new music Archives - immersed in cool music

New Music-Remember Sports, Lunar Vacation, Evan Wright and UV-TV

It has been awhile, but I am back sharing incredible songs you should hear

So Much Time Has Passed

I hope you are vaccinated from the danger of Covid and safe. I don’t even know when I last posted . Not knowing without looking back is actually horrific. There was a time in my life where this blog put air into my lungs….like a beautiful bubble, the air expanded in such joyous happy ways, until it didn’t.

I am not really sure where I stand at this very moment, just a little wobbly and unsure of myself and the longer I don’t post, the more pressure I feel to speak my mind. But after a weird wonky year of uncertainty, unrest, and political upheaval, I am unapologetically speechless. Maybe it is time to open up.

The sadness and loss of live music truly put a veil of darkness over me. I can’t even begin to express the emotional amputation I felt. I wondered what was the point of sharing new music, if I couldn’t see it live on a stage. Yep, that is ridiculous and utterly absurd, but it still existed in my brain.

Then, I felt the pressure to release my blog silence with a genius song meant to be on everyone’s sayonara to 2020 list. I recognize the demand was entirely self made and off base, but it was still in my head. I am only just beginning to make sense of it.

Today, I hope to share what I hear.

Black Lives Still Matter. Love is Love. Biden was the best choice in an election with a liar and an autocrat. I am still fighting for human rights and voting rights. I am not sure when I will rest from the chaos left after our incredibly tough year.

My 2021 Heart Project

But in the meantime, when I am not listening to music, I am quietly building a garden of flowers to be shared. It is slow and tough going, but isn’t that how most things worth doing begin? I am hoping each day the freshly seeded patches of earth survive chipmunk raids, robin runs, and the dry heat of the summer with sporadic torrential rains. Will I personally grow beside my tiny seeds? I hope so.

There is so much to be said for the life lessons we can take from nurturing a tiny seed. I completely get it, now more than ever before. But isn’t music built that way too?

A funky chord mix, a phrase worth saving, and a creative imagination that can replicate an emotion, a feeling, or a powerful statement in song. I remain in awe of songwriting creativity. The talent is vast and wide and has mostly remained quiet, like me, during this abnormal era. But now as the world opens again, music brims with promise, excitement and fortitude.

I believe we may be entering a new roaring 20’s of the 2000’s. The introspection of the past year and the need to develop close interpersonal ties with those nearest and dearest, naturally developed art, music, survival, and life.

How will I step out of the quiet hollow of 2020? What songs should I share in this moment.

Honestly, it isn’t as important as the importance of just doing it. Forgive me if you aren’t impressed. I am simply sharing what impresses me. Somehow the new music that is releasing right here and now, is something I will cherish because it germinated in a similar creative struggle from a year that no one wants to relive. The thread of expressiveness lives on, despite all we have been through.

So I hope this brings you a moment of simple joy, knowing the emotions of time and the complicated human experience are forever knotted into something worth listening to.

I hope you are okay. I hope you feel the light beginning to shine on you, as I do. Please check in dear ones. I want to know how you are.

Here is the music that I am listening and loving right now….

Remember Sports-Out Loud

“I won’t stop, never give up

Trying to get everything out

Of your head into your mouth

We can make this last if you say it out loud”

If you love them, check out other posts, click here Remember Sports

Lunar Vacation-Shrug

More… click .Lunar Vacation

Evan Wright-Turn The Other Way

UV-TV Distant Lullaby

Everyone You Know, Joy Anonymous- Just For The Times

“This one is for the daydream believers
Parents turned teachers
And believers 5am preachers
For the ravers divas and dealers
To the late night lovers boxset watchers in duvet covers
Round the clock mothers and part time clubbers
Remember
We’re all going through thе same thing”

I wasn’t prepared for how hard this song was going to hit me. I had so many feels, sadness, reflection, appreciation, and a bit of hope. Music moves all of us and the duo out of the UK, Everyone You Know with Joy Anonymous, nailed it.

As we continue to wade through the sludge of our times, this song provides a beautiful reminder….we’re all going through the same thing. Stay Strong!

