Tag: new to me music

Categories
Massachusetts

Unheard Boston, Massachusetts Music

The Blue Between Us by The Novel Ideas

The Novel Ideas are a quartet from Massachusetts. This country folk band of friends describes their music as ‘pastoral, harmony, and plaintive Americana.’ However, I would just call it folk with a tinge of country. Currently The Novel Ideas have 4,398 monthly listeners on Spotify allowing them to be the focus of this week’s artist spotlight.

The Novel Ideas debuted their first album in 2012, a nine track collection of folksy goodness. My favorite song of the this album is The Blue Between Us. A tribute to the wonderful place we all call home. Enjoy your next four minutes of life by listening to The Novel Ideas’ The Blue Between Us. Lyrics and Commentary Below.

Lyrics (Courtesy of LyricFind)

Well my mind’s still limber but my heart’s grown old
From the time I left the only place I know
And it makes me happy we didn’t get let go
I couldn’t stand to see our love just decompose

Now I’ve been walking home nearly every night
And here’s to everyone I ever loved but had to leave behind
For the one thing I can’t find though I’ve been looking half my life
And it’s damn hard to explain but I will try it if you like

If you ask me once I’ll tell you so
That the blue between us never felt so cold
And I miss the folk singers from the days of old
When a three-chord song could save your soul

And no I’m never on time least that’s what I’m told
So why’s everything feel like it moves too slow?
And if I were scared I wouldn’t let it show
‘Cause if I die tonight I’m not going home

Why’s it seem so wrong to miss the town you love?
When there’s just one state that you cannot stop thinking of
I wouldn’t say I’m patriotic but I think that’s what I’ve become
Sometimes it takes where you are not, just to remember where you’re from

Was it my fault that I meant every single word I said?
When I told you it was not the end
And if everything goes wrong, I hope we can get along
If I lost you I would lose my best friend

And now we’re weathering the storm, side by side we’re looking on
It takes a certain kind of love to bear this load
But it’s not the tired romance of the open road

Commentary

I’m not sure why, but I love a song filled with grief. The desire to be somewhere, something, or even someone else can be conveyed so well in music as compared to other art forms. You can experience the distress of the artist in the combination of vocals, instruments, and lyrics that can’t be matched in a brush stroke, chapter, or picture.

The vocals and feel of this song pair perfectly together to express the distress of the singer. A person whose pleasant angsty voice magnifies the lyric’s message of longing. The soulful harmonies give the song depth while the honest lyrics portray a bold authenticity. The singer is nearly embarrassed with his intense feelings for missing home, but I find it endearing.

Here’s a novel idea.

Sometimes the things we are embarrassed by are the same things that endear us to our loved ones and watching world.

What do you think?

The Novel Ideas can be followed the on Facebook or Twitter. You can purchase their debut album on Amazon and iTunes or give directly to them to show your appreciation on bandcamp. I have bad news; as of September of 2018 The Novel Ideas are no longer a band, but you can still enjoy their music on Spotify and YouTube.

If you liked this song you might also like our article on We’re Okay by ghostbird.

Categories
Religion Tennessee

Unheard Nashville, Tennessee Music

Breathe Again by Swingin Hammers

Nashville Tennessee’s Swingin Hammers is Benjamin Rupe, father, husband, and a shockingly authentic human being. Ben describes himself as a fighter by nature and his mission is to “challenge unto life.” What does that mean!? I’m sure we can find out. Swingin Hammers currently sits at 6,473 monthly Spotify listeners making him a prime candidate for our artists spotlight.

Swingin Hammers released his self titled album in 2017 and Quite, Vol 1 in 2020. The song that really got my attention was Breathe Again from the Album Swingin Hammers. It is a raw, heartfelt ballad expressing deep, emotional truths. The song is simple, but stunning. It can have me nearly in tears and smiling in the same 4 minutes. There is so much I can say about it, but Benjamin was kind enough to tell me about the song and I will share that with you after you give the song a listen. Lyrics, Meaning, & Commentary below.

