This Week's LITM Rock gets artful with artists like Weslynn, 14Flamingos, Joe Hudson and Others

Weslynn - Love and Let Go 

Weslynn releases their latest, ‘Love and Let Go’ an electro rock anthem about the passage of love. The duo put on quite an immersive song, expanding it with deep thought, soulful vocals, authentic emotions, and beautiful musical craft. All these elements have a seamless way of wrapping into each other, giving life to the grandeur of the scene, the fragility of the feeling, and the power of the experience. Instrumentally, the soundscape is reminiscent of the late 2000s and early 2010s. Acoustics excited by synths, surging melodies, and an evocative beat trajectory that will leave you feeling so viscerally. It’s one of those tracks that are alive and if you reach out, you can feel it breathing. 

14 Flamingos - The Duke 

14 Flamingos is an indie band with such a wonderfully absurd interpretation of the genre. It is funky, warped, sharp, and angled in every way. Their latest release is ‘The Duke’, an art rock exploration with moments of softening blues, jazz experiments, sunny tones, and moody rock. The result is a soundscape that makes you feel like you’re in an interesting bar with visual lights, warm vibrance, magical air; an intimate alternative scene that feels surreal. Its classic rock and retro folk accents are made to lift into neo rock, contemporary craft, and creative executions. 

Centrifuge - You Are Yesterday 

Centrifuge keeps it hot and tight with their latest release, ‘ You Are Yesterday’. The alt rock song is packed with charismatic guitar work, a web, a groove, a network, a language that spreads across the soundscape with so much personality. Riffs, synth keys, beats, and the vocals do some great atmosphere work, casting the listener in a day dreaming, sunny frame with an underbelly of heavier s times. The sliding rhythms have a retro feel to it. Add to that the varied textures and tonalities of the melodies. With vocals ushering in a whole other layer of experience, this is the perfect track for you if you’re in the mood for dynamism. 

Joe Hodgson - Since You Had a Hold on Me 

Joe Hodgson is a guitarist and writer. He has crafty fingers and a spectacular way with music. When you listen to his music, it feels like you’re witnessing a conversation between two pals. In his latest release, ‘Since You Had a Hold On Me’, featuring guest vocalist Glen Harkin, the artist speculates a blues song, so deeply entrenched with country style, motifs, and influences. His guitar work is as sophisticated and true as 20th century blues artists. The Hammond organ and the guitar respond to him in a way that fosters a whole presence. So rich and enriching that you can’t get enough. Joe does a great job in conveying the culture of the style, the story of the song, and the intoxicating appeal of his artistry. Listen Now! 

Jesse Blake Rundle - Continuous, Wait 

With this latest release, ‘Continuous, Wait’ Jesse Blake Rundle claims another shade of melancholy. The artist’s indie rock style is entrenched in folk acoustics, coming alive in the creative blending of them. In the song, he explores the expansive nothingness of the theme, the continuum of the scene, minutes, the hours, the days. He blurs the textures to a point of abstract, to an inexplicable point that can only be understood by the emotional quotients. And in this journey, he fleshes out the human experience in such a remarkable way. It is intimate, personal, and so poetically profound. 

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This week's LITM Pop Picks is an Alternative Dream Pop Flow with Moon Club, Stephen Stanley, and Solu

Moon Club - Utopia 90 

Moon Club is an alt pop duo building new worlds with their music. Their songs carry the nocturnal moods and magic of the moon, weaving it with mystique into their songs. ‘Utopia 90’ is their latest release that blends blues with R&B, summer imagery, glassy melodies, and jazzy pop. It is vivid and visual with soft undertones of psychedelia. The loose, hypnotic grooves unravel throughout the soundscape, lifting into the smoky vocals. Everything about it is a daze wash, a great track to get lost to, stray with, and just float away into infinity. The artists aim to elevate the listener, casting them in spheres of cerebral sounds and floating landscapes. 

Stephen Stanley - trustfall 

Stephen Stanley is a singer-songwriter and an alt pop artist with an emotional divulgence that is so deep and profound. His music holds a piece of him, a meaningful, important piece as he seeks to authentically connect with his listeners. His latest release is the ‘trustfall’ album with its title track exemplifies the expanse; of his vocal range, the world that it contains, and the magnificence of the thematic experience. The track is designed to hold infinity within it. Elastic and expressive, it stretches on, allowing the artist to explore, contemplate and play with melody, emotion, and storytelling. Listen Now! 

Solum - Hold On

Solum is an alt pop artist and a singer-songwriter who crafts a fusion love song with his latest release, ‘Hold On’. The track is a smooth blend of pop, emo, trap, soul, and hip-hop; with his vocals carrying all these styles with authentic thematic passion. Despite the depth, gravity, and intensity of the emotion expressed, the design is kept light, drifting, and playful. As you listen, you get a glimpse of the protagonist and his relationship; feel the soul mate kind of bond where both of them are everything to each other. Friend, lover, partner, family, and everything in between. The irreversibility is felt by the listener and rooted for. 