Crank up the volume and enjoy!

Just For The Times-Lyrics

“My favorite song’s playing
Everyone’s laughing, everyone’s smiling

This one’s for the daydream believers
Parents turned teachers
And believers, 5 AM preachers
For the ravers, divas, and dealers
To the late night lovers, boxset watchers in duvet covers
‘Round the clock mothers and part time clubbers, remember
We’re all going through the samе thing
And I’m sure it will all end soon
Laughing and dancing under onе roof
And that first time raving
Hands in the air to our favorite tunes
Hugs for your best friends, “Mate, I missed ya”
Another night of smiling and pictures
That’s gonna be night of our lives
So this one here is just for the times

So this one here is for the sunrise spectators
And the dance floor fiends
This one’s for the careless
The single parents and the troublesome teens
I mean this one’s for the DJ’s playlist
When we get back to them crowded places
Making best friends with strangers
We’re all going through the same thing
Can’t wait for them Friday nights
Wishful thinking, drinking inside
Whiskeys, wine, queuing for pints
They’re all on lines, but ain’t online
Hugs for your best friends, “Mate, I missed ya”
Another night of smiling and pictures
That’s gonna be night of our lives
So this one here is just for the times

And it don’t matter where you are
It don’t matter what you’re doing
What really matters is who you’re with
‘Cause none of this means anything if we ain’t together, you know?
That’s what it’s all about, it’s about being together
Together with the ones we love
With your best friends and your family
Your favourite song’s playing
Everyone’s laughing, everyone’s smiling
And that might seem like miles away right now
But I promise you we’ll get there
We’re all going through the same thing

This ain’t forever, this ain’t forever
Sing it together, please keep your head up”

Everyone You Know is Rhys Kirkby-Cox and Harvey Kirkby. They are brothers from London. Check out all of their dance/electronic music by clicking here, Everyone You Know.

Tuesday ‘tude – Claud, Major Murphy, and Ships Have Sailed

Tuesday’s atti’TUDE’ has me listening to new music from Claud, Major Murphy, and Ships Have Sailed

The loyal followers that know me well, have followed me through my many Monday Moods over the years. Today, I am also adding my Tuesday ‘tudes…specifically expressing my attitude on Tuesdays.

So today is Tuesday, and I am in a weird funky place. Yep, I have a bit of an atti’TUDE’.

Vaccinations are happening, the Covid-19 cases are decreasing and things are looking up for summer relief. I am thankful for sure.

I have multiple friends who have qualified and successfully received their vaccinations. Let me say how thrilled I am for them. It is life changing in a time where life has forever changed.

But what happens when they all go out and share their fun photos. Spreading their joy and excitement for a fairly Covid free experience seems happy but harsh right now. I don’t know about you but my lock down has me sad that I can’t be included and yet, in my cautiousness, I am almost punished for it. Tears flow as I see the celebrations, small and safe, but aren’t they a bit tone deaf to the many that are going on a freaking year of isolation?

Now, I am beginning to see the impending hardship. This will be a new world we will all have to navigate. The vaccinated and the not….

THE VACCINATED AND THE NOT

It is going to be tough.

I can’t be angry at their joy and their excitement for a new found freedom because I would totally feel the same way, but does it have to be placed in my face as I stay locked down? Have you experienced the harsh reality of those that easily move on and yet…because of uncontrollable circumstances you can’t?

As I ramble through my cozy cottage that I dearly love, like a ball in a pinball machine bouncing from room to room, I am reminded that I am virtually last on the list of vaccine takers. They said May, and now they are saying June for the end of the list of vaccinators. That seems forever away.

Can I hang on? We are talking MONTHS AWAY!

I will have to come to terms with friends that will laminate their Covid vax cards and have free reign of the world, parties…travel….concerts. I am happy for anyone that has made it through this tough year, but still, without the same freedom, I will remain reticent.

It will be a painful wait.

