Nashville’s indie pop scene songsmith Jessica Ott, who performs as Whoa Dakota just released the music video for her single “Baggage”. The song is all about establishing self-respect through vulnerability in a relationship. Her influence and purpose of this song comes from her realization of how many times in relationships, both romantic and otherwise, she had traditionally abandoned herself in order to make the other person more comfortable. Being completely open and honest with your partner can sometimes seem like the more difficult option. All too many of us might relate with the idea of making sure our partner is more taken care of than ourselves in a relationship. She focuses on changing these behaviors as she sings: “Is it cool if I set my baggage down / ’Cause I think you like havin’ me around / You recognize you don’t know where I’ve been / But you’re down to help me change the shape of it.”
Says Whoa Dakota of the track:
Allowing space in the allyship of feminism for the evolved man. Those men that recognize they will never fully understand what we as women have been through, but who make themselves available to listen and champion the women that they date, marry, work with, or are in friendship with – as well as women they may never encounter.
In the music video, Ott and partner Collin Gundry play a married couple who, to all outward appearances, are your perfect 50’s suburban template. Directed by Samantha Zaruba, the metaphor for vulnerability in relationships is played out by a housewife’s murdery secret and accidentally getting caught in the act. You’ll have to watch the video yourself to find out the fate of this relationship, and whether or not her baggage is too heavy. The spoofy macabre details of the video are contrasted by the gorgeous set designs featuring all the chic 50’s props and costumes. You can pre-save the track on your favorite streaming service, and follow Whoa Dakota on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook for updates.
Pour yourself a glass of wine and get ready to hit play on Eliyya Lane’s hypnotizing new single, “Drippin’”. You will feel a rush of calm energy come over you as you indulge in this soothing ballad. It is almost as if it was created for the specific purpose of listening to it with lights down low on a cozy fall evening. Perhaps this feeling comes from the lyrics themselves, which seem to point towards Lane being in a euphoric state due to the warmness she feels being around the person she loves. That warmness translates from the speakers well, leaving you feeling wrapped up in the very same elatedness that overcomes her. This calm feeling could also come from the sonic world created within the track. This world includes haunting percussion and synthesizers that gradually intensify as they pull you further into Lane’s world throughout the duration of the song.
Lane has worked to craft a song that is perfect for a couple things. It is a great song to turn on when you are filled with happiness, especially if the source of the happiness is love. It is also just simply a much-appreciated relaxation tune. If you are looking to sit back and turn the world off for just a few minutes, Eliyya Lane has you covered.
I have sent letters. I have donated to organizations. I have studied the issues. I have had discussions. I have listened. I have voted. I have worn a mask and socially distanced since March 15th.
Now, I will listen to music. On room speakers, not my earbuds. Albums, CD’s and downloads. Recorded live music and acoustic. Artists I have just discovered and artists that I have loved forever. R & B, folk, rap, heavy metal, dance, rock and roll. I will sing all the words that I know and hum the ones I don’t. I will dance, regardless of the genre. I will remember all of the incredible live shows I have attended and anticipate the shows to come.
Music is not a panacea for all the problems that we face. But today, it will help me through the day.
As he prepares to unleash his fourteenth full-length release upon the world, folk-pop artist Richard X. Heyman brings us introspective new track “Choices We Make” just ahead of the 2020 election. As someone who hasn’t necessarily ever shied away from political commentary, this is one of the most directly political lyric videos we have seen leading up to Tuesday’s big event.
As always, we’re impressed with Heyman’s showmanship, knowing full well he is responsible for most of the instrumentals and writing for the entire track. This time around, he has enlisted his wife (Nancy Leigh) to play bass, Probyn Gregory (the Brian Wilson band) on trumpet and trombone, and Duke Guillaume on sax.
The track itself meanders along comfortably, asking the listener to dig deep for meaning in the choices they have made up to this point, as well as to consider future choices. Though the song does have an obvious political lean, it is something to keep in your back pocket when you have future decisions to think about. It breathes promise into your convictions, and brings a sense of strength to the process.
Check out the new lyric video below, and let us know what you think over on our Facebook page!
