It’s been a long week. It’s the time of the week we can all kick back and relax after whatever shit storm has been brewing in our lives. Thank our lucky stars for music. For me, it’s what makes me feel alive. Every. Day. From experimental to rock to dreampop to electronic, music is always exhilarating, refreshing and, at times, challenging. I am grateful to artists who put their work out there for us to explore. Here are five tracks that have been on heavy rotation this week that I want to share with you.
Updated February 26, 2016
Velleitie – I’d Rather Be Jailed with Mad About You on a Loop than Try to Form Bonds in a New City at This Age (aka) I’d Rather Be Locked in Solitary Confinement with The Paul Reiser Show on an Infinite Loop than Attempt to Substantially Connect With People in a New City at This Age
This is a beautiful ambient/experimental track from the Cleveland-based artists Sean Kase, otherwise known as Velleitie. Almost eight minutes in length, it brings you on a reflective and sobering journey. Recorded in the fall of 2015 as part of his Blurred Variants release he is currently running an Indiegogo campaign to help offset the release costs. Combining electric cello, a bullet Strat and field recordings, he creates a space that the listener sinks into and gets swept away with the washes of sound.
Michał Rutkowski – Morning Light
Michał is a Polish multi-media artist based out of Warsaw. He is a writer, poet, painter, film maker and musician. His musical style is experimental, using distorted vocals, gentle guitars and aural space, he creates a heart-rendering aura of longing, regret and beauty.
I, Us & We – Trigger
Trigger is a new single from the California based trio that released their first EP back in the spring of 2015. They have been regulars on my playlist ever since. They produce dreamy, chillwave tracks with evocative lyrics and a smoldering sound.
Grace Vanderkuhm – Most Loved
Grace lists her genre on Soundcloud at #garagerock, which, is true for much of her work. With her track Most Loved, however, she combines dreamy, breathy vocals and dancing, swirling synths into a frothy dreampop confection.
The Black Heart Procession – It’s a Crime I Never Told You About the Diamonds in Your Eyes
This is a band that I will never get over my initial fangirl crush. They have been on a (possibly permanent) hiatus since 2013. They left us six spectacular albums to relish and have gone off to produce other works such as Mr. Tube and the Flying Objects, The Yukons Dreams and Three Mile Pilot. An indie rock band from California, the main core consists of Pall Jenkins and Tobias Nathaniel, with augmentation of a multitude of other artists. Poetic lyrics about love, loss, heartbreak and regret are major themes throughout their work. What sets their overall sound apart is their nearly Vaudevillian style of piano and occasional use of musical saw, played by Jenkins, which lends an earily, sentimental sound.
That’s it for this week’s edition of the Friday Night Five. Be sure to tune in to Strawberry Tongue Radio at 19:00, 21:00 and 23:00 EDT to hear selected tracks from each of these bands and be sure to visit their websites for more information about their latest work and to purchase their tracks. Also, be sure to listen to Strawberry Tongue Radio to hear our unique playlist featuring current and classic artists playing post punk, new wave, indie, electronic and experimental music.