I have dreamed about my vaccinated Covid free plans. They are inclusive and wildly comprehensive. I am chomping at the bit for the joyous freedom of hosting friends and family again, and honestly pray that as I am the last to be free from the weighty chains of a deathly virus, I will make sure not to flaunt my freedom to others that are still, for whatever reason, hunkering down.

Won’t you also consider the masses as you slowly feel your own personal freedoms?

While I stay hunkered down, I stay connected with new music coming out every week. It is my life line and a beautiful reminder that creativity can occur even as I begin the next damn puzzle on my kitchen table…yep probably close to the 20th one since April 2020. Thank God for music!

So check out what keeps me sane despite the rotten hardships of staying in, tragic political disappointments, and missing visiting with the incredibly special people in my life.

Meet Claud, a bedroom pop musician from Chicago. Claud”s newest album release, Super Monster is totally worth your ears, Every song expresses emotion and experiences with authenticity, that we all seem to relate to in one way or another. There are so many gems, but this is the one I play on repeat.

Claud-Jordan

Major Murphy is a Grand Rapids, Michigan band that is breaking through the wider listening stream. They have an album, Access, out on April 2nd. I have a mark on my calendar for their second album release because I expect it to be a real gem based on this strong single.

The perfect reminder as I navigate the difficult waters of life.

“So in the meantime we’ll hold on/ We’re going the distance/ We’ll stand strong.”

Major Murphy- In The Meantime

Ships Have Sailed is a Los Angeles project of Will Carpenter – Vocals, Guitar, Production, Composition and Art Andranikyan – Drums. At first listen, I was totally captured by their sound and interesting arrangements. I now recognize that it is their uplifting message and my breath is a reminder I am here and alive….Let’s all Breathe.

“The song ‘Breathe’ is the exploration of what our traumas, our secrets, and our inner demons can do to us over time…how they can isolate us from those we need the most, and how they ultimately have the potential to be our biggest downfall. “

Ships Have Sailed-Breathe

Stay safe, wear a mask, and save lives.

Music you should hear-Nikitch & Kuna Maze, Katy Kirby, Typhoon, Tune-Yards, Shovels and Rope

Sharing 5 new songs

2021 had a crazy start…we had a lockdown in a pandemic which left little or no New Year’s celebrations, an overwhelming Georgia win of Warnock and Ossoff, an insurrection on the US Capitol, and then we finally welcomed the calm of inaugurating a new president. I don’t know about you, but my head has been spinning and swirling ever since. As I turn the calendar to February, I am slowly beginning to see the new year with a glimpse of promise and hope. Music always plays a role in my emotions, my impassioned political leanings, as well as my overall outlook. I now feel a break in the news cycle to slow down and give new music a serious listen.

So, my first music search found one with a chill vibe as well as a serious groove. Right now, I need the kind of music which calms me and yet orbits me outside of my usual realm. This song is it. The instrumental provides a sublime dreamy space to imagine a new year with new promise. I love everything about their sound.

Nikitch & Kuna Maze is a collaborative project between Nicolas Morant aka Nikitch and Edouard Gilbert aka Kuna Maze. They channel their instrumental skills to create compositions using their common chemistry while blurring the lines between improvisation, production and the creative art of DJing. Instrumental music is the perfect antidote to stress. I am playing it on repeat when I need to take a break from this crazy world.

Nikitch & Kuna Maze – Hey, This Must Be Deep (Confined Session)

I am all about new artists. Katy Kirby is one that I have totally fallen for.

“Kirby was born, raised, and homeschooled by two ex-cheerleaders in small-town Texas, where she started singing in church. After high school, Kirby moved to Nashville, where she managed to graduate college with a rapidly expanding circle of artistic allies, an amorphous collection of leftist beliefs, and a few handfuls of songs. After a series of painful failures to complete a record that reflected the temperament of those songs, Kirby finally turned to dear friends and co-conspirators to form a band capable of constructing a satisfying full length.”

Her album, Cool Dry Places, will release in February, but we have been graced by a handful of pre-releases. I am sharing “Juniper”, her latest. Her lilting vocals, and the dynamic musical stops and starts, emphasize her stark independence and create a powerful, catchy song.

