I love Spotify. Its collection of songs and instrumentals is vast. The Spotify app looks good, and it works beautifully well. It has even made a good stab at learning what I like. My only gripe is that its recommendations pull me towards the most popular artists (which almost invariably fail to impress me) and inward to the centre of gravity of each genre (which has already been explored and no longer offers any surprises).
But life doesn’t need to be exciting all the time. Sometimes a gentle stroll along familiar paths is just what you need. These six easy-to-listen-to tracks all appeared on my Release Radar last week, and they caught my laid-back mood perfectly.
First up, we have the British guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, Snowy White. His Endless Green, Deepest Blue composition fits squarely into the classic blues-rock slot.
My heart is crying
For this old world
With its endless green
And its deepest blue …
An electric guitar moans and wails, as only that instrument can. A sad, sad voice laments what we have done to this planet – habitats destroyed, never-ending wars, words of hate – while a slow drumbeat marks the heavy trudge of despair. It’s as poignant a cry from the heart as you’ll ever hear.
Next, Mindgames have us Turning in Circles with an ambient take on the tortured state of the world today. Although everyone recognises that things must change, “still we fail to turn the page”, they say. It is another plea for love and compassion to counter the hostility and aggression that surrounds us.
The third blip on the Radar screen is a progressive ambient tune by Leon Alvarado, a Venezuelan-born American recording artist. He gives us A View from a Different Room, featuring tenor saxophone and Floydian guitar accompaniment. We can only guess what he saw when he looked out from that window, but for me, these life-affirming sounds paint a landscape of green pastures and rolling hills – a broad vista showing the full glory of Nature.
The radar transponder turns next to Franz Nicolay doing a convincing impersonation of the Future Islands frontman, Sam Herring. He quickens up the tempo a little as he tells us that there’s never any room at the Winners Inn. Although that’s not strictly true – there is nearly always one winner of any contest – he rams home the feeling that most of us never reach the top step of the podium. It’s a gentle introduction to the work of the man they call the “#1 accordionist in punk rock”.
The fifth sector of the circle brings us our first female performers. Ta’sia and guest artist Tansy announce that there is a Lady Waiting. Ta’sia (Annastasia Lucas) is an Australian saxophonist and producer; Tansy, sadly, is unknown even to Google. Perhaps she is the lady who is waiting. Waiting, perhaps, for her soulful voice to be appreciated by the music industry promoters, waiting to make a splash in the sound streams, waiting for chart success. In the meantime, she contributes a modern vocal style to Tas’ia‘s funk/soul/jazz composition.
And, finally, we find Jakob Magnússon’s Jack Magnet Science with a reminder of Joe Zawinul’s work with Miles Davis and Weather Report. This one chugs along contentedly in a laid-back fusion style. Jack doesn’t care if the whole world is going to the dogs because right now his life is just as it should be. It’s the fusion equivalent of Bobby McFerrin’s Don’t Worry, Be Happy, and it takes us full circle from despair to a joyful serenity.
Crotchety Man 