Category: Watch Me
2021.5 Staff Picks Playlist
Hey there Vinyl Mag subscribers, long time no talk. To reign in the 2021 VM revival, consider this the first half of 2021’s staff top picks. 2020 and 2021 have definitely been a whirlwind, might I call them… “unprecedented times” (okay, I’m sorry… I won’t say it again). However, that can’t stop the jams from jamming, speakers from blaring. We hope you enjoy our staff playlist!
Acemoma – “A Future”
Bobby Kid – “Blue”
THE BLOSSOM – “CLOVES”
Courting – “Grand National”
Dayglow – “Close to You”
Elori Saxl – “Memory of Blue”
Japanese Breakfast – “Be Sweet”
Matt Ox – “Infinity”
Shungudzo – “There’s only so much a soul can take”
Sorry – “Cigarette Packet”
Sorry – “Don’t Be Scared”
Taylor Swift – Fearless (Taylor’s Version)
(Editor’s Note: Yes, the whole thing. I’m not sorry.)
Video Premiere: Maitland – “Luna”
Philadelphia indie folk rock group Maitland follows up the June released of their debut full length Glimpse with the ethereal music video for track “Luna.”
“Although the song plays like a love song, ‘Luna’ has a bit of a deeper message, touching on the frailty of our environment and the world’s infatuation with endless consumption,” says the band of the video. “There are sort of three ‘mindsets’ that we were trying to convey through the video; one: vulnerability, suffocation, and the need to escape something, two: the dreamlike satisfaction of taking advantage of the world we live in, three: the search for something greater than the physical experience of life.”
Without the haunting yet beautiful imagery of video, the track itself expresses its message through artfully crafted poetic lyricism.
“Lyrically, the chorus is a mantra of sorts, chanting about a finite spring that everyone needs to drink from.,” says the band of the track. “Unless we only take what we need (and no more), we’ll run dry. As a few people search for a fleeting fulfillment, taking more than their share, others are left with the final drops. But there’s room for rebuilding, and it takes a village. These words also point at a holy spring. The source from which all life comes into being. This spring will never run dry and will always offer what is required in order to rebuild the individual, the community, and the world.”
Check out the premiere of “Luna” below.
For those in the Philly area on November 9, head over to Johnny Brenda‘s to catch the band live with Square Peg Round Hole and Abi Reimold.
Video Premiere: Powerkompany – “Learning to Love”
Athens, GA-based dream-pop duo Powerkompany (Marie Davon and Andrew Heaton) are debuting their music video for their sexually frustrated (aren’t we all?) trip-fest “Learning to Love.”
“Every time I listened to the song, it pushed me into another world of excitement and frenzy,” said Davon of the track. “And that’s what I tried to create in the video, which was filmed and edited over the course of about six months of experimentation. The party scene was filmed by Ethan Payne with lighting help from Pascaldmx in the Fuel Hot Yoga studio with some of my favorite women in Athens: Moriah Piacente, Gracen Daniels, Sienna Chandler and Farida Gasser. The other scenes were filmed with help from Zelium who has a great little photography studio in the Chase Street warehouses. And like mixing ingredients and spices together to create a feast, I edited and messed with the footage, whipping it into the delirious experience that you see now.”
Watch the exclusive premiere of “Learning to Love” below.
Catch Powerkompany in Atlanta this Sunday July 30 at Dirty South Yoga Fest. You know that sounds awesome.
Five Artists Who Could be Huge Pop Stars by the End of 2017
Every spring, we see the release of new pop music as the genre awakens from its winter lull. Upcoming and already established artists vie for a coveted spot on Top 40 radio’s regular rotation, hoping to earn themselves a hit that gets airplay well into the summer and potentially leads to a lasting career. Of course, one single on the Hot 100 won’t thrust someone into superstardom, but it’s definitely the first step. Pop is a hostile genre; there are plenty of one-hit-wonders and artists whose careers fizzle out after a couple of singles. While there is no set formula or instruction manual for becoming a pop star, there are certain characteristics all of them share. Each are effortlessly unique and individualistic while simultaneously being marketable to a huge demographic. This dichotomy is a difficult balancing act, but it’s not impossible. We’ve made a list of five artists who we think could pull it off in the very near future.