Rainy car rides in the fall could use more songs like Irene Skylakaki’s “Sutherland Avenue”. Complete with emotional lyrics and a gentle sway-like melody, it makes you want to embark on a journey of self-discovery of sorts, searching for all the answers as to how you ended up here. Maybe by the end, you will find what you are looking for, as suggested by how the track accelerates into a completely new world after the two-minute mark. It is a story of perplexity, maybe even frustration, about something you love ending and feeling like you have no understanding of how it happened. In her search for her own moment of clarity, she actually provides us with clarity as we are able to work to fully understand not her emotions that inspired the song, but our own emotions that become comprehensible after listening to it.
Irene says of her hope for the track:
I would prefer it if anyone who listens to ‘Sutherland Avenue’ connects with it through their own experiences. The lyrics to the song are quite self-explanatory and raw and after various tries, I insisted on keeping them as they are unsophisticated and honest.
As winter nears,Miloe wanted to shine a light on his brisk state of Minnesota with his new EP, Greenhouse. He wastes no time working up the sunshine, either. The opening track, “Winona” is a bright and optimistic tune that relies on youthfulness to give the illusion of summertime warmth. The opening riff of the title track is a perfectly ear-catching novelty that immediately draws you into the heaviness of life struggles. The driving rhythm makes for a soothing ride. With “Change Your Mind”, he sings about wanting to be with someone and is willing to sit around and wait in case they change their mind for him. It works as a sort of ditty, one whose melody alone brings a smile to your face.
The most beaming song is “Marna”, a musical love letter to somebody who seems to be the light of his life. The simple guitar strums once again bring out the brightness of Miloe’s craft. The final track is “Everything (That Should Go)”, the perfect outro that reveals his vulnerability to not only the person he is singing to, but also you and I.Greenhouse is a sonically bright album that does indeed shine a warm light on even the coldest of states. Beyond the brightness is a raw, real body of work about finding and understanding love, along with the many other complications that come with life.
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.
As Jenny March gears up to release her EP, she steers right down the lane of 90s pop for her electrifying single, “All In”. This aesthetic comes from her growing up as a 90s kid, bringing to the table all of the music and style from the decade and allowing them to define her with this track, complete with the correlating visuals. Strengthened by the electronic music of the times, “All In” could very well be mistaken for the exact time period she’s aiming for, while also being strikingly analogous to current music trends. You get the feeling that you can conquer everything with the one you love, which is exactly what she wants her lover to know.
The use of a stomping beat and direct lyrics help get her message across that she is willing to go as far as she is expected to go. It is no doubt that March is capable of creating the power anthems we all know and love. From the ear-catching melodies to the fetching musical layers, there’s no reason this shouldn’t be on everybody’s next dance playlist.
Going in to record their latest collection of “existential psychedelic soul music”, Saroon had to get the tape ready. This is to say that every head-turning moment of their new album, Our Transparent Future, was recorded to tape. But the method of recording isn’t the only unique part of this record. From vocal style to the overall highs and lows that it reaches, Saroon have crafted a unique record.
“Masters of the Road” illustrates this with ease. Here, you are reminded that despite social expectations, we are in charge of so much, yet we miss out because we are trapped in the cycle of doing things the “right” way. Mostly consisting of soft-spoken lyrics and a gentle guitar that speeds up towards the end, it has all the elements of a classic folk song. Immediately following is “Old Fashioned Protest Song”, which actually seems to focus on the things we as humans have less control of. Simply put, Saroon call into question those who put money ahead of more important and worthy causes. Seemingly calling attention to current social movements, they make it a point to reject the idea that we should just stand by and let ignorance win. One of the final songs, “Golden Age”, is both a reflection on the past and a nod to the present, urging us to think of the current moment as the height of our lives.
Our Transparent Future makes its way to various corners of life, all which come together to form an idea for what the future may look like not only for the world, but for individuals. It remains hopeful while not shying away from the heartbreak and struggles that come with being human.
Principle songwriter Ayal Alves explains: “There’s always the element of hope to it, and an acknowledgement that the nature of reality is that there is pain and suffering. The relationship between those two things is a transformational process.”