“This is a song about motherhood, mostly. It sometimes seems like there’s far more material written on how dads can be terrifying and awful, or everyone is just less surprised about it. I’m uncommonly open and close with my mom, (and she’s asked several times if it’s about her — if you’re reading this Lisa, I swear, it’s not!!), but I was trying to work out how many distinct ways that sort of dynamic can uniquely harm. I wound up thinking a lot about vacancy, sort of how abandonment can happen even if someone technically sticks around. I heard Greta Gerwig say in an interview about Ladybird that “nobody doesn’t have a complicated relationship with their mother.” That feels pretty reasonable to me as far as super-broad statements go, and is maybe (probably) part of what scares me to death about raising a kid.”

Katy Kirby-Juniper

When I received this letter, my knees were weak and I literally belted out a “Waahoo” in support of the surprise release of Sympathetic Magic, by Typhoon. Overjoyed can’t even express the crazy emotions that washed over me. 2021 is looking better already. My favorite new music from one of my all time favorite bands.

My Dear Friend,

I hope you’re holding up. What a mess!

Small news in the big scheme, but we finished a record and I wanted to share it with you. I wrote all these songs while puttering around the house these past several months, because, what else was I going to do? The songs are about people – the space between them and the ordinary, miraculous things that happen there, as we come into contact, imitate each other, leave our marks, lose touch. Being self and other somehow amounting to the same thing.

The record is called Sympathetic Magic and it’s a great joy to share it with you. To be honest, it’s a joy to share anything at all in these isolating times.

Yrs,
kyle / typhoon

Typhoon-Empire Builder

Another surprising release was from Tune-Yards. The lyrical message is a beautiful one and one I think we all need right now. Be kind and gentle with yourself as we all learn to survive in this new world of dramatic shifts and changes.

“We all have doubts (We all have doubts)
We all have rage (We all have rage)
We all have trouble being brave enough to turn the page (We all have trouble being brave enough)

But we will
Hold ourselves now

Tune-Yards-Hold Yourself

Shovels and Rope came out with a remarkable collaboration with Sharon Van Etten and I just can’t get enough of it. They covered the Beach Boys tune, “In My Room”. It is a classic tune where they infused their signature sassy Americana honky tonk. Listening to this song today, it seems to have a broader meaning as we all learn to navigate staying home during this frightening pandemic. I am working through so many emotions in my room. Aren’t you? A must listen!

Shovels and Rope (featuring Sharon Van Etten)

Happy February, happy new music! Let me know what you are loving and listening to right now.

Shungudzo-It’s a Good Day (to fight the system)

Shungudzo shares authenticity in her music and inspires people to vote for change

Authenticity Matters

Truth Matters

My blog here has nothing to do with more people liking it and creating more engagement. As much as I would welcome and love that, I am not going to change who I am to create a larger audience.

This is the space where I share incredible music within the context of my personal voice. It is hard and sometimes a personal struggle based on my deep passions about rights, politics, friendships, relationships, and our world. Yet, the music miraculously finds me, strikes a chord, and becomes a heartfelt companion.

I will continue to share my beliefs on human rights, black lives matter, health care for all, criminal justice reform, clean energy, rebuilding our infrastructure, as well as increased funding for public schools & mental health, and I deeply believe in love….all love. In 2021, I will work toward realizing these beliefs and I can’t completely separate these important foundations when I listen to new music. They go hand in hand. I am giving you fair warning.

In this unfolding new year, I strive to continue to lean into authenticity.

Authenticity means to be genuine, original, real, and true. It is a difficult thing to be in the world of social media. I have witnessed and been a part of incendiary statements made on sites to create tension and add engagement. Conspiracy theories or suggesting alternative information just to get a push back and click bait, is not a part of my language.

I speak only what I truly believe in my heart and what has been fact checked. But, thankfully, I have been blogging for over 7 years and I have learned it is primarily the music that brings people to this site. I am so thankful to you, my loyal followers, even as I have been more quiet in 2020. The quiet was intentional, for that is the only place where one can learn and grow. Loud cluttered noise, finger wagging, and empty chat provide no place for authenticity and discussion.