Kristy Chmura - Wake Up 

With Kristy Chmura, electro pop takes on a whole new idea. The singer-songwriter and pop artist blends elements of contemporary pop with modern electronic influences, keeping it immersive and affecting across the board. Her latest release is ‘Wake Up’, a track that combines a dynamic bass-beat line with a plush, expansive and effortless vocal ranges. She arranges them with a mellow contrasting gradient, carrying it into the theme of coming to a realization, of waking up. The melodies are so rich, suggesting a depth that you can get into, explore and cruise through. And her vocals, so vast, circles it with context, makes it meaningful and sets you on an epiphanic path. 

Layla Kaylif - God’s Keeper 

The artist, Layla Kaylif is an English-Arabic singer-songwriter whose style is forged with creativity, modern interpretations, and a strong sense of individuality. As a lover of classic poetry and prose, she revives it for this time, keeping it real and relevant. Her latest release is ‘Gate Keeper’. With a narrative prowess, she calls strong imagery to mind and fills them with her vocal emotion. There is so much conviction in her style, a passionate intensity that she embraces and maximises with her presentations. And here, in this song, she brings divine imagery, light and dark, to shape the themes with power, protection, beauty, and surrender. Listen Now! 

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This Week's LITM Rock Picks opens up the alternative expanse with artists like Kathmandu, The Crystal Teardrop, PoST, and others

This Week's LITM Rock Picks opens up the alternative expanse with artists like Kathmandu, The Crystal Teardrop, PoST, and others.

Kathmandu - Wild Wind 

Kathmandu is the alternative project of songwriter and musician, Donna Marie. With influences that range from the 90s to the contemporary styles of indie rock and alternative planes is employed elegantly across their music. In their song, ‘Wild Wind’, the melodic quality and presence, coupled with electric grooves, spirited beats, and remarkable vocal moods present like a delightful wilderness. Tying back into the theme, the listening experience feels like you’re in a free space with expansive domes, buoyant energy, and voices from the otherworld. Progressively, it gets to be more and more transporting. If you are looking for the kind of song that elevates your consciousness, this is the perfect track for you. 

The Crystal Teardrop - Colours Changing 

The alternative atmosphere fills their soul and draws the music out of this next band. The Crystal Teardrop takes us into a mystical realm with their song, ‘Colours Changing’. Forged with psychedelic elements, progressive classic rock instrumentals, hypnotic vocal pulse, they grow into the space around you. Best way to enjoy the track is to close your eyes and let the song build a kaleidoscope of music around you. Because the grooves form in spiralling circles that lifts into visual melodies, dazing vocals, and cerebral warmth. A really great track to trip on. If you miss the sound of Pink Floyd, The Bangles, Porcupine Tree, and Deftones, this band will satiate you. 

PoST - I’m Ready

A passionate and pulling soundscape awaits us next with PoST’s ‘I’m Ready’. They strike a nice classic, contemporary balance with this melodic rock song. There is definitely an alternative air to it seeing as it opens with earthy beats, funky/ bluesy grooves before opening up into a glassy melodic tingle. This rhythm imprint runs along the whole song. And from it springs an expressive vocal line, nicely running along peaks and dips alike. We see quivering accordions running across it. If you enjoy artists like Lukas Graham and James Arthur, you’re sure to love the influences, variations, and builds of this track. 

Ultan - All In Good Time 

Ultan keeps it hardcore and real with his latest release, ‘All in Good Time’. The track is an anthemic punk march with uncontained beats, explosive rhythms, and a powerful vocal drive. Basslines are charismatic, and the riffs take on so many lives, burning and coming alive like a phoenix. It is reminiscent of the Green Day, Linkin Park era, where punk was forged with sheer will to play. And all with a spirit that is jogging you into life, exciting your senses and springing into a momentum that is so fun and energizing to keep up with. In all its plucked glory, dispersing riffs, raging rhythms, and charismatic vocal delivery, it comes spectacularly alive. Listen Now! 

Col Gerrard - The Way I Feel 

Concluding this queue of alt rock is Col Gerrard’s ‘The Way I Feel’. A deep, evocative, and shimmering expanse of a song. Its soft rock lifting into contemporary pop spheres, sparkling piano melodies and infinite vocal emotion is overwhelming in the best way. There is so much feeling that flows through it like a current. Imagine being elevated by emotion, in a way that feels real and cinematic at the same time. That’s how this song is executed. And between these two spaces, a soft line of romance floats on by. A touch of blues, a meandering landscape of rock, and a whole lot of intoxicating melancholy and heartache. That’s the progressing essence of the track and it is as creative as it gets. 

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This Week's LITM Pop Picks bring a spectrum of style and technique with artists like Maumaumau, Pixielated, and Bri Scully

This Week's LITM Pop Picks bring a spectrum of style and technique with artists like Maumaumau, Pixielated, and Bri Scully.

Maumaumau - Macho Macho

Maumaumau is a Mexican American alt pop artist. With his latest release, ‘Macho Macho’, he explores a fun-fuelled, light-hearted, but necessary contemplative anthem. He excites a  healing journey, urges us to grow out of unserving weights and prejudices that we carry and just be free. The track has larger than life energy, a high-energy, high-impact, momentum boost that compels the listener to think and simultaneously want to act. It lights a fire under you, reveals the other side of ego, the charisma of nonchalance, and fuels you to come on over. The listening experience can be transformative and liberating if you let it and take it from me, you definitely should. 

