These are all the songs I listened to while writing most of the album. Typically I’ll listen to one of the songs I’m most intrigued by and will try to vary up drum patterns and add my own flare with the guitars. Once I have the general mood of the song, that’s when the lyrics start to become apparent on what the idea is about.
Sitting in his third-grade math class, Mike Richards, aka A Note Two Self, realized that he would much rather join the kids who were playing music. That is exactly what he did. Fast forward to the present and A Note Two Self is releasing a new track called “Love Drunk”. What starts off as a simple guitar-heavy track quickly turns to a big band, acoustic production, complete with pumping percussion and electric riffs. The story is that of somebody who is willing to give their entire self to the person they have fallen for, and it almost resembles a worship song, one you would hear in the grandest of cathedrals. Perhaps this is because the track is essentially that feeling of worshiping and wanting to shower your person with love. “Love Drunk” takes you to one of the happiest places a song can go.
A Note Two Self explains:
“Love Drunk” was inspired by that feeling of unconditional love and being so enamored that you’re super caught up in the moment. No matter what happens through the good times, the bad times, when you’re in the middle of the whirlwind you’ve got an anchor keeping you grounded.
November is already off to a kickass start. We’ve got a lot of pressure in the first week of the month alone – and that’s only after enduring the insane energy from a blue moon, daylight savings time, and Halloween this weekend – so it’s ok to return to check out our favorite newbies as much as you can for some music therapy! The soundtrack includes Lowertown, Allegra, MIHI NIHIL, Bengal Lancers, Wa Wa Punx, Ludic, Jesse Ruben, Malvae, Alex Maas, and more.
Yes, that’s right. We got another powerful song about the change this country needs (desperately) to tantalize your earbuds with. While we all rev up for an important day in the United States, let’s celebrate the power behind our collective voice with powerhouse females. JoJo – the only JoJo that matters – released her new track “The Change” recently and the soulful single will inspire your intent, no matter what mood you started today in.
Let her goosebump-inducing vocals and words raise your confidence in what’s to come. We’re in this together, but it starts within each of us.
**Winner for possibly the cheesiest post we have ever published. Sorry – we are too invested in the current unrest to not feel validated by powerful anthems.
Hi. It’s October. That’s really all the energy I have for this one. (But the following new release music videos by Nadia Vaeh, Rebekah Fitch, Priya Ragu, Jessie Reyez, Maren Morris, Evie Irie, Black Pink, and more are worth checking out. So… do that.)
These are songs that continually inspire me, whether their old or new. I keep going back to them and finding myself in love.
This playlist is full of my influences. This playlist reminds me that we are all connected. It dives into the emotional body.
This playlist is a compilation of many of the songs that played a major role in developing The Waking Point’s dark and high energy signature sound. The music from these artists inspired a guide for expression, while the engineering on many of the tracks are goals for future productions.
by: katy mombourquette
Ever since he was a kid, Salim Nourallah has had a deep appreciation for English rock ‘n roll music. As he grew up and cultivated a career as a musician into the 90’s, he found his life intertwined with two other multi-talented individuals: Chris Holt and Paul Averitt. The trio started bands together, played on each other’s albums, and got involved in many of the same collaborative projects. The two decades of shared respect and friendship along with Nourallah’s love of English rock have culminated in a new project that celebrates a reenvisioning of old music, called A Break in the Battle. The name comes from the Pretender’s “Back on the Chain Gang”, the words fitting to Nourallah, Holt, and Averitt’s belief in music as a respite from the toil of life. Like a giant love letter to their heroes, each song is stripped back to the essentials, which are then illuminated by the guys with a loving hand. The first round of tracks came out in 2017, with classics like The Replacements’ “Kiss Me on the Bus” and The Cure’s “Boys Don’t Cry.” After a two year hiatus following the death of Nourallah’s mother, the trio is set to release the second collection of songs later this year.
Kicking things off for round two, the boys have released Nick Heyward’s “Kite.” The original features a full sound, punchy beat, and a complex web of sounds including metallic guitars, warm horns and strings, and twinkling bells. The tone Heyward’s voice vaguely reminds one of Billy Corgan’s, but instead of the patented and glorious harshness that the Smashing Pumpkins’ lead singer is known for, Heyward’s voice is pleasant and earnest. A Break in the Battle’s version maintains that humble, earnest tone in the vocals, and has the same overall spirit as the original, but it achieves this using a different instrumental blueprint. The iconic waterfall-like guitar picking remains in the intro, but in the 2020 version it’s backed by prominent acoustic guitar strumming. The track is less punchy and more dreamy, complete with gentle harmonies and dazzling combinations of metallic guitar and reverberating piano.
One of the biggest pitfalls to avoid when making a cover is trying to sound like a carbon copy of the original. Nourallah, Holt, and Averitt’s version of “Kite” successfully sidesteps this stumbling block. It carefully preserves the essence and integrity of Heyward’s song, but approaches it from a different direction. With “Kite”, we see that the boys’ imagination is just as finely tuned as it was three years ago.
While the rest of the collection will be out later this year, in the meantime there are 16 opportunities on the first collection of A Break in the Battle for you to experience your favourite English rock tunes like it’s the first time.
Nourallah’s announcement of “Kite” | Nourallah jamming on twitter