The solo shoegaze/rock project of Sufian M., numb talking’sdebut album, dead leaves and all, is a loud and psychedelic diary of fatigue, adult life changes and the joys that can root even in the toughest times. Downtuned guitars, manic delays and meditative lyrics invite the listener to feel the exhaustion of grief and acceptance, the lightness of burdens dropped, and the mischief of madness.
Incorporating glitching and degrading delays on vox and guitar highlighted single, “walk with u,” came about from a heavy yet playful conversation and walk with a friend. The structure of the song had been conceived via voice notes in the woods.
The music explores the electric guitar’s timbres and potential to vocally express without word, setting tension/connection between the spoken and unspoken. from overwhelmingly distorted arrangements to dreamier reprieves, the instruments play with energy and fatigue among layers of synthesis, distortion, and expression of the voice and its disfigurement.
On their fifth studio album,From Nowhere, Mo Kenney (they/them) embraces the textures of ambiguity and the rich blur of being, failing, and becoming. As they shift through lush arrangements that touch on dreamy folk, sparse alt-country, and warm, hazed-out lo-fi pop, everything is up for interpretation and nothing is fixed. In their lyrics, Kenney opts instead to defy definition, making room for non-linear and fragmentary sentiments that challenge their own feelings about personal growth, acknowledge the slippery and shadowy nature of memory, and build love songs that conjure the bonds of friendship just as much as they hint at romance.
When writing this song I was considering that sometimes how you are taught to love isn’t the best way. There can be unlearning to do as you move through your life and discover things about yourself. There can be parallels between early relationships and how you navigate romantic relationships. – Mo Kenney
In 2024, following the success of his most acclaimed record to date, Love Valley, Calgarian singer-songwriter Michael Bernard Fitzgerald is set to release his sixth full-length album, Horizon Lines. Created throughout the transformative journey of entering fatherhood, the new music continues to weave together soulful sounds and introspective words, reaffirming a dedication to crafting songs that speak to the heart.
Fitzgerald is now sharing the album’s second single, the bright and driving “Forever and Always,” co-produced and recorded with Josh Gwilliam Its pristine acoustic guitar and anticipatory percussion provide the backdrop for what Fitzgerald refers to as a song akin to “the dance we do when finding a partner and building a love.”
There are hopes and dreams we have for ourselves in love and then there is also the capacity we have to give and receive that care. So much growth is needed to truly partner, to truly get past parts of ourselves to really become a team. ‘I want love this time’ talks about building something with substance for the first time, getting past my own pitfalls.‘Teach me how to confidently say, forever and always’ – be that constant for one another, as we learn to get past some of the same blockages and hurdles. – Michael Bernard Fitzgerald
Hamilton’s Golden Feather are diving deeper into the worlds of funk and yacht rock on new single, “Never Give Up On You,” a horn and bass driven number that at first listen comes off as a straightforward love song.
“No I won’t make the same old mistake on you, when you’re not here you know my heart aches for you,” frontman Bradley Germain calls amidst syncopated guitar, a funk laden rhythm section, and Murray Heaton’s saxophone and flute harmonies.
“Never Give Up On You” features on Golden Feather’s self-titled debut record, out on September 20th.
I have thought of others when singing it – appropriated moments to live inside this. Ultimately I’m looking in the mirror, and wanting to be worthy of love. Also – this was a watershed moment for the band. This was a stylistic shift, away from the folkier to the funkier. A lot of dynamism in this one. – Bradley Germain of Golden Feather
Jason Sinay has long been known for his collaborations with rock legends like Keith Richards, Neil Young, and his work with the Dirty Knobs. Now, Sinay is stepping into the solo spotlight with a powerful new project.
His latest single “It Was You” is a poignant track that marks a significant moment in Sinay’s music career.
Written over many years, starting when Sinay was just 21, the song is a deeply personal narrative about love and heartbreak. Inspired by a friend’s broken engagement over what Sinay perceived as a trivial matter, the song captures a broader, timeless view of romance.
With influences from Bob Dylan and Neil Young’s Crazy Horse, “It Was You” blends classic Americana with Sinay’s unique voice, delivering raw emotional vocals through its introspective lyrics and evocative melodies.
Today, we speak to Jason Sinay to find out more about the creative process behind the music video for “It Was You,” directed by the visionary George Mays. The video is designed not only to highlight Sinay’s transition to a solo artist but also to visually represent the song’s emotional and personal themes.
Featuring striking imagery of Los Angeles and dream-like visual effects, the video mirrors Sinay’s reflections on his past and his artistic growth:
Tell us the story of this song?
I have been writing “It Was You,” since I was 21.
This friend of mine was engaged to this gorgeous, amazing girl … and they called off their wedding over some bull ___. I couldn’t understand it, so I had to write a song about it.
“It Was You” isn’t about this isolated incoupling, though; the Dylan and Crazy horse-flavored track encapsulates Sinay’s long view of romance.