LYRICS (Courtesy of jesusfreakhideout.com)

Stepping out into the light
Look around you say it’s alright
It hurts to peel the bandage off
But I see now just what it costs

It’s like I can breathe again
It’s like I’ve got a heart within
It’s like I can feel again
Just learning to breathe you in

When I was clear, oh so honest
About the doubts and confusions in my mind
You did not, no, cast me down to hell
You just looked at me and you kindly smiled

It’s like I can breathe again
It’s like I’ve got a heart within
It’s like I can feel again
Just learning to breathe you in

Oh cause I been runnin’
Away from confession
I been lookin’ for healing
Where it’s not mine to find
Without the pain of a strong love
That loves enough to wound

It’s like I can breathe again
It’s like I’ve got a heart within
It’s like I can feel again
Just learning to breathe you in

It’s like I can breathe again
It’s like I’ve got a heart within
It’s like I can feel again
Gotta learn to, gotta learn to breathe you in

Meaning (according the author)

“Breathe Again is a song about how excruciatingly painful and how unbelievably freeing confession is. It was written with my porn addiction in mind mostly, but also my previous life in alcoholism as well. At least those are the two most tangible ones that I think of. I remember having to confess that sin of porn over and over again and how every single time it felt like a bandage that just needed [to be] ripped off. It was exhausting and TERRIFYING every time, but it would free me of my sin. All of that’s based off of 1 John 1:7-8. Here: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. All that to say, Jesus is incredibly kind to us.”

Commentary

When the Church is done right it is a breathtakingly beautiful institution. I remember my first taste of confession. I remember being afraid to say what I was going through. I remember being scared of being kicked out of the group. And then I remember my friends responding with a smile and some of the most powerful words in the world, “Me too.”

You did not, no, cast me down to hell
You just looked at me and you kindly smiled

Wow. What a moment. To know that I wasn’t alone in my brokenness meant so much to me. Overtime I have become fully known and fully loved. Being fully known means my church group knows my past and they know my thought life, past and current. They have heard the darkest, most vile thoughts of mine and have welcomed me into their home. It’s crazy. It’s wonderful. It is powerful.

Benjamin says Swingin Hammer’s mission is to ‘challenge unto life.’ I think this means he wants encourage people to not live a life of mediocrity. The life he is imploring us to is one of authenticity and meaning where we can be fully known and fully loved, then fully know and fully love others.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness.” ~ Jesus in John 10:10

If you want to hear Benjamin’s additional commentary on the song you can find it below.

You can find Swingin Hammers on their website or follow them on Facebook, Youtube, or Spotify. You can get a free copy of Swingin Hammers most recent album here. You can buy the self titled album, Swingin Hammers on iTunes or Amazon.

As always feel free to share the music, the website, or maybe even both with your fellow music lovers.

Categories
Female Lead Tennessee

Unheard Nashville, Tennessee Soul Music

Marching On by Kyshona Armstrong

Kyshona (KUH-shauna) Armstrong creates empowering music from her new home in Nashville, Tennessee. On February 28th, she released her newest album, Listen. It blends rock, blues, and R&B with uplifting lyrics. Kyshona Armstrong currently sits at 3,549 monthly listeners on Spotify making her a perfect candidate for our Artist Spotlight.

Kyshona’s mission it to heal people. She started her career as a music therapist. She and her clients would write songs together. She even worked with inmates. Eventually she felt the need to branch out and create her own music, but she never forgot her roots. Her songs are filled with empowering, uplifting lyrics to encourage the forgotten and marginalized.

I reached out to Kyshona Armstrong to find out where the song Marching On came from and what it means to her, and she was awesome enough to respond. But first, enjoy Marching On, the 9th song on Kyshona Armstrong’s album Listen.