Pixielated - AI Superstar 

Taking the punching energy to the next level is Pixielated’s latest, ‘AI Superstar’. If you want to dive headfirst into a futuristic sonic space, then this is the track for you. There is not a single moment of stagnation. It’s a dynamic color show, progressing always to the next level of energy, a new level of consciousness. There’s dance, pop, and explosive peaks, all bolstered to an expansive vocal high. And the rhythm flows into a smooth infinity, with ups and downs. Like a landscape, it grows into the theme, speculating on electro pop like never before. Listen Now! 

Bri Scully - Under You 

Bri Scully is a singer-songwriter and indie pop artist. Her soft pop renditions are the voices of her experience. Stringing acoustics with a mellow pop flow, so personal and so intimate that you can’t help but connect. Her latest release is ‘Under You’, a track in which she explores the aftermath of a breakup where you have to unlearn so much of who you were in the relationship. It has that girlhood melodrama to it that plays into the lyrics. Matched with vulnerability, honesty and contemplative healing, it is such a special song. When you listen to it, it feels like you’re talking with a friend, slipping into her emotions and experiences. 

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This week's LITM Singer-Songwriter Picks Cast beautiful atmospheres and ambiences with artists like Leon Blanchard, Wylderbeats, and Cornelius Eady Trio

This week's LITM Singer-Songwriter Picks Cast beautiful atmospheres and ambiences with artists like Leon Blanchard, Wylderbeats, and Cornelius Eady Trio

Leon Blanchard - Astronaut 

Leon Blanchard creates an atmosphere of electric contemplation and moody wonder with latest release, ‘Astronaut’. And it is the perfect ambience to experience the theme in. The singer-songwriter and versatile guitarist presents an expanse at the beginning of the track. A mellow flow of melodies, synths and baritones. And by the end of it, you’ll feel timeless, without space, swirling with the emotional galaxies that he explores. The whole soundscape is meant to transport you to surreal spaces, evoke dreamy thoughts, and a general sense of high that falling in love brings to a person. 

Kalyn Beasley - Had to Go There 

Kalyn Beasley is a singer-songwriter and country artist. He forges a memorable path to old country music. Coarse textures, evocative instrumentals and sentimental vocal curves. However, there is a remarkable freshness, an aftermath that drenches you completely. His latest release, ‘Had to Go There’ exemplifies this so perfectly. With immersive guitar strings, molten melodies, meaningful baritones, and a drifting rhythm, the mellow country rock influences shine through. It draws you into its soft yet intense space. 

Billy Traxler - Disarray 

Singer-songwriter and alt rock artist, Billy Traxler brings such unique ideas to his music. The smooth collision of convention, collaboration, consciousness, is what his music is about. In his latest release, ‘Disarray’, the artist explores the dynamics of the theme, casting it as a state of mind and then exploring how that space forms. The melodies, beats, acoustics, all contribute to a soft chaos in the song. While the rhythm and grooves are symmetrical, the theme forms in the texture, the arrangement of melodies, and the repetitive patterns. His vocals are pleasing baritones that tie into this vibe, keeps it going. And then, the artist collapses the soundscape with a quirky, comical and cartoon-like sonic crash, wrapping up the theme nicely. 

Wylderbeats - Bradford 

Wylderbeats has just released their latest folk album, ‘Famous Photograph’. Across the collection, he explores trad folk influences and how they collaborate and manifest in a contemporary or alt folk setting. Opening the album is ‘Bradford’, a song that is a slice of life narrative, a tale of all the times the protagonist visited the place. Played out from a retrospective lens, there is a fond tone, a wisdom, a sweetness. Evoking imagery of two people fall in love, from their meet cute on the crossroads to meeting her parents, their wedding. It is a song that wonders at the mysterious ways of love. If you’re in the market for a feel-good song, full of warmth and joy, this is it. 

Cornelius Eady Trio - Quicksand 

Cornelius Eady Trio is a folk group that began making music Covid. And a little bit of their music became influenced by the morbidity and darkness of the period. In their latest single, ‘Quicksand’, we get to experience themes like hopelessness, loneliness through a dry, contemplative lenses and it is quite refreshing. The soundscape is minimalistic, populated only with charismatic vocal presentations, slow grooves, and an ambient manifestation of the theme. We see a creative flow of soul, funk, blues, all made contemporary in a way that has never been done. 

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This Week's LITM Singer-Songwriter Picks is all about the alternative exploration with artists like Tic Tic, Matt Basile, and James Perciv

This Week's LITM Singer-Songwriter Picks is all about the alternative exploration with artists like Tic Tic, Matt Basile, and James Percival

Matt Basile - Hang on St. Christopher 

Matt Basile is a singer-songwriter and blues artist with irrepressible charisma. In his latest release, ‘Hang on St.Christopher’ is a conversation with St. Christopher, seeking for protection. With deep tonal grooves, classical guitar melodies, and baritonal blues, the track flows into a pleasing country rock. He keeps the atmosphere mellow and molten, slowly trotting on. It is a retro, old-timer kind of music that puts you into a nice bluesy state of mind. And with this he branches into a weary melancholy that is both refreshing and reflective. 

