The trails of Spotify radios and obscure playlists are long and winding. More often than not I will lose interest in them halfway through but there is always that small voice behind my ear that says "what if the hidden gem is in the second half of this queue?". Therefore I have trained my ear to recognise a hit by hearing just a few seconds of a song. I blame capitalism and our consumer society.
Nevertheless, despite it being a terrible way to discover new music, it does get results and here are the latest:
1. Seeking Love - M!R!M
What a belter of a track. Down deep in one of my darker moods I came across this track by M!R!M which is the solo project of Italian producer and musician Jack Milwuakee. It's the second track from his 2013 debut album Heaven and I can't, for the life of me, understand how it took me ten long years to get here.
It has a little horror and electricity to it and I can clearly distinguish the influence from some punk music from the 80s. It has a heavy New Romantic energy about it and I can't help but think of caked white faces with line eyebrows that go halfway across your forehead. At the same time, even though the guitar riffs and the overall atmosphere sound like it's full of smoke and shadow, his vocals are airy and almost dreamlike. It could be one of those nightmares where nothing bad has happened but something about the situation just feels off.
At the same time, the synth sounds that are almost hidden behind the percussion and the riffs come from somewhere in outer space. So if I'm ever having a nightmare taking place in a nightclub on Jupiter, Seeking Love is definitely thumping it's way out of the speakers.
2. Galore - Palmbomen
Again, another track that was released like a million years ago (2010) and has taken me ages to find. Galore was one of the first tracks released by artist Palmbomen and is part of his EP Moon Children. I thought he didn't have much else to go on as he had one more single out around that time and an album in 2013. Then I discovered that the guy behind the project, Kai Hugo, changed his name to Palmbomen II and released some music after being inspired by the X Files. That's exactly what it sounds like, for better or for worse. Then he went on to release a new project and changed the name again to Cindy and released an album in 2020 called i'm cindy. I'm not sure what the name is now. Before talking about the track, I must say, I listened to a bit of Cindy and it sounds like weird shoegaze and not in a good way.
Despite being frankly disappointed with his other work, Galore is an absolute hit. Every single sound just seems to ooze in and out of the spotlight in perfect coordination. And the vocals with falsettos and harmonies that just scream Jungle at me. It sounds a little tropical but at the same time futuristic. Like having a strawberry daiquiri in the future.
3. Dark Side - The Shadows Of Knight
Who doesn't like a bit of 60s garage rock? I do, despite finding it terribly frustrating. There are so many bands from that time that have been completely forgotten that I hate to think what I'm missing out on. That's why discoveries like this one are my favourite kind. I didn't know Chicago band The Shadows of Knight even existed before running into them accidentally on Spotify but they are exellent. This song is part of the album Gloria (1966) which is inspired by the British bands of the time such as Them, The Hollies, The Kinks and more.
With vocals that lead me to believe they could have been an inspiration for artists like Patti Smith and Modern Lovers (and therefore by association The Strokes) they wail about heartache and rekindling love in a way that just has me swaying with my eyes closed. Aside from the main vocals the other top element that hooked me was the guitar solo that just hit my heartstrings straight away. It makes me want to get dumped in Chicago.
On loop I tell you, or at least on loop until I get a little sad and have to switch to something cheery.
4. Times Square - Jam City, Aidan
This is something more cheery. Such excellent vibes it's almost offensive. When I listen to it, there are just a bunch of tiny elves in my head banging teaspoons against my skull. It's a great feeling. It's similar to the vibes I get from Friendly Fires only groovier.
The contrast between the deep male vocals by Aidan and the high pitched "Damn, I'm too faded" did the job and I'm sold not even 30 seconds in. But, that's not even the best bit. The best bit is the organic progression of the track that fully takes off in the second half. Just stick it on full blast and have a dance in your room with the window open (I won't be held accountable if it's freezing outside and you get a cold).
The song is the preview of Jam City's new album EFM that will be out June 1st and we will be hearing a lot more of Aidan on there. Consider me excited.
5. Papi - Dean Blunt
London based artist Dean Blunt who also is involved in projects such as Hype Williams and Babyfather is a mystery. He's spent a good part of his career misleading the press (maybe he's Banksy too) and doing random stuff such as listing a toy Foxtons estate agents Mini Cooper filled with weed on eBay.
The hopelessly romantic song Papi was released back in 2013 as part of the album The Redeemer and in it, Dean Blunt is juggling so many different sounds to perfection.
I can hear string sounds that are looped in a similar manner to Moby's Porcelain and vocals that remind me in a way of The National, only huskier. Like the National but with whiskey neat involed. "You bring out the best in me", delivered in an almost deadpan tone, matter-of-factly, like it's not the biggest compliment you can give someone, is driving me crazy.
Papi has a movie quality about it that makes it timeless and I think that quality is provided by its sampling of Pink Floyd's Echoes (sample found in minute 21:47 of the 23 minute long song). In all, the whole composition of the song just has a graceful air about it, like a watchmaker placing cogs delicately and watching them turn.
I will say something bad about Papi though. What is that ending? My man, why are you unplugging the radio all of a sudden?
If you want more weird beauty by Dean Blunt, as long as ropes unravel fake rolex will travel is also excellent, even though he also cuts it off violently. I swear, if coitus interruptus were an artist...
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