So, as we face one of the most important Georgia run off elections in history, I can’t help but share music which provides important power to the people. Let’s rid our system of career politicians that just make money from their political power. Vote for candidates that plan to work for the people of their districts and make strategic changes. If you live in Georgia and haven’t already voted, as I have, make a plan to vote! You have until 7pm!

Your vote, your power!

Shungudzo-It’s a Good Day (to fight the system)

Who is Shungudzo?

“Alexandra Shungudzo Govere, better known as just Shungudzo, is a Zimbabwean-American philanthropist, singer, songwriter, record producer, gymnast, journalist and reality television personality. She caught the attention of the world when she was a gymnast for Zimbabwe, and later founded the Kijana project providing relief for Aids orphans. Then, she gained wide media attention as a cast member for the reality show, The Real World:San Diego.”

She released a a mixed tape in 2010 and has released original music as well as cowritten a number of songs since 2017.

Her latest track, “It’s a Good Day (to fight the system)” was released in October of 2020 from the first chapter, I (motsi) of a forthcoming collection of music coming in 2021. Shungudzo’s catchphrase is “using words as weapons of love”. Her voice is like dripping raw honey with a lyrical, focused principle of rallying people to vote and inspire. I was swept up by the chorus of voices, as well as, the horn arrangements and crisp guitar. All contributed to creating bright and up lifting music. I can totally stand behind the message as well, we must all fight against the systems that oppress, with love and unity.

The Time Is Now-Don’t Look Away

Ty Dolla $ign, Terrace Martin, Papoose, and D Smoke & SIR share music expressing the pain, uncertainty, and disruption of police brutality and violence.

People protest in response to the police killing of George Floyd outside the CNN Center on May 29, 2020 in Atlanta.
Elijah Nouvelage / Getty Images

We are all inching our way on a narrow bridge between a dark abyss and tiny glimmers of hope.

Where will we fall?

Words have been hard for me. I am experiencing intense fear and intense grief. My fear is for a virus that may be our tragic demise and sadness for the added disease of hate which permeates our country. Hate’s ugly head has emerged over my entire lifetime, but now it appears more blatant.

Hate whispers in as a soft gray cloud of haze, and before you can define it, you find yourself gasping for air. I have overheard negative labels, subtle racial slurs, derogatory jokes, and witnessed the justifications for policies which hold people of color in health, economic, and educational hardship. My actions were flawed because I fell silent in some of those instances. Silence equates weakness, and then becomes a dangerous product of hate’s lethal spread.

The video of George Floyd was a breaking point for me. I felt rage from past horrific racial injustices, but the flagrant murder captured on video was a moment which affected me in a way I refuse to suppress or forget.

I now recognize, I have work that needs to be done and much to learn. My commitment will be toward creating change. I vow to educate myself, continue to grow, and advocate for black people, as well as all colors and ethnicities. Silence no more.

Right now is a profound moment in history, epic in its magnitude, I refuse to look away.

So I have gathered music which is meant to disturb you, shake you up, and also help you recognize the pain, uncertainty, and horrible disruption the black community has been living and ingesting for generations. May the beauty of their unique voices outrage you enough to seek connection, and become committed to creating a more perfect world in George Floyd’s memory.

Listen, feel the pain, and wake up with me as I lean into hope..

Ty Dolla $ign-You See It (ft Skrillex)

Terrace Martin (ft. Denzel Curry, Daylyt, Kamasi Washington, & G Perico– Pig Feet

Papoose-Tribute

D Smoke & SIR-Let Go

Eight bands from around the globe you may not know, but you should!

If there is something to be changed in this world, then it can only happen through music-Jimi Hendrix

Today I am skipping around the earth’s continents and seeking out beautiful music. Come travel outside of your quarantined space and experience a worldly music connection.

I have to begin with a sweet collaboration of 200 artists from 28 countries around the world. The video is Major Lazer + Marcus Mumford “Lay Your Head On Me”. It is filled with great music, great dancing, and captures glimpses of scenes around the globe. I love the new world intimacy of sharing personal/private home spaces with others. Zoom has become a new connection. Love it or hate it, we can all benefit from the kind faces we greet.