Why did you choose to visualize it specifically in this way?
In collaborating with visionary music video director George Mays (My Morning Jacket, Amos Lee, The Dirty Knobs) — our priority when making the video for “It Was You” was first to establish myself as a solo artist and contemporary song writer.
For years I have played with the best of the best as a guitar player and session musician.
With “It Was You” we really wanted to make a statement that looked and sounded authentically Jason, the song writer.
Our second goal was to craft a performance to deliver the song with an ice cold confidence, both in the vocal and guitar parts.
We rehearsed the vocal so that I am looking direct to camera eye line, allowing the audience to feel the power of the lyrics, and the guitar parts we rehearsed to allow me to feel free to express the music visually.
What inspired this video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?
We decided that, sub-textually, the Hollywood Hills would represent an objective view of my life as someone who grew up in Los Angeles, and the street shots with the car would represent the darker subjective view of my subconscious mind.
I have collected a life time of memories growing up in Los Angeles and the lyrics could echo many people and places that I knew intimately while growing up in these exact neighborhoods.
We chose hilltops that look out over places where I have lived, and deliberately drove by iconic locations form the past in my Mustang.
The visual effects in the video we created in camera by placing prisms and diopters in front of the lens. Our intention here was to create a dream like visual motif one often experiences when remembering the past.
What was the process of making this video?
We spent several days discussing our intentions for the video, one day rehearsing, one day scouting, then a day improvising the video by letting ourselves be free to experiment with my performance.
I explored the edge of my comfort zone in this performance by tapping in to the emotion behind the lyrics, which brought out a powerful rendering of the song.
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As Jason Sinay steps into his own spotlight, “It Was You” stands out for his journey to solo artist. With The Mountain on the horizon, this single not only shows his refined songwriting but also sets the stage for what promises to be a much anticipated album.
The collaboration with George Mays has not only brought Sinay’s song to life but also has solidified his place in the contemporary music landscape.
In a world increasingly divided by borders, languages, and ideologies, there comes a powerful musical statement that seeks to remind us of our shared origins and intertwined destinies.
Steven Chesne, the visionary composer behind the genre-defying album “Descendants (in 79 Languages)“, has released a music video that’s as innovative and thought-provoking as the album itself.
This project brings together voices from around the globe, bringing them together into a landscape of sound and imagery that speaks to our shared humanity and interconnected fate. Unfolding over a period of four years, Chesne led the meticulous translation efforts with native speakers brought on board to ensure both accuracy and cultural authenticity in the final work.
In this interview, Steven Chesne takes us behind the scenes of this extraordinary new music video that has been making waves in the world music scene, sharing the inspiration and challenges that came with visualizing a song as unique as “We Are the Descendants.”
From the futuristic setting to the profound messages embedded within, he explores the artistry and vision that make this video a compelling extension of the album’s themes of unity and cultural fusion.
The accompanying music video takes this message to new heights, blending futuristic visuals with a global chorus of voices to create an immersive experience that resonates on a deep, emotional level:
1. Tell us the story of this song, why did you choose to visualize this song specifically inthis way?
The whole time I was working on this song, “We are the Descendants”, I knew it had to be listened to in conjunction with a video.
With all of these languages weaving in and out, you really get a whole different dimension if there’s some visual cues about what language you’re hearing.
This is really how that song is meant to be heard!
2. What was the inspiration behind this video (visuals, storyline, etc.)?
I had been thinking about the fragmenting of civilization. And yet, we are all made of the same material. We have a shared origin, and whether we like it or not, our fate is intertwined.
It led me to find a commonality that spans humanity. What can everybody yell out? “We are the descendants.”
We don’t think of this idea too much, but when we hear it, it sounds familiar. And it lifts us up just a tiny bit. It moves the waves just slightly in that direction.
3. Can you describe the video and the concept behind it?
Most of the action in part one takes place on Earth in the future, after the Earth becomes trashed and uninhabitable. So Fredo Bang is walking inside a very large “earth station” that is very clean and antiseptic, and separate from the barren desert outside.
On the walls of this structure are video monitors with faces of all of the vocalist from all over the world. Each one of them sings their phrase as they weave together, between Fredo Bang’s rapping.
There’s a young boy on the Earth station, who is experimenting with a giant laser that eventually pierces the wall of the structure. This takes us to part two of the video which uses music from the big Finale at the end of the album. There is also some new music scored for the video, to connect the two songs.
The key concept behind the dramatic ending is that all of us are going to have to struggle together if we’re to survive together. Our fate is intertwined.
The music that accompanies the big ending dramatic part, the Finale of the album, involves all of the languages singing simultaneously. This sounds a bit like a gigantic nebula sort of choir. This sound is eventually overtaken by a symphony orchestra. The choir and the orchestra struggle together, and it’s a really unique, fascinating sound. It’s an extremely full, very complex texture.
Modern Mystery 
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