1) Noah Cyrus
Noah makes following in the footsteps of an older sibling who just happens to be an ex-Disney superstar look exceptionally easy. After the release of her debut single – the vocally impressive Labrinth collab “Make Me (Cry)” – late last year, she’s proving she has what it takes to carve her own path. She’s also lent her voice to an EDM track produced by Marshmello and Ookay, giving us a taste of her own personal style. With her debut album NC-17 set to release sometime this year, we’re excited to see what the youngest Cyrus has in store.
2) Kehlani
Kehlani is the ultimate comeback kid. After some personal issues took the spotlight at the beginning of last year, the 21-year-old singer-songwriter has since reinvented herself, reemerging onto the scene with an air of unstoppable fierceness. Fresh off of the release of her debut album SweetSexySavage, Kehlani has both the momentum and the image to make it in the pop scene. Her single “Distraction” has been on heavy rotation on hip-hop and R&B stations, and it’s only a matter of time before Top 40 takes notice.
3) SZA
While her discography includes a long list of high-profile collaborations with artists like Rihanna, Chance the Rapper and Jill Scott, it’s SZA’s unique vocal and personal style that make her a good candidate for solo mainstream success. Her debut album CTRL, which will be released sometime this year, is one of the most anticipated of 2017. If the rest of the album is as promising as its first single, Top 40 could be welcoming her soon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meka6L6qXzw
4) Tinashe
Multitalented R&B songstress Tinashe has been patiently waiting her turn to take over the Top 40 since 2011. A rare gem of the pop world, she’s been writing and producing her own songs, as well as creating high-energy visuals for her performances, for six years. It seems as if she’s been flirting with megastardom for the duration of her career. Her recent collab with Britney Spears was certainly memorable, but it wasn’t enough to push her over the threshold. We believe that Joyride – the 2017 release that will serve as part two of her 2016 release Nightride – will be the album that brings Tinashe mainstream success.
5) Marian Hill
This funky electronic duo is a force to be reckoned with. Comprised of producer Jeremy Lloyd and vocalist Samantha Gongol, Marian Hill writes music from the perspective a woman who is in control of her sexuality, a theme that couldn’t be more relevant to the zeitgeist. Thanks to the single’s placement in an Apple AirPods commercial that aired during the Super Bowl, they’re current single “Down” is gaining traction on mainstream pop radio. The duo’s collab with Fifth Harmony’s Lauren Jauregui was another smart move, drawing in a new demographic of fans outside of their already established fanbase. “Down” shouldn’t be last we see of Marian Hill on the pop charts.
Vinyl Video: Power 96.1 Jingle Ball 2016
What better way to send off 2016 than with a star-studded mega concert? iHeartRadio’s Jingle Ball series delivered this year, with a lineup that changed in every city and featured just about every Top 40 artist currently on the charts. We got in on the action at the Atlanta show – hosted by Power 96.1 – and hung out with some of the biggest names in music.
We showed you the artists’ red carpet looks, but most of the noteworthy moments happened onstage and in between sets. We saw Fifth Harmony perform one of their last shows as a five-piece and witnessed Joe Jonas feed someone a hardboiled egg backstage. We also almost physically ran into Ariana Grande, who is stunningly beautiful and moves quietly and quickly, trailing behind her a cloud of Chanel No. 5. The strange environment was a fitting place to close out a strange year.
Check out our video recap featuring clips from the concert, as well as interviews with Jingle Ball artists Lukas Graham and Daya.
BackLight Productions Presents: Neighbor Lady
BackLight Productions enters the home of Emily Braden, singer and songwriter of Athens’ own, Neighbor Lady. Braden, along with Maggie and Jack Blauvelt, talk about Neighbor Lady’s birth in the Athens music scene as well as the songwriting process. The trio is introduced in a room organized with trinkets, potted plants and pet dogs. This is the set for an intimate viewing of “I Wish Nothing.” Neighbor Lady is painted in such a way that distinguishes their talent and persona. The track is soft and fluid with Braden’s airy vocals. Maggie Blauvelt drums alongside with a simple yet heralding beat. In the background, Jack Blauvelt rounds out the sound with twinkling piano melodies.