Lyrics

Many the miles that I have traveled
So much pain I had to rise above
So many dreams have come unraveled
Still waiting for my love

I hear a distant Hallelujah
singing a change is gonna come

I can still find a song in this old guitar
I can still see a light in that dying star
I hear that jubilee choir and its singing into the dawn
Keep on Marching, child
Keep on Marching on
The road it may be long, but keep on marching on

Many the men who have fallen
by the hand of a mighty few
But we can hear their voices calling
children we’ve passed the flame on to you

I hear a distant Hallelujah
singing We shall not be moved

I can still find a song in this old guitar
I can still see a light in that dying star
I hear that jubilee choir and its singing into the dawn
Keep on Marching, child
Keep on Marching on
The road it may be long, but keep on marching on

I can still find a song in this old guitar
I can still see a light in that dying star
I hear that jubilee choir and its singing into the dawn
Keep on Marching, child
Keep on Marching on
The road it may be long, but keep on marching on

I hear a distant Hallelujah
singing We shall Overcome

I can still find a song in this old guitar
I can still see a light in that dying star
I hear that jubilee choir and its singing into the dawn
Keep on Marching, child
Keep on Marching on
The road it may be long, but keep on marching on

Diving Deep

I really dig the electric instruments in this song with the persistent beat. This instrumental combination gives the song a lot of power which is only amplified by Kyshona’s dynamic vocals. Kyshona was kind enough to give me details about how the song was created and how the meaning has changed for her in light of recent events.

“Marching On was written following a conversation with my co-writers, Simon Gugala and Jason White. Simon had the chorus in mind and it got us thinking about all the things that are lost when we chose to only focus on lack.

In the time of protests and pandemic, this song had taken a more pointed meaning that no matter how long the road and difficult the journey, we must continue to march for those that came before us and for those that follow our lead. Shifting our focus from what is wrong with the world, to what we can purposefully do to make it better.”

Yes. We can all look around and see that something is wrong with this world, but let’s not stop there. Surely there is something we can do to purposefully to make it better. What’s the first step?

Listen.

Kyshona Armstrong Performs Marching On live on Lost River Sessions

Visit Kyshona Armstrong’s website or follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Spotify.

Categories
Female Lead Pennsylvania

What Did She Say?

My Very Own You by Little Big League

Little Big League is an Philadelphia rock band consisting of Michelle Zauner (guitar & vocals), Deven Craige (bass), Kevin O’Halloran (guitar), & Ian Dykstra (drums). They released their debut album These Are Good People. in 2013 and Tropical Jinx in 2014. Since then Zauner moved back to Oregon to be with her mother who was diagnosed with cancer and the band has not released an album since. Currently Little Big League sits at 8,255 monthly listeners on Spotify making them a wonderful candidate for our Artist Spotlight.

Little Big League is best described as Rock-N-Roll. They have mesmerizing guitar solos with a wonderful ability to compose a song. Michelles vocals are… unique. Taken by themselves I would consider them adequate, but the band does a good job of mixing them in, using them as an instrument to tie the song together.

Their best song is My Very Own You, a short 2 minute track from their debut Album. I hope you enjoy. Lyrics and commentary below.

Lyrics (courtesy of genius.com)

Tell me all the parts I conquered first
Cause I know your kind, you’re a bad, bad girl

My very own you

Show me every inch they couldn’t reach
I will bring and claim bricks to build my place

My very own you

Tell me who
Who, who?
Tell me who
Who?

My very own you

Commentary

I love this song; musically it really resonates with me. It starts with this very interesting guitar riff, hits hard with the vocals and drums, then quickly changes the pace. During the break down Michelle’s ‘who who who’ are great. But my favorite part is the explosion of music at 1:37. Overall, it’s a beautiful 2 minutes.

I struggle with the meaning of this song. I think it could be about how we all fool ourselves in our infatuation with new partners. We fall for our own version of people, rather than who they really are. We make each person into my very own you.

In a similarly naive way we may even see ourselves as our new partner’s white knight – Tell me all the parts I conquered first… Show me every inch they couldn’t reach. I will bring and claim bricks to build my place. This is easy because they are just reciprocating our infatuation. We seem like everything they have been looking for, but really they are just making us into they’re very own us.