James Percival - Curtains Closed 

When you think of slice of life songs, James Percival should be the first artist you should think of. His latest release is the ‘Curtains Closed’ EP, a six track collection that explores the aching feeling of having someone you love in the hospital. The title track especially gets into this. A soft, acoustical composition that blends fine lines of piano and guitar melodies to craft a network of thoughts, memories, and feelings. The protagonist beseeches the person in the hospital to get well soon, the things that they can do once that happens, the things that they used to do before it happened. It’s quite beautiful to journey through it all. 

Tic Tic - While the Shadows Grow 

TiktTic is a singer-songwriter and modern folk duo. They have a way of dilating themes in a way that is so artful and pleasing. Their latest release is ‘While Shadows Grow’, the duo project a theatre of style and sonics, building ethereal acoustics into expressive shoegaze frames, electronic elements and deep vocal manipulations. This song, keeping in theme with the title is made to distort the reality of the listener, incept an atmosphere, an emotion that you can viscerally feel and experience. It is alternative folk rock at its best and most imaginative. Listen Now! 

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This week's LITM Rock Picks Present New & Alternative Spheres with artists like Hyporadar, Lenny Jennings, and Matt DeAngelis

This week's LITM Rock Picks Present New & Alternative Spheres with artists like Hyporadar, Lenny Jennings, and Matt DeAngelis.

Hyporadar - This Ain’t The Day I Die 

Hyporadar is the passion project of Shane Duquette, an artist with a vision like no other. He makes the alternative realm as we know it even more alternative. ‘This Ain’t The Day I Die’ explores a razor sharp, minimal flow that details a fuzzy and disoriented headspace. The beats are raw and the grooves are mellow but you can’t ignore the presence that they bring. And the vocals, uninflected, and deliberately dry, forge a very detached landscape. The hooks keep on coming, sliding, funky, bluesy and underground smooth, nicely rounding up a retro vibe that you can just drift into. Its repetitive nature, nicely glazed with hypnotic calls. 

Lenny Jennings - Phases 

Lenny Jennings brings an atmospheric soundscape with latest release, ‘Phases’. With slow burning riffs, deep grooves, and molten guitar melodies, he forges heartache, sensuality, and love. There are alternative elements like hip-hop rhythms, emo, and pop that turn up the rock. We see modern electronica manifest as cerebral synth patterns, forming waves and ripples in the transition. And all of this, so vivid and varied, is contextually, stylistically tied up with the fluid vocal dynamics. We see deep rock core driving into the song, fuzzy and intense, but soft and softening in a way that songs about love often get. 

Matt DeAngelis - For Better 

Matt DeAngelis has put out his latest single, ‘For Better’. The singer-songwriter and acoustic rock artist has an incredible musical pulse. The kind that carries into you and keeps vibrating, stays alive for many days to come. This track is built with free flowing riffs, luminous grooves, grand guitar showcases, and a lush vocal line. There is a classic rock influence that takes you back to artists like Queen. But there’s also a new age rock and singer-songwriter flow that takes over and nicely balances it all out. That intimacy of the latter with the culture of the former makes for quite the listening experience. 

Teika & The Raw Beat - Bones n Stones 

Teika & The Raw Beat is an explorative banner of singer-songwriter, Teika. She expands across the spectrum of folk rock and blues, crafting it with raw acoustics and bare beats, all of it lifting suggestively into her vocals. Her latest release is the ‘Bones n Stones’ album, a collection that discovers moments, claims memories, and describes a life lived. The title track is made like a single shot movie, a slow-moving frame that dotes on details, feelings, emotions, and everything in between. Piano melodies, string work elevate the energy of the acoustics, forging them with dimensions as we flow into the climax. 

Block - The Ring Slipped Off 

Block is a singer-songwriter and alt folk artist who strives to bring new interpretation to the genre. The artist describes himself and his style as anti-folk, as he moves away from orthodox and traditional expression. In his song, ‘The Ring Slipped Off’, he leans into his lofi songwriting style, expansive textures, and influence of indie rock. The song forms in phases. First comes the soft, trickling, nostalgic acoustic folk. Plush melodic moments appear like mirages throughout the song. It is raw and rustic. And flowing into the later parts, we see a rush of indie rock, illuminating the horizon like a rising sun. That gleam and luminescence is intoxicating, so refreshing and leaves you wanting more. 

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This Week's LITM Singer-Songwriter Picks create dreamy folk spheres with artists like Paul Claxton, Oaken Lee, Matt Saxton & others

Paul Claxton - Lost & Found 

Singer-songwriter Paul Claxton is known for his soulful flows. Dressed in rich acoustics and led by an immersive vocal line, his soundscapes are affecting, arresting and enchanting. His latest release is ‘Lost & Found’, a lamentous track that explores heartbreak in the aftermath of a memorable relationship. The artist blends raw folk with dreamy planes, both vocally and instrumentally to evoke a trance almost. The song still holds a lot of the romance, the magic, and the fondness that was felt during the love. 

