These LITM Singer-Songwriter Picks are fresh, experimental, and unique in their approaches; from Layla Kaylif, Paul Garside, Mr. Husband, and more!
1. Layla Kaylif – Black Is the Colour
Black Is the Colour sees Layla Kaylif take a song with marked history and reimagine it to create a song that’s simultaneously fresh and unique, as well as carrying the weight you’d expect from a traditional ballad that’s been passed down through centuries. Kaylif’s version is a smart one: she manages to breathe fresh air into the song, giving it new meaning while still preserving everything that has made the song endure the years in the first place. With airy vocals that are unafraid to open up and soar over the beautiful instrumental arrangement, this is a song that’ll transport you to a different time and place. Listen here!
2. Paul Garside – That There Is Our Problem
Paul Garside’s That There Is Our Problem places itself in the tension between light and dark as a song about being jealous of God, asking his love, “Do you want him like I want you?” Opening with what, on first glance, seems like folk-tinged, airy strings, it soon becomes clear that there’s a dark edge to it all, and once you first notice it, you can’t ever unhear it. Lines like “Well, I went walking through the spirit realm / I couldn’t get advice, so I burned it to hell” are delivered with such lightness, almost nonchalance – it gives off the impression of someone so far gone that nothing they say or hear will faze them anymore, and this is a dark energy that’ll suck you in instantly!
3. Mr. Husband – Is It Real?
From its opening rolling drums that are soon joined by delicate, warm instrumental layers, Mr. Husband’s Is It Real? fills you with comfort as its sound surrounds you. Hazy vocals that sound like they’re coming from far away, like they’re your inner thoughts you’re trying to get a hold of, are mixed into the arrangement cohesively, treated not as the star of the show, but as another layer to get the song’s message across, working in tandem with the instruments and mood to do so. As the song wraps, it does so on a high note, with an excellent guitar solo rounding things out, setting you back on the ground gently – listen here!
4. Arn-Identified Flying Objects and Alien Friends – John in Roses’ Deep (Version One)
The very first notes of Arn-Identified Flying Objects and Alien Friends’ John in Roses’ Deep (Version One) from their latest album, The King and the Sparrow, immediately promise visions of a traditional folk ballad, and it doesn’t disappoint. An experimental reimagining of the Swedish Sven i Rosengård, every note, every line, carries the weight of something ancient and unknowable, something that speaks of a different time, yet still feels incredibly relevant in today’s day and age. Arn-Identified Flying Objects and Alien Friends never overexplains or overperforms, delivering the song as it is, inviting you to make meaning of it and sit with how it makes you feel. Give it a listen here!
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