LITM Rock Picks Tunes To Turn Your Mood Around Featuring Brooks John Martin, Martin Kuiper, Richard Tyler Epperson and More!

LITM Rock picks tunes that will surely uplift your mood for the weekend, brought to you by Brooks John Martin, Martin Kuiper, Richard Tyler Epperson, Rosetta West, and We Have Ghosts

1. Brooks John Martin - Clear Blue Waters
   With "Clear Blue Waters," Brooks John Martin presents a soul-quenching trip of self-discovery and rebirth. The song seamlessly wed his folk heritage with cinematic richness, building an expansive, though intimate, soundscape. With the initial chord of his guitar, Martin establishes a field of contemplation, conjuring the serenity of clear waters as much as the grandeur of open skies.
   From Cedar Falls, Iowa, Martin has travelled through many creative paths in the form of Toast and The Blue Danes. Under his own name now, he contributes a down-to-earth authenticity that can't be overlooked.
   The rich, stacked instrumentation on the song recalls Brian Wilson's grandeur without losing the folk sincerity of Neil Young. Lyrically, it's a poetic appeal to strength, with the likes of "Come back to the clear blue water with me" ringing as profoundly personal yet universally relatable.
   A veritable work of art, "Clear Blue Waters" is Martin at his best.

2.  Martin Kuiper - Dreams
Martin Kuiper's Dreaming Of A Sea of Time feels like opening a beautifully weathered journal- intimate, poetic, and introspective. "Dreams," the lead-in to the EP, establishes the atmosphere with ethereal acoustics and wispy synths that swim through your head like a soothing tide.

Kuiper's voice bears the gravity of one who lived and learned, drawing you into his world of remembrance and change. Erik Neimeijer and Jim Zwinselman's unobtrusive arrangements give each note its time, as if relishing the air between hope and remorse.

This isn't music- it's a sonic memoir, the second in a trilogy that's as concerned with the passing of time as it is with the narratives we bring. For listeners of reflective folk with a cinematic bent, Kuiper's Dreams is a precious thing to be discovered

3. Richard Tyler Epperson - December Night
“December Night” from Richard Tyler Epperson’s Fragmented Night doesn’t just kick things off- it transports you. This isn’t your typical rock; it’s dynamic storytelling set to a soundtrack of shifting moods and stunning crescendos.

Epperson demonstrates he's no prisoner of the genre. As "December Night" smoulders with understated intensity, "I Love It When It's Cold" creeps in with neo-soul murmurs and a tip of the hat to the edgier face of pop. And before you can say you think you know him, "Let's Drive" erupts- half country-funk, half indie adventure.

This record plays at the fringes of what defines rock, taking bits from its neighbours and building something that is distinctly Epperson. With its cunning use of space, dynamic colour, and emotional grime, Fragmented Night is a call to explore the confines where rock and the unexpected intersect.

4. Rosetta West - Circle of  Doubt
Rosetta West's "Circle of Doubt" is a blues-rock fever dream- dark, smoky, and addictively trippy. Beginning with a mesmerising guitar riff that's like a looping incantation, the song draws you into a psychedelic underworld where blues meet psychedelia.

Joseph Demagore's vocals are a chilling chant, thick with tension as he belts about spiritual wars and struggling for liberation. The swirling guitars and glinting cymbals create a sonic texture that's both frantic and healing.

Flip to the B-side, and "The God Who Made Me Cry" swaps haze for down-to-earth grit, mixing folk-inspired storytelling with darkened distortion. Rosetta West evokes a timeless atmosphere, weaving old themes into contemporary bluesy enchantment. "Circle of Doubt" is not merely a song- but an enchanting ritual you'll return to again and again.

5.  We Have Ghosts  - You. Know. Want
We Have Ghosts’ You.Know.Want is akin to being sucker-punched by the '90s alt scene- unbridled, raw, and wonderfully unpredictable. This three-piece outfit from the UK combines punk's punky fringes with grunge's heavy swagger, creating a sonic brew that is half pandemonium, half catharsis.

Benjamin Mace-Crossley's spoken-word vocals cut through the din in staccato fashion, laying down lyrics that grapple with vulnerability and deception. Underpinning the energy are Sam Edwards' throbbing bass and Juan Sanchez's explosive drumming, the track a relentless, hypnotic force.

Most striking is the duality- punk toughness and melodic sweetness combining to produce a song that's as bristly as it is clingy. You.Know.Want is not a song but an emotional riot that has you gasping and clamouring for more. Floor-shaking? Yep. Soul-shaking? More than that.

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LITM Rock Picks Tunes That Will Instantly Jostle You Up After A Long Day Featuring The Sea At Midnight, Partners in Crime and More!

LITM Rock picks tunes that will take you a trip down the memory lane brought to you The Sea At Midnight, Partners in Crime, Anna Thoresen, Richard Tyler Epperson and Whereafter.

1. The Sea At Midnight - Our Brilliant Destruction

   Darkwave merges with poetry as in the case of Our Brilliant Destruction, one of the more hauntingly magnetic tracks from The Sea At Midnight. This one is like musically walking at night through neon-lit cities at midnight-dark and brooding but full of energy.