Oaken Lee - A Mountain (an Echo) 

Hailing from North London, Oaken Lee crafts landscapes with his music. In his latest track, ‘A Mountain (an Echo)’, he lets his sound be influenced by naturalistic metaphors. Flowing through moments of joy, perspective, and celebration, he paves the way away from the past, expanding life to become all that it can be. Stylistically, the soft acoustic moments are colored with reggae, and other island sonic gestures. There’s that carefree feeling in his vocals, acceptance of the unpredictability of life as he floats through the song. It is such a light, happy, and buoyant track. Listen Now! 

Matt Saxton - Feel It Again 

Have you ever wondered what the journey of that forever kind of love looks like? In his latest track, ‘Feel It Again’, Matt Saxton traces a lifetime of love. From the exciting, youthful moments, progressing through a life with children, savings, building a home and family. And finally as empty nesters, he falls back in love. This time an evolved love, a sweet companionship that has its own magic and loveliness. His contemplative baritones hold on to that dream, that wise love, and the spirit of romance in a way that makes it meaningful. 

Olav Larsen & The Alabama Rodeo Stars - When The Past Presents the Future 

Olav Larsen flows into an alt country spectrum. With pleasing acoustics phasing into neoclassicals, stream of consciousness lyrics, and slice of life frames of human experiences, he makes compelling musical arcs. In his single, ‘When The Past Presents the Future’, the artist delves into pain in the past, tracking all the ways it manifests in your present and future. His deep, evocative and layered vocal plan presents a beautiful conceptualisation of the title. His baritones are layered with choral harmonies, acapella accents, all of this alongside a soft orchestral instrumental arrangement. With this exploration, he urges us all to become free from the instances of the past and find the light and peace. 

Clara Day - This Wretched Thing 

Clara Day’s vocal expression is like something out of a journal, an intimate flow that blends pieces of thoughts, ideas, feelings, and experiences. It is so honest and heartwarming to take in and get lost in. In her latest release, ‘This Wretched Thing’, a melancholic exploration that is both vivid and blurry. This makes it feel surreal, like you’re in some kind of a dream, a whole different world. The combination of her earnest tones, projected sweetness and the slow progressions into darker spheres of consciousness is so enchanting. Feels new, refreshing, like something you’ve never heard before. Listen Now! 

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This Week’s LITM Rock Picks are all about that alternative, pop rock dimensions with artists like Death by Selfie, Duane Hoover, Y is Nature, and others.

This Week’s LITM Rock Picks are all about that alternative, pop rock dimensions with artists like Death by Selfie, Duane Hoover, Y is Nature, and others.

Death By Selfie - Vampire 

Death By Selfie crafts very interesting alt rock atmospheres. It casts an ambience, an energy, a story, and an emotion. In their latest release, ‘Vampire’, they blend rock with retro electronica, some alt pop and shadow disco elements. The synths have so much personality, so much character as they spread across the soundscape. The dark themes associated with vampires get to be so vivid and real. With vocals that are alluringly nonchalant, moody and even sensual, you keep investing more and more into the journey. And with experimental synth accents, trippy sonic scatters, and consistently fresh bass lines, they create a perfect alternative soundscape. 

Duane Hoover - Wayward Path 

Duane Hoover is right up there with bands like The Smiths and The Beatles. Melodic rock with tales that form instantaneously in the mind. That’s the way this artist flows. His latest is the Wayward Path album whose title track is a pleasing blend of the above mentioned bands. Riffs that are luminous and engaging combined with long vocal arrangement, narrative lyricism and a folksy vein running through it all. It all adds up to a contemplative flow, which is elevated with a meaningful musical ambience and nostalgic style. If you like the soft, fluid spirit of 70s folk rock and 90s melodic alt rock, then you’ll really enjoy the collaborative manifestation of them in this track. 

Y is Nature - Transition 

A new age alternative artist, Y is Nature is a refreshing act. The band creates intimate spheres of music that carry human experiences to new levels of feeling. Their latest release is the Evasion album, one that brings moments of fantastic dream pop, joyful ambience, and abstract musical mixtures to create a memorable music experience. ‘Transition’ is a single from this collection, a mellow pop rock interpretation that combines speckles of acoustics and riffs with plush synths, cinematic rhythms, presentational frames, all of it you can simply just lean back and feast your mind and ears on. 

Pillowprince - Babybird

The abstractions of the previous song is extraordinarily dilated in this next song, ‘Babybird’ by Pillowprince. The song has lifting trance vocals that dissipate and disperse into wisps of melody and synths. The ethereal undulations in the backdrop become gradually textured with riffs, harmonies, and oriental acoustics. As you flow into the vocal swirl, the echo of the soundscape, its melodrama; all of it lifting into a transcendental riff and guitar sequence. So immersive and powerful that you’ll end up with goose flesh all over your back and arms. 

trainboy - green tea 

Ending this week’s list is the indie rock of trainboy’s ‘green tea’. It is melodic, fresh, and the kind of song that makes you feel light and luminous. The artist’s buoyant vocals are contemplative, a stream of consciousness that grows into the instrumentals and expands across the soundscape. So much so that it becomes one scene, one an integral part of another. The riffs are gentle, the acoustics are alluring, the progression is gradual, and the vocals are vulnerable and intimate. That contemporary tinge of a 21st century artist, the brand of creativity is so readily apparent. And like a long noodle or a train journey across the country, the song feels like a part of you, something that is both inside and outside you. Listen Now! 

