Trying to Escape - It seems before I can write these blogs there is already a new (to me) Arc De Soleil song stuck in my head and in my queue. "Trying to Escape" lasted four days and dropped to third on the liked playlist before another track topped its power and awe. I'm sure I'll be adding the new song to next week's playlist so stay tuned.
I'm really honing in on my interests and tastes here. We've found a deep groove and Spotify keeps feeding tasty tunes into the deep pit that is the instrumental worm hole. Honestly, I'm all here for it. As I said last week, these types of tracks seem to squeak in during relaxed times opposed to intense track hunting. They find me and they wrap their arms around me until it becomes apparent that I'm the one still holding on after a long embrace.
As I listened to all my Arc De Soleil tunes, I dove a but deeper into the artist. I envisioned myself opening up a crisp record and popping it on the turntable and grooving out. Turns out that may be an impossible task. There are no physical copies of any of Arc's work. That may attribute to the fact that Arc De Soleil is simply a side project of Daniel Kadawatha, a multiple instrument artist searching for a moniker to let out his smooth vibes.
With no merch, no tour, and no further explanation I faced the music and came complacent with streaming such an incredible artist. Hopefully, Spotify will always be around... or you know I may have to get going on my personal stash of digital music again. It’s certainly been a while since I updated my iTunes and synced my phone. Let's cross our fingers for a favorable outcome and one we can deal with.
arms length - From the first listen of this track I knew it had to be included in this week's playlist. Not because of how much I like it but because I knew it would give me a chance to write about how it made me feel. I immediately thought of lines to include here and over the time since I first heard it I've forgotten all of them. The main idea was that this song was written about me. Written because of someone like me.
Songs like these make me feel incredibly lonely, lost, nostalgic, and guilty. I love so much and so hard and then I can drop those feelings because other ones come into the picture. My insecurities, my annoyances, my inconsistencies always get in the way and rip down any comfortable walls I’ve (we've) built up. The sad part is I empathize with both sides of this story. I am both the one that leaves, one who hangs around in the vicinity because maybe someday things will be different, and at the same time the one who sits around waiting for that person to come back so I could shower them with my love. It’s a paradoxical anomaly of hypocritical status. It makes me sick just to think of it and to think of the things I've done, the fishing line I’ve left out there so I could maybe find my way back to you. A lot of those lines stayed taught for a time but eventually they were cut without me evening knowing. How terrible is that? At times I'd reach for them just to pluck - to feel the pull and then once they went slack I was nowhere to be found, not even around to feel those feelings I'm sure were wished upon me.
I often do my best thinking in situations where I'm unable to fully give my attention or abilities. Most of my writing comes from thoughts in the shower. Lines of poems/songs that need to be repeated until I'm able to exit, dry off, and get to my phone. In that vein I was faced with this song in mind struggling to remember something that popped into my head.
"I can't keep letting you down I can't keep stealing away your crown All you do is cry cry cry When I'm around"
I'm trying, but maybe it's not my best. I want to get better and treat those aorund me better, but the same things keep happening. At some point it must become apparent that the real answer to all these questions is me. It's me. Too much have I left you at arms lenght to fend for yourself when all you asked of me was to be there for you.
Halfsharkalligatorghalfman - There's only one thing you can do when you hear of such a song title as "Halfsharkalligatorhalfman." Yes, that is give it a listen and tell everyone you know about it. Taking a listen to an old podcast hosted by the front man of one of my favorite bands, I was introduced to the idea of Kool Keith and his persona Dr. Octagon. The conversation entered my mind, floated around a bit, and pasted small things to the inside of my brain. The second it took for the guest to spew the title of this track everything up there in my mind's eye saw one thing and one thing only - the half shark alligator half man figure I knew I needed to investigate.
Kool Keith was described, by the podcast's guest, as an artist so committed to their craft and confident in their work that they thought everything they released was pure gold. It is as if he thinks his albums are going to be as big as a Jay-Z record. That confidence coupled with genuine innovation gives Kool Keith what it takes to succeed, even if it’s only on his own terms, in the music industry. If you're happy with your work shouldn’t that be all? Especially if you're doing it for the love of music rather than for vain ideas.
This type of Hip Hop always surprises me and excites me with the notion that there are more kinds of music out there than you could even imagine. Sometimes the idea of a genre gets confused with a one-track way of thinking rather than a realization that there are many different subsects of music that may fall under the same umbrella but may be as far away from each other as possible. Dr. Octagon and Kool Keith dish out a refreshing and eerie offering of hip hop that shows up for the scene, the love of music, the love of creation.
Break Free - This past Saturday my brother and I had the pleasure of seeing Dave Matthews in New York City at Madison Square Garden. Being my favorite venue and my favorite place in the city, the second my father asked me if I wanted to see Dave at MSG I responded with a resounding YES. A coworker of my father's is a member of Dave's fan site, The Warehouse, and was offering tickets to Saturday’s show at face value. The offer was too good. I informed my brother that we would be going and that there was no choice. As two big Dave Matthews and MSG fans we didn't really have any reasons to object.
"Did you listen to any of Dave's new album?" asked my brother. The answer was no, and I gave a little grin with it. I had forgotten to listen, but it wasn't much of a worry of mine. With almost ten years between Dave shows for us I knew I hadn't heard a lot of his new material and that was okay. Although today I did wish I had had a listen, thinking to myself how "Break Free" would have been one of the ones I saved and enjoyed even before Dave played it live. Rob pointed out the fact that this one was new when the band broke into the tune and I settled into a deeper listen and groove. The band knocked it out of the park and locked the song in my brain until I had the chance to have a proper listen the next day.
It's been a while since I gave Dave a true listen, but I'm glad I had this chance to see him and respark my interest. It reminded me of how much I love this music in all forms. A band that kicks ass in the studio and live and Dave as a guitarist who can impress with a lineup of musicians while also astounding his audiences with solo acoustic performances. Perfect.
Hunter Van Brocklin - WHY?'s Golden Tickets EP might be the most excited I've ever been for the release of new music by an artist. In vain of Charlie's adventure to the chocolate factory, the WHY? EP proved to be your chance to have the band write a unique song all about you. With six super fans picked out from their webstore purchases, WHY? set out to write songs about some of their admirers or at least those with interesting stories. With the release of the EP one lucky fan was going to get a gold record and the grand prize of becoming the next subject for an indie track.
My best friend and I, poised WHY? fans, preordered our copies and hoped for the best. From the day I put in my order to the moment before I opened my record, I dreamt about what the band would sing about when thinking of me. Would they use my name in a hook as they did others or would they find some funny/cool details of my life? It's fun to think about what people may say about you when asked for a project like this. Come to think of it that idea is also pretty nerve wracking. Hopefully they'd say good things, or they'd spill the beans on how crazy I am.
Recently, I had myself a WHY? day where I revisited albums and songs I haven't heard in a while. One of those main ones was Golden Tickets and my top track off the EP "Hunter Van Brocklin." While all these songs have their catchy hooks, Van Brocklin sticks out to me the most. The simplicity of the writing and the story telling excite and impress me. How simple a song could be. How "easy" it is to write a song about, say, your friends or your family. Makes me want to create and throw anything at the board.
Things to You - A love song is a love song is a love song. They'll get me every time. I'm a sucker for romanticism and the subtle, soft details of a good song about the person you love and admire. "Things to You" is cute and it's incredibly catchy. It encompasses the easy listening instrumentation from a band as tight as the strings on their guitars and the skins on their drums.
NRBQ is the quintessential rock band full of talent, poise, and finesse. Although not enjoying huge success, the band is a cult favorite with the right community. A band that lives in mystique in my household because of how much fun they are. My parents remember them fondly and I've just begun my trip into their music that gives me immense joy.
As for Skeeter Davis, she is a key addition to the aura that is "Things to You." She takes the air of the track, full of wonder while being incredibly weightless, and adds even more mystique and feeling as her vocals float up with the tones of the band. The vibes must have been incredible during the recording of this track. I'm trying to bottle that up and take it with me everywhere I go.
Maria Elena - Continuing on into the stratosphere, into the spacey air of pure joy, we have "Maria Elena" in what could be one of the most relaxing pieces of music on the planet. How I love me some good acoustic guitar playing especially, in this style. It makes me want to go for a long walk where the scenery is beautiful or where I get to hold your hand. I'd say some wonderful "Things to You" as we listen to this track over and over again.
With my heart full of all emotion, desperate to change and to show its full potential, I'll leave this all here while the soft strumming and precise picking of "Maria Elena" drifting in and out of my stereo system. Good night with love.
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