Dec 7, 2020
Seven Fresh Songs #49
Listen to all our Song Picks of the Day on our playlists on Spotify and Apple Music.
Piqued Jacks — Golden Mine
When a song starts with its chorus, our ears perk up and our interest is peaked. As it is the case with “Golden Mine”, the new single by Italian indie rock-quartet Piqued Jacks. “Golden Mine” marks the second single of Picked Jacks’ upcoming album “Synchronizer”, produced by Brett Shaw (Foals), and out via INRI.
The band says about the track’s sentiment:
Many of us fear death, but maybe we should only fear it as far as we wouldn’t be able to leave a mark on this world, nor to have someone close to us that holds our hand in our last moments.
Aside from the beautifully energetic sound, that brings supergroups like The Killers to mind, the pensive statement got us thinking, and it did not need the pandemic to do so. To fully embrace and live life, one needs to also occasionally spend some thoughts on one’s own death because it offers clarity and purpose. Or as Piqued Jacks phrase it in the chorus “We all gotta dig down through the tunnels of life.”
The single cover of the previous single “Every Day Special” was designed by Lunatico, who also took on the design for “Golden Mine” with the following intention:
Here, the old man seated on the rocks is singing that it’s now our turn to venture forth, to take a risk and dig down as deep as possible through the tunnels of life. The magic is there, and it’s waiting for us.
Listen to “Golden Mine”, our Song Pick of the Day:
Connect with Piqued Jacks on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Artemis Orion — You Are Your Own Home
L.A.-based singer, songwriter and producer Artemis Orion has a mantra for you in case bad news, hopelessness or simply the darkness of winter seem to overwhelm you. “You Are Your Own Home” she sings and lets the synths shimmer like rays of sunshine breaking through the clouds after a storm. Artemis recalls how the song helped herself:
I wrote this song on a day I was feeling a bit down, discouraged and far from myself. I made it as a pick me up for myself and express positivity out of the negative emotions I had; I felt better afterwards. This song is about self-love, pursuit of happiness, and optimism.
“You Are Your Own Home” is on Artemis Orion’s new EP “Honey”. Listen to the EP on Spotify, Apple Music or SoundCloud or to our Song Pick of the Day below:
Connect with Artemis Orion on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
Jessi Mac — Bedroom Years
With the utterly gorgeous “Bedroom Years,” London trio Jessi Mac released a second single to announce their debut EP “Border Lines,” out on February 4th, 2020. The track’s flow is as irresistibly beautiful as it is soothing and mesmerizing, with Jessi Mcdonald’s warm vocals taking center stage.
When asked about “Bedroom Years,” Jessi explains:
“Bedroom Years” is sodden with my existential feelings of insignificance. I think when you are in suspense of becoming an adult, the cold realities of the real world can be pretty overwhelming.
Jessi Mac is comprised of singer/songwriter Jessi Mcdonald, keyboardist Lorenz Okello, and guitarist Daniel Rogerson. Jessi and Daniel met when they were only sixteen years old and still at school. The initial idea was for Daniel to produce Jessi’s solo project, yet their combined influences, ranging from Radiohead to The Beatles and Joni Mitchell, made them want to form a band and work collaboratively in creating music.
The band says about their upcoming EP:
We have been working on this project for a while — it’s our farewell letter to our angst filled teenage years. It doesn’t necessarily stick to any style or formula, and collaborations with other instrumentalists have transformed the songs from when we first wrote them. On paper we would seem a little mismatched but — without sounding cliché — it’s our differences that have developed our sound and ultimately made this project so exciting for us.
Listen to “Bedroom Years”, our Song Pick of the Day:
Connect with Jessi Mac on Facebook and Instagram.
Von Sell — Want
Brooklyn singer/songwriter Von Sell has created his own unique style of pop music: quirky and catchy, without adhering much to the hip production techniques of the moment. Now he is back with a stellar new song “Want,” which may well end up on your list of the favorite songs of the year.