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This Week's LITM Singer-Songwriter Picks is all about the contemplative flair with artists like Patti Zlaket, EG Phillips, and Larry Karpenko

This Week's LITM Singer-Songwriter Picks is all about the contemplative flair with artists like Patti Zlaket, EG Phillips, and Larry Karpenko

Patti Zlaket - Bliss 

Patti Zlaket is an experimental singer-songwriter and sonic designer. Her craft springs from her curiosity, her tendency to stray and find meaning in the abstract. Her latest release, ‘Bliss’ is a track that traces the outlines, the flutter and feeling of the theme. Blending calming rhythm cycles with specks of beats, splattering across the soundscape, the soundscape is light and airy. And the vocals, intuitive and deep rooted in memories, autobiographical emotions, and echoes, adds so much mystery to the nostalgia. And the best way to experience the track is to let yourself drift into the slow forming whirlpool of bliss and all the dimensions that it releases. Listen Now! 

EG Phillips - When It Gets Dark 

The mysterious flow that Patti creates is absorbed and expanded with neoclassicals in EG Phillips’ ‘When it Gets Dark’. The artist’s instrumentals are cinematic and contemplative, luring the listener to spread across its soundscape and explore. The baritones are hypnotic and ruminative, well-paired with the low tones of the cello. It takes us to the other side, towards the unknown, back to a fond past or a solitude that takes you to distant places. The song has that descriptive charm and romantic blues that is reminiscent of Sinatra’s era. All in all, it is quite wonderful to float through space and drift into its reality. 

Larry Karpenko - The River 

Larry Karpenko’s ‘The River’ explores the infinities that faith brings to his life. The track, lush and vivid with instrumentals, reinforces the cinematic ambience of its predecessor. In the wake of this theme, the artist touches upon the hope, joy, and love that ties into it, enriching his life. It is a very scenic soundscape, and it grows tremendously, inflating with the warm sentiment of his vocals. It’s like a relief, a weightlessness, a buoyant feeling that somehow anchors you, keeps you fluid and centred in all the ways that matter. And the artist, building a song around this feeling, finds the perfect metaphor to relate it to, to build a song around, and to connect with people. 

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This Week's LITM Pop Picks offer a freshness like never before with artists like zukrassverliebt, Olie Beckett, Avygayle & others

This Week's LITM Pop Picks offer a freshness like never before with artists like zukrassverliebt, Olie Beckett, Avygayle & others

zukrassverliebt - Wenn du dir weh tust 

zukrassverliebt is a German singer-songwriter and soft pop artist. His tracks are contemplative and fresh, expanding into the thematic emotion so beautifully. With his latest release, ‘Wenn du dir weh tust’ (translated to if you hurt yourself) he makes you think of life, of the self in a meaningful way. His tone is so kind, soft and graceful as it circles the theme in warm feel-good halos. And just like that, the combination of melodies, the mellow rhythmic drift, and the buoyant energy carries the listener to a sweetly melancholic place. 

Olie Beckett - Whiplash 

The warm current is passed on with this best song by fifteen year old singer-songwriter, Olie Beckett. ‘Whiplash’ is yet another feel-good song, youthful and contemporary. His neo-soul pop style spreads out like an arch, buttery with summer. The husky aftermath of his vocals lend a nice intimacy to the atmosphere. Glassy toned, soft melodies, and dreamy haze becomes a part of it and gains on the listener. The feeling becomes bigger with the luminous flows and the fluid rhythms. If you like artists like SZA and Harry Styles, you’re sure to enjoy the work of this artist. Listen Now! 

Avygayle - tell me why

Avygayle is a contemporary pop artist, a singer-songwriter who poses human experiences in theatric soundscapes, with performative vocals, and sonic gestures that are grander than ever. Her latest release, ‘tell me why’, ponders on romance as we see it in movies, and how it would be so beautiful if it all happened like that in real life. The song traces the dreams of girlhood, from reading fairy tales and watching Prince Charming to the abrupt reality in young adulthood. The artist explores this gap, mourns it and yearns for the innocent love and free romance of movies that she wanted for herself. 

Stephanie Rodriguez - Facades 

Stephanie Rodriguez creates a cinematic piece with her latest release, ‘Facades’. Another powerful song that delves into the fractures of identity, its illusions and realities. The dark electro pop song spreads out with contemplation; taking us through the wilderness of life, through the darkness to light. She portrays it as an ethereal fantasy. There is so much outwordliness within the song that does quite a lot to conceptualise the theme and its realities. The allure of her vocals, the lushness of the melodic framework and the performance of the tones and textures. It all becomes a great place to flow through. 

