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! 

Follow the playlist for all new artist updates!

If you would like to submit your music for playlist or review consideration, please submit here

LITM Rock Picks Tunes Featuring Pilots, Justin Sconza, Ethan Gold and More!

LITM Rock Picks Tunes to set the week right brought to you by Pilots, Justin Sconza, Ethan Gold, Glorybots and Ghost Fetish!

1. Pilots - Come On Let's Get Together

Come On Let's Get Together is a catchy song, penned in an indie rock package that glows with an excellent charm and energy. This kind of raw, off-the-cuff sensation of a song bounces on its unadorned, hook-driven songcraft.

The track opens on such perfect notes that take hold right from the start. The vocals are catchy and strong, and blend perfectly with the instruments to develop a chorus which sounds ready to top both indoor club shows and outdoor festivals.

Lyrically, Come On Let's Get Together is a marvel for all those who listen to it. You honestly do not want to miss this. Production is alluring, but once again working more to encourage the song's rawness and old-school sound instead of detracting. Pilots walk the fine line between retro inspiration and contemporary indie hip with aplomb, the end product a song both familiar and state-of-the-art.

2. Justin Sconza - Broken Glass

Justin Sconza's Broken Glass is a heartbreaking exercise in toughness and vulnerability, provided with lush jangle-pop and folk-inflected texture. A standout on his album Standards, the song directly demonstrates Sconza's capacity to merge retro sound with contemporary subject matter.

The tune starts with shimmering guitar chords and airy rhythm, creating an airy, open ambiance. Sconza's voice is emotionally laden, swinging between introspection and optimism. Broken Glass texturally navigates longing, self-awareness, and the delicate ballet between recollection of the past and decision of the future.

Self-comparative to such bands as The Beatles and Weezer, Sconza weaves antique visual beauty and modern indie-pop beat with complete ease. Understated production gives precedence to naked emotional drive of the track. Broken Glass is a fine demonstration of the artistry skills of Sconza, where the listener finds a real-life tale shrouded in lavishly created melody.

3. Ethan Gold - Camera

Ethan Gold's Camera is this hauntingly self-reflective song that's on the brink of art-rock and ambient sounds. With unearthly production and emotionally intense vocals, the song is akin to viewing a film that struggles to cope with the passage of time and memory.

The track begins builds an immersive, dreamlike atmosphere. Gold's voice is raw and inquisitive, inviting the listener into the heart of his introspection. The lyrics convey the struggle between grasping a moment and being in it, presenting a profound sense of modern life.

Gold's minimalist production style enhances the emotional impact of the song, illustrating that sometimes less can be more. Camera is a heartbreakingly beautiful track that lingers long after the last note, demonstrating Ethan Gold's skill for creating music that is both sonically engaging and intellectually stimulating.

4. Glorybots - Be Fair

Be Fair by Glorybots is a post-rock/alt trance-like hybrid that offers as enigmatic as intriguing music. The track takes listeners on a foreboding, atmospheric ride of complex melodic textures with reflective lyrics.

It starts with an ominous bassline and disquieting guitar textures, Be Fair coiling through slow, measured movement. The voice is otherworldly resonant, recounting an experience of self-discovery and emotional nuance. Lyrically, the track is fixated on justice and balance, its quasi-philosophical inclination imbuing its sonic loveliness with added depth.

The production is incredibly detailed, and every sonic feature is precisely set to further intensify the track even further. The contrast of dark and light textures makes listening rich, for Be Fair happens to be the fan favourite of experimental and atmospheric music fans alike.

5. Ghost Fetish - Show and Tell

Ghost Fetish's Show and Tell is a perfect introduction to darkwave and dance alternative territory, taking the substance of a genre and applying a new sheen to it. The dark ominous atmosphere that comes out immediately at the very first notes of the song is sustained by thumping synths and driving beat that set the mood off right away.

The vocals are hypnotic and otherworldly, adding to the already darkly colored soundscape an air of mystery. Show and Tell lyrically walks the tightrope between openness and showmanship, tension that holds together with the gothic undertones of the song.

Musically, the tune is a nostalgic nod to '80s synths but rendered with modern production methods. The result is a tune that is retro but also progressive, simultaneously, bridging the past to the present. With its trippy beat and rich sonic tapestry, Show and Tell makes Ghost Fetish an artist to take note of for the alternative genre.

Follow the playlist for all new artist updates!

If you would like to submit your music for playlist or review consideration, please submit here.