Our first travel spot is the United Kingdom. Bibio is Stephen James Wilkinson. He leans into a more folk-oriented, electronic, and experimental sound. His newest release, “Sleep On The Wing”, is dreamy and soothing. It showed up right when I needed it.

Next is a song with a chill vibe and a subtle dance beat meant for toe tapping and body swaying. Straight from Moroccan Rabii Harnoune and Frankfurt electronic producer V.B.Kühl, is “Baniya” which fuses traditional North African Gnawa with the sonic pleasantries of modern club music. It spans across the world, creating a sound that connects us all.

“It’s a telling about a journey by a father and his son, who are visiting different places and historical monuments, to collect wisdom for keeping the spirituality” Rabii explains.

The Beths, from New Zealand, have announced a new album Jump Rope Gazers out on July 10th. This song has been out for a couple of weeks, but I am gaga about all things Beths and their music never disappoints. I can’t wait for more and bet they continue to release songs up until their July date.

Let’s skirt over to another continent….Gym and Swim is a Bangkok-based tropical pop band featuring members from a host of different bands in Thailand. It is straight up fun. Don’t we all need that right now? Listen to “Round and Round”.

I recently heard from a young band out of India, Blood Brothers, and found their story to be pretty cool. They are more metal, hard rock than I usually share, but there was something kind of wild about how young they are and how they are writing their own amazing material. So I thought I would share. This is hot off of the presses, and it is beautiful and jam packed with hope in these uncertain times. Be sure to listen to the stellar guitar riff at @ 3:00 minutes in, and catch a sweet glimpse of the band at the end.

“Every time the song gets played, we pay the double of what we get to the COVID relief fund. This is because band wants their song to actually give people hope. Just that one word is all the world really needs right now. And what better way to spread that message than through the wonderful language that’s music.”

Juan Pablo Vega was born in Bogotá, Colombia. He grew up surrounded by music, and as a child he remembers accompanying his Dad’s piano performances at home with a Fisher Price gas station that he turned into a drum set. I listened to his latest release and was transported to another place instantly. I travelled without going anywhere, but in my head and my heart. I needed the outside force of a worldly influence. Perfect.

“Juan Pablo Vega’s fresh and original sound certainly agglomerates most of today’s independent music movements of Hispanic America into one unique style”.

Circling back to North America, I fell instantly for the San Francisco band, Field Medic. There is a perk to waiting out this pandemic safely in Atlanta, and I am one to benefit. Overhearing music from my closest music family has been a true plus to a tough quarantine situation. Through shared music, I find the brightest light in the darkness of it all.

“Any song that’s true is a good song in my mind,” says Kevin Patrick, the lo-fi bedroom folk artist better known as Field Medic. “That’s why I never find it necessary to add too much stuff to my recordings. I’m just into songs themselves.”

Big Thief-Love In Mine

Make your day better and listen to Big Thief’s, “Love In Mine”

The day unfolds infinitely better when I learn Big Thief released a new song. “Love In Mine” is simply raw and beautiful. Originally an outtake from 2019’s Two Hands, and a B side on a 7″ sent out to fans, it now is available for all of us to hear. Thank you, I needed it.

“Love In Mine” shuffles with delicate finger pickings, soft percussion, and Lenker’s tender, hushed voice. As the track ends, the band’s multiple voices blend together into a gentle invocation: “Whatever comes // When it calls // Whatever leaves.”

“LOVE IN MINE” LYRICS

Put your love in mine
Let your body sing when your words won’t
Tell me everything

When I ramble on
And I often do
Remind me to travel home to you

Whatever comes
When it calls
Whatever leaves

What we leave behind
Like cicada shells
Will be hollowed
And eaten by the hills

Whatever comes
When it calls
Whatever leaves

Trampled By Turtles-Our Town (Iris DeMent cover)

Love this so much….

I had to share this just because I love it so much…..