   The pulsing bassline becomes the heartbeat for the atmospheric layers of shimmering synths and subtle guitar riffs within this track. At once nostalgic and modern, an '80s fever dream reimagined to fit today's existential crises, the vocals hold longing and mystery, bearing introspection and revealing truths that haunt long after the song has stopped.

   Lyrically, the song goes into the beauty and chaos of self-destruction, and how we rebuild from our own ruins. The lines are paradoxical in the celebration of falling apart. It is raw, honest, and undeniably captivating.

   Our Brilliant Destruction shines as a siren for lovers of post-punk and darkwave, speaking a catharsis that somehow is both particular and universal; it's that late-night driver, solitary thinker, and affirmation of the poem of brokenness. The Sea At Midnight says even destruction may be a piece of art.

2. Partners in Crime - I’ll Never Find Another You

Partners in Crime takes us on a nostalgic journey with I’ll Never Find Another You, a heartfelt homage to timeless love. With a vintage charm that nods to the golden era of classic pop ballads, this track beautifully blends old-school sincerity with modern finesse.

The warmth, and shimmer of instrumentation from the opening chords as you are embracing all warm and snug into the hug of life itself speaks in both directions. This is when vulnerability is at its finest. It is finding the ability to move your very heart with each of these deeply heartfelt, seriously sincere lines straight from the heart.

Lyrics have a majestic and timeless quality, a means of speaking about something irreplaceable by a true bond that has both the ache of longing and the happiness of memory. The lines elevate the song's emotion by giving a word of poetic touch that is very deep.

More than a song, I'll Never Find Another You is a reality experience-a gentle reminder that such beauty is really long-lasting by cherishing and valuing someone who leaves a footprint in the heart. If you are still reminiscing or celebrating the connection found, then this track should stir up whatever emotions it must to get pressed repeat.

3. Anna Thoresen - Lonely

Lonely by Anna Thoresen is as melancholic as it is precious. It is wrapped in a simplicity that dreams, with this song, free from all that and very reflective of its words. It is like flipping through a private diary raw, exposed, and painfully relatable.

The verses are rich in the painting of images of isolation: "I haven't been touched in so long, I forgot how it feels." Thoresen has an extraordinary sense of the nuances of loneliness, from a Sunday afternoon doing nothing to late nights with restless tossing, where "the dark came so quick." The hook had a simple la-la-la refrain against which the weight of the lyrics, so emotive, made it hauntingly hypnotic.

The track is very minimalistic, which allows the soft, almost-whisper vocals by Thoresen to take centre stage. The sparseness of instrumentation mirrors the song's theme of emptiness from loneliness while at the same time maintaining a sense of warmth and intimacy.

Lonely is a poignant consideration of human connection-or the lack thereof-and the quiet ways we survive. Whether it's lighting up a spliff or staring out into the night, Thoresen captures the bittersweetness of finding solace in the small things. This is the kind of song that really gets in your head, singing its la-la-las long after the music is gone.

4. Richard Tyler Epperson - I Love It When It's Cold

Richard Tyler Epperson's I Love It When It's Cold is like a cup of warm coffee on a frosty morning: comforting, thoughtful, and quietly strong. A love letter to the chillier seasons, beneath its surface is an ode to finding the beauty in stillness.

Coupled with Epperson's poignant vocals, there is an acoustically-driven melody blending warmth and melancholy. There is beauty in his ability to create imagery with frost-caked windows and crisp air for winter. Softly layered strings and tasteful percussion do not overpower this intimate track but contribute in depth.

The song is lyrically simple but profound. Epperson interweaves personal introspection moments along with universal sentiments that make you feel like you're sharing a quiet moment with an old friend. That the way he writes about cold days is somehow also a metaphor for embracing a quieter slower chapter of life.

I Love It When It's Cold reminds me of holding back and truly enjoying the life moments nobody seems to acknowledge. Whether bundled up on a snowy evening or needing to get away peacefully, it does the job.

5. Whereafter - Blind Heart

BlindHeart brings the electrifying fusion of raw emotion and the edgy aesthetic of alt rock, forming this sonic journey in vulnerability, strength, and complexity that dances the fine line of pain and healing that the band brings to their listeners.

From the very first note, gritty guitar riffs hook you in, paving the way for a dynamic rhythm section that makes the song an unstoppable driving force. A high point of the vocals is powerful yet wounded; they seem to embody all of the themes this song espouses about heartache and defiance with an intensity that cannot be ignored.

It is lyrically about the struggle to survive through emotional blindness where trust fades away and wounds never heal. The lines go down like anthems of persevering through dark nights. Mixing poetic introspection with gritty rawness provides a uniquely cathartic edge.

What makes BlindHeart stand out is the perfect balance of vulnerability and strength. It is a song that speaks to anyone who has ever been through the turmoil of self-discovery with inner demons. With anthemic energy and emotional depth, Whereafter delivers a song that is hauntingly empowering, great for late-night reflection or full-volume catharsis.

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