Josy B - I get off (ytk pop version) 

Josy B finishes off this list with a grand display of electro pop in her ytk pop version of her song ‘I get off’. It is a love song, upbeat but sentimental, fun but soft, dynamic but contemplative. The protagonist confesses her love playfully with a style that is reminiscent of Y2K pop. With flashy melodies, glittering textures, and splash of beats, the soundscape is catchy and hooky. It’s so much fun. And Josy’s vocals, sensual and smitten, have the best time expressing the theme. That quality of magical love, it’s magnetic allure, and the omnipresence just manifests so beautifully in this soundscape. Listen Now! 

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Interview : Rocket Kings on 'Paving the Way'

1) Please introduce us to your latest single 'She's Going To Mars' and your album 'Paving The Way'? 

Dave: Bex is an astronaut!

Bex: On our last album, ‘Everyday Adventures’, there was a song called ‘Space Camp’, which Dave wrote about my visit to NASA’s US Space and Rocket Centre where I participated in an astronaut training programme. The song talked about all the activities that I did on that trip. Whenever we play ‘Space Camp’ live, Dave has always joked about what I will do next after my space training.

Dave: Bex is going to Mars of course.

Bex: Exactly! Dave was really excited when he played this song to us in the studio. He hadn’t recorded a demo of it, which he normally does, so none of us had heard it before. He cleverly wrote the song so that my backing vocals on ‘She’s Going to Mars’ are actually some of the chorus lyrics from the original ‘Space Camp’ song. I also really like that Dave picked a woman as the focus in the lyrics on the final chorus. The ‘Valentina’ he refers to is Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova, who, in 1963, became the first woman to fly in space.

Dave: I like putting interesting references into song lyrics.

Bex: Now I want to know what adventures I might get up to on the next album.

Jess: The whole album was fun to record.

David: I took this one more seriously because I actually knew what was going on. The first album was a hobby, but Dave made this one more of a chore… (band laughter: hahahahaha). I really enjoyed it as I really thought about how the drums should sound on this album rather than slightly rushing things on the first album.

2) What is your philosophy or approach to the music you create and play live? 

Jess: Have fun whilst you are doing it.

Dave: I am a big fan of three-minute pop songs with big hooks. Not everything has to be like this, but ‘She’s Going to Mars’ is very much in that style and fits very much into the whole ‘feel’ of how Rocket Kings sound. Some songs end up being rockier than others – we make decisions on the combinations of sounds that we want from the ukes in terms of how noisy or more acoustic we feel the song should be. This one was just asking to be quite rocky.

Bex: This is one of the rockier songs on the album, but it also fits into the band’s unique ukepop sound. David’s drumming is brilliant on this song; we particularly like the drum roll at the end of the song.

Dave: I also think that the drum roll that David plays at the end of the bridge of this song is one of the greatest drum rolls of all time!

3) How did you all come to work together?   

Dave: Separately by car.

Bex: I don’t think that is what the question means!

Dave: Oh I see! This is the origins of the band: This is the way things normally work:

“Form a band. Choose band name. Write songs. Practice lots with band. Book a gig. Play gig.”

There isn’t much that is normal about Rocket Kings. Our journey went something like this:

“Write songs. Record songs. Book a gig. Realise you need to form a band for the gig. One practice with band. Choose band name due to impending gig. Play gig.”

Jess then joined a couple of years after we started and then Yoshiko became our bass player after this album had been recorded. Yoshiko has been amazing. I love how she has put her own spin on the songs.

4)  Is this release quite different or similar to your previous album?

David: It is different and similar. There are more drums in it. Numerically, as I actually set up my tom toms this time, and generally in the way I played as I really put a lot of thought into what I was playing. I even I learnt 3/4 time in order to play ‘Dream Undream’ (the band laughs in the background: they knew he could play 3/4  time but he had a book in his house called something like ‘How to learn to play the drums’ and the pages on drumming in 3/4 time had been printed blank!)

Bex: It was amazing to spend time collaborating on the whole album with the band. A lot of the songs on this album developed in the studio rather than coming in fully formed. When we were practising for our album launch gig, we realised that we had never actually played some of the songs as a band.

5)  How have the artists you've interacted with or the music you love influenced the way you create, release or consume music today? 

Dave: I listen to music all the time and many of the influences accidentally seep into my songwriting but it is hard to pinpoint people that we specifically sound like, partly because my chosen instrument to write on and to play is the ukulele but most of the artists who have influenced me are guitar-based, so the songs sound naturally different to them.

6) If you could perform with any artist, living or dead, who would it be and why? If you could collaborate with another artist, living or dead, who would it be?

Yoshiko: Mr Children… they are a Japanese pop rock band formed in 1989 and are one of the best-selling artists in Japan, having sold over 75 million records.

Jess: Rufus Wainwright. I’d love to do ‘I’m Going to a Town’ whilst sitting on his lap as he played the piano at the Royal Albert Hall.

Dave: I just love playing with this band and to be honest, much as I have many musical ‘heroes’, I’m not sure I’d want them messing with the amazing formula of musicians that we have in Rocket Kings!

7) What is your favourite thing about performing for people in a live environment? Do you prefer festivals or venue-based gigs?

