Hey there killers. If you’re really like indie music of the rock persuasion. You might be familiar with Soccer Mommy. Feed was just released last week. It got all the indie rock qualities you love. The voice, the slow build. Just enjoy 😉
Summer Walker ‘Over It’ Breakdown.
A Love story.
I recommend reading while listening to the album 💓
Instagram/Twitter/Facebook : etheraltings
Dear Tumblr Followers,
After eight plus years of posting the Behind The Grooves music blog here, I feel like I’ve reached a crossroads. The blog has experienced exponential growth in terms of people who follow and read it daily, over the last few years. But in recent months there has been a substantial leveling off, and slowing down of that growth.
While I deeply appreciate the positive feedback in terms of comments, likes and reshares of my work, I feel like I’m in a deep rut.
Unfortunately, likes and re-shares haven’t gotten me any closer to my goal of seeing this writing moving to other media (i.e. physical book or e-book form).
Though I’ve received a handful of donations from generous followers, my attempts at fundraising here have largely fallen on deaf ears. With over 22,000 + followers worldwide, only about a dozen people have ever donated. And with Tumblr not having any other method of generating revenue like banner advertising or sponsorship, I’m a loss as what to do next.
As a last resort, I’m seriously considering deleting this blog from here. If anyone can offer some sound advice as to what I can do to take this thing to the next level, I’d greatly appreciate it.
Thank you for your enthusiasm and support,
Jeff H.
After a much-anticipated wait, I’m finally back! Let’s start things off right with some rockin’ albums!
FROM THIS FRIDAY
None available. Sorry, guys!
YOUR LISTENING LIST
LET’S GET OUT OF THIS COUNTRY by Camera Obscura: I was convinced that I might have discovered all the best 2000s music out there already, but I was happily proven wrong. My gosh, it’s become my second favorite twee pop album ever (next to “ALVVAYS”). It’s got those autumn Sunday morning vibes that wraps you like a cup of hot apple cider and insists you stay a while. If some of the fat was trimmed (”I Need All The Friends I Can Get”), this’d go up a peg. 8/10.
(https://open.spotify.com/album/3NcGNYXKiHeygdXXL7czL1?si=5XtnwszeTDGpfMmT6iZPuQ)
THE FRAGILE ARMY by The Polyphonic Spree: Released the same year as my all-time favorite album (”Neon Bible”), this one’s got a lot to live up to - especially from how enjoyable The Polyphonic Spree’s last LP was (”Together We’re Heavy”). And bee-oh-boy, it does. It’s one of the rare moments in music where, when it’s playing, the world just seems a little brighter, like you could do, you wish, you want, you could do anything. If you’re a fan of Arcade Fire, I beg you to give this a shot - if nothing else, for the song “Guaranteed Nightlife”. 9/10.
(https://open.spotify.com/album/5Etv8zkyNEjwxpp1kgyjiV?si=IJ0CROoJSsSvihCbOTgA6A)
RETURN TO PARADISE by Monster Rally: You’re at your grandparents place, and you happen to stumble upon an old Hawaiian record of theirs that they don’t remember buying. Putting it on literally transports all three of you to a deserted island full of all the amenities you could ever ask for, but, 38 minutes later, you’re back in the basement. This is the album in a nutshell - fleeting, nostalgic, and very, very focused in its approach. It’s a shame the coconut milk didn’t taste sweeter. 7/10.
(https://open.spotify.com/album/3PC5yjdHu7rXPSezqidwQH?si=9GS81GrVQFWtZZBKHwHg1g)
Find A Song
about loneliness at Christmas
When ‘Airy Met Fairy - Blanket of Sorrow
This December sees the return of Nordic duo, When ‘Airy Met Fairy (WAMF) with their glacial Christmas single, ‘Blanket of Sorrow’ - the first song from their upcoming second album, out Spring 2020 via Berlin based label – Motor.
Utilising subtle melody and minimalist instrumentation, ‘Blanket Of Sorrow’ is melancholic piano pop at its best. Frontwoman Thorunn Egilsdottir’s singing feels intimate and vulnerable as she glazes through biting cold soundscapes and swelling horn and organ arrangements.
Christmas is about spending time with family and loved ones, a time to congregate and reconnect with the special people in our lives. But despite its warm and unifying nature, it can make someone’s absence only more apparent. ‘Blanket Of Sorrow’ captures that sinking feeling of longing and sadness… the festive season has never felt so lonely.
Thorunn: “I felt like this last Christmas when I was celebrating with my family in Reykjavik. I sat down at the piano. It was in a dark room, illuminated by the glowing snow outside. There was no sound in my brother’s house as everybody had gone outside for a walk. And there it was; Blanket of Sorrow. The melody, the lyrics, as if they had always existed.”
Bass player Mike Koster: “When we record songs, we do it in my apartment. We like homemade stuff and we like it simple. Blanket of sorrow is a particularly delicate song, so we added merely the necessary. The organ and the bass are the only ornaments around Thorunn’s voice and piano lines.”
And don’t miss the accompanying video, produced by Raphael Kindig and Runa Egilsdottir (Thorunn’s sister). Filmed in a semi-museum – a house completely untouched since the 1970s – the video is a nostalgic look into an unhappy couple ‘celebrating’ Christmas.
When ‘Airy Met Fairy consists of Icelander Thorunn Egilsdottir and Luxembourger
Mike Koster. The duo is supported visually by art director Runa
Egilsdottir, as well as French producer Raphael Kindig. Runa and Raphael
create all the artwork and music videos. (press release)
Find A Song
about understanding there is a silver lining and a light at the end of the tunnel
Tom Ashbrook - Not My Love (with Ruby Duff)
Liverpool-based Ambient-Electro Classical Producer Tom Ashbrook released his new EP Sines on 29 November via The Other Songs. The EP includes ‘Not My Love (with Ruby Duff)’ which features a collaboration with “the Alice in Wonderland of contemporary music” Ruby Duff who has seen support from NPR, Wonderland Magazine, The Daily Mirror, When The Horn Blows and BBC Introducing in West Yorkshire. The Leeds-based songstress was invited to play the renowned Ruby Sessions, the same showcase attended by major acts such as Ed Sheeran, Mumford & Sons, George Ezra, and James Blunt.
This is the first collaboration between the two artists, coincidently both hailing from Yorkshire.
Speaking of their collaboration Ruby says: “The track is about acceptance and understanding there is a silver lining and a light at the end of the tunnel. The melody had been in my head for a really long time and I eventually voice noted it on my phone which is what I sent Tom. When I sing this song, I envision a small music box doll-like figure stood in a huge 60’s theatre singing to an audience of masked men. It’s the bitter sweet reveal of an ending” (press release)
Find A Song
about feeling lonely at Christmas
Yvonne McDonnel - It’s Not That Cold Anymore
Singer-songwriter Yvonne McDonnell returns with her stirring new single It’s Not That Cold Anymore, out now.
Inspired
by vintage photography, the single tells the story of how loneliness
can be felt at any time, even times when we are supposed to be full of
happiness and warmth, like at Christmas. Yvonne elaborates, “it’s a
story of love lost, and a longing to hear from people we care about, who
are no longer in our lives.” It’s Not That Cold Anymore feels
instantly compelling as the gentle musicality floats effortlessly
underneath Yvonne’s distinctive vibrato, creating a sound that is both
emotive and intricate. Fans of the likes of Joanna Newsom and Kate Rusby will feel at home here. (press release)
03 Greedo & Kenny Beats - Beg Your Pardon feat. Maxo Kream (Official Music Video)