#nowplaying 01.14
Songs In My January 2014 Rotation
Reflections
by Misterwives
iTunes released this song as the free single of the week on January 7th, and I’ve listened to it pretty much constantly since. Misterwives formed in 2012, and “Reflections” is the title track of their debut EP. Mandy Lee, the lead singer, has a distinct sense of spunk that is super infectious, and her voice is wonderfully unique (she studied Opera in high school which contributes to her unique sound and style).
Rdio: http://rd.io/x/QUU0ijddJJVq/
iTunes: https://itun.es/i66j6hL
Falling for the Beat
by Andrew Ripp
I remember hearing Andrew Ripp a few years ago in Tennessee when he opened for Ben Rector and Dave Barnes at a concert at my school. (Incidentally, my roommate and I flipped a coin to see who would buy the Ben Rector CD and who would buy Ripp’s—we wanted both between the two of us. I ended up getting Ben Rector’s.) I liked him at the time, but I think he’s gotten a lot better since then. Both the full band and acoustic versions of “Falling for the Beat” have Phil Collins / Gotye undertones, which is more than enough of a reason for me to listen to them. WARNING: the music video is a little campy…and familiar…
Rdio: http://rd.io/x/QUU0ijdd286f/
iTunes: https://itun.es/i66T6fN
Honeymoon Avenue
by Ariana Grande
This is a surprisingly good song. I can’t say that I’ve kept up with my Nickelodeon stars lately, but I know that Ariana Grande has been a major one recently. Regardless, she can sing, and this song is really well put together. While sometimes her vocal “tricks” (almost lisp-y and ADD at points) can get annoying, they meld perfectly in this instance. The constantly changing rhythms work well with the song, and there is just the right amount of autotune. And I like “the Rascals”, whoever they are.
Rdio: http://rd.io/x/QUU0ijddT1-B/
iTunes: https://itun.es/i66T5FK
Pressure
by The 1975
This is mellow synth pop at its best. It sounds like soft rock that Brian Eno might unwind to. And I love Matthew Healy’s voice. Like a lot of the music that I’ve been listening to lately, it seems to belong to an older decade. The subtle saxophone at 2:05 is the icing on the cake. Smooth stuff.
Rdio: http://rd.io/x/QUU0ijddcmX1/
iTunes: https://itun.es/i66T5FM
Hurts Like Heaven
by Shearwater
I’ll be honest up front — I don’t know anything about Shearwater. My friend Rob Alvey shared this song with me. It’s a soft, piano-driven reworking Coldplay’s “Hurts Like Heaven” from their 2011 record “Mylo Xyloto”. This version with the brassy reverbs bring in a Jon Hopkins feel which absolutely fits with Coldplay lyrics. Once you hit 2:50 you really find some magic. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that Chris Martin and the boys actually secretly collaborated on this cover, because it really grabs a lot of their ethos.
Rdio: http://rd.io/x/QUU0ijddMpfu/
iTunes: https://itun.es/i66j6hP
