The Tumbleweed

finding music along the way

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this is the performance everyone is going to be talking about tomorrow.

2:37 she literally says "blah" and you want to drop to your knees for the Queen.

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Let's stay on this electro-soul ride a little longer, shall we? While we don't have a ton of information about her - we do know that Janelle Kroll is a songwriter and kick-ass singer who is currently working both coasts. She's toured with bands like Big Data and draws in quite a crowd for her live shows. This powerhouse track was dropped on Kroll's soundcloud today and it's the song's simplicity that makes it so addicting. With minimal instrumentation and sampling, Kroll's voice seems to sparkle in the light. It glimmers and glides up and down lyrics like "you keep walkin' on my sunny days, sky are blue now they're all cloudy" or in this case, "clou-day." You might notice a trend here on the Tumbleweed with posts about Refs, Jarryd James or JP Cooper - I love finding unique and interesting voices. I get high on hearing a tone or quality that I've never heard before. Kroll is most definitely a part of that gang. Go troll around the interwebs and find more of Janelle's vocals - you're in for a treat. And with this track being so tasty, I can't wait to hear more from miss Kroll. 

Check her out on social media:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Janelle-Kroll/168352926527225

Twitter: https://twitter.com/janellekroll

Website: http://www.rowsisarows.com/

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Amidst my search to find a streaming version of Kanye, Rihanna, and McCartney's new single "FourFiveSeconds" I came across a slew of remixes but only one was glimmering in the light. Lido, a budding Norweigan producer who looks like a more hipster version of Bieber, pumped out this remix for "Lido's Sunday Service" less than 48 hours after the original track dropped. If timing is everything, Lido's got it all. With such a full and developed sound coming out of such a quick turnover, I can't wait to spend the rest of my night digging through the Lido collections on SoundCloud. For a second I thought I might be crazy, but I was happy to see that the guys over at PigeonsandPlanes thought it was important to share this track TONIGHT. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I have to grooving to do.

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I'm definitely a little late to the party, but thanks to the peeps over at I HEART MOOSIQ, I stumbled across this remix - it's the kind of track that feels like splashing water on your face first thing in the morning: refreshing. New York based band EPISODE, recently released an EP with "Hold On" as the title track and LA bases producer Salda gave the song a new wardrobe and the result has been sitting in the Hype Machine Top 10 Remixes all week. With a dash of Marvin Gaye soul, a touch of muted organ, and an electric guitar that's just loud and sweet enough for us to say, "ooooo yeah" or something like that - it certainly falls into the electro-soul-pop category that seems to be making it's way in to the mainstream right now. I'm looking forward to seeing EPISODE in NYC sometime soon and I can't wait to hear more from Salda.

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NICK HAKIM @ The Mercury Lounge NYC - 1/13/15 & 1/20/15

It was a dull Tuesday and I was feeling adventurous. I decided to head on over to Pollstar (a website that lists every show happening locally) and browse through who was in town that night. After doing some YouTube digging, I came across DC indiesoul/R&B new(ish)comer Nick Hakim (it was this video from Sofar Sounds in particular that sold me.) I ventured down to The Mercury Lounge in the lower east side and after grabbing a Blue Moon at the bar, I was ready. I caught the second of his two opening acts, Solo Woods - an old roommate of Hakim's who blew the roof of the place with his 70's infused indiesoul sound. It was unlike anything I had heard before, and with such a strong opener - Hakim took the stage and rode the energy to a new level. Between his intensely free physically and a voice that practically dances on air, every moment is unpredictable. I found myself falling into chord changes, vocal runs and instrumental solos - all healthy side effects of a brilliant show. 

I loved it so much, that I went back the next week same place same time and brought a friend (ALWAYS BRING A FRIEND THE SECOND TIME, it's a big part of how musicians build fan bases!) The opener was Hakim's keyboard player Jake Sherman - who's sound was like indie/experimental version of Ben Folds. Off-beat, unpredictable and totally unique - three things that I so appreciate. Hakim was even wilder than the week prior and had winterstorm/bust Juno not been in the way, I would've been at the final night of his month long Tuesday residency at The Mercury Lounge.

This is, without a question, not the last time I will see Nick in concert, and I have a feeling that next time I might be paying a much higher ticket price. 

Check out Nick Hakim on Facebook, Twitter, Soundcloud, YouTube and iTunes - and sit back, smoke up, and chill out to his latest EP "Where Will We Go Pt. 2" below (and then buy it on iTunes SON)

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JP Cooper first popped on to my radar when I saw THIS video of "Color Me In Gold" from The Mahogany Sessions. I often explain to friends, that if an angel had a voice, it would sound like this British singer/songwriter. Cooper has been putting out various demos and one other EP over the past few years - but this collection of songs is unlike anything we've heard. He had this to say about his new EP, When The Darkness Comes, to the awesome peeps over at Indie Shuffle, 

"When the Darkness Comes has been an amazing experience for me... There's been a lot of experimenting with sounds and spaces, from recording in disused 12th century churches that are only inhabited by bats, to making rhythms out of people walking up wooden staircases. Most of the work was recorded with UK producers "One Bit" and the process has been a lot of fun. It's almost an EP of two halves, half fiction, half very personal... I'll let you decide which is which..!” 

Give this (incredible) track a listen, and then spend the next few hours digging through the Cooper archives on YouTube, Spotify and Facebook (he has some amazing exclusive videos there too.) You can buy the EP on iTunes or stream it here.

P.S. Do yourself a favor and subscribe to The Mahogany Sessions on YouTube - they consistently put out amazing content of incredible but little-known artists.

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For most, Superbowl Sunday is about football, wings and booze - but for some it's about the half-time show, the national anthem and THE COMMERCIALS! When it comes to Superbowl commercials - there are couple of staples one of whom is Budweiser, best known for their horses and their puppies. This year is no different with tearjerker of an ad. But this commercial wouldn't be half as heartwarming if it weren't for Sleeping At Last's cover of "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" which has been featured on shows like Grey's Anatomy. It's a simple, soft and delicate take on a very famous song. The track swells and grows but never gets out of control - ending as quietly as it begun. I couldn't be happier that the Chicago-based singer/songwriter, producer, composer Ryan O'neal (aka Sleeping At Last) is getting some well deserved attention. 

Download the track HERE

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I was inspired by the guys over at HillyDilly to really sit down and spend some time with Mark Ronson's "Uptown Special" - the album that features Uptown Funk, the chart topping song Ronson released with Bruno Mars. I'm not too keen on albums that feature a different artist for every track, which is why I avoided it in the first place, but I was so pleased to find that this record was fluid and grounded amidst all the different voices. Being a huge Doobie Brothers fan, it's no surprise that "In Case of Fire" is my favorite track from the record. The song features Jeff Bhasker, a man who's name you might not know, but he's partially responsible for songs like "We Are Young" "Some Nights" and "Run This Town" and has worked with the likes of Beyonce, Bruno Mars, Alicia Keys, P!nk, Taylor Swift, Jay-Z, Kanye, Snoop, and The Rolling Stones. The lesson in all of this? Ronson and Bahsker are producing classic sounds in a fresh and exciting way. Clarified and simple yet melodically and harmonically complex. 

My other album favorites include "Crack In The Pearl" and "Heavy and Rolling" 

[defjamblr]

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Rihanna, Kanye West & Paul McCartney - "FourFiveSeconds"

This weekend, another surprise single release from Kanye West and Paul McCartney, but this time featuring our beloved bad girl Rihanna. FourFiveSeconds is a sort of folk-pop-anthem with the kind of hook that easily gets stuck in your head. I first heard the track over on HillyDilly, one of my favorite music blogs, and was intrigued by the acoustic-guitar-demo-pop-vocal-overlay effect they've created. I have a feeling with Rihanna's name attached to it - we could see FourFiveSeconds pop up the pop charts.

It's currently available in the iTunes Store. To hear it, head over to HillyDilly, IndieShuffle or Hypem

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Elgin Giles at The Delancy in NYC - 1/21/15

A sold out stadium or a basement bar with 20 people - there's no question that Elgin Giles, the 23 year old North Carolina native, would have given the same performance no matter what. Normally when I walk down a spooky flight of stairs to a dim lit, somewhat smelly, sticky floored bar - I'm expecting to see a full band making too much noise for the space they're in. This was just Giles, with the exception of his "DJ" and a few songs that featured back-up dancers. That's right, back-up dancers. Full out, no marking. Even with sweat pouring down his face, he was charming, friendly and as charasmatic as a super star. Could he be the underground Usher?

Be sure to check him out on Facebook, Twitter, and Insta

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What begins with what you think might be some sort of scary boy band nightmare - blossoms into a brooding, beating, R&B-Pop anthem. Australian Jarryd James is about to take the blogsphere by storm with his voice that sits in some exotic world between Sam Smith, James Blunt, Matt Corby and Justin Timberlake.

His falsetto tones float over the thick back beat and create a tangible contrast. As the track builds, the sharp organ cuts through the empty space and drives us to the next inevitable breath. Right when it gets comfortable and familiar, they throw in an extra beat that tosses the song back into fluid motion. Not to mention, a bridge that's straight out of American Horror Story (in the BEST way possible.) It's a creepy carnival carousel ride that I never want to get off of. 

James released the track 11 days ago. Currently he has less than 400 followers on Twitter, less than 700 likes on Facebook, but with over 130,000 streams on SoundCloud and growing - those numbers won't stay small for long. Get ready. He's coming. 

I cannot wait to hear what is next out of this mysterious Jarryd James - in the meantime I'll be playing this song on repeat for the next 3 days...3 weeks...3 months...

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With his new album, Vestiges & Claws, dropping on February 17th - Swedish singer-songwriter José González treated us to another taste with this ambient, acoustic, bubbling track "Leaf Off / The Cave"

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The first CD anyone ever gifted me was the Jack Johnson “Brushfire Fairytales” record. I vividly remember sitting in my bedroom, just listening to the sweet beach-pop melodies and Johnson’s soothing vocals. This was where my true love of music started. That record led me to discover some of my ‘staples’ - John Mayer, Dave Matthews, and ultimately Jason Mraz. Needless to say, I never found another artist who so truthfully and tastefully captured that beach-pop sounds that Johnson is so well known for.

Enter Josh Taylor - a jew boy (like me) out of suburban St. Louis who picked up and moved to southern California for college. The palm trees, sunshine and sand clearly made it’s mark on Taylor. Years back I heard a few home and iPhone recordings of the the 21 year old and I was floored. Today, all my tropical tasting fantasies came true - Taylor released “Color Wheel” after weeks of build up that drove his over 10,000 Instagram followers bonkers with anticipation. (@joshtaylortunes)

The track kicks off with a subtle and simple melody line riding on the light wave of an ukulele. When the bass drops in, we’re teleported to happy hour somewhere on a white sand beach with the afternoon sun glaring down. The easy bass line, quiet horns, sexy electric guitar solo and ALL the ba-da-da’s (that’s a technical term) give me “that tie-die feel.” There’s no denying that this is that beach-pop sound I’ve looked for all these years.

I am so looking forward to hearing more from Josh Taylor & The Cozy Boys. They’re laid back persona and sea salt breeze blown hair will no doubt drive the ‘beaches’ crazy. 

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Is NUSIKI The Next Big Thing?

Imagine if Instagram and Spotify had a baby - that's what the creators of Nusiki, a new start-up out of Chicago, are asking users to believe in. It's true. There isn't really a platform currently that uses the power of social media with music. Spotify has "profiles" and feeds that we can "subscribe" to - but it's unorganized and spotty (maybe pun intended.)

For music lovers like me, it would be incredible to have one central app where we could follow friends, music blogs, even bands and stay up to date on the latest tracks that they're listening to. Even twitter isn't programmed in way that makes sharing music easy. For true and loyal music fans - they check their favorite music blog(s) every day to see what's what. More often than not, I'm checking HypeMachine to see what's worked it way up the music blogsphere.

The music library of the world is growing exponentially and faster than ever before, simply because it's never been so easy for the average Joe to publish music. Smaller, free platforms like Soundcloud, Bandcamp, YouTube and even Myspace are super easy to use. Or with a little reading and a little cash - anyone can sell or stream their music on iTunes and Spotify. We're seeing the birth of more genres too. I'm hungry to find artists and sounds that intrigue me. Could Nusiki be the guiding light?

Currently the service is invite only - simple as entering your email address and waiting for a beta test confirmation. Mine is on it's way, and honestly - I can't wait. I think the concept is spot-on and I'm anxious to find out how well it's been executed (aka I think this idea is BRILLIANT and I cannot freaking wait to start using it.) They're planning to officially launch at SXSW this year, which should be the perfect place. I have a feeling we're going to be hearing Nusiki a lot more in the near future. 

I will continue to write about my experience using Nusiki, so check back soon. 

[dearskye]

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Sam Smith, Hozier and Låpsley are at the forefront of the rebirth of popular soul music. The simple but haunting melody line in "Falling Short" rides on top of a basic back beat that evolves as the track flows forward. It's the first track off of her Understudy EP that was released in early January. It's no surprise that this song is gaining Låpsley a lot of attention - it's almost hit 1M streams on SoundCloud and there are remixes floating all over the blogsphere. Keep your ears peeled - she's on the up and up.

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Richard Saunders is a name you're going to be hearing a lot in the next few years, months, weeks. First a viral YouTube video from a troupe of three of the best R&B vocalists in NYC, Thirdstory - and now he's joined forces with Zachary Andrew to form REFS. This electrosoul, part funk, part children's toy instrumental lays the groundwork for Saunders to swim through the track with vocals like you've never heard before. Sounding somewhat vintage in his tone, he cracks through phrases that could have been auto-tuned with his pitch-perfect vibrato. It's a feat that most mainstream artists won't even attempt. Not to mention, Saunders is down to earth and as kind as can be - I had a chance to chat with him after his Thirdstory show at Rockwood before the new year. Get ready for more Richard and get ready for more REFS.