Xena Glas tranforms a candid musical musing on the dreamy new single and and and. Like an innate existential hymnal, the opening passage poetically dissects our new emotional realities. Strange realizations, we’ve become cautious tourists in our own communities, shrinking these unwanted microcosms to their bare minimums. Glas attributes these musings to an episode of insomnia, and we recognize insomnias relatable torture and how it tends to process subconscious debris.
Glas channels Joni Mitchel with unconventional structures where the music responds to the vocal, unhinged from the confides of formula. Like Mitchell, Glas remains beautiful, entrapping you with abstract curiosity. Fans of innovative, experimental indie folk acts like Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear should fall in love with Glas. Mostly because Xena is autonomous, you can reference comparisons, but music lovers thirsty for originality in these common musical threads will wear this colorful auditory fashion proudly. Glas is dreamy, but not like dream pop, more like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Pop. These dreams bring unexpected revelations, much like real nightly visions and their elusive interpretations.
If you dig and and and, you’re guaranteed to enjoy the whole catalog. Like Radiohead, Xena’s music lives in its own conceptual universe, all variations of its own ethos. The talent is undeniable, but the creativity is golden. We first fell for the single Mouth, and as we dig deeper into the world of Glas, we are emboldened. This is an elite musical discovery. Don’t pass on Glas. Say you “knew them when,” as long as they stay the course time should reward them well.
Find yourself while getting lost in and and and, now on our Emerging Folk playlist.
With California spirit comes star power, and singer songwriter Joh brings the complete package. Joh’s life is one complete artistic expression. A Maine transplant, this photo shows her laying carelessly beneath the sun, inhaling a smooth drag from a midsummer spliff. Surrounded by beautiful people with exotic personas, an enigma to everyone else. That’s the California dream, it really is so real. But as real things go, even the Golden State can’t escape Rainy Daze. The new single from Joh exists somewhere between desert siren and riot girl poetic. Full of attitude and contempt, but able to recapture an angelic presence in an instance, Joh presents some similarities to Ani DiFranco.
Rainy Daze is complicated, it shows two sides to the same coin. Joh is cunning, “Kiss me though the gate that our boundaries unwind.” Her poetry is carried by a swift sweeping groove. It’s all to lure you, like a sly fox, into this alternative existence. Nobody is ever a prophet in their homeland. In Cali, Joh can embrace her authentic self, and on Rainy Daze, she shines through this rushing musical chaos.
And with her ethereal soaring vocal, Joh escapes. Your conventions will not trap these awakenings. The next generation is here to reimagine our formal existence. Power to the People.
Enjoy Rainy Daze now on our Emerging Folk playlist.
Dublin Songwriter Gavin Fox gets to the heart of the matter on his new single Tell Me So. The base ingredients of finger picked guitars and his folky soul voice serve this heartfelt melody well. There’s subtle production in the form of layered voices and bass, there only to enrich the focal point of guitar and voice. Fox is traditional, in that he dresses a catchy melody with a relatable story. In the vein of folks founding, Tell Me So is a story for everyone. Gavin sings a song for quiet suffering, the old guard, raised to never let their feelings show. With Tell Me So, Gavin tears through the casual to get to the sincere. He’s tired of beating around the matter, he’s ready to get real.
The highlight to of Tell Me So is Gavin’s soulful vocal. Reminiscent of David Gray and The Lumineers, it’s impeccably accurate while always feelings raw and lightly weathered. You’re drawn to it’s working man’s appeal, as it’s ripe with character and personality. These comparisons bring mainstream potential. Fox might attract underground folk success, but he has the vocal chops to hit the big time.
Falling too far under the radar, dig into Tell Me So now on our Emerging Folk playlist.
“His voice is sweet, he’s taking drugs.”
The opening of His Voice Is Sweet, by GmBt Life, catches you off guard. The initial dream-folk vibe is fantastically altered by this radical detail. The sentiment is genuine, but you’ll be drawn to voyeur. A culture obsessed with these self-destructive existences will find a new fascinating template in this unexpected indie folk dream.
The lead single off their debut album 10 minutes, it effectively grabs you. The song itself is short and to the point, and it delivers it well.
Besides the seductive lyrics, His Voice Is Sweet displays crisp musical textures. The guitars are warm and lively. The cavernous piano and shimmering cymbals embellish the dreamy atmosphere. The singers soft whispery affect is like a hypnotic lullaby whisking you away. To where? That’s the mystery, the beauty of a great song. It’s real intention is contingent on your relationship to it. His Voice Is Sweet can call you away from the substance or draw you to it. One things for certain, it’s going to get under your skin.
The new album, 10 minutes, is full of experimental chill music. It roams between indie folk and other alternative chill worlds. There’s even an element of chill hip hop. GmBt Life lives in their own musical universe, outside the constraint of direct genre. Whether you like groovy acoustic music like Citizen Cope or poetic songwriters like Leonard Cohen, you’ll find something to enjoy with GmBt Life
Enjoy His Voice Is Sweet now on our Emerging Folk playlist.
The Wild Is Calling 