I think if everyone asked more questions at the beginning of relationships then maybe there would be less hurt in the world. It would prevent us from being disappointed because our partner didn’t live up to who we thought they were. It reminds me of a quote I once heard in my pre-marriage class, “resentment comes from unmet expectations.”

You can follow Little Big League on Twitter and Facebook and buy their music from iTunes or bandcamp. As always I would really love it if you shared this or another article from The Unheard with your friends. If you really love this song/vocals you can find Michelle’s more recent (lo-fi) music under her new stage name Japanese Breakfast.

Sources
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Big_League_(band)
https://genius.com/Little-big-league-my-very-own-you-lyrics

Categories
Female Lead Music Tennessee

What Does Home Mean?

Oslo by De Joie

De Joie is singer/songwriter Kaley Rutledge. Her 7,780 monthly Spotify listeners makes her (by far) the most popular artist we have spotlighted so far. In De Joie’s first album she grapples with the idea of home. Kaley lives in Nashville, but she really found a sense home in her travels to Western Europe. These places impacted her so much that when she got back to the States she made an album of four songs, a song for each city she visited.

Oslo is the first song on De Joie’s album August and is my personal favorite. She mixes vox, strings, and synths to give this song a healing presence. In Olso, De Joie really captures the joy of thriving where you belong. Listening to this song put a smile on my face and I hope it will do the same for you. Lyrics and Analysis below.

Lyrics to Oslo by De Joie (courtesy of jiosaavn)

Can you hear me say “I love you” from across the sea?
Can you hear me whisper to you my dreams?
Well, the weather is fine here in Oslo
We’re about to jump on a plane to the west coast

There’s a view we can’t miss
I wouldn’t dream of it
There’s a view we can’t miss
I wouldn’t dream of it

I was born to be wild and free
Traipsing the coast line of some craggy beach
Go on and tell ’em I’m in good company
Wild and free

Can you hear me say, “I love you” from theses far way places?
All these wide open spaces seem to heal me

There’s a view we can’t miss
I wouldn’t dream of it
There’s a view we can’t miss
I wouldn’t dream of it

I was born to be wild and free
Traipsing the coast line of some craggy beach
Go on and tell ’em I’m in good company
Wild and free

DIVING DEEP

The concept of home has been something that I have thought a lot about over the last decade. It’s not just a physical space; instead it’s a near mythical land with powers to heal. Home is a place of recovery, our very own ICU that each of retreat to every day. This is an insane concept, but equally peculiar is that each of us rehab at our own unique center. How crazy is that!? Every one of us returns to our own distinct location for the same thing. Healing.

Kaley of De Joie does a fantastic job of exploring the concept of home. In the song Oslo we see two different homes. The first home is filled with the people she loves, but it is lacking. She has left it in search for something – Can you hear me say “I love you” from across the sea? Can you hear me whisper to you my dreams? We’re about to jump on a plane to the west coast. The second home is Oslo, which is also filled with people she loves, AND is a place where she finds healing – Well, the weather is fine here in Oslo. Go on and tell ’em I’m in good company. All these wide open spaces seem to heal me.

I really love how Kaley responds to the healing she receives when she finds home: She realizes she was born to be wild and free. This idea seems counterintuitive to me because before finding this new home Kaley was a wanderer, searching for home.. One could say that she was free to roam and be wild, but she did not feel that way.

However, when Kaley finds home, even though she is now tethered to a place (Oslo), she proclaims herself wild and free. How can we make sense of this?

It’s as if belonging to something or someone brings freedom while total independence produces turmoil. This is a thought worth sitting in, and for that I thank De Joie!

What do you think about home? What does home mean to you?

Sources
https://dejoiemusic.com/bio
https://www.jiosaavn.com/lyrics/oslo-lyrics/RwxYdhUIQ1A
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5oJYqPFbjnOksOFe7uOx9G?si=lU9yJgeQTVutw5Y2q_AR7A