David and Jess (in unison): venues

Bex: I quite like festivals.

Jess: Venues are great as you get people coming along who love your band already and want to hear you play. Festivals are fun as people discover you for the first time.

Bex: And it is a fun day out.

Dave: A day out for drinking and socialising.

Dave: I love playing music with the band wherever we play and it is great that people seem to really enjoy what we do and have as much fun as we have.

Bex: Yes, the adrenaline of a big gig is always exciting, and I also love it when people at gigs sing your songs back to you.

8)  Would you say that the reason you began making music is still the reason that you are still making music today? Please explain.

Jess: I make music because I can’t afford therapy.

Dave: To quote a well-known phrase: ‘Music is life. Life is music.’

9)  Are you also involved with other music projects apart from Rocket Kings?  

Dave: I teach ukulele for a living. I teach in schools, I teach various groups and I teach 1:1. I lead three other bands that gig: a 22-piece band called The Small Strings, a 25ish-piece band called Riverside Jukes and a 30ish-piece band called Get Plucky. Each band is slightly different but all play cover versions. I am very lucky that I get to gig a lot and get to play music all day every day. Bex also plays in The Small Strings. Yoshiko also plays in Get Plucky. Jess also plays solo gigs and has recorded a solo album that is going to be released at some point further down the line. David also plays in another band called The Dead Sea Pirates. We all love playing music as much as we can.

10)  Can you share anything about your plans for the next year or so that fans can look forward to?

Jess: Play gigs.

Dave: We have a couple of festival appearances already confirmed and will be playing some gigs in our hometown too. If anyone else is out there reading this and would like to book us, just shout – we love to play gigs.

David: I’m going to decorate my house and do some wallpapering. Will the fans be excited by that?

You can listen to ‘Paving the Way’ by Rocket Kings here :

Vibe with the Potent Alt-Pop Blends of this Week's LITM Pop Picks with artists like Faceless, Jalisa Denise, and others

Vibe with the Potent Alt-Pop Blends of this Week's LITM Pop Picks with artists like Faceless, Jalisa Denise, and others

Faceless - A jamais

Faceless is a pop band with an incredible sonic movement. Their track, A jamais or ‘forever’ blends old-school pop culture with contemporary electronica. Uplifting, sincere, positive, and passionate, the track is instantly reminiscent of artists like Blue, Usher, and the like. With soft influences of R&B mixed into it, the band drives it to a feel-good space. The production value of the song is also pretty affecting. Active beats and rhythms are tempered by the retro R&B vocals. Slow and suave, it unfurls with the natural momentum of the emotion, blossoming a kind of dreamy presence into the melodic sphere. 

Desert Life - Let it All Pass

Desert Life is the alt-folk and soul pop manifestation of Welsh singer-songwriter, Chris Swales, and multi instrumentalist, Tom Jordan. With delicate weaves of instrumentation and contemplative vocal narratives, the duo has the sonic inclinations of artists like Nick Drake, Neil Young, and Sufjan Stevens. Desert Life has just released their latest album, ‘Let it All Pass’. Its title track sets out the musical thema and lilting appeal of the artists. With frames of glinting acoustics, soft blues, and ruminative lyricism, the listening experience is shaped by the core artistic essence of Desert Life - poetry, wisdom, and storytelling. 

Jalisa Denice - Get to Work 

London-based singer-songwriter and R&B artist, Jalisa Denice has a distinctive vision when it comes to her music. Bringing subtle electronic and experimental elements to her soul soundscapes, she reveals a new side of the genre. Her latest single, ‘Get to Work’ perfectly exemplified this. Opening with robotic/futuristic electronica and beats, she progressively parallels its modernity with good old 90s R&B vocals. There’s also a hip-hop edge that you can pick up in the beat accessories and rhythm design. So the listener is left reminiscing about artists like Boyz II Men, Kelly, and Destiny’s Child. 

Sugar Pill - what you thought I didn’t know 

This next track is the sophomore release by singer-songwriter and bedroom-pop artist, Sugar Pill. The project is described as a journey through anxiety, trauma, and self-compassion. Through soft lyrical lines and glassy vocals, the artist takes us to affecting spaces of melancholy. With ‘what you thought I didn’t know’ Sugar Pill dispels an air of romanticism, using its vast pallet to delve deeper into human connections and the psychologies that they are wrapped in. With lo-fi synths and acoustics, she dresses the soundscape in boundless melodrama, one that she reinforces spectacularly and youthfully with her vocals. 

Holly Jade - Don’t Freak Out 

From down south, we have Australian Alt-pop artist, Holly Jade concluding our list with her dark and emo pop single, ‘Don’t Freak Out’. Despite the use of simple and minimalistic  sonic strokes, the track is not devoid of character and personality. The song shows off contemporary pop influences of artists like Billie Eilish, Lorde, and perhaps even Doja Cat. She lets the soundscape mold and take the emotional lead. Her verses are textured and rhythmized by hip-hop beats, echoing sonics, dark melodies, all enveloped in a haunting allure. And as you listen to it, you’ll experience the interconnectedness of the whole soundscape as it beautifully shapes the theme. 

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