Trampled By Turtles-Our Town (Iris DeMent cover)

Trampled By Turtles have some shows planned in early 2020, check them out. Don’t miss them.

http://trampledbyturtles.com/shows/

Music You Should Hear-Kate Usher, Sudan Archives, DJ Silky Smooth, Lydia, Hovvdy, Stolen Jars, Lomelda, & Soccer Mommy

Friday vibes-insight into how I am inspired to pick amazing music

Mood

A happy place for me is the wondrous bookstore. When I need a moment to escape my darkest thoughts, worries, and fears I find immediate joy in wandering through books of literature (adult and young adult), poetry, creativity, gardening, self help and advice. Even riding the escalator up and down can provide a distracting much needed cheerfulness as I cast my eyes on the kaleidoscope of exploring readers. At my most recent visit to the bookstore, I stumbled upon this lovely word…Flaneuring.

Flânerie is a French word and “is the act of strolling, with all of its accompanying associations”. In other words, Flaneuring is wandering with acute observations and finding beauty in the mundane with no immediate purpose. A stroll on a busy street or a hike in the woods and everything in between qualify. What if we strolled or walked with acute observation and put away our phones and our busyness? I am all in.

I believe I have been Flaneuring while listening to new music and new submissions. I set aside a quiet time and focus on the sounds, the instruments, and the vocals. When I am intrigued, I read the press page and look through their social footprints. I have experienced some amazing moments, where I feel an immediate “ahah.” The more I listen, the more I enact my slow strolling with acute observations….Flânerie.

So, instead of walking around, I sit quietly with closed eyes and simply focus on the music as it comes to me. It is a creative focused journey with no end result needed. But gloriously, I find music I have to share. Here are my favorites ….

Kate Usher and the Sturdy Souls have been around since 2016 as a bluesy-reggae-rock-pop band from Montauk, NY. It immediately grabbed me when I heard Kate’s voice. I picked up hints of Susan Tedeschi’s (of Tedeschi Trucks Band) power packed voice. The guitars prove to be pretty sweet too. “Shades of Blue” has it all.

Kate Usher & The Sturdy Souls-Shades Of Blue

I recently read the feature in Sunday’s New York Times on Sudan Archives (HERE). I was totally intrigued and put aside her new album, Athena, for my Flânerie listen. Her music stretches me out of my normal listening bubble. She is a talented avant-garde violinist, vocalist, and incredible performer. This video includes some wild moments dancing with her beloved pet snake….

Sudan Archives-Glorious

News alert, DJ Silky Smooth is a really great find. I have been searching for this kind of fresh sound and sifting through lots of music paid off. If your not following Bandcamp, you are missing out on some impressive new artists. Listen…

DJ Silky Smooth-Denim Jacket

Lydia is a band out of Arizona. This song is from an album, Liquor, released last year. I love the echoed vocals and their explosive pop sound. They should be a name we all know.

Lydia-Gypsy

Hovvdy has a new album, Heavy Lifter, out right now. I have shared their music before (HERE). Of all the songs on this album, this beauty stands out for me. What do you think?

Hovvdy-Castle

I have written about and shared songs from Stolen Jars before. (HERE & HERE). Their latest album released recently and is one you should get your ears on. They are incredibly talented and deserve more accolades and musical appreciation.

Stolen Jars-A Reminder

This is a song by Lomelda from 2016, but I just stumbled on it and I will be forever smitten. It is a true gem that is hauntingly emotional and beautiful. Her ability to artistically create multiple vocal sounds from a single syllable word is nothing short of stellar. Her vocal ability only makes each lyric hold emotional weight and pierce through superficiality.

“I find that I wish I was yours
I find that I wish I was yours
And belonged to all the birds nesting on the porch
And all the trees along the river gorge
And every windswept metaphor
All of yours until I am nothing more”

Lomelda-Columbia River

I can’t finish this post without including Soccer Mommy‘s newest shimmery tune. Only released a couple of days ago, I am sure it will be played on repeat for it’s brilliance. Soccer Mommy had one of my top albums out last year. She continues to blow me away with her songwriting.

Soccer Mommy-Yellow Is The Color Of Her Eyes