? Try the EP on for size now!
by meredith schneider + kendal chandler
julia bardo, phase
Italian-British singer-songwriter Julia Bardo releases EP Phase, which is a piece of work that is centered by the idea of writing out your emotions. Bardo says she writes because “for me, music is about healing what is hurt inside of me. I heal by writing and talking about what troubles me”.
Phase examines the intricacies of trauma and of triumph, each track is written like a journal entry filled with observation. These observations examine the every day changing world through Bardo’s eyes. She captures her work as snippets of who she is at that moment, where she plans to go next, and where she has been. It is all a direct reflection of her life, and for that we are very grateful to witness songs with the raw sincerity of tracks like “Please Don’t Tell Me” and “Lonely Morning”.
Being influenced by Italian music of the 60’s and modern day musicians, Bardo creates a space that shines a light on her homeland of Italy, and her musical future. This 4 track EP was created to amaze, and we hope you get a moment to enjoy it in its entirety as well. Check out the first two tracks off the release below!
Phase is out March 6th. Keep up with Julia Bardo here.
Written by Kendal Chandler + Meredith Schneider
vanessa silberman | songs by artists that inspired & changed my life
Here is a playlist of songs by artists, groups and bands who truly and deeply inspired me both musically as well as influenced my life in a big way. The songs range from punk, alternative, old country blues to pop and hip hop. Some of these songs were recorded by producers who influenced me or even some people who I worked for during my time LA. Some of these songs I listened to as a teenager in my room and dramatically changed my life. Some of these songs are songs that I discovered later in life or on different tours.
I hope you enjoy <3
Keep up with Vanessa Silberman here.
our favorite music videos of february 2020
February is turning out to be one helluva ride, especially in the music video sphere. Eclectic pop act Elliot Lee is coming at us hot with some newness, Vanessa Carlton is still proving to “Be Not Nobody” with her new music video for “The Only Way”, and Mara Connor is bringing down the house with “Wildfire”. And that’s only the tip of the iceberg. So check out our favorite videos of February 2020, and let us know what you want us to check out on our Facebook page!
Keep up with us all month long by checking back for new video additions!
perfect blue | the new blue
The playlist is mostly stuff that we’ve all been listening too over the past year of so while we’ve been writing, producing, and recording our debut album! A lot of the music is pretty experimental pop like Grimes, Charli XCX and Rina Sawayama which has definitely been a vibe while we’ve been making the album. I attached the photo as well!
Keep up with Perfect Blue here.
the innocence mission, see you tomorrow
After making music for over 30 years, Lancaster, Pennsylvania’s The Innocence Mission has yet another hauntingly beautiful album to offer up to the public. The band, led by married couple Kerin and Don Perris, is set to release their twelfth studio album on January 17th via Thérèse Records. The alternative folk band’s newest project is eleven tracks long and includes a rich collection of instrumentation, with guitars, piano, pump organ, accordion, electric bass, melodica, drums, timpani, upright bass, mellotron, and an old prototype strings sampler keyboard all gracing the songs in clever and achingly beautiful arrangements in addition to Kerin’s unique and aching vocals and Don’s well-placed harmonies.
The album’s introductory track, “The Brothers William Said”, is one of the standouts on the album. Soft and sweet piano combined with Kerin’s airy vocals alone carry us through the first half of the song, and her beautiful lyricism could easily be mistaken for poetry. “The kindness of your face / Does not go unrecognized / Has not refused to shine / In this most difficult time” she sings, bringing hope and understanding to a song meant to shed light on those who are often misunderstood due to their quiet nature. “I’m drawn to titles that are phrases, especially ones that seem to be a fragment from a conversation. “See you tomorrow” is the phrase that turns the song around to possibility and hopefulness.” says Karen about the song that yielded the albums title. While the track starts off sparse instrumentally, it builds to include a myriad of beautifully arranged instrumentation before dropping back off to finish the way it started with solo piano.
“St. Francis and the Future”, like many songs on the album, deals with themes of change and the passage of time. In this track Karen sings of how a painting she viewed on a family trip with her children came to represent looming changes that she wasn’t ready to face. In “John as Well”, echoey vocal layering and heavenly background vocals flirt with the lead vocal as the song builds. This track, as well as “At Lake Maureen”, gently but firmly reminds us of the importance of getting to know the true selves of those around us and the necessity of being understood ourselves. The album’s conclusion, “Would be There”,is a twinkly blend of Karen’s light-as-a-feather vocals and skillfully arranged, thickly-textured sections skillfully building to the outro, where the album goes back to basics and ends the same way it started; with a charming piano outro that subtly lets the listener know that it’s time to slip back into reality.
Keep up with The Innocence Mission here.
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written by: madi toman