Listen to our Song Pick of the Day “Want” on all streaming services or watch the lyric video here:
Connect with Von Sell on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
Dead Rituals — Broken Memories
While we are heading into the last month of the year, we tend to reflect on what has happened over the past eleven months. Despite all the bad and truly horrifying, that has been going on in 2020, one common notion has come up in media of all sorts: the importance and meaning of human connections. Many have reconnected with lost friends or old acquaintances and so I instantly was curious when Andrea Caccese contacted me. We had featured Lillet Blanc, the Brooklyn-based band Andrea played bass with on glamglare before, and also had them perform at two of our shows.
With Lilet Blanc sadly been disbanded a while ago, Andrea is back with his own project Dead Rituals. Their latest single features the vocals of Brita Penfold, who also happens to be married to the band’s frontman.
The Italy-born, and Brooklyn and Naples-based songwriter, singer, and multi-instrumentalist muses about “Broken Memories”
Broken Memories started from an idea I had back in 2016. As a guitarist, I had been writing music starting mainly from the guitar parts. This time I wanted to start with a drum pattern instead. At around the same time, my wife Brita and I were toying with the idea of making some music together, so I gave her what was initially the bridge section of the song, and told her to come up with whatever she wanted, no rules! I ended up loving her vocals, so much that her part turned into a completely new part of the song. In the end, the track has a bit of a progressive feel, with “my” part going for an angsty vibe, Brita’s part being more dreamy and melodic, and a more ethereal instrumental coda. I love this song and hope you do too!
Of course, we do! “Broken Memories” delights with its highly compelling flow, its edgy surreal middle-part, and the always present gorgeous guitar sounds. Add contrasting vocals, like the ones of Andrea deep and earthy, and Brita’s bright and airy, and there you have it, a track to enjoy on repeat. Beautiful!
Listen to “Broken Memories,” our Song Pick of the Day:
Connect with Dead Rituals on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Lydia Luce — Maybe In Time
December is a good time for reflection — maybe sitting down in the afternoon, watching darkness outside slowly settling in and musing about past and future. For such a state of mind, Nashville-based singer/songwriter Lydia Luce has a wonderful soundtrack for you with her new album “Dark River.” The whole thing will not come out before next February, but with her latest single “Maybe In Time” she gives us a particularly beautiful preview to what is to come.
Stay tuned for a Q&A with Lydia next Monday here on glamglare. Watch the video for “Maybe In Time” here:
Connect with Lydia Luce on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
Bad Love — Cashmere Tears
Manchester indie-pop band Bad Love appeared on my radar before but it took “Cashmere Tears” to eventually listen closely and fall head-over-heels for the glistening track. Reminiscent of dream-pop acts like LANY and of course electro-pop pioneers like Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, or Ultravox, Bad Love create songs that are highly compelling and simply irresistible. It is all too easy to label pleasing pop music as ‘sweet fluff’ or ‘without substance’. Maybe there is more to “Cashmere Tears” than alluring hooks and a pleasing vibe? Curious, I reached out to Bad Love, and thankfully the band’s frontman provided us with a glimpse of his thought process.
Andy Gannon told us:
So I wrote Cashmere Tears during lockdown, I was feeling the weight of the world a little and partially having an existential crisis on where I was at and who I am. I feel like the song comes from a place that’s terrified of accepting what’s normal. I’m so anxious about not accomplishing my dreams and I dread even more the thought that I’m held back by toxic relationships and people.
This speaks for a true artist, to be able to put feelings of sheer overwhelming anxiety into words and into a catchy song even. Andy continues:
The story in Cashmere is a blur of friends I had growing up and where they are now. Women who had the grandest dreams at 16 but because of small town, suburban living and toxic boyfriends they stick around and let me go. They feel that societal pull to mother boys that never grew up. I think you see it all too often, that the women in our lives are the ones holding shit together; because our culture just doesn’t teach boys to ever grow up. In a way, it’s a love letter to all those people I’ve ever known, who used to dream big when we were kids. I feel like it’s about letting your heart be who it wants to be, not just playing it safe and accepting the societal norms and well trodden paths.
I never imagined that all these thoughts went into “Cashmere Tears”. If the pandemic and the ensuing lockdown(s) taught us anything, then that it is high time to look at ourselves, and the society we’re living in. So much we simply take for granted without rethinking things and taking stock of our lives and dreams, and let our hearts be what they want to be. Well put!
Listen to the gorgeous “Cashmere Tears”, our Song Pick of the Day:
