Tuesday Tunes--December 1, 2015
Shaun Cordingley
As we start the final month of 2015 (and try not to think about all of the things we did not get done in the year), I thought it would be good to stick with a little bit more of a dance-y, fun track list for Tuesday Tunes, especially for those of you who had to work Black Friday retail...
The Guys From do not hold the rights to any of these songs, it is more our hope to expose our readers to new and different music, or re-expose them to things they may have forgotten about.
At the top of each section, will be the song name, followed by the artists' name linked to their website, so you can fall down the rabbit hole, finding and supporting what you dig.
Swings and Waterslides - Viola Beach
Let's start off a new month with a bit of upbeat indie pop rock from the Warrington UK band Viola Beach with their single 'Swings and Waterslides'. This track, the band's debut single, dropped this August is a perfect slice of that sunny, English indie pop that makes you want to get up and dance a bit, but at the same time does not have the same overproduced feeling a lot of radio friendly music that gets released over here does. They have something of a modern pop-Oasis feeling to them, without all the beatings...
The band, for all intents and purposes, formed in May, debuted their single, and have already played the Reading Festival, and are currently gigging around the U.K.
Dancing on Glass - St. Lucia
Next up is South African born, Brooklyn based indie electronic artist Jean-Philip Grobler, better known as his stage name St. Lucia with this deliciously 1980s style synthpop track 'Dancing on Glass'. I cannot quite put my finger on which 80s artist(s) this track reminds me of, but perhaps that is the genius of it; while it is not a direct ancestor of any one sound, it really rolls off as an homage to the entire sub-genre, including a "very aware of what it is" video (seriously, the guy running through the desert spraying himself with bronzer...awesome).
You may recognize the name St. Lucia (musically, not the island) for his remixes of songs by Passion Pit, Foster the People or Joywave, but I for one look forward to hearing more of his solo work, especially if it continues to be this well thought out, and dance-able.
Midway - Bad Bad Hats
Minneapolis makes another appearance here on Tuesday Tunes with this, the first track off of Bad Bad Hats' debut album Psychic Reader: 'Midway'. This is a dreamy indie folk rock track, with a definite and sad theme (in case you were worried this week was going to be nothing but happiness), but it has an endlessly listenable hook to it, and is one of those songs that I find myself listening to on repeat every time I hear it.
Lead guitarist and vocalist Kerry Alexander has a very sweet voice, which often masks some introspective and well crafted lyrics; I definitely recommend listening to 'Midway' a couple times to get past the surface layer and you will really start to get a sense of how good Bad Bad Hats can be. Or don't think about it at all, and just enjoy a really good song; I don't judge.
Closer(ftr. Jennie A) - Lemaitre
For anyone who is into the electronic scene, Lemaitre is definitely a name you have heard of, probably for their third EP Relativity 2 which reached #1 on electronic charts in both Canada and the U.S.A., but for those of you unfamiliar, here is their latest track in 'Closer'. This Norwegian indie electro house duo have been producing excellent songs since their 2010 debut The Friendly Sound, and 'Closer' is just another fun and funky example of what they do. Featuring snappy piano, beautiful lyrics (and vocals by Jennie A), and that electro-house base beat to get you moving, 'Closer' is a great place to jump into Lemaitre.
There's also always a chance that, maybe you just want a music video featuring the intensity of European fencing and cooking schools, because fencing. Well Lemaitre's got you covered there too.
Get Down - Jess Kent
Probably the purest pop song that will ever appear on a Tuesday Tunes, 'Get Down', the debut from Sydney, Australia's Jess Kent is one of those songs that the first time you hear it, you just know it is one of those tracks that you are probably going to hear absolutely everywhere, and soon. Catchy, fun, and well-written, 'Get Down' exemplifies a lot of the best of what pop music can offer.
There is that hope that it might not get overplayed, allowing Jess Kent to develop beyond her debut, but right now, it is just one of the best, happy pop songs of the year, and there is no reason to hold, what I can only imagine it's popularity will be (or deserves to be), against it now.
As promised, here is the November Tuesday Tunes Apple Music Playlist, with all the tunes from the month built together into a set list (as if I was spinning them for you somewhere, just without being able to talk your through hard transitions).
The October Apple Music Playlist is still available of course as well, in case you have not caught that one yet (or just need more theguysfrom.com in your life).
Support what you dig! It's soooo much cheaper than anything else out there. You cannot even buy a Christmas Chocolate for what one of the songs listed here would cost you....
See you again next Tuesday with 5 more tracks.