This is only the first of many collaborations with BackLight Productions. BackLight Productions presents a keyhole perspective into the home of various artists from Athens, Georgia.
Enjoy!
Basement: “Aquasun”
Basement, a five piece melodic hardcore band from Suffolk, England, is back with a new album. After releasing their first and second albums I Wish I Could Stay Here (2011) and Colourmeinkindness (2012), the band went on hiatus without any foreseeable reunion. Luckily for fans, the band released an EP titled Further Sky in 2014 along with a slew of tour dates, indicating a reunion for the band.
The reality is that Basement is back, with the highly anticipated album Promise Everything to be released through Run for Cover Records on January 29, 2016. To promote the album and create excitement for the new record, Basement has been slowly releasing singles from Promise Everything with tracks “Promise Everything” and “Oversized” already available for streaming and purchase.
Today, Basement released a music video for the single “Aquasun”, which is track four off of the new album. Check out the video here, and look out for Promise Everything coming out soon.
The track listing for the upcoming album is as follows:
1. Brother’s Keeper
2. Hanging Around
3. Lose Your Grip
4. Aquasun
5. Submission
6. Oversized
7. Blinded Bye
8. For You The Moon
9. Promise Everything
10. Halo
Missy Elliott ft. Pharrell Williams: “WTF (Where They From)”
In April 2015, we made a list of five artists that need to make a comeback. Missy Elliott comes in at number one. Now our dream has finally come true with the release of her new music video “WTF.” #TBT, the video is straight out of the early 2000’s; not even Missy Elliott has aged. Her costumes are just as edgy and her dance moves just as sassy. A puppet, with an uncanny resemblance to Pharrell Williams, comes in around 1:35, along with some booty poppin’ lady puppets. Time to listen to this track about 100 times and learn every single word. It’s not like we didn’t do the same thing with “Work It.”
CMJ 2015: Quaildogs x Vinyl VIDEO
Atlanta six-piece Quaildogs just released their first LP, The Getting Old Factory, back in September, but they’d already made a name for themselves prior to the release. The alt-country band has opened for the likes of Moon Taxi, Roadkill Ghost Choir, and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and they recently played multiple shows at New York’s CMJ Music Marathon. We caught up with them at their show at Leftfield NYC to chat about their record, studio time (shout-out to mutual friend and Glow in the Dark Studios audio engineer, Ben Etter), and how they unknowingly ended up in Counting Crows’ Adam Durtiz’ house.
The Best of “Hotline Bling”
Ever since Drake released the music video for “Hotline Bling”, the Internet has exploded with parody videos and mashups. The now-famous “dad dancing” has made Drake the butt of a lot of jokes, but it’s being proven that the 6 God can match beat with any song. With top contenders from almost every form of social media, here are some of our favorite “Hotline Bling” remixed moments:
1. Hotline Bling: SVU
#DrakeAlwaysOnBeat these are their stories.. pic.twitter.com/cWkmpWip5s
— jhea. (@heyahhjayuhh) October 21, 2015
I like to think that Olivia Benson would approve of this.
2. Mario Bros
It’s easy to pick up that this theme is from one of the Mario Bros games, but hard to tell which one. After close inspection, it’s the Overworld theme from Super Mario World.
3. Dragonball Z
I never thought I’d live to see the day when Drake and Dragon Ball Z are mashed up, but it does make sense to see the 6 God and Shenron the Dragon God together.
4. Drake’s Cakes
The Canada cake is a nice touch.
5. Legend of Zelda Bling
This is it. This is where modern technology has led us, being able to edit old school N64 video game characters into a 2015 Drake music video. What a time to be alive.
6. Twin Peaks
Although this mashup is a bit longer than most, fans of the cult series Twin Peaks will definitely appreciate the time.
7. Bob’s Burgers
Being an avid fan of Bob’s Burgers (and Jimmy Jr.’s dancing) this mashup is pure gold. His moves are almost spot on, too.
8. Hotline Pug
Last but not least, the best of the Hotline Blings. Someone took the time to dress up their dog in OVO-approved outfits to match Drake’s from the video. This video is only 15 seconds long, but don’t fret! There’s a replay button.