Wednesday, July 16, 2014

Eli Lieb - Zeppelin

Eli Lieb has this amazing grounded, earthy quality to his voice and performance that makes him stands apart from the other young make vocalists out there.  He's got a bit of a harder edge to his voice that makes him a little more rock and a little less pop and that's great because I think it's important to do what it takes to make you noticeable.  He makes the music you want someone to dedicate to you on the late night call in show on your local radio show.  He makes the music that will be the soundtrack to your relationship with it even meaning to.  His music is the music that makes you want to be loved and in love.

"Zeppelin" is an absolute summer song that makes you just want to throw the top back and take off on a gorgeous summer night with that person beside you.  It's idealistic and it's hopeful and it's just an easy song to get swept up in.  By the time it's over, you're hitting the replay button to listen to it over and over.  The chorus is infectious and it's just an incredibly written, incredibly sung and fantastically put together song.

Eli makes music for the masses while being exceptionally true to himself and his artistic vision.  Never once do you feel like he has an agenda or he's shoving anything in your face.  His videos are just matter of fact about his sexuality and they don't scream a need for activism.  It's this type of quiet idealism that is going to be turning point in this chapter of the civil rights movement.  Because the images are so innocuous and there aren't over the top visuals, it's very easy to accept the story of the video and move on. 

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Matt Fishel - Radio-Friendly Pop Song




Nick D' & The Believers - Bang Bang

Columbus Indie rockers, Nick D' & the Believers have quickly become one of the bands I am most likely to stalk for the rest of the year in order to see them in concert because they are just incredible.  They call themselves Garage Soul and I get that genre and I would say they were very close to other indie groups like Walk The Moon, Young The Giant or The Black Keys.  This song is just full on fun.  The falsetto in Nick's voice is a perfect compliment to the crunchy bass line and indie sensibilities.  There's a spot where the harmonies come together around 2:56 that solidified my love for this group.  When the harmony is that solid for even 2 seconds, it's an even win for everyone.  Not to mention they continue to harmonize through the rest of the track.

I've got Paul Reynolds of myfizzypop for the heads up on this group and it always cracks me up when a UK blogger introduces me to a band that's based in the US.

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Matt Zarley - Fucking Perfect (with Jeb Havens)

I'm really proud of this cover.  I'm proud of both of these men singing the hell out of this song.  I am proud to know that they took this seriously and just made a damn fine recording while putting their all into it.  This song is important and to have 2 out gay artists doing one of the finest recordings to date means a tremendous amount and will make a huge difference to the young men and women that find themselves on the other end of the track.  P!nk's version will always and forever be the go-to version of this song and it's one of my favorite songs hands down but the impact this cover will have to it's not only a niche market of young gays and lesbians but to anyone that comes across it on the internet will hands down be staggering.

Matt and Jeb's vocals flow seamlessly together and they gorgeously compliment each other.  The earthiness to Jeb's voice is totally grounded in Matt's soulful tenor and they play to each other's strengths - never over powering each other and totally giving each other the space they need to stretch their legs as it were.  But then they come back and harmonize beautifully with each other like it's totally old hat.  They both bring enough attitude and atmosphere to the track that enables the song to not come off as just a patronizing rant but more like the advice of an old friend when you need it the most. 

These guys are fantastic and they make me adore them a little more each time they step out of the gate.

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

The Shadowboxers - Suite: Judy Blue Eyes

There's really nothing I can say about this that the guys can't say for themselves.  When the harmonies are this strong, it's only a matter of time before they blow up and win all the awards.  I cannot get over how amazing they sound, especially when they aren't mic'd.  This